During the sixteen years I’ve lived on Bowen, there’s been plenty of talk - and more than enough plans - to try and gussy up Snug Cove. The idea is to make it more appealing to tourists, and create an ambience that is more in keeping with the kind of island we like to think we are. The first chapter of my most recent book is devoted to story and how the stories we tell shape our way of perceiving the world. So I thought it might be fruitful to ponder a few of the stories I’ve heard about Snug Cove, the gateway to our island home.
Snug Cove is the entrance to an island, so we already have a story right there. “A piece of land completely surrounded by envy,” is how Vancouver humorist, Eric Nicol, defines the word “island.” And the visitor, having spent 20 minutes or so on the ferry to get here, is already under the mythic spell that islands cast. When they get off the ferry, they are probably not expecting what they experience in the city – Starbucks, Timbits, Whole Foods, and street lamps. They are prepared to be enchanted. So we give them The Snug, Rustique Bistro, The Ruddy Potato, and the night sky - a nice exchange I’d say.
Snug Cove is a small, protected harbour inside Mannion Bay. Chris Corrigan calls it “a deep round sanctuary that serves as a channel into the island, and a kind of birth canal when you leave it.” That’s a good story. And for many visitors, that’s exactly what they experience as they go back home renewed, refreshed and re-invigorated. I remember what Bob Turner told me about the first time he entered Snug Cove. As the Queen of Capilano snuggled smoothly into the dock, he felt the long arms of the island embracing him, welcoming him home.
Nice. But what about those stories we keep hearing about the Cove being an eyesore that doesn’t represent the energetic, smart, artistic people who live here? I brought this up with award-winning architect, James Tuer, who has spent a lot of time and energy thinking about this. In 2011, he gave us comprehensive designs with several options for a revitalized Snug Cove, which included a south-side village as well as a traffic circle at the intersection of Miller Road and Cardena Road. While there are a few things he would change, Tuer told me he admires Snug Cove as a “classic 1920’s American beach town main street.” Now there’s a good story with plenty of nostalgic appeal.
Ron Woodall agrees. Ron was the Creative Director for Science World and Expo ’86, as well as other major World Fairs. He also created the A&W Root Bear character. So he knows about creating stories that engage people. Those “who see the Cove as a malaise to be cured,” says Ron, “have each time encountered a sustained passive resistance to changing the entrenched natural order. A probable explanation is that Snug Cove has simply found its groove and embraced its comfort zone… It is instantly appealing because it has evolved in so organic and random a manner that the authenticity is unmistakable.” No theme park for us, thank you very much.
Speaking of organic, how about an organic solution to cover the formidable and less-than-welcoming concrete block wall along the north side. Why not plant ivy on top and let Nature do the work?
Ron encourages us to resist the urge to “Dundaraze” the entrance to our village. “We have the last surviving genuine main street through a maritime village,” he says. “But these charms can be easily overlooked and undervalued by those keen for change. Personally I would use the money to seriously leverage the charm of the status quo.”
Unless our new council has dreams of grandeur for the Cove, it seems the future of Snug Cove may continue to look a lot like its past: a genuine main street through a maritime village. A very nice story with a gentle tug at the heartstrings.
