Posts In The “British Columbia” Category
The Goose Group is at the edge of the edge, and feels that way. Reefs, off-lying rocks and underwater shelves surround the islands, and their low topography provides little wind shelter for anchoring. Evidence of fierce storms is visible everywhere. Stunted, windswept trees cling to land. Driftwood has been cast high onto the outer shores…
We’ve spent Christmas and New Year’s afloat for the past several years. Sometimes we travel long distances to Desolation Sound or the Broughtons. Other years we just poke about Victoria and the Gulf Islands. Last year, we split the difference and cruised the Sunshine Coast.
With the Broughtons becoming such a popular cruising destination during the summer months, finding a private anchorage can be difficult. Drury Inlet, however, is among the least travelled in the region—you’re more likely to anchor alone here than most other Broughton locales. Navigation can be more challenging, but it’s worth the effort—the scenery is grand,…
Historic Esquimalt Harbour is an often overlooked but worthwhile destination. Here lie two national historic sites, several waterfront parks, two good pubs and secure anchorage. Also within reach is the 55-kilometre Galloping Goose Regional Trail, which extends from Victoria beyond Sooke. There’s enough to do and see at Esquimalt Harbour to keep you here for…
Smith Inlet was the last stop on our tour of mid-coast inlets. The waterway is not covered much in the guidebooks, so we didn’t know what to expect. We had left Rivers Inlet feeling that its tributary, Draney Inlet, would be our favourite locale of the trip. But we were wrong—Achlakerho Channel in Smith Inlet…
Draney Inlet is a pocket-sized gem located north of Cape Caution, just off Rivers Inlet. The landscape is dramatic and the anchorages are scenic and protected. At the head, the serpentine Lockhart Gordon Creek makes wonderful dinghy territory. And, best of all, we found much evidence of coastal logging history, including an old corduroy road…
Many trawler owners believe the west coast of Vancouver Island is only for ocean-capable boats. And until recently, we were among them—believing the west coast was not a place for our 40-foot trawler, Dirona. Then, in summer 2003, we cruised the Inside Passage to the north of Vancouver Island, getting some open-ocean experience in small…
Last winter we read The Great Bear Rainforest (Harbour Publishing, 1997), Ian and Karen McAllister’s chronicle of B.C.’s raincoast from Knight Inlet to the Alaska border. Ian’s vibrant photographs inspired our summer cruise to the southern portion of this region: a tour of Seymour, Smith and Rivers inlets.
Fort Rupert lies in Beaver Harbour, just south of Port Hardy, at the northeast end of Vancouver Island. Many boaters pass by when visiting Port Hardy, but few ever stop here—Fort Rupert is not a destination in any of the cruising guides. Beaver Harbour does not look like much of an anchorage from the chart…
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Queen Charlotte Strait was expecting near-hurricane force winds of 60 knots. It was the third successive night of big December winds and it wasn’t over yet. We listened to the weather report as 30-knot gusts boomed into our anchorage in Cullen Harbour.
British Columbia’s glacial-carved fjords rival any in the world for magnificent scenery. However, their steep shorelines funnel and accelerate winds, while offering little shelter to the traveling boater. Jervis Inlet, which stretches 46 miles, fits this mold, with one anomaly that makes all the difference. Near the head is an opening so unobtrusive that Capt….
We’ve never outgrown that youthful reaction to being told not to do something because it’s dangerous. Invariably, we must try. This is partly how we came to be west of the treacherous Nitinat Narrows on Vancouver Island’s southwest coast, gauging the risk of entry. The Nitinat Narrows are situated midway along the shoreline known as…
The Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area is situated off the mainland coast just north of Vancouver Island. At 123,000 hectares it is the largest of British Columbia’s numerous marine parks and comprises literally hundreds of islands and islets. This is the B.C. coast in all its glory, with something for everyone: mountains, rapids, wildlife, lagoons, lazy…
We wound our way slowly through the entrance to Prideaux Haven just before sunset. It was one week before Christmas and the cove, normally so crowded during the summer months, stood silent and empty. We felt caught in M.Wylie Blanchet’s book We would not have been surprised by the arrival of her Caprice, piloted by…
Jutting northward from Kildidt Sound deep into Hunter Island in the Hakai Conservation Study Area, Kildidt Inlet extends roughly three nautical miles before branching into two secluded lagoons connected by a narrow channel studded with islets. The waterways are a joy to explore, but entry is blocked by the perilous Kildidt Narrows, where 12-kt tidal…
It wasn’t until last summer that we even entertained the prospect of cruising the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s completely exposed to the Pacific Ocean and receives some really nasty weather. Even on very good days there is a constant ocean swell, and on very bad days ships go down and lives are lost….
After a week spent over Christmas in Desolation Sound, we traveled south on Boxing Day to Princess Louisa Inlet. We considered stopping for the night at the Harmony Islands, but were eager to see Chatterbox Falls that day, so we forged ahead. It was very cold, but the mountains were so magnificent that we bundled…
In the winter of 2002, rather than our usual trip to the Gulf Islands, we instead traveled to Desolation Sound. Upon learning of our trip, everyone’s first question is always about the weather. It was cold of course — we did not spend any time sitting around in shorts — but we saw very little…