Pacific NW charter help

[Dallasron]

once again we are in the Caribbean this summer but for next summer I am thinking we need to go north and would love a 10 day bareboat charter in Pacific NW. Looking at the San Juans, Vancouver, Desolation sound I am questioning just how much sail time we would get versus motoring. So the questions are:

1. Is sailing pretty much minimized during the month of August and should we plan on mostly motoring?

2. Any tips on charter companies?

3. I would love any suggestions on things to see and do that are off the tourist trail.

Thanks in advance,,,,Ron and Carrie

[chris mac]

My experience is fairly limited, so please take it that way.
1 I haven't been in August, so can't comment on this.
2 I have used Coopers boating. They have 3 locations many the boats seem to be in good repair. They were quite easy and pleasant to deal with.
3 we sailed the gulf islands, the place I recommend is Wallace Island, stern tie in princess cove and go for a nice hike. Beautiful forest and some interesting scenery.
Even just experiencing some of the passes, because of the current, can make the trip worthwhile. The sea lions, porpoises, and hopefully killer whales add a lot too.
Hope you enjoy your time.

[Dallasron]

Thanks,

Selling our 380 and looking to the liveaboard boat. Would like to spend some time there next august and hoping to be on our own in new england the following year.

[Stu Jackson]

Winds come and go. Some areas, like the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, get almost reliable afternoon sea breezes, and Haro Strait can be breezy when areas close by are millponds. There are lots of local variations on wind. The Strait of Georgia can be blowing when it is calm inside the Gulf Islands. Websites like Passage Weather or any of the rest of them show things pretty clearly.

The issue is more learning about the currents than worrying about the wind. Depending on the phase of the moon, some narrow passes are downright challenging. Study when you plan to go and read up on currents. This knowledge is critical.

There's a bareboat rental outfit in Comox that has boats that go to Desolation Sound, my friend did it on a Catalina 350 a few years ago. Must be some in Vancouver, too.

[LTDsailing]

I used to teach sailing in the San Juan Islands and have sailed that area in the summer months quite a bit - though I spend my time in the Caribbean these days.

1. I would not expect to sail much durring the month of August. There are a few places you might find some wind (East Sound of Orcas Island) but you will most likely be motoring a lot.

2. I used to work for San Juan Sailing out of Bellingham and I think that they run the best operation around. Really great people to work with and they run a top notch charter operation.

3. It's been awhile since I have sailed that area. One of my favorite things was always to anchor at Stuart Island and hike out to Turn Point Light for sunset. Bring a bottle of wine, a nice snack and a flashlight for the walk back in the dark. Another great spot to watch the sunset is from Cyprus Island. Take a mooring ball at the north end of the island and hike up to Eagle Cliff where you will find an amazing view back over the islands as the sun is going down.

We were hoping to get back to the San Juan Islands this Fall but it doesn't look like its going to happen. Maybe next year...

[bcsete]

Cooper Boating would be the place to start. Various boats, power and sail. They also have 2 cats I think. Great operation and with 3 bases, they can start and end you at any of them. Easiest might be from Granville Island, but that's up to you. They can also help with an itinerary since almost everyone that works there also has sailed the area extensively.

Good afternoon winds out of Vancouver and up the sunshine coast. Almost no winds in Desolation sound, but worth the motoring. San Juans and Gulf Islands you will mostly motor, but again worth any effort to see these wonderful spots.

As noted before, trickiest part if you aren't used to it is the tides and currents, but there is good information on all of this, just be aware.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by LTDsailing

3. It's been awhile since I have sailed that area. One of my favorite things was always to anchor at Stuart Island and hike out to Turn Point Light for sunset. Bring a bottle of wine, a nice snack and a flashlight for the walk back in the dark.

This. Yes. Good for full moon or star gazing also.

[dkroar]

I'll second the recommendation for San Juan Sailing, they are a terrific company.

Welcome to San Juan Sailing

[desodave]

Plan on more motoring than sailing. However, at our N end of the Strait, there can be quite strong NW winds at times. They don't usually filter into Desolation Sound very much.

Prevailing summer winds are NW. That should influence your charter base location. If you want Desolation Sound, charter from a more northerly base. Desolation Sound Yacht Charters in Comox is a long established company - Strait crossings usually a lot easier if there is wind. Coopers has a northern base in Lund. However, Comox has a major airport - Lund requires a floatplane air taxi.

August is the busiest month of the year so crowds in most popular anchorages. There is less traffic in the northern Strait. Also, do you want to anchor out or cruise from dock to dock? Lot fewer marinas in the N.

I don't recommend chartering out of Vancouver. It's easier to get to but you'll spend a day on either end getting somewhere. Charter out of Sydney ( minutes from Victoria airport), Nanaimo or Comox for Canadian locations. Leave the dock and you can be in prime cruising locations within a couple of hours. Google Pacific Yachting blue pages and you'll get a listing of charter companies in those areas.

Wherever you go currents are a navigation issue and many passes need to be timed for slack. Nothing to worry about imo just to time.

We love the Northern areas. Desolation Sound is gorgeous - mile high mountains plunging into the ocean. Adjoining Discovery Islands are also mountainous.

I'll let others talk about the Southern areas but they too are great. Enjoy the PNW

[Stu Jackson]

Good source for tides & currents: wxtide32 download it onto your computer.

The noaa tide & current info for the US waters is very good, too.

[exMaggieDrum]

The posts above all contain some good information. I'll just amplify a thing or too and add a bit.

We call August "Fogust" around here because it is almost always foggy in the mornings. We have had weird weather the last couple of years and that may or may not be true. You will want to have radar on the boat or wait for the fog to lift, which you can do if you are patient. It never lasts all day, this time of year. My favorite time to go sailing/cruising is in mid-September as it is much less crowded and often less foggy but still warmish and sunny.

