Tracey Hart stood on the end of a jetty at the Granville Island’s Maritime Market and Marina and looked towards the Burrard Bridge, the city’s last man-made connector before the inlet gapes into the sea.
Hart is a boater and is from Toronto, so being with her is like looking at Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»through new eyes; she pointed out pairs of ducks paddling in the boating lanes in the marina, the way the water rippled with the currents and breeze, and took noticeable, contented breaths.
“One thing that’s hard to explain to somebody is the feeling of once you step on that boat,” said Hart. “Something happens, you know you really do feel something different. It’s about escape, leaving your cares and worries behind.”
Hart works for Discover Boating Canada, a public awareness group, which is managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association on behalf of the North American recreational boating industry. Discover Boating was at the floating component of the 54th annual Vancouver
Boat Show held last Wednesday to Sunday and was giving free on-water workshops called Hands On Skill Training aboard their powercraft and sailboat to landlubbers and seasoned boaters alike.
“People really get to experience basic, simple maneuvers to simplify close-quarters handling, for instance, how to dock a boat,” Hart said. “I think some people maybe feel uncomfortable or nervous about it and I think some people think docking a boat is like driving a car into the driveway.”
It’s not. One of the Discover Boating’s instructors once said docking a boat is probably similar to driving a spaceship; there are tools such as thrusters to help guide watercraft in. Hart said the program aims to make people feel comfortable behind the wheel and it’s just part of the Discover Boating’s offerings during the boat show, which also included boat shopping guides and dockside safety.
Hart remembered the face of one woman who took the workshop at the Toronto Boat Show where its floating component is actually a temporary lake that takes up all the floor space in the Ricoh Coliseum.
“She had just bought a boat, and was really excited but really, really nervous,” Hart said. “But, at the end of the workshop she was beaming, she was just so happy. When I hear that, that’s my job done — bring me another one.”
The boat selector tool on Discover Boating’s website (discoverboating.ca) is its most popular feature because it is a practical starting point whether new boaters are looking for a craft to hang out with friends on a lake (bowrider) or want a water-skiing boat with a sleeping area (cuddy cabin). No matter the craft, boaters are almost always in a more positive state of mind through connecting with nature, feel healthier and fitter, and have an overall better quality of life than those who don’t, according to Hart who said those facts are supported with health and lifestyle surveys.
And that happiness doesn’t necessarily just come down to money, either, she added.
“You know what, it’s really about finding the budget that works for you. You don’t need a new boat. An off the top of my head comparison is a four-week, four-person vacation to Florida. That costs the same as going boating all year,” said Hart. “Which would you rather do?
Personally, I’d rather do boating.”
While there are different price points for different budgets, boats with six-figure price tags outnumbered dinghies, inflatables and personal water crafts at the floating show. It was still fun, judging by the piles of shoes on deck mats, to climb aboard something like the Prestige 550, which advertised “excellent layout with three staterooms, hydraulic swim platform and advanced construction.” The boat show price was $1,290,000 US — duty included. Among the yachts was the Fraser Lifeboat, which belongs to the Canadian Lifeboat Institution. CLI’s Brian Cook, along with chief engineer Bruce Docherty, showed off the 47-foot craft, the organization’s newest acquisition that once worked the unforgiving coasts off the United Kingdom and Ireland under its former moniker The Famous Grouse.
Speaking of names, Discovery Boating’s sailboat, christened Escape, glided into place at the marina with another four windswept and smiling students.
A fitting name, Hart said. Almost as good as her favourite, Corner Office.
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