Fueling stations on way to Broughton

[rsn48]

I have an older 28 foot sedan express cruiser with the Chevy block engine pumping out 270 hp - single screw. At 7.5 knots with a semi displacement hull, I burn roughly 15 liters of gas (not diesel). The gas tank, two fifty gallons (380 liters in total), gives me a range of approximately 110 nautical miles with some gas left over and approximately 84 liters in two containers for emergency purposes.

Even though I have given you the above statistics, I estimated a 20 liter burn averaging 6 knots, hence the 110 nautical miles estimate to error on the conservative side.

My boat is moored in Comox BC and I'm wondering if there are enough fueling stations along the way to make it to the Broughtons and back. Hoping some of you have been a few times and have a feel for the area.

So will I make it back

[NewMoon]

Hi RSN,

Inside Passage – Distance between fuel stops 2/15/2010

Longest distance between fuel stops:

We've wandered pretty much all over the Inside Passage in BC and SE Alaska, in all sorts of different directions. Sitka, Elfin Cove, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Haines, Skagway, and most points south of there.

Distances are from tested routes in my chartplotter. They're in Nautical Miles. To convert NM to statute miles, multiply by 1.15.

You can get to most places you'd want to go in a small boat if you can COMFORTABLY (with a good reserve to handle weather changes etc) go 140 nautical miles on a tank. If you have 200-300 NM range you have a lot more flexibility in your routes, but I don't think there's anywhere much more than 140 NM from the next fuel stop. Many are a lot closer together than that.

One place which would take significantly longer range to get to is the fancy glaciers up at the end of the Tracy Arm, the entrance of which (assume at Tracy Arm Cove, the anchorage just inside Holkham Bay) is about 55 NM south from downtown Juneau, or 70 NM from Auke Bay. The run up to the glaciers from Tracy Arm Cove is 26 NM each way. So you'd need about 160-190 NM range, depending on where you start and end up.

Some of the other longest runs between fuel stops:

Petersburg-Juneau (downtown): 120 NM

Petersburg-Sitka: 153 NM, but you could stop for fuel at Angoon (some days) or Tenakee Springs (by going out of your way)

Auke Bay-Sitka (via Peril Strait): 131 NM

Hoonah-Sitka (via Peril Strait): 126NM

Glacier Bay, Bartlett Cove-Margerie Glacier and back: minimum about 130 NM, depending on where you anchor overnight.

Shearwater-Prince Rupert: 170-180 NM, but you could stop for fuel at Klemtu or Hartley Bay.



9/29/2011 – Fuel Stops on the Inside Passage


There are lots of fuel docks in the San Juans, Gulf Islands, and along the BC mainland on the east side of the Strait of Georgia. There's fuel at Campbell River and a few other places in the Desolation Sound area. North of there fuel docks are further apart.

There are fuel stops on the west side of Vancouver Island, but I'm not current on that area.

We've been cruising mostly SE Alaska the last few summers, so may not be current on BC fuel dock changes - I've heard that some have closed down rather than upgrade facilities as required. The Waggoner Guide may be a good source of more current BC info. But, here are some we know of:

Broughtons and Queen Charlotte Strait:

Lagoon Cove
Pierre's at Echo Bay
Port McNeill
Sullivan Bay
Port Hardy

BC North Coast:

Duncanby Landing
Dawson's Landing
Bella Bella
Shearwater
Bella Coola
Klemtu
Hartley Bay
Kitimat
Prince Rupert

SE Alaska:

Ketchikan
Thorne Bay
Wrangell
Petersburg
Kake
Point Baker
Angoon (M-F, I think)
Tenakee Springs
Sitka
Craig
Juneau
Hoonah
Bartlett Cove (Glacier Bay)
Elfin Cove
Pelican
Haines
Skagway


Not positive, but I believe most if not all of these have both gas and diesel.

[rsn48]

I will see if I can add additional smaller tanks on either side to extend the range if heading much further north than the Broughtons, still not sure about the Broughtons however.

[wrwakefield]

Waggoner Guide maintains a free BC fuel docks guide. [Alaska too if you ever decide to go further N...]

Cheers! Bill

[rsn48]

For some reason my refit guy isn't thrilled about adding an additional two smaller tanks, currently two fifty gallons, but with the addition of two twenty gallon tanks I'd have significant distance gain. Lots of room in the bilge, you can stand if you bend at the hips. You could almost put a bunk down there...lol.

[rsn48]

Bill/SV Denali Rose, thanks for the great referral, downloaded and printed out. Anyone else power cruising in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver), Gulf Islands, Strait of Georgia, Jarvis Inlet, east coastal Vancouver Island, Desolation Sound, The Broughtons, and North, this freebie will serve you well.

[stainless guy]

Going from comox you have lots of fuel options, I would simply fuel in Campbell River and port hardy as they will be the cheapest options or if you are heading across, blubber bay on texada Powell River and lund followed by places like squirrel bay, refuge cove, alert bay, telegraph cove

Definetly no shortage unless you are heading further than the broughtons and it can be quite expensive anywhere the fuel is barged in

[rsn48]

I looked up the distance from Campbell River to Port Hardy, its 106 nautical miles. My boat currently - using conservative estimates for speed and tank size - is 110 nautical miles. I always carry 11 extra gallons in Jerry cans but I'd prefer to have additional smaller tanks added.

And I get nervous in terms of cruising distance even with my conservative guesstimate, with the currents in Discovery Passage and Johnstone Strait possibly reducing even further my calculated distance/gas ratio.

[eyschulman]

What is distance to Westport or Lund?

[rsn48]

From where? Seattle?

[eyschulman]

Originally Posted by rsn48

From where? Seattle?

From PO's home port. Also what about easing up on the throttle for better mileage?

[rsn48]

I assume you mean OP which is me. I'm assuming you mean the Westport Marina which is in Sidney, south of me. My inquiry was about locations North of me. You can just google map Comox BC and you'll see where my boat is moored. Then google Westport Marine and you are talking about a location essentially in Victoria (Sidney really). If you google map Nanaimo then zoom out, you will Comox further north. I have a print out of estimated times created by some american who unfortunately I can't name to give him credit.

The web site I printed from created 32 pages of tightly spaced locations, giving times estimated at 7 knots. Using this print out, the time estimate from Comox to Nanaimo is 7 hours and 22 minutes and is a distance of 51 nautical miles. So now find Westport, you'll need to zoom out some more and you'll see its another long hike at 7 knots.

Lund is but a hop, skip and a jump away. I tried to find the distance on a chart from the Comox marina but couldn't. At 7 knots Powell River is two hours away and I'd say Lund is about another half hour to forty five minutes above Powell River, but that estimate is off as my calculation is going to Powell River, going a hard left North to Lund. I could travel more a diagnol and the time would be shorter, not sure by how much. Sometimes I prefer the Powell River route as the islands North of it provide some shelter from the wind and currents, particularly when you are cruising with a beam sea and wind. So over to Powell River then a right, a bit longer but a better more comfortable. In a calm sea, a piece of cake on the diagonal, but I cruise frequently off season where Georgia Strait can be not so calm.

Thought I would edit in the graph I used: [I found the author - Carl Tenning] https://nwcruising.net/

[Macblaze]

Top up in Blind Channel. The it's 45 nm to Lagoon Cove or 65 nm to Port McNeill (which is a better destination than Port Hardy if you are exploring the Broughtons).