While doing the English Bay Scramble this weekend Curtis and I were on a windless run with the kite up about 1.5 nautical miles SE of Point Atkinson. We were barely moving and trying to get the kite to hold some wind when the Granville Island Water Taxi (the one that runs to Bowen Island). Passed at full speed (about 20 knots) within 10 meters of us. I was shocked and infuriated. I am not proud to say but I shouted obscenities and offensive hand gestures at the surprised skipper and his passengers as we were rocked violently in their wake.
Now I have come to expect this from some of the power boaters out there but from a professional; I was angry. With Curtis on the foredeck messing with the sails it put us at risk of a serious injury. In Canada a vessel is responsible for its wake so I called the Coast Guard and complained. They in turn contacted the VPD Marine Unit who contacted me. The officer I spoke with was professional and said he would deal with it as he knew the owner of the company well and that he was a good guy. I thought nothing of it and we went about our race.
The next day I got a call from Simon Faulks *sp, the owner of Granville Island Water Taxi. Turns out he was not only the owner but the one who blasted past us. Now I have to say I am used to companies messing things up and dealing with them poorly and in a confrontational manor, but I was shocked by the way Simon handled this. He apologized, took ownership of the situation and said that he would make sure that it did not happen again. I was surprised to get a heart felt apology and he offered us free tickets.
So often in life people make excuses or get defensive but how he handled the situation was so professional and honest it left me deeply impressed. In fact I would argue that it is more business like this that we need out there. It is easy to handle a good situation but I think it is a true test of integrity to see how someone handles a bad situation. I intend to do what I can to support his business and recommend it to all I can. I also would like to thank the VPD for dealing with this in a community oriented way by getting the two parties together to talk. I was impressed.
So here is my plug. These guys are a excellent way to get out to Bowen. It is a great service to meet up with the SEA WEASEL if we are overnighting in Snug Cove and you couldn't make it for the sail over. It is also a great way to get out to the pub and back for a very reasonable price. Plus it runs from Granville Island so you don't have to deal with getting out to Horseshoe Bay! Here are there details:
Granville Island Water Taxi
& Tourism Information Centre
102 - 1311 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2P3
Dispatch/Reservations 9:00am to 5:00pm
604-484-8497
Fax 604-628-7047
E-mail info@giwt.ca - Web http://www.giwt.ca/
1 comment:
Nice one!
Post a Comment