Day 215 – Cause for Celebration

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215/365 (August 3, 2010) – It’s done! The boat is in her new home. Well, almost. We moved her around from Horseshoe Bay today and have her temporarily snuggled into a friend’s boat shed until the sublet in our new one runs out in just over two weeks. Then, on August 20th she moves into the last slip she will have as long as she belongs to us. A nice protective shed, at Burrard Yacht Club, only five minutes from our front door. Can’t beat that! And most of the people we know on the water are moored in either Burrard Yacht Club, Mosquito Creek Marina (next door) or Lynwood (up the inlet a bit). So for a change we will have many friends close by. Which could make getting things done slower…but fun too!

We have the best shed EVER! It has a new roof, is in a single row (so we get the afternoon sun in over the bow and it doesn’t feel closed in and dark), and is not at the far end of the dock! We won’t have to worry about neighbours bashing into it when they dock, or bashing into it because they don’t tie their boat up properly. We no longer have to dodge ferries when coming into the marina. No more rental boats flying up and down the marina because they are lost. No more diesel fallout from the ferries. No more gull using the roof of our boat for a clam cracking device, or for a dining room table. No more clearing out massive numbers of logs from beneath the swim grid before being able to consider leaving the slip.

On the downside, we will miss the neighbour on the other side of where we used to moor. But it was on a countdown anyway, I believe they are trying to sell their boat. We will also miss being where we love to float in 20 minutes. Bowen Island and Gibsons are farther away now…but Indian Arm is closer. So it’s a trade-off.

Over the past two years we haven’t boated as much as we used to and we rarely use it in the winter. Now, with it so close and in more protected waters, we feel reinvigorated about it. We can go down and work on/enjoy it any time, and if the weather is nice in the fall/winter, we can head out for an afternoon BBQ.