Comments on: A Fountain, a Ferry and Superyacht

By: Kristina

Kristina — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:04:25 +0000

In reply to Dennis. The Attessa passed by our place in West Van on September 6th and is at this moment arriving in San Francisco. You can see where she is on Vessel Finders. It's quite the treat watching her go by.

By: Neal Hall

Neal Hall — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 04:56:43 +0000

In reply to Loretta Houben. The North Van ferry dock was actually at the foot of Columbia Street. My grandfather took it to work in the North Vancouver shipyards from his East Vancouver home. My grandfather moved to Vancouver to work in the shipyards after the work ran out in Belfast, Ireland, building the Titanic and the two sister ships - he was a master carpenter.

By: Cathy Wilander

Cathy Wilander — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 20:39:02 +0000

Always sorry when public art is lost esp. when in outdoor spaces. That fountain looked lovely and I’m sure many enjoyed being there over the years. Too bad that it was not valued and deemed worth saving. So it was destroyed. Now the view is of a huge yacht owed by an obscenely wealthy person. The rest of us get patched concrete. How ironic.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 05:14:05 +0000

I am a 84 year old former Vancouver resident living past 30 years in cabo san Lucas Mexico. Dennis Washington spends a lot of his winters here and I’ve had the pleasure of watching a few of the Attessa’s sitting out in Medano bay at anchor because they are too big for the dock. I presume he uses it for winter home and a palace for friends and family. I will watch for #5, if she’s heading out, should be here soon.

Regarding the ferry, my first recollection of being on board a boat was with my father going from downtown to north Vancouver. I was about 6.

By: e.a.f.

e.a.f. — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 22:31:09 +0000

Remember the resturant well . Your stories about our history are great. Thank you.
Ah another owner of a super yacht Wonder if the guy pays any income tax and what has he done for society lately?

By: Tracy

Tracy — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 21:17:04 +0000

Great history about the Seven Seas ferry/restaurant.

By: Loretta Houben

Loretta Houben — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 21:04:29 +0000

Wow! I just saw this yacht/ship/amazing wonder on Fri Aug 29 and was struck with its beauty. I had ventured over on the Seabus (hadn’t done so in years even tho I live here). I wondered what that gorgeous boat was, and thanks to you, now I know! I just love that thing but it’s a bit out of my range. I had such a longing to go on it…I went over to visit the “new” North Shore museum just steps away. My dad and my grandpa worked in the Wallace Shipyards in the 1940s helping to build the war ships. I need to visit the archives next to see if I can find out more about which ship they would have worked on. My dad was 14 or 15. I was impressed with Monova’s shipyard display in their museum. I also got to walk where the Wallace Shipyards were once located (now restaurants and a spray pool) and my husband researched which ferry dock my dad would have walked to from Cordova St to take the North Shore ferry over; it was at the foot of Main St. The person in the museum didn’t know where it was. So it was a wonderful day for me, and now I know a bit about that gorgeous boat!!!! Thanks for this post.

By: Angus McIntyre

Angus McIntyre — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 19:58:13 +0000

Sometime in the 1990s I attended a B.C. Transit award dinner for bus drivers. About twenty of us dined at the Seven Seas, and it was fun to be on an old North Van ferry. The seafood buffet was quite the spread, and we all enjoyed the evening. I still remember some of the conversations. When the SeaBus started operations it left the terminal at a higher speed than it does now. The Seven Seas complained about the wake rocking the restaurant, and it wasn’t long before the SeaBus left at a slower pace. The capital “S” on the neon sign is really fun.

By: J.L.

J.L. — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 18:30:36 +0000

I worked at the Seven Seas for 3 months when I was 20. That was all I could stand because some of the workers (men) there and Harry were harassing me. This was about 1976. The majority of the staff were lovely though. I especially liked the kitchen staff, all immigrant women from various places in the world. They were very good to me and I learned a lot from them.

By: Kristina

Kristina — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 17:23:51 +0000

So interesting that you talking about the Super yacht Attessa! At this very moment as am writing to you I just saw it pass-by our place in West Van, and she’s starting to head south. Such a beautiful ship she is, and what a way to travel.

Thanks for another interesting local story.

By: Ian

Ian — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 16:12:51 +0000

He did pretty well with the Catamaran ferries fiasco.

By: Eve Lazarus

Eve Lazarus — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 15:49:34 +0000

In reply to Andrew A Cassidy. I didn't know about the train! Thanks for stopping by

By: Andrew A Cassidy

Andrew A Cassidy — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 15:44:29 +0000

Good story on the Seven Seas. We dined there in a time when we could drive over from Vancouver easily, park with no problem. It was an okay place, but the service wasn’t that great. Jell-O for dessert… Was sad to see it go though.

Dennis Washington also owns his own luxury play train. Not sure if it’s still intact, but did make a showing up here several years ago and ran on the SRY line for a special tour. In speaking to those handling the train, nobody was allowed to walk inside the coaches without protective booties over their shoes… This was at a time when he still owned Montana Rail Link, and the SRY. Nice to have big money like that…

By: kelvin

kelvin — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 15:11:54 +0000

Nice story.