After being cancelled last year due to a conflict with the Olympics, the Vancouver Boat Show returns this year, and with a twist. For 2011, the show is being held at the new Vancouver Convention Centre while it’s normal venue BC Place gets a new roof (the show will move back to BC Place next year for its 50th anniversary). Of course, the in-water venue remains at its traditional home at the False Creek Yacht Club, where show visitors can see a wide range of sail and power boats in the water. A shuttle bus connects the two locations, so show visitors can see everything quickly and easily.

Most of us have already seen bits and pieces of the new Vancouver Convention Centre on television, since it housed the international news media during the 2010 Olympics. I got to visit the building personally last November, and it is a first-class chunk of real estate in every respect. I think people visiting the show this year will be in for a real treat. In fact, it’s such a nice venue that I can just imagine the show managers wishing they could keep the show there permanently. Problem is, it’s just not big enough. The Vancouver show is one of the largest boat shows in North America. It’s one thing for everyone to suck in their breath and squeeze in for one year, but over the long haul, BC Place just makes more sense. So this is an interesting year for the Vancouver show, and a unique opportunity for show visitors to enjoy a very different experience.

The show opens on February 9 and runs through the 13th. We’ll be there with a booth selling Boatguide magazines, so come on down and say hello.

- Craig