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Old 09-01-2019, 16:29   #16
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

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Originally Posted by Paul L View Post
Make sure you don't have an excess of beer,wine or liquor onboard when you clear in. They are picky about this and limits per person are low.
Just realized this earlier today. I just stocked the liquor cabinet too! Thank god I found out before we got to Canada. Pouring out all that Scotch would have brought a tear to my eye.
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Old 09-01-2019, 16:37   #17
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

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I would check before you depart. There probably is some visitor space but a lot of boats winter there it may be full up.

I would second the recommendation to stop in Sydney and clear customs in Sydney.
Depends on time you have available. Roche Harbour to Sydney is a pleasant 3 to 4 hr trip reasonably sheltered. It’s a day sail from Sydney To Victoria.
You want to get to Sydney by 1700 or the gates are closed. Or call and arrange a berth with a security card left out. There is a dock to call customs from. In the off season I have just stayed on it after asking,
There are customs docks at Canoe Cove as well.
The town of Sydney is quite pleasant I like the Town Marina as a stop with a short walk to everything.

Friday Harbour, Roche Harbour, Rosario, are nice stops on route.

Alternatively. Port Townsend to Victoria is a fair ways of relatively open water. With quite strong currents. Roche Harbour then across is much more sheltered.
That’s a few suggestions to go the inside route now. I’ll consult the crew and see what they think. I know they are really looking forward to Victoria. If there is any changes in the forecast we’ll take the inside route for sure. My main goal is to get the boat out of Washington state and down to Bremerton before I have to return to work on the 22nd.

If I don’t leave the state I’ll be obliged to pay a rather large tax bill to the State of Washington. Since I live in Oregon and like money I don’t want to do that!
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Old 09-01-2019, 17:47   #18
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

I think if you are in Friday then Sidney vs Victoria is a wash depending on weather.

Sidney: great laundry, nice showers, close provisioning, probably a quicker wait if Customs actually wants to come down to the boat (they come from the airport). Theres enough shops to visit to spend a day there, especially if you like book stores.

Victoria (Causeway): good showers (a bit of a hike—Wharf Street is closer), minimal laundry, provisioning is a bit of a hike. Customs would be a wait if they decided not to clear you by phone (never happened to me). Tons to see and do as you are right downtown. You might have to walk to the GVHA offices to pay up.

But if you've never been to Victoria by boat, then its well worth it...

I made this up the year we spent the winter there: https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.4238209,-123.3853125,14z
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:25   #19
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

I've done this many times. The most important thing is to be organized, have all of the information copied on a piece of paper, including a fill report of your ship's stores. The more efficient you can be, the easier the process is likely to go.
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:29   #20
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

I used to clear into Victoria frequently but that was a few years ago. Never had a problem with Customs. Only skipper leaves the boat until cleared. Always stayed a the Coast Hotel. Nice pool (indoor/outdoor) and exercise room. Free towel and shower service. Free shuttle to and from downtown. No bums. Good breakfast. Unless it has changed it's the only place I would stay. Nice walk to downtown.
They really don't like guns.
Although storms can come up at any time this is probably the best time to go in winter. We normally get a week of really nice weather soon.
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:38   #21
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

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I use deepzoom.com for currents on planned route. Ports and passages is good in BC. I’m in Everett and prefer to go up inside and pop out at deception. Not bad from there to Sidney
Made the trip a couple of times. Check your wind conditions for the strait, they can be brutal. Windy app is not always accurate. The Customs dock has moved from up near the float at the Emperorus to on the right after the bend in the harbor approach. Mindful of the current. No problems on entry. No firearms! Have a great time, it's a beautiful city. Be sure and have breakfast at Cora's!
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:53   #22
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

Come to Victoria after checking the weather. It's easy.

Before you leave Seattle, check in with GVHA by phone. They are extremely nice (even by Canadian standards) and very competent.

After the breakwater, STAY CLOSE to yellow channel markers, passing with them to port. Harbor patrol is picky about keeping you out of seaplane lanes. Customs will be to starboard 200 yards after you pass the well-marked gas dock, also starboard.

Everyone on board should have a passport. Grab ship's papers and passports and your cell phone AND A PEN to write down entry number (I copy passport / boat info onto a single sheet of paper to avoid juggling multiple important documents with phone pinned under chin in the wind and rain. You can also write entry number onto that paper when given by customs.) Phone at customs dock sometimes doesn't work well, that's why you have your cell phone. Number is posted at the kiosk. Customs phone worked fine two weeks ago.

Don't bring much alcohol, NO cannabis,etc., no fresh vegetables, etc.

Be prepared to enjoy a beautfiful city. There's plenty of room at the dock at Lower Causeway currently, but Meghann at GVHA (ext 2, I believe) will let you know what's available.

As far as restaurants, come knock on the hull of blue sailboat Foxy at the end of F dock.
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Old 10-01-2019, 10:26   #23
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

I believe the avoidance of Washington’s USE TAX involves recreational permits which get you 6 months within a calendar year, so if you return to Bremerton wa your still at risk within that year. There is an alternate permit, good for a year, but you can’t return to wa for 2 years. Talk to Wa state dept of revenue. Alternatively keep the boat in Sidney for 364 days a year with a one day trip to the us and back to beautiful Canada.
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Old 10-01-2019, 11:00   #24
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

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Hi Eder. I was told it might be easier to just hop over to Victoria rather than deal with the narrows and currents this time of year. Please advise if that’s untrue. I’ve been watching the Windy app and the wind and wave conditions have looked very promising. Much much better than the last few weeks of storm systems that have been passing through the area.
Try not to leave Port Townsend in a strong wind against tide; it'll be bumpy, for a couple of hours, but survivable and pretty straightforward after that.
In Victoria, the customs dock is now on the south side, near the Coast (?) hotel. Just stay to starboard of the sea plane lanes and watch for it.
After clearing, proceed to the inner harbor dock, which you can easily identify in front of the Empress.
Clearing in is not usually problematic, as long as you don't get smart. Leave guns, drugs, mace etc behind. Have prescriptions for any affected drugs. Listen to the questions carefully and answer truthfully. (I have heard of people with a DUI being refused entry however, if you've successfully completed a deferred prosecution, the case was likely 'dismissed'; so the answer is 'No'. Passport or enhanced licences are required for all crew, have a copy of boat ownership, they've accepted my state renewal doc.
Have a great trip.
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Old 10-01-2019, 13:29   #25
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

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Just realized this earlier today. I just stocked the liquor cabinet too! Thank god I found out before we got to Canada. Pouring out all that Scotch would have brought a tear to my eye.

