Brian silk

I have been around boats since I was born 49 years ago. I spent my childhood summers at our cottage on Gambier Island in Howe Sound B.C. I probably spent more time in my rowboat as a child pretending to be a tow boat, towing small booms of logs around our bay, than I did on land. I was tought how to sail by our neighbor Charlie Killam on a Flying Junior when I was 9 or 10. His father Laul Killam owned the sailing vessel Greybeard, a 74 foot ketch. I spent the next few summers sailing my Sabot as much as I could.

I moved to the interior when I was 12 anmoved back to Vancouver at 18. I did some dingy sailing and then bought a Holder 12 sailboat when I was 23. I spent every weekend at the cottage sailing all day long weather permitting. In 1986 I bought a Catalina 25 and lived on board for seven years and sailed the coastal waters.

I joined the boating business in 1987 and worked as maintenance manager for two charter companies over the next six years. In 1993 I then made the move and worked for a shipwright on Granville Island, Vancouver doing fiberglassing, gelcoat repair, rigging, plumbing and electrical. I took abreak for a few months and sailed as crew on a 51 ft Spencer sailboat to Hawaii and back, from Vancouver .In 1996 I was offered a job installing and servicing Espar furnaces. I have been working in that position for the last 15 years, the last 8 years for Roton Industries in Vancouver. Roton is a marine electronics retailer and wholesaler in business for 35 years. We are the western Canada marine distributor for Espar Heating Systems. I split my work between Espar service, dealer support, and installation as well as electronic sales ans service.
My last boat was a 16 ft RIB that I logged 5000 nm commuting between Gambier Island and work on Granville Island. I bought my present boat, a Lifetimer 2050. I use it for commuting to Gambier and the odd towing job. I generally tow boats from their home marinas to local boatyards for engine work.

boating, working on and relaxing at the cottage

Brian Silk
Avalon Bay Marine
Vancouver BC
Canada