Boating

With thousands of miles of protected shoreline along B.C.'s West Coast, boaters enjoy some of the finest cruising grounds in the world. You can rent powerboats for a few hours or up to several weeks at Bonnie Lee Boat Rentals, 1676 Duranleau St., Granville Island (tel. 866/933-7447 or 604/290-7441; www.bonnielee.com). Rates for a 5.8m (19-ft.) sport boat with 115-horsepower motor begin at C$55 (US$47/£25) per hour (plus C$7/US$6/£3.15 insurance fee and fuel), or C$350 (US$297/£158) for an 8-hour package. Jerry's Boat Rentals, Granville Island (tel. 604/644-3256), is steps away and offers similar deals. Delta Charters, 3500 Cessna Dr., Richmond (tel. 800/661-7762 or 604/273-4211; www.deltacharters.com), has weekly and monthly rates for skippered boats that sleep four.