The First Trip: part one.

So I decided to be brave and take Babe on her first trip to Hornby Island. My cousin and her son were heading up and said that I could bunk with them in their cabin, which is much, much nicer than the one I usually stay in (used to stay in pre-baby). With Babe never wanting me to put her down it simply would have been too difficult for me to venture up to Hornby in this cold weather by myself with her. I couldn't imagine trying to keep the fires going, water boiling etc. without any help so it was a great opportunity to go.

This isn't even all of the crap I packed for Babe for five days. Not included in this shot is her co-sleeper bassinet, her just-hanging-out-in-it-bassinet, her stroller and car seat, her baby monitor and other stuff. Turns out I didn't need half the clothes that I brought. Surprise! Surprise!

After I loaded up the truck we headed out...into the snow?! Mid-March and it was snowing. I had a reservation on the 10:30am ferry so we arrived at the terminal just after 9:30. When the time came to board the ferry I ignored the announcement on the loud speaker assuming that it was the standard pre-loading instructions. But after people started turning off their cars and leaving the lot or pulling a u-turn and driving out of the line altogether, I decided to roll down my window and listen up. Turns out the ferry was cancelled due to high winds. F**K! In all my years of travelling on ferries (and I have taken A LOT of ferries) I have never missed one because it was cancelled. But of course the first time I attempt to travel with Babe we get stranded. We were told the 3:00pm sailing might go and we decided to wait. So I spent the next four and a half hours sitting in a nearby coffee shop with my cousins and aunt taking turns trying to keep the baby happy.

I don't know if the wind actually did die down a little or if B.C. Ferries just realized they hadn't needed to cancel the sailings in the first place (because they were still running from Tsawwassen) but the 3:00pm did run!

But now it was looking doubtful we would make it onto Hornby Island because the ferry stops running at 6:00pm. In order to make the last boat onto Hornby I would have to haul ass on the hour long drive up Vancouver Island. With shitty weather and my precious cargo on board it was an added stress I didn't need.

Anyway, here are a few photos of Babe's first ferry ride (a big deal to me considering how many she and I will be taking in the future).

I wanted to buy Babe something from the gift shop on the boat to remember the first ferry by but they don't sell a ton of baby gear on board. I finally settled on this cute nautical-themed box with a compass inside. Definitely not baby-friendly but a fun little memento.

I liked the quote on the trim which reads:

"We knew the merry world was round and we might sail forever."