Once upon a time a ferry boat was the only way to get to West Vancouver from Vancouver, BC. Now it’s an option again thanks to Coastal Link Ferries which is expanding its Bowen Island commuter run to include West Vancouver.

Starting Tuesday, Nov. 17 (and not Nov. 2 as previously reported), Captain Ihab Shaker will start shuttling locals and visitors across Burrard Inlet between Ambleside and Coal Harbour aboard the Coastal Runner.

The ferry–affectionately dubbed the “Silver Sausage” by Bowen commuters–will leave for Vancouver from the foot of 14th St. in West Vancouver at 7:30, 8, 8:30 am and 4:45 pm, and will return from the dock at the foot of Thurlow (near the new convention centre) at 7:45 and 8:15 am, and 4:30 and 5 pm. (You can find the schedule here.)

The short trip will cost $5 one-way and $9 return. A monthly pass will go for $150–competitive with a transit pass.

Serene and scenic, it’s a quick and inexpensive way for visitors to expand their sight-seeing range on a short trip to Vancouver.

There are a bunch of excellent shops and restaurants along Marine Drive in West Vancouver between 14th and 17th, and the seawall walk offers a completely different perspective on the city.

As Shaker says: “I’m not introducing something new. This was the way people traveled to the North Shore in the past. In fact, the dock I will be using in Ambleside was originally built for a ferry that ran to Gastown. The ferry terminal building was actually built in the early 1900s and is is now a gallery and museum.”

Makes a great day-trip…