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Post by lmtengs on Aug 2, 2010 16:20:06 GMT -8
Breaking News! According to the 5 O'clock news on Global, the McBarge is being moved to Mission for use as a base for a new ecotourism company. They will offer fishing trips, wildlife tours, and sightseeing excursions, all from the McBarge. I tried to find an online news story, but couldn't. The news is still too new. I wonder if this will be another Queen of Sidney/San Mateo/Kalakalakala kind of thing? I hope not... I guess anythings better than her current home, sitting on the edge of Burrard Inlet. Just in case anyone doesn't remember, the McBarge was a rather fancy floating McDonalds restaurant which was moored on the north shore of False Creek for the duration of Expo 86. bobbea.com/expo-86/mcbarge.html
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Post by Scott on Aug 2, 2010 17:20:10 GMT -8
From what I've heard from people who've been on it, it'll need a ton of work inside.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 2, 2010 19:34:34 GMT -8
Boy, 2003 doesn't seem like that long ago.... holy cow. 2003: The year I moved into the house I'm currently living in, the year I learned to ski, the year we learned the Olympics were coming.... wow... 7 years ago? I feel old. Well, back to topic. Here's what McBarge looked like a decade minus three years ago... web.archive.org/web/20060926035028/www.wraiths.org/mcbarge.htm
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Post by Scott on Aug 2, 2010 19:41:32 GMT -8
Yeah, I've seen that site too. But I live in North Burnaby now, and from what I've heard first-hand is that it's been a past-time for some highschoolers in the area to sneak on board for various reasons.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 11, 2010 2:51:21 GMT -8
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 11, 2010 12:34:02 GMT -8
Interesting stuff!
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 12, 2010 6:18:07 GMT -8
Not going to last too long. Mission is growing, but the novelty of the McBarge has since worn off. This was way back in 1986. Maybe you could explain this thought...the project is not about the novelty of the McBarge (in fact, the project will incorporate a restaurant, but definitely not a McD's), but about improving the infrastructure for 2 services already well established at the location. There is already an existing marina that could use the additional services and there are sport fishing and adventure tourism outfits established. The seaplane base already exists on paper, and there was at least one operator working as last year. I do wonder a little at the decision to include a restaurant and taphouse with Capt's Cabin across the street...not exactly the cream of the crop as I remember, but still has a pretty loyal following for an out-of-the-way pub.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Aug 12, 2010 7:34:26 GMT -8
Not going to last too long. Mission is growing, but the novelty of the McBarge has since worn off. This was way back in 1986. I do wonder a little at the decision to include a restaurant and taphouse with Capt's Cabin across the street...not exactly the cream of the crop as I remember, but still has a pretty loyal following for an out-of-the-way pub. And if anyone knows pubs, even out of the way ones....
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 12, 2010 9:02:24 GMT -8
I do wonder a little at the decision to include a restaurant and taphouse with Capt's Cabin across the street...not exactly the cream of the crop as I remember, but still has a pretty loyal following for an out-of-the-way pub. And if anyone knows pubs, even out of the way ones.... LOL...when my parents opened up shop, our company's first (non-home based) office was right on the corner of Bridge and Harbour. I was looking through some photos on panoramio, and found this one where my parent's boat is in the row of boats on the inside finger.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 12, 2010 9:27:20 GMT -8
LOL...when my parents opened up shop, our company's first (non-home based) office was right on the corner of Bridge and Harbour. I was looking through some photos on panoramio, and found this one where my parent's boat is in the row of boats on the inside finger. Any idea why in the photo you linked to, there's a fishing boat called 'Barkley Sound' that's in the Fraser River? I'd expect a boat with that name to be in it's namesake body of water...? Well, I guess if we thought like that, the Bowen Queen would still be on the Bowen Island Route, and the Queen of Cumberland would be on the Comox route, since that's closest to it's namesake city
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 12, 2010 13:07:16 GMT -8
There are going to be three restaurants in the old McBarge: A coffee house and a taphouse on the lower floor, and a seafood restaurant on the upper level.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Aug 12, 2010 13:08:53 GMT -8
And if anyone knows pubs, even out of the way ones.... LOL...when my parents opened up shop, our company's first (non-home based) office was right on the corner of Bridge and Harbour. I was looking through some photos on panoramio, and found this one where my parent's boat is in the row of boats on the inside finger. Is that the same one that rolled down the hill into the pickup?