It is cool up here all year so you will want to bring warm clothes for the cockpit at least. On land it will be warm enough for shorts and tees unless a big blow comes in, which is possible, although not so much this year. Before July you can get very nasty blows, and in the late Fall and Winter.

Where you go depends a lot on how much time you have. I would not consider Desolation Sound unless you have 2 weeks or more. You could motor up there fast and have a few days but you will miss the San Juan Islands and you will have to check in with Canadian customs/immigration and again with the US coming back. That forces you go to specific places to do that. If you leave from Bellingham I think you can check back in there though, as you can in Anacortes.

I live in Anacortes and the Anacortes Yacht Charter company is certainly busy and have some nice boats and reasonably good maintenance on them. I see them everyday and have heard good things but do not know more. They have a lot of boats to choose from and a big staff. I have seen many happy people coming off their boats. Mine is in the same marina and I am there every day.

If you only have a week, you can find plenty of places to go in the San Juans and as it is less crowded you can go to the more popular places, like Sucia Island, without the bigger crowds. As noted above, sailing is very iffy in the islands most of the time so motoring will definitely be part of your experience but you can also have some excellent sailing going to and from the Islands, either from Bellingham or Anacortes.

We particularly like Fisherman Bay at Lopez Island. You might also like to go around San Juan Island. Haro Strait on the western side often has orca whales go through and it is not unusual to see them there. And, as noted, you can get more wind there. Beware timing going through the passes. Some you want to time at slack water or hold on tight. E.g., you would not want to buck the tide coming back or going through at the south end of San Juan Island.

As anywhere there are rocks here and there and you want to pay close attention to buoys and day marks. You don't really have to use a chartplotter but it can be handy, especially as some people get disoriented with just paper charts while going through the Islands. If you pay attention you don't need to though.

As noted too, you have to plan every trip around the tides and currents. If you have a strong current against you it can take twice as long to get from here to there. And a big boost the other way around.

I would not consider Seattle at all if it were me, or other cities around the Puget Sound. Too far away from the scenic parts.

This is a drop dead gorgeous place to go boating though with lots of little bays and coves and interesting spots to anchor, plus some nice places to go in to a marina if that rocks your boat.

[hblask]

Last summer we did San Juan Sailing in Bellingham. We loved them, and we loved sailing in that area.

We only really had one good day of sailing all week, the rest was motoring.

Our favorite non-touristy thing to do was to go into the bay at Sucia Island. They have some mooring balls, if you get there early just grab one for free. Otherwise, there is plenty of room to anchor. Take the dingy to the beach along with plenty of water and snacks, and there are paths all over the island, you can hike all day. And if it is clear, you have a great view of Mt Bakeer's snow-capped peak.


Our favorite more-touristy thing was Roche Harbor, play some bocce by the bay, walk up and see the sculpture garden, have some ice cream.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

After 5 years sailing in Puget Sound and San Juan / lower Gulf Islands we are on our way to Alaska. I will try not to belabor the points already made.

1. For a 10 day trip - San Juans / lower Gulf Islands are entirely different than the Desolation Sound area. Not really feasible to do both. Pick one. Comox for the Desolation Sound area and another vote for San Juan Sailing out of Bellingham for the lower part.

2. Someone mentioned fog - yes - unless you want to stay put until it is totally gone. Get a boat w/ radar and know how to use it.

3. Motoring vs wind - Winds will be light; motoring will be extensive. We got around this on our last trip on our previous boat (34 ft Hanse) by using a sail that a friend gave us that we had recut. It was @ a 155% to 160% genoa that allowed us to sail almost every day in a 12 day trip. Don't know if you can find something like that on a charter boat. Our current boat has a much greater displacement and no sail like that.

4. A few favorite anchorages: San Juans - Prevost Harbor and Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, Blind Bay on Shaw Island, Echo Bay on Sucia Island. Gulf Islands - Todd Inlet on the Saanich Pennisula (long way but great day trip to Buchart Gardens the back way), Montague Harbor on Galiano Island, North Cove on Thetis Island.

The marinas I have liked were Port Sydney Marina in Sydney, BC, and Deer Harbor on Orcas Island in the US.

[Emerald Sea]

This has been a valuable read for us as we are passaging to Victoria from Hawaii next week to begin cruising this area for some time. From those that have sailed (or motored!) in this region can you comment on the reliability of electronic charts ie Navionics, CM's, etc?

Steve
SV Emerald Sea

[rmesfo]

Originally Posted by LTDsailing

I used to teach sailing in the San Juan Islands and have sailed that area in the summer months quite a bit - though I spend my time in the Caribbean these days.

1. I would not expect to sail much durring the month of August. There are a few places you might find some wind (East Sound of Orcas Island) but you will most likely be motoring a lot.

2. I used to work for San Juan Sailing out of Bellingham and I think that they run the best operation around. Really great people to work with and they run a top notch charter operation.

3. It's been awhile since I have sailed that area. One of my favorite things was always to anchor at Stuart Island and hike out to Turn Point Light for sunset. Bring a bottle of wine, a nice snack and a flashlight for the walk back in the dark. Another great spot to watch the sunset is from Cyprus Island. Take a mooring ball at the north end of the island and hike up to Eagle Cliff where you will find an amazing view back over the islands as the sun is going down.

We were hoping to get back to the San Juan Islands this Fall but it doesn't look like its going to happen. Maybe next year...

I second San Juan Sailing. Great boats, great equipment, and great folks.
Sailed the last 4 years in June and September from 7 days to 10 days. Take the 10 day package and you have a great choice of where you want to explore.

Have fun!