Vancouver and Vancouver Island

Posted by Alan Sorum Sep 17, 2007

I had a chance to visit with a number marine industry representatives and the editorial staff of Suite101 this last week in Vancouver. Flying on Air North out of Whitehorse, I arrived in Vancouver after a pleasant two hour flight. Driving through downtown Vancouver was uneventful and I landed at the conference hotel, the Westin Bayshore.

The 2nd Annual Canada Maritime Conference brought marine industry representatives together to discuss the future of the industry and especially the current Pacific Port Gateway initiatives being promoted by the Federal Government. In case it confuses anyone, my community of Skagway, Alaska serves as the gateway port for the Yukon.

The weather in Vancouver was unbelievable and you could see how the beautiful waterfront would encourage active boating. While in Vancouver, I had a chance to visit with the Chief Editor of Suite101, Joy Gugeler. Meeting Joy was a very enjoyable experience and she even bought lunch. Yet again, I survived another driving experience through Downtown Vancouver.

At the close of the conference, I traveled to Van Isle Marina at Sydney on Vancouver Island. Travel by car to the island requires the services of BC Ferries. BC Ferries handles a great deal of traffic between the mainland and island. Dockmaster Dana Dickenson gave me a tour of the Van Isle Marina, a full-service marina located very near the BCFerries Swartz Bay Terminal. Speaking to visitors from Oregon, transient boaters were enjoying the marina facilities.

I just missed visiting with Vancouver Island kayaking expert John Kimanas, who lives in North Vancouver. Any paddler interested in traveling to coasts of Southern British Columbia and Vancouver Island needs to buy a copy of John's Wild Coast 3 and the companion BC Coastal Atlas. They are remarkable publications and a worthy investment for visiting boaters.