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 12, 2010 13:47:06 GMT -8
LOL...when my parents opened up shop, our company's first (non-home based) office was right on the corner of Bridge and Harbour. I was looking through some photos on panoramio, and found this one where my parent's boat is in the row of boats on the inside finger. Is that the same one that rolled down the hill into the pickup? Hmmm...makes me wonder...where was my brother before he parked at the top of the hill... ;D
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 12, 2010 14:38:07 GMT -8
Maybe you could explain this thought...the project is not about the novelty of the McBarge (in fact, the project will incorporate a restaurant, but definitely not a McD's), but about improving the infrastructure for 2 services already well established at the location. There is already an existing marina that could use the additional services and there are sport fishing and adventure tourism outfits established. The seaplane base already exists on paper, and there was at least one operator working as last year. I do wonder a little at the decision to include a restaurant and taphouse with Capt's Cabin across the street...not exactly the cream of the crop as I remember, but still has a pretty loyal following for an out-of-the-way pub. The intiial attraction was the fact it was the McBarge and not just an aluminium facted structure. Maybe the initial attraction of the developer was due to the fact it was the McBarge, but I'd disagree with the thought that this will be the big initial draw to the new development. Yes, and this is an attempt to capitalize on that fact! Maybe for commercial fishing, but sport fishing is a whole different story. I would think you should read this as well as the openings and closing and catch limits for all three branches of salmon fishing on the Fraser before exploring this comment more. Regional, this progression on the south side of the river makes sense. The area between Maple Ridge and Mission has lacked the transportation infrastructure afforded the south side of the river for a long time, and, with the exception of the WCE, still lags far behind. But as the south side of the river develops, and the business centres grow east of Vancouver, you will see more demand for services on the north side of the Fraser at all of the major crossings. ..and these are related how? Yes, Owens Corning (Fibreglas Canada) probably hurt the local population quite a bit when it shut down, but that was hardly a "Mission" thing...Owens Corning idled many plants around that time including the one a few miles from my home here. However, the development that has filled its place has been robust for many years, and, while the stores probably appreciate race day volume, they don't have to rely on it to survive year round. mmm...hardly a comparison...Ucluelet is a little less convenient destination compared to Mission...the relative short distance to a large population base puts this venture in a different light.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 12, 2010 15:10:08 GMT -8
The area between Maple Ridge and Mission has lacked the transportation infrastructure afforded the south side of the river for a long time, and, with the exception of the WCE, still lags far behind. The Express (WCE) barely even counts as an effective transit system. 5 trains to Vancouver between the hours of 5am and 7am only serves the small group of commuters who work in Vancouver yet live in Maple Ridge/mission/etc. There's only 5 trains back too, and even those are extremely limited hours, a bit better than the morning schedule, but still horrible for people wanting to spend the day in 'Couver, and anyone without super-early hours. Trains run back between 4pm and 5:50pm. I do not comprehend why Translink is making the Evergreen line (new rapid transit line into upper Coquitlam) so short. It's barely a third the length of Canada line, and much shorter than Expo or Millennium lines. If they [translink] were even partially sane, they'd realize that Maple Ridge is part of Metro Vancouver too, and we need the same kinds of transit levels as the rest of 'em. I believe Translink horribly neglects Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Langley, Delta, White Rock, and even parts of North Van, and they really need to step it up a notch, even if it means raising our taxes and transit fares by a percent or too.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 14, 2010 11:20:27 GMT -8
Here's the McBarge from the Express train: Her front Her back.
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Post by Nickfro on Aug 20, 2010 11:53:54 GMT -8
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Post by lmtengs on Oct 22, 2010 21:35:30 GMT -8
Mickey B's been abused recently by some ignorant hags: Yes, I mean the graffiti.
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Post by Retrovision on Sept 14, 2011 1:34:32 GMT -8
This 'asset' is now listed as SEABORNE 11 and Pacific Boat Brokers (.com) is asking $685,000. What interesting times we live in. (As seen in the classifieds of Western Mariner: The Magazine of the Coast)
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Post by Brandon S on Feb 18, 2024 23:54:05 GMT -8
Close to 40 years later, and the McBarge is still kicking around...
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FNS
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Post by FNS on Mar 22, 2024 20:30:19 GMT -8
Close to 40 years later, and the McBarge is still kicking around... It's amazing this neat thing on water is still afloat after all these years. I think about 38 years and possibly no drydocking after that fair ended. I think, and after a thorough drydocking with new hull plates et al, this might be a good waterfront depot for the cat services in Vancouver. The second deck could resume serving McFish sandwiches and McBurgers of all kinds. Put this alongside the SeaBus/Cat Multimodal Terminal next to Canada Place. Wishful thinking. Would it work? Maybe. Daydream believing.
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