International Association of Grand Banks Owners

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We have just completed purchasing GB 32-319 in Gig Harbor WA and delivering her up to her new berth in Richmond BC, near Vancouver. Purchase and delivery have been a fantastic experience so far and we love our new old boat.

As well as being a great little boating town, Gig Harbor treated us extremely well on most counts - so we'd like to name some folks who looked after us.

Wayne Gilham, our broker at Gig Harbor Yacht Sales, was a great resource throughout the transaction, especially considering we did it by remote control from Canada, and went the extra mile afterward to help us with leads on suppliers, equipment and outfitting. He sourced a complete set of new batteries for us at a great price. Wayne is at 253-851-2674 or wgilham@harbornet.com.

Matt Flateland of Puget Sound Mobile Marine did a fantastic job of getting us mechanically ready for our trip north, including servicing the engine and genset and changing out the batteries, installing new boxes and rebuilding a rotten mounting platform in the process. He's more of a gas engine guy than a diesel specialist, but was great for basic servicing and very conscientious. Matt is at 253-691-0808 or pugetsoundmobile@yahoo.com.

Kristen Constable of Wood to Water Boatworks fabricated nifty teak chocks to hold our Minto-style dinghy on the swim grid. They work like a charm. She also does varnishing and wood repair. 253-377-8101 or kristenconstable@yahoo.com.

Jenny Pulliam-Haubrich did a great pre-departure clean-up for a very reasonable price. She is at 253-304-5967.

And I can't say enough about Ship to Shore Marine, Bob Ellsworth, proprietor. It's a real old-style marine hardware store located right opposite marina row in GH. You want fasteners, filters, fittings, oil, paints, repair supplies, etc. - they've got it all. They made up our new battery cables on the spot. Check out their T-shirts, too! 253-858-6090.

The only sour note was our mechanical survey. I won't name names here, but if anyone needs to check references, send a PM and I'll suggest who not to use...

And don't miss the Tides Tavern when you're in GH!