Nanaimo – Shopping, Hot Showers and a Night Out

On Our Way to Nanaimo, We Sheltered in Pirate’s Cove for One Night –

After Wallace Cove, we spent one night anchored in Pirate’s Cove. Thankfully, we had protection because it was very windy that night. It was a rocky night, but somehow we slept through most of it and woke to a calm morning on the hook. Our plan that morning was to get up early to navigate through Dodd Narrows, tidal rapids, on our way to Nanaimo.

No problems getting through the narrows, and we had a beautiful day to arrive at the Nanaimo Municipal Marina, right downtown. It was a busy day for us. Jim needed to wash the boat while we had access to water, and this would be the first opportunity to provision at a regular-sized store since we entered Canada. We had made a run to Costco while in Anacortes, but there were many things we were careful not to bring into the country, mostly fruits and vegetables. We had not had proper showers in several days, so after doing chores on the boat, we hit the showers, and boy, did it feel good.

Last time we were here, we visited a Greek restaurant. We remember it because it was so good. We couldn’t find that one again, probably closed during Covid. However, it seems Nanaimo has quite a few Greek restaurants to choose from, and as luck would have it, we found one within a 1/4 of a mile from the marina. We have to say this restaurant blew us away. They were so accommodating in helping us get a reservation; the food was top-notch, but most impressive was the atmosphere. It has been a long time since we had that experience. Diners and staff alike experienced the fun vibe. Asteras Greek Taverna, just up the hill from the marina.