A number of people kindly and unselfishly contributed to this book. Thanks to Alan Annand, David Hanley, Aleli Balagtas and Hugh Blair for reading early drafts. Thanks also to Robbie Carson for the tour of his floating home and to Stuart Ramsey for making sure I had the streets of Vancouver going in the right directions. For their invaluable technical advice, thanks to Rob Bamford, Philip Mongeau, and Myke Wilder. All technical inaccuracies are, of course, my own. I am also indebted to Douglas Gibson, Dinah Forbes, Lisan Jutras, and the staff of McClelland & Stewart. And, finally, words are insufficient to express my thanks for the support and love of Pamela Hilliard.
A special thanks also to Erik Adler.
Writing is a solitary pursuit, but it is not a lonely one.