Secluded Winter Anchorage Southern BC Coast Suggestions

[D2T]

Hello all,
I'm in my first liveaboard winter on a boat that wasn't designed for it lol. I am in the process of acquiring a permanent or long term slip but will need to anchor etc for awhile yet.
I'm looking for suggestions for secluded or semi private locations in the south coast where I can run my genie whenever without feeling like I might be bothering someone plus cell coverage I need, internet specifically. I'm on a 27 ft Catalina , no its def not the boat I would've chose to live on lol, when I bought it I had no plans of living on it but seems life did lol. I have all the necessary equipment etc but not sure where all the protected, secluded / private locations with some form of services around and have cell coverage. I know they're out there, I would go explore myself but initially I need some suggestions so I can finish some projects that are a must.
Any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated, boats not fun in the chop or hard winds, the calmer/protected and semi close to restocking supplies area the better....Cheers !

[Benz]

Howe Sound has easy living and access to supplies. "secluded" and "services" may not happen in the same place, but maybe you'll have to compromise....

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Benz

Howe Sound has easy living and access to supplies. "secluded" and "services" may not happen in the same place, but maybe you'll have to compromise....

In 2021, UNESCO designated over 2,000 square kilometres – from mountain peak to ocean floor – as the Átl' a7tsem / Howe Sound Biosphere Region
Map ➥ https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...cation-map.pdf
Chart ➥ https://fishing-app.gpsnauticalchart...5050/-123.3400

[leecea]

Do you need access to pump out?

[D2T]

No I don't yet, its straight out, no holding tank

[D2T]

Ideally I'm hoping to find a protected as possible, secluded, as close as possible to shops etc spot I can hang out for a bit and work on some projects, run my genie so I can pump up my music and not worry about annoying anyone. I know the more north up I go easier is to find but shops and cell service get less n less on the flip side which I need

[desodave]

Your willingness to discharge sewage in a some "secluded" bay is against Canadian regulations and would make you extremely unpopular in any Gulf Island anchorage, secluded or not. Canadian regs allow inshore discharge only either more than 3 miles from shore or in the middle of a channel on an ebb tide where no pumpout facilities exist. The latter scenario is basically here in the Northern Gulf. You need to rethink your plans.

[sv_pelagia]

pump up the music... and pump out the poop



Really great! :-(

[TrentePieds]

Welcome to the forum D2T :-)

Do you need to go ashore each day to go to Vancouver for work? Is your desire for proximity to stores grounded in a real need or just in a reluctance to come to grips with the realities of living aboard?

In the event that you are not location-dependent due to work or personal constraints, there are many, many places you can go in the southern straits.

The fact that your boat is a Catalina 27 with no holding tank, i.e. a boat you bought cheaply, and just the very fact that you've asked the question in the manner you have, suggests that you are new to seafaring. We'll be glad to help you along, but a stereo set hungry enough to require being powered by a generator aboard a Catalina 27 suggests that if you wish to become a seafaring man you have a LOT to learn. Another forum member of long experience also touched on this and suggested that you would do yourself a favour by examining, and possibly realigning your priorities.

No shame in that. It was true for most of us at one time, but please know that we can only help you if we know just what you prior seafaring experience is - even if it is nought :-)!

All the best

TP — who years ago taught I don't know how many people the rudiments of seafaring using Catalina 27s :-)

[Tedd]

There are many places in the BC south coast area you could anchor and have access to the services you want. But any good anchorage I can think of will either have other boats at anchor or will have people living along the shore. In either case, your music won't be welcome. It'll be next to impossible to find a place with nobody to annoy that also has the services you want access to.

As others have noted, your septic system is a serious problem. As it stands now, the only way you can be legal anywhere in BC is to weigh anchor and sail out to 3+ nm from shore every time you need a bowel movement. That'll get old fast. If you can find room for a 20 gallon holding tank you could go about a week before you need a pump out, with one person on board. That might be a fairly easy fix for you. That narrows your options quite a bit, though, because pump-out stations are quite limited in BC. Here's a list:

https://saltspringharbours.com/wp-co...s_Jan-2022.pdf

I'm not sure how up to date that list is, though. Also, I've found that some marinas are lackadaisical about keeping their pump-out in working order, so it's wise to phone first.

[Marathon1150]

Consider getting a compact composting toilet to deal with the poop problem.

We have the smallest Trelino and use it for camping with a roof top tent. Its made in Germany and works very well. The Boxio is also German and a bit less expensive. Both are "urine diverting" and don't smell.

I am currently thinking of replacing the head and holding tank on our boat with a larger version of the Trelino.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Sounds like Lt.Dan moved to BC. A Catalina 27 to live on with no sewage system and a loud stereo.

[Eder]

Lol...go to downtown Victoria people are crapping in the bushes. Sanctimonious lot here.

[TrentePieds]

Hm... Perhaps we can substitute "conscientious" for " sanctimonious"?

TP

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by Eder

Lol...go to downtown Victoria people are crapping in the bushes. Sanctimonious lot here.

and Seattle .. and Portland .. and San Francisco .. and Vancouver .. and a dozen others