Dear Editor:
Re: Chief Skugaid cut adrift by Larco, The Record, Feb. 22.
Having the Chief Skukaid on our waterfront has reminded me of the iconic maritime history of New Westminster.
David Cobb, the captain, is a living piece of that history. His boat, the Chief, adds colour and character to the waterfront.
How can it be that a large corporation such as Larco can use its legal clout to cast adrift such a wealth of historical information . What is the Fraser River Discovery Centre down by the river if not the ideal place for the Chief Skugaid to tie up?
As an un-official ambassador of the Fraser and curator of maritime history in New Westminster, David Cobb has shared stories of the seafaring history of this province and of the bio-diversity of one of the world's greatest rivers and one of our greatest economic and cultural assets.
His passion, eloquence and vast encyclopedic storehouse of knowledge make his boat an oft-visited, well-loved destination for New Westonians, great and small.
I pass by on my bike almost daily and I almost always see someone looking over the boat, from little tykes of three years old getting their first introduction to a vessel of such size to old-timers, who, by the look of them, might have spent some time on the sea themselves, logging or fishing these very same inland and coastal waters.
Rather than shooing him along, New Westminster should open her arms and allow the boat to berth in front of the Fraser River Discovery Centre.
David Cobb doesn't need some giant faceless corporation flexing its muscles, he needs the care and concern of our local population who love the Chief Skugaid and all the history that this soon-to-be 100-yearold Grand Dame of the West Coast represents.
Let our voices be heard! Keep the Chief on the dock at the waterfront in New Westminster and let's help David Cobb realize his dream of refurbishing this living, breathing piece of Maritime history.
Mike Miller, New Westminster
