"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.
It was time to board the aircraft.
From the sky, we could see the Lions Gate Bridge, stretches of blue, sail boats, like white swans at the bottom. Concrfete and trees, all shades of green. We passed big and small islands, huge rocks that held single houses on top of them. As we hovered over Sechelt, guests craned their necks to see houses of all shapes with bright roofs, cars that moved like ants up a hill. A 20-minute flight.
A view of Sechelt from the floatplane just before it lands
A view of Lions Gate Bridge from the floatplane heading to Sechelt
"So, how was the ride?" The pilot kept his relaxed composure as he waited for our answers.
A look at a new development
Ian Porter, principal of the developer Pacific Spirit Properties, Ltd., met us as we exited, and Bob Michor, Sales Manager, in dark golf shirt with a Watermark logo on the side was at his side.
"Welcome to Sechelt, is this your first time?" English-born Porter asked. "See the big starfish?" Porter pointed at the pillar supporting the piere. He talked about seals and sealions and how they're around here somewhere, too. After the handshakes, we seperated in groups of two, and it was off to the site.
"Who are your target audeince?" asked Porter. What's your circulation like?" He gushed about the town of Sechelt, maybe even more than the project itself.
"It's like an island vibe, island feel," he said. Everything is basically a walking distance away, so the town is the perfect place to get away from all the big city noise, yet still feel connected to the city, as Vancouver is a 40-minute ferry ride away. "You really feel like you're away from the city and it's very relaxed and laid back," Porter said.
"Nobody beeps horns, nobody gets panicked. You can stop at a four-way stop and everybody sits and waits, nobody goes," he said with a hearty laugh. It's just really neat." A few minutes later, somebody beeped. "You see that, I say nobody beeps and what does that guy do? He beeps," Porter brought on a fresh wave of laughter.
"This is the site," Boyes said.
As the car's door opened, a hit of that familiar ocean perfume.
"This is our front door," Porter said, looking out over the Georgia Straight. 
He talked about the ocean, and how we were standing right on the Straight of Georgia, how there's the inlet side, where tha plane landed minutes ago, and how that's a much calmer ocean. "It's still ocean, it's still saltwater, but it's a totally different experience," said Porter. He said it's safe to swim and kayak. "It's like a lake."
A few paces back, and we were inside. The carpeted suite interior's south-facing windows featured a panoramic ocean view, as promised in the dozens or so information sheets attached in the Watermark package given to us.
The walls were covered with floor plans and colour swatches, the tower model in the centre for view.
In the corner, a fireplace. The Sunshine Coast on screen, binoculars by the TVs side. Porter talked about phase one, one of the two six-storey concrete buildings and how it will be complete by December 2012. He said the 104-unit development has condos ranging from one to three plus bedrooms starting at 650 square feet for $249,900. It appeals to the 50-plus crowd, not first time buyers, they've already owned in downtown Vancouver or False Creek, and know quality, he said. The outdoor patio had pillows with anchors and a walk-on pebble beach.
Porter talks Watermark
Kitchen
Patio
After we viewed the site, we went directly to The Lighthouse Pub. Mussels and prawns for lunch. Looking at the boats, we enjoyed iced tea, beer and some delicious sea food. "Oh, I just saw a plane hit the water," Boyes said. "We don't say hit," joked Porter. "Flared, gently landed," again that hearty laugh. We all laughed.
Upon leaving, bright yellow goody bags. Inside, "25 Things To Do On The Sunshine Coast," Holy Crap cereal and more of Sechelt and Sunshine Coast. "Stroll the Gibsons Seawalk and have lunch at Molly's Reach," was number one. Molly's Reach is the ex-film set of Canadian film comedy-drama "The Beachcombers." "Build a sandcastle at Davis Bay," or hail a water taxi from Secret Cove, others read. The mini booklet highlighted nearby islands like Thormanby Island, Buccaneer Bay Jedediah Island, all near Secret Cove.
"We have to go in five minutes," Boyes said. We packed up,and headed for home.
So, how was the ride? asked the pilot, as we boarded the seaplane. He extended his hand for us to catch, so we too didn't become one with the ocean.