MARINE PLAZA -- Expo 86

The romance of the sea and the ingenuity of boat builders around the world was celebrated in the Marine Plaza. Here the fully rigged "Dream Ship" with it's 40 metre tall masts were visible from everywhere on the Expo site. At ground level, the Dream Ship became a pier for Expo visitors embarking on water tours.

The International Harbour was the heart of the Marine Plaza. Boats travelled the seven seas to form the exotic collection. An italian gondola, a chinese junk, an arabian dhow, a peruvian reed boat, native canoes from Africa, the South Pacific and the Pacific Northwest are a few examples of the boats that lined the piers. Humphry Bogarts "African Queen" and a replica of Sir Francis Drake's galleon "Golden Hinde" were two of the more famous boats displayed.

Boat building was demonstrated daily on the harbour front docks. An Indonesian pinsi and a traditional Alberta York boat were both completed by the fair's end.

The "Signal Tower" was a hands-on marine communications exhibit where visitors could toot horns, blink signal lights and work radar scanners and semaphores. In a nearby pool, remote controlled boats were also demonstrated.