Boat Rentals on Granville Island

When the weather gets hot in Metro Vancouver many people head to the beach. Beaches are great and all, but they get too crowded with sun bathers and the freaks who insist on throwing a frisbee or football around. Add in the muscle men and females without enough clothing and I’m looking for an alternative place to chill out.

My solution is to go the boat rentals on Granville Island and get out ON the water. However, my weekend plan to go out and get on the water didn’t work out quite as well as I had hoped.

Apparently you have to have a license to operate a pleasure craft? Fortunately, you can get your online boat licence at BoaterExam.com

Unfortunately I did not know about Boater Exam until after I had gone through the hassle of loading the family into the car, driving to Granville Island, parking the car and then walking with our kids and half our household belongings across Granville Island.

I suppose I should mention that I do not actually own a boat. Typically, I do the boat rentals on Granville Island when the spirit moves me to get the family out on the water.

It came as quite a surprise to me when the young lady behind the counter asked if I had a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. Me, “Uhh, no…”

Not a bad thing to require boaters to have a valid license I suppose seeing as my family’s safety would rely on how well I understand the rules of being on the water.

To make a long story a bit shorter, we did not go boating today. Instead we came home so that I could look into how to get a license. If you want to learn the safety rules and regulations and take the Transport Canada exam you too can visit the good people at Boater Exam. They will make sure you know your stuff before you get to the dock.