48-foot kayak is moved for first time in 4 decades

A 48-foot, 800-lb. kayak that has sat next to the historic Bole House in Belcarra since 1976 was moved Friday to a new home in Bellingham.

Jo Ledingham, a resident of one of seven cabins in the area that Metro Vancouver plans to demolish, said that with nobody living in the area, there are fears the vessel could be damaged.

“If the cottages are under threat, it’s foolish to leave the boat here,” she said. “It would be vandalized.”

Seeing the vessel towed away on Friday brought tears to Ledingham’s eyes, she said. The Belcarra resident, who has lived along the shoreline since the 1970s, said the kayak, which was built by a local man named George Dyson, was a part of the area’s history.

“Kayakers from all over the place would go past to ...more