Pixies Dream – A Shipbuilder’s Yacht

I met George Fryatt just before he passed away when I surveyed his beautiful wooden yacht called Pixies Dream (named for a reference to his wife).

He was probably responsible for building more boats, ships and tugs than just about any other smaller–sized family shipyards than any other in Vancouver. Bel–Aire Shipyards

Every plank screw and nail were his work, it was an unbelievably beautiful boat, absolute perfection

George Fryatt (Photo from the Toxopeus collection. )

William George Fryatt was born August 17, 1922 in Vancouver, B.C.,and he passed away at Surrey Memorial Hospital on December 2, 2009 at the age of 87 years.

Fryatt started Bel–Aire Shipyard in 1956 originally building wooden hulled boats in a rented facility at the foot of Cardero Street at Coal Harbour, in Vancouver BC. The site had been previously occupied by A. Linton & Co. Ltd., and next door to William R. Menchions Boat Yard. In 1963 he built a new facility at the foot of Columbia Street in North Vancouver at the north east end of the Iron Worker’s Memorial Bridge. It was at this location, that Bel–Aire Shipyard went into the construction of steel vessels. George built everything from tugs, barges, research vessels, off shore vessels. He sold the property to A.B.D. Enterprises Ltd. who currently carry on shipbuilding there.