Transient boating in the Strait of Georgia
Creators: name: Cooke, Karen Ann
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2010

description: This thesis outlines a planning process for transient boating activity (defined here as overnight and vacation cruising) in the Strait of Georgia. Pleasure boat cruising is one of the largest components of recreational activity in Georgia Strait and recent trends in boat ownership emphasize the need for a focus on this activity in recreation planning. From 1973 to 1976 the population of pleasure craft resident in Georgia Strait increased from 34,000 to 93,000 boats. This rapid growth has resulted in problems such as inadequate facilities and perceived overcrowding and environmental deterioration. Recognizing these pressures, this thesis contributes to the development of policy for boating in Georgia Strait by outlining a "complete" planning process for application to transient boating at the regional and local level. The basic steps involved in planning for the region were: a) estimating the nature of and distribution of facilities required by the projected transient boat population; b) identifying problems, associated with transient boating activity and developing regulations or programmes to deal with these; c) implementing the policy plan appropriate to providing facilities required at a given location. The basic steps involved in planning at a local level were: a) estimating specific services required by the present and future population of boaters using the site; b) identifying site-specific problems associated with, transient boating activity; c) developing programmes to deal with problems and to provide additional services within the site. Time constraints prevented the completion of all these steps. Instead the methodology used in the study focussed on the transient boaters' demand for such services as moorage, fuel, water supply. The following steps were completed to contribute to the planning for the region: 1) an attempt to establish total services required was based on a projection of the transient boat population using Georgia Strait in 1986 and 2000 and on the "average" demand for services obtained from the results of a questionnaire administered to boaters; 2) problems common to boating throughout the region were identified from the popular literature and from conversations with R.C.M.P, Coast Guard, boaters, marina operators; 3) suggestions were made as to the means of implementing a regional policy plan for transient boating. The following steps were completed for the local planning process? 1) services required were estimated by means of a boater questionnaire that measured use of and satisfaction with services available and by projecting likely increase in demand for services at the sites selected; 2) site specific problems were identified by interviews with marina operators, by responses to mailback questionnaires from local residents and by results of the boater questionnaire; 3) programmes to deal with problems and with provision of services were suggested according to appropriate local groups or agencies. Finally, recommendations dealt with suitable means of completing the steps in the overall planning process that were not included in this study.