To keep sailing during times of rapid community change, Squamish Marine Services has been reinventing itself with a greater focus on recreation. For more than 35 years, the business has been involved in "everything that touches the water," from dock construction to boat repairs to chartered trips up the Howe Sound.But with the end of Squamish's industrial days, manager Chris Tamburri has begun catering to the waterfront's new wave of users: members of the community."The Oceanfront lands used to be one of the deadliest places in the world; now it's one of the nicest places in town to take a walk," said Tamburri.While he is currently quite busy taking workers to dismantle the Woodfibre mill, those trips will eventually come to an end. When that time comes, he hopes to have more pleasure boating underway. "We're thinking of doing dinner cruises to Gibsons," he said, describing a round trip where diners are taken on a one-hour water taxi ride over to the town to choose from a number of waterfront restaurants and pubs. From there, the group would be taken back across the Howe Sound at sunset.For nature enthusiasts, Tamburri is also considering wildlife and bird spotting tours using a solar-powered boat along the estuary and Howe Sound.His head skipper, Don Dobson, regularly reports dolphin sightings during his travels and thousands of seals are often seen sunning on the log booms. One of Tamburri's most remarkable sightings happened last November, when he spotted a 60-foot grey whale at the mouth of the Squamish River.Although the water taxi service is well used, it is not well known throughout the community since most of its riders are repeat users. Tamburri said in addition to industrial trips, he also takes people to remote cabins and does the occasional rescue mission for boating trips gone awry.The rising cost of fuel has been difficult for the taxi business. Administrator Art MacGillivray said gas prices have jumped 40 per cent since August. To keep taxi costs under control, two fuel-efficient motors were added to the taxi known as the Squamish Rascal, making the 520-horsepower motor a little easier to fill up.A trip on the Squamish Rascal costs $250 per hour, which covers the cost of the boat, skipper and fuel. If all twelve seats on board are taken, the fee works out to about $20 per hour for each person.Outside of the water taxi business, Tamburri said he hopes to help Westmana develop their waterfront. He also said he is interested in setting up his services on the Oceanfront Lands but added any talks on the matter are strictly preliminary. While losing waterfront industry in town has put some pressure on the business to evolve, Tamburri said he is happy to see more people discovering the waterfront, which has been an important part of his life for decades.His mother, Liz Bloxham, started the business with her former husband back in 1972. Tamburri became involved when he was 17 and said all of his siblings and stepsiblings have since played a role in the operation. These days, he reports having 10 happy employees on staff who are dedicated enough to roll with the ever-changing waters of the Howe Sound. "You have to be flexible because you can't count on Mother Nature to deal you the cards you need for a day's work," he said with a smile.