Of note is that it's not illegal to go over your the quantity you're allowed duty free, if you have more than your personal allotment you just have to declare it and pay a duty on it. Never have done it myself have always brought only what I could duty free, but if you ever found yourself in the situation of more than is duty free just be sure to declare it and then you pay the duty and you don't have to pour out your Scotch ;-)


If you're thinking of staying on shore as well as in the marina, check out the Hotel Grand Pacific... more modern than the Empress but very comfortable, just as good a location, better views, and a little less crazy with no "afternoon high tea" nuttiness. They're doing a "flash" sale through end of today:
https://www.hotelgrandpacific.com/en-us/72HourSale


We really like Port Sidney too, might consider that although quite a bit farther to go. If you stick with Victoria, keep in mind there are no bathrooms within the gates of the Causeway, they send you to the public bathrooms in the tourist info building outside the code locked gate.



Assuming it's standard wintry weather there, you will want to "warm up"... I strongly suggest the Irish Times:
https://irishtimespub.ca/
... easy walk from the Causeway
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Old 10-01-2019, 13:32   #26
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

Lots of good advice. We make that trip a couple of times every Summer.

It's worth considering Seattle to Port Townsend in one day, and PT to Victoria the next. Elliott Bay to PT can be 4 hours-ish if you're riding a Southerly and an ebb. It can be 6 hours or more if you try to fight the flood against a Northwesterly.

One reason to stop at PT is because it's a cool place to visit. Another is to familiarize yourself with the entry to Port Hudson. If you get into the strait and decide it's too rough--and it can be--then you may decide to go back to Pt. Hudson and wait for easier conditions. If you've never been there it can be tricky at night or in enthusiastic weather. Yet another reason to stop in PT (Pt. Hudson) is that Seattle to Victoria is a long trip timewise. It's not easy to time the currents over a 12 hour period so your boat is where you want it to be at the time you want it there.

Weather reports for that area are broadly useful, but the weather changes quickly. When you pass Pt. Wilson and head into the strait, watch out for the Pt. Wilson tide rip. It forms when wind and waves collide, and it can be nasty. You'll see it before you get to it. At its worst, it can be like climbing into a steel barrel and rolling down a steep rocky hill. Not pleasant at all. If you head North to San Juan Island you'll trek right through its path. Cattle Pass, at the Southern end of San Juan Island, can also be nasty in rough weather. If you spend the night at Pt. Hudson (Port Townsend) you can pick your window carefully and cross straight to Victoria. It's not that far. In rough weather, though, the waves are high and steep, and the period is short. It can be awful.

When my wife is aboard we always do the trip in two days. If we leave Seattle on an ebb and the wind comes up from the North, we'll take the back channel to Port Townsend. Admiralty inlet can get pretty rough in those conditions. In PT we check the weather and currents and plan the trip to Victoria (or the Islands, or wherever), but if we round Pt. Wilson and the strait is acting up, we stay in PT until conditions are reasonable.

If all this makes it sound like a difficult trip, be reassured that it is not, really. You just have to look carefully at the weather and currents, do the math based on your boat speed, and try to be in the right spots at the right times. This doesn't always work out as planned, though, and when you get get to PT and have a look at the strait you may need to recalculate and reassess everything.

Lastly, remember that Pt. Hudson is a tricky approach at night or in rough weather. Even if you just pull in for a lunch break before you cross the strait, having done it once will make it much less stressful if you get out there and decide to turn back and wait for better weather.

I love all of Vancouver Island. Victoria is beautiful. I've never had a problem clearing in. I have been boarded more than once in the strait by both the US and Canadian Coast Guards. That's reasonable; just make sure everything is in order with your paperwork and safety gear. Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you. If you don't have a Canadian courtesy flag, get one.

Have fun!
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Old 10-01-2019, 14:14   #27
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

NB: Confirm bridge clearance if you decide to take the South Channel to Port Townsend. That passage is narrow and the currents can be strong.

Also, if you find yourself close to Smith Island you're better off staying West of it. If you decide to go East you'll be fine too, but don't eyeball your course. There is a long spit there that you won't see if the water is rough at all.
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Old 10-01-2019, 14:36   #28
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

Didn't really mention there are docks at the Coast Hotel. Used to love that place. Hope it hasn't changed. The only rock I've ever hit in my life was coming into Victoria in the lane prior to the inner harbor. I think it was "Moneymaker". Just barley touched it but bent the rudder post since rudder was deeper than keel on some expensive Finnish yacht. No fun. Could only turn one way, blocked the seaplane lanes and boat was too heavy for normal harbor boat to overcome the rudder. Finally had a few whale boats push me into the dock. Felt like an idiot, of course. Expensive bump.
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Old 10-01-2019, 14:56   #29
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

They will take your potatoes and oranges... I think.
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Old 10-01-2019, 15:03   #30
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Re: Leaving Seattle Monday headed to Victoria!

Brrr. Take plenty of layers
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