Two years ago, a sea container decided to barge into Vancouver's heart

Almost exactly two years ago, a barge collided with the Sunset Beach seawall in Vancouver and changed the city forever.

Well, at least until the barge was deconstructed and erased from all existence.

But since that fateful day, countless memories have been created and memes shared, and in this piece, we’ll look back and relive better and barge-r days in Vancouver.

Barge and in charge: a timeline of events

November 15, 2021: The barge got blown into the seawall near Sunset Beach

An atmospheric river rainstorm hit Vancouver with heavy winds, causing the barge to get blown our way.

Dramatic videos showed the massive barge heading toward the seawall. It even led to the creation of a then-Twitter account claiming to be the barge. The barge was surprisingly political on social media.

That night, the barge forced the closure of the Burrard Street Bridge over fears of a collision.

Vancouver told Daily Hive it was working with the Port of Vancouver and the Canadian Coast Guard to assess the ongoing risk, and plans were to tow the barge off the shore.

Those plans didn’t materialize.

You might also like:
• Barge collides with Sunset Beach seawall in Vancouver
• Vancouver's English Bay Barge is almost gone forever (PHOTOS)
• "I'm a liberal": A conversation with @EnglishBayBarge
• All aboard: Up close and personal with the Chevron barge in Vancouver (PHOTOS)
• End of an era: The English Bay Barge is gone for good

November 16, 2021: The barge meme machine

It only took one day for the memes to be shared with as much force as the winds that caused the barge to show up in the first place.

There were memes about turning the barge into a fancy retail space.

Tap and Barrel is always taking up the prime waterfront locations around Vancouver, damn franchises! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/itSS3qqScC

— Dan Burgar (@dburgar) November 16, 2021

Many hoped for the McBarge.

The #Bargemageddon isn’t the first time we’ve had a barge on #vancouver waterfront.#mcbarge still needs a home. pic.twitter.com/0DtaJS6d2U

— Chris (@chriscoastguy) November 16, 2021

Some even hoped the barge would be adorned with holiday Christmas lights.

Daily Hive/Kenneth Chan

Sadly, none of these memes materialized.

However, the City had some fun and gave the barge its sign for a limited time. But someone spray painted over it.

JohnnyUtahVan/Shutterstock

November 19, 2021: Gone on Sunday

Just days after it showed up, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the Canadian Coast Guard was busy but that they’d tend to the barge on the first Sunday following its arrival. It was previously set to be moved on a Thursday.

However, those plans didn’t materialize either.

November 24, 2021: Gone in December

Safety was a crucial concern in why delays occurred, preventing the barge from being moved.

Later the same month, we were told the barge was “likely” to be moved in December 2021.

Those plans also didn’t materialize.

December 5, 2021: Barge tourism

By December, the barge was a full-blown tourist attraction.

On Google, the area was declared “Barge Chilling Park.”

As of December 5, 2021, there were 27 Google Reviews of the park, which gave it 4.7 out of 5 stars.

December 26, 2021: I do

One of the more heartwarming stories from the barge’s timeline was when a Vancouver man pulled off the most epic proposal.

Thankfully, his partner said “I do.”

February 7, 2022: The end of a sea-ra

Megan Devlin/Daily Hive

In February 2022, we finally learned that there were actual plans to get rid of Vancouver’s hottest tourist attraction.

In an almost cruel fashion, like watching Old Yeller get put down, the barge would be dismantled, piece by piece.

“How fitting it ends with a demoviction,” the barge’s Twitter parody account posted.

April 1, 2022: Not yet gone, not yet forgotten

When April Fools 2022 came around, the barge was still very clearly at the top of many minds, including for organizations like White Spot and Cactus Club.

November 24, 2022: A funeral

There’s nothing left. (Megan Devlin/Daily Hive)

Just over a year after the barge showed up, it was gone. The piece-by-piece cleanup was complete, and the barge that once filled the hearts of bored Vancouverites with hope was gone forever.

The deconstruction took 15 weeks, and even the City of Vancouver thought the barge played an important enough role for it to be given a proper goodbye.

While we may have lost the barge and the joy and wonder the massive container brought the city, we will always have the memories and the memeries.