Watermark takes Vancouver Sun, Miss 604, Vancouver View, and me to check out oceanfront condos in Sechelt, B.C.

"Hello, how's it going? Welcome on board, my name is Tyler. Should be a
good trip," said the young pilot in the spiffy Harbour Air Seaplanes pilot uniform, black cap and sunglasses. The engine roared, and we went up  amongst the clouds and the sun, a mechanical bird in full flight. 

Before we took off, we writers waited and got to know each other

On Thursday, July 21, writers from the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver View, VO and Miss 604, were invited by a public relations firm to spend a day in the quiet village of Sechelt, B.C., to see  the Watermark at Sechelt project, which they touted as "affordable, seaside living."

"It's interesting that companies are reaching out to all the bloggers to come and experience this kind of stuff,"  Rebecca Bollwitt, founder of Miss604, said. 


Rebecca Bollwitt aka Miss 604

The trip started early at Coal Harbour. We waited for the trip to start and watched three men in suits with laptop cases dangling from their hands, passing by on the seawall. They laughed, gossiped. They talked investors, plans, value.

Every once in a while, seaplanes landed. People ponted their cameras in delight. The sun played hide-and-seek, and in a moment, it was gone. "HA, HA, HA," the mini planes read, their wings and tales showing off their Harbour Air (HA) logos, as if they were laughing. Suddenly, it started to rain. The skies opened up, a meltdown. We entered the lounge near the check-in area to stay waterproof. Outside, an empty cup of coffee and the morning paper were left on the table.

"Are you from The Observer?" asked a blond-haired woman with a kind face. It was Andrea Bava, Media Contact for Watermark. We were shown to the check-in area where five unfamiliar faces sat waiting. John Biehler, freelance photographer and blogger, who said he had just found out about the trip an hour earlier, talked Twitter with Bollwitt and, travel to Alaska. Another freelancer joined their conversation. Vancouver Views's Alison Malone Eathorne stood near by. We all waited.

"There's nothing like this in Sechelt. It started selling in March, 30 per cent sold already," Linda Boyes, the enthusiastic project coordinator, of Watermark, said as we began to check in. "The other day, we saw dolphins at the site. People pointed, 'Oh, look, there are dolphins.'" The Vancouver Sun's Claudia Kwan appeared, cool and casual in skinny jeans, light jacket and sandals.

"Everyone good with small planes?"  Boyes said.