Way back in 1821, British businessman Nicholas Garry, working for the powerful Hudson's Bay Company, undertook a monumental journey to ensure his place in history. Sailing from London to New York and then travelling - often by canoe - to distant outposts across the colonies that now form Canada, Garry was on a mission to explain a potential merger between Hudson's Bay and the North West Company.
The surprisingly descriptive diary Garry kept during his voyage is still with us today, delivering a rare glimpse into the Canada of two centuries ago.
His name lives on in other ways too, such as the Winnipeg forerunner known as Fort Garry. Or the native B.C. tree known as the Garry Oak. And even closer to home we have the kite-flier's paradise known as Garry Point.
It's unlikely anyone flew kites at Garry Point in the 1820s, but one thing is certain - it was just a windy then as it is now.
And therein lies the key to Garry Point's high-flying success. The park juts into the ocean like a handle at the base of Richmond.
It's surrounded on three sides by water and is thus a prime target for westerly, southwesterly and northwesterly winds.
Even its landlocked edge, being connected as it is to oh-so-flat Steveston, is unguarded. This makes it quite unique amongst kiting hot spots.
But there's more. Garry Point itself is relatively flat, never rising more than a few feet above sea level. It is bereft, for the most part, of trees and structures, providing plenty of uninterrupted space for every form of kite.
