Fun at the 2023 Vancouver International Boat Show

As in past years, BCA had a presence at this year’s Vancouver International Boat Show. But this year we were there in person again, following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. And it was fun! Fun to meet other BCA members and chat about cruising plans and compare routes, fun to look for gadgets to buy and deals to be had (one can never have enough boat shoes!), and most of all, fun to represent BCA and promote the cruising lifestyle to all the Dreamers out there! From young families dreaming of untying the lines to the intrepid solo sailors looking for adventure, I had a fabulous time listening to their stories and telling them how much BCA can help them realise their dreams.

Volunteers at the BCA booth.

In the end we had a whopping 23 new members join our ranks. I hope you all take the opportunity to welcome them at Club Nights and show them just what a wonderful bunch we are!

Floating Boat Show

Salish Sequel, a 1989 Taswell 43, graced the docks at the “floating” boat show. She was a very busy boat, as a matter of fact, the busiest I have seen in all my years volunteering at the Boat Show for BCA. She had  a constant stream of visitors. The owners, Jane Goundrey and John Todd were amazing and stayed on board most  of the time and helped out the volunteers as it was so busy.  Most of the new memberships came from the coziness of Salish Sequel‘s beautifully appointed salon.

Salish Sequel at the dock during the Boat Show.

About the Volunteers

Words are not enough… we couldn’t have done it without all of you who volunteered to make BCA’s presence at this years’ Boat Show a success! This year, 70 of you came out to volunteer over the 5 days of the show, in early February. From the folks who helped out with the booth set-up and take down (some excitement about driving inside BC Place!), to all of you at the booth and aboard Salish Sequel, to Jane and John who braved challenging weather conditions to bring Salish Sequel in and out of Granville Island, to Denis Heinrichs, this year’s fearless leader and organizer…. thank you! Please know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed and BCA appreciates the time and energy you spent to represent our association and promote the cruising lifestyle. Your willingness to share your knowledge and passion with others is invaluable, and it is inspiring to see the generosity of our members in action.

Here’s what Jane had to say about taking Salish Sequel back to her home berth after the Boat Show, in predicted high winds and heavy seas:

“We heaved our sigh when we finally got tied up at our dock yesterday afternoon. Turned out Windy and Environment Canada rather underestimated the Southeasterlies – John saw a gust hit 48 kts! To be fair, the predicted winds were 25 to 35 kts, and 35 is perhaps what it averaged. Gusts were consistently higher though. Windy had suggested it would only be in the 20s in the Straight if we stayed close to shore – but it was in fact only that low when we were trying to dock at Steveston! It was OK in English Bay, but rough enough we thought best for Sophie (fearless boat dog) to remain below.

When we emerged from the lee of the UBC peninsula we started getting white water on the dodger every couple of waves – and a few went right over the bimini and hit the dinghy! When I went below, I discovered poor little Sophie was terrified. She was wide eyed, trembling and panting. I couldn’t leave her, and it was too rough to get her up in the cockpit. Poor John was left at the wheel by himself.

We were the only “pleasure” boat out in Georgia Strait! But all is well when it ends well. I even found the hawse hole cover, which got swept off during our adventure, midship on the deck after we docked. Memorable end to a memorable week!”