David Cobb has moved a "national treasure" to a new home on New Westminster's waterfront but isn't sure it will be greeted with the respect he believes it deserves.
Cobb relocated his 100-yearold fishing boat Chief Skugaid from the Larco (143 Cathedral Ventures Ltd.) foreshore site to the adjacent site in front of Fraser River Discovery Centre.
The move to the site that was once home to Royal City Star riverboat casino came just days before a bailiff was set to tow the boat from the site.
"I am out of the frying pan and into another frying pan, I guess," Cobb said. "Not into the fire yet."
In January, a B.C. Supreme Court judge granted an injunction and gave Cobb 30 days to move Chief Skugaid from Larco's foreshore. The developer's lawyers stated that their client had never granted Cobb permission for moorage on the dock or on the foreshore.
On Saturday, 15 to 20 "citizen barges" helped Cobb slowly move the fishing boat to the adjacent site.
"It remains to be seen whose (property) it is," Cobb said. "I am presuming it is the city's."
Cobb believes it's a tragedy that a vessel with a storied history like Chief Skugaid isn't welcome on the waterfront. "This is a provincial, if not national treasure."
Chief Skugaid's colourful history has included stints as a halibut schooner, a rumrunner vessel during U.S. prohibition and a fish packer for the salmon and herring fleets.
Cobb is grateful to community members who assisted with Saturday's move, which prevented the boat from being moved by a bailiff.
While he "continues to cast about" for a more stable place to moor his boat, Cobb is also exploring the concept of having the vessel "adopted" by a service organization and addressing the moorage situation with city council. He may present council with a petition that's been signed by supporters of Chief Skugaid.
"I don't feel alone," he said. "I do feel the goodwill of quite a cross section of the populace. That gets me through the low moments."
According to Cobb, more than 100 people have signed a petition that support the boat and believe it should remain on the waterfront.
"All they are saying is they are appreciating the Chief on New Westminster's waterfront," he said. "It's 'we like the boat', end of story."
Cobb isn't quite sure what kind of response to anticipate from the City of New Westminster regarding his latest moorage spot.
"There are people there who love the boat, people who hate the boat," he said.
Cobb was traveling to a shipyard in Queensborough in June 2011 when a gravel barge crashed into the rail bridge leading from the waterfront to Queensborough, preventing Chief Skugaid from accessing the shipyard. While he's enjoyed his berth on the riverfront, Cobb has also discovered it's challenging to find a dock that can accommodate a boat that's more than 90 feet in length.
