The kindness of Canadians

I’m not saying Americans aren’t kind, particularly here in the Pacific Northwest (where we have something of a reputation for altruism, at least, if not strictly kindness), and certainly not among or around boaters and marina workers we have encountered, who are with very few exceptions complete gems and entertaining to be around in the bargain.  Still, there is a certain extra something we find north of the border when we visit there; despite some not insignificant reservations our northern neighbors have about us Americans, they remain hospitable to the point of excess, as I was reminded today when I received a call from the False Creek Harbour Authority.

You may recall a couple of months ago when I began my quest for moorage somewhere in or near Vancouver during the Olympic Games so we would have accommodations with easy access to the bus lines leading to the Whistler venue, where we have tickets to one of the early events.  Our search had been fruitless and unpromising; the few marinas I had reached who had open slips seemed reluctant to let them out, and many of the rest were full up.

It hadn’t really occurred to me to contact the Harbour Authority, or rather it had occurred to me and I had quickly discarded the thought.  Most Canadian harbours have a public harbour authority which manages docks as a community resource; few cruisers who have spent time in British Columbia waters haven’t spent a night or a few at one of the ubiquitous red-railed public docks, which typically have lower rates and a more colorful community than their private counterparts.  In some ports, they are the only moorage available.  Most, however, have a primary mission of providing affordable moorage for the large (though shrinking) Canadian fishing fleet.  They are rougher and older than most private marinas, and providing accommodations for cruising boats is a secondary concern.  During the summer fishing season, though, when the fleet is out, they are happy to take in transient cruisers (cruisers who aren’t picky about slip-side services and who don’t mind rafting alongside commercial vessels with strange smells, noises, and early AM departure times) and some of our favorite Canadian port stops have been at public docks.  In the winter, however, they tend to be full with their regular customers, and I didn’t expect to find any openings.  Nor do they take reservations, typically.  Hailing the harbour master on arrival was still on my list of options, but I was figuring that Plan C, anchoring out, was going to be the most likely outcome.

Here was where Canadian hospitality came through for us, however.  Two months ago, I had called Pelican Bay Marina on nearby Granville Island asking about slips.  The manager, Marcus, told me he had a spot, but that he had promised it to someone else if they got back to him that day.  If they didn’t, he said he would give me a call and I could have it.

He didn’t call, and I figured that was that.  This morning, though, my phone rings, and it’s Alison from False Creek Harbour Authority, and she had heard from her manager, by way of Marcus at Pelican Bay, that we were looking for a slip, and they had one if we were still interested and willing to put down a deposit.

Were we ever!

Alison acknowledged that this was all out of the ordinary; they don’t normally take reservations or deposits.  But it seems as if someone realized that it’s a boon to the Authority coffers to make an exception during the games, so they’re taking reservations, bumping the rates up a bit (still extremely reasonable) and getting deposits.  We couldn’t be happier with the outcome; we stayed at the Harbour Authority docks in False Creek a couple years ago when we passed through Vancouver and had a lovely time.  They are particularly well-situated for exploring downtown Vancouver and the amazing Granville Island, the folks are friendly, and the facilities well-kept.  If I’d known they were taking reservations, they would actually have been my first choice.  Alison even spelled the name of our boat correctly on the first try (it helps to have something memorable!).

All of this only came about because Marcus, who I only ever had one two-minute conversation with (although I got to know his mother quite well as she was minding the phone while he was on vacation for a couple weeks before I managed to reach him), went out of his way to mention my name the manager at the Harbour Authority and pass along my contact information.

Might it have happened in Seattle?  Maybe; we’ve got some good people around here.  But although we didn’t ever expect it, it’s the sort of thing that we routinely are pleasantly surprised with in our dealings with our Canadian cousins.  And it has us looking forward to our visit next month all the more.