34 ~ Sunday, September 11, 1994 - North Shore News HAVE YOU you ever watched the little Zoatplanes buzzing around Coal Harbour? Ever wonder who’s inside —- loggers, miners, people going fishing? No doubt, but some of them are simply going out for dinner. Which was how I found myself in the seat of a Beaver at the Harbour Air dock. __ Just being on the harbor on a “* summer evening is a pleasure; we strolled by small sloops, grand yachts and charter boats. There were yachties to chat to, locals living aboard and the occasional seadog and nautical cat. It's an experience fying ina Beaver, one of the best planes ever designed and built in Canada, They take six passengers in great safety and not a little noise, and when you travel in one, you know you're fly- ing. The other passengers included couples from Britain and California. They had heard about the “fly ‘n dine” tour back home and were looking forward to the scenery. So with cameras rolling, off we went across the harbor and up, up and away. We circled the harbor and flew over the city, looking down into the fast-rising new hockey sta- dium, then banked over English Bay and set course for Snug Cove on Bowen Island. Our speed was a stately 90 m.p.h. or so, height about 1,500 feet — perfect for sightseeing. The perfect weather allowed us to see for miles, over to the Guif Islands and Vancouver Island. To the left we could see the traf- fic on the Upper Levels. Heck, some of it was going faster than we were. But we had the prime spot: free as a bird and able to go wherever a tank of gas would take us. We looked down on to freighters and waved back to people on a sailboat. Then Bowen Isiand was below. We made a right-hand turn to face Snug Cove and landed smoothly as a ferry pulled out, then cruised to the back of the dock, passing another Harbour Air Beaver which had dropped off another group of flying diners. Photo David Wishs: he flight. 5 STAR LUXURY SPECIALS TO The Panama Canali with CRYSTAL CRUISES up 76 50% OFF srocuure prices 10 DAY CANAL CRUISE departing Dec. 12th FREE AIR Outside Cabin $2299. 9 DAY CANAL CRUISE JAN 7-16 including FREE AIR FARE, 5 STAR ACCOMMODATIONS, AS LITTLE AS $2843. CALL JAN TODAY! ALL PRICES IN US DOLLARS PLUS TAXES BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Fly ’n’ dine package tour offers splendid views David Wishart The propeller swished to a stop just as the pilot opened the door to step on the dock. “Gee folks, we just had enough gas to get here.” The pilots enjoy these flights. In fact they love flying Beavers, and although some will probably go on and drive big Boeings they might never have as much fun as this. Dinner at Doc Morgan’s was a hit for those who ordered the steak, but the Thai stirfry was a letdown. We enjoyed the outdoor setting, however, and the pub upstairs has a delicious beer from Bowen Isfand’s new brewery. The entire Union Steamship Company marina, of which Doc Morgan’s is front and centre, is a great asset to Snug Cove and fronts a grassy strip where kids chase dogs and the dogs chase ducks, and sum- mer just sort of carries on. There are two cottages to rent next door, so close in fact, that you could almost fall into the bar. The rest of the fly ‘n’ dine pack- age includes a ferry ride to Horseshoe Bay where a limo was waiting to take us back to Coal Harbour. It's great value at $98 including tax and tips, but no alcohol. There is just one sitting, at 6 p.m., so bring a sweater as the sun goes down carly in Snug Cove. The fly 'n’ dine tours run daily until Monday, Sept. 26, then week- ends only till Sunday, Oct. 9. Harbour Air’s director of market- ing Bill Embrey says one reason the dinner flights are successful is that SEASON TICKETS - $81.00 INCLUDES GST:! TicketMaster info and charge line 280-4444 Brochure mailed on request. NS a ae a Hosted by visitors gel a taste of how they imag- ine the West Coast lives, going from a city to a small community, and getting 4 panoramic view of the area from downtown skyscrapers to island cottages. Right on, Bill! But why should tourists have all the fun? AK ch Vacations & inclusive of airfare from Vancouve BRITAIN 11 daye Nov. 04 to March 24 $1649 pp/dbi $1859 single FRANCE 10 days Nov. 02 to March 22 $1700 pp/db! $2150 single | SPAIN, HOROCCO a PORTUGAL 19 days , Nov. 02 to Feb. 22 $2660 pp/dbl $3110 single March 01 to 22 $2680-pp/db! $3130 single Also avaliable Spain for 8 days Italy for 12 days ~ New Zealand & Australia Find out everything you wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) about New Zealand and Australia. Evergreen Tours For the mature traveller West Vancouver Please RSYP your attendance to Terrt at 6 or out-of-town 1-800-663-1478. Space is limited. Monday, September 19 * 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Eagle Harbour Community Centre, 5575 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 37-5690