Let's talk cruising in British Columbia

[tgradyv7m]

God's country 2.5 months out of the year. The rest we take on faith.

It rains a lot.

Tides are what we live with almost as much as the wind (or lack there of). I was racing with a guy that came up from Florida and he just could not get a grasp on the tidal current going around a mark. Tidal gates are to be respected and you need to know how to read the tables and adjust for DST as well as location. Everything takes a bit more time, knowledge and patient.

Did I say it rains a lot? It does. Some people get so frustrated the rain and lack of winter sun they just leave. Real-estate is sky high, roads are awful, traffic is worse.

And it rains a lot. A deep soaking, cold, penetrating and constant rain. Don't let anyone fool you. And it is also hard to get anywhere other than this area. Going down the west coast is a chore. Coming back up can be worse. And a cruiser that circumnavigated said the two hardest sailing areas he had the whole trip was Juan de Fuca west bound and Juan de Fuca east bound.

Did I say it rains a lot? It does.

Not that I don't like more people to come up here....

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by tgradyv7m

God's country 2.5 months out of the year. The rest we take on faith.

It rains a lot.

Tides are what we live with almost as much as the wind (or lack there of). I was racing with a guy that came up from Florida and he just could not get a grasp on the tidal current going around a mark. Tidal gates are to be respected and you need to know how to read the tables and adjust for DST as well as location. Everything takes a bit more time, knowledge and patient.

Did I say it rains a lot? It does. Some people get so frustrated the rain and lack of winter sun they just leave. Real-estate is sky high, roads are awful, traffic is worse.

And it rains a lot. A deep soaking, cold, penetrating and constant rain. Don't let anyone fool you. And it is also hard to get anywhere other than this area. Going down the west coast is a chore. Coming back up can be worse. And a cruiser that circumnavigated said the two hardest sailing areas he had the whole trip was Juan de Fuca west bound and Juan de Fuca east bound.

Did I say it rains a lot? It does.

Not that I don't like more people to come up here....

Gawd I hope that was tongue in cheek... because otherwise dude, seriously, you should move

Alberta has tons of sunshine, empty roads for miles, dry prairie landscape, and 40° below. Come on over...

[Lightwave99]

We have sailed the southern BC Coast since 1990 when we bought our first tiny boat. Since then we have built and extended our own catamaran and spent 2 years sailing down south, much time in the Sea of Cortez, across to Hawaii, much time sailing through the Hawaiian Islands and home. The whole time we were in the Sea of Cortez, though we loved the daily free diving and swimming in the crystal clear, turquoise waters, we MISSED THE GREEN!!! Beautiful British Columbia is just that: beautiful.

The anchorages in the Gulf Islands, which is a relatively developed area, are lovely and you get great walks or runs on shore.

Desolation Sound is magnificent: It is a national park, so no building allowed. It is beautiful, picturesque, and--excuse me--the water is definitely swimmable from June through to early September. What kind of wussy are you? (referring to the person who said the water was too cold to swim). It is a very big area and you can find your own little nook everywhere, unless it is (in normal times) July to August, when THE AMERICANS ARRIVE and the kids get out of school so there are many more boats some very large (prior source) vying for an anchorage spot. But most anchorages are big enough to accommodate everyone.

We have had extended, wonderful sailing days and gotten our cat up to 12 knots. It is not San Francisco, but there is wind, and you can enjoy sailing.

Each year we look forward to our early June 17-day sojourn to Desolation Sound from Vancouver, stopping at Jedediah Island on the way. You can check out our website for photos (I think we have posted them on Desolation Sound!) Time For a Catamaran Adventure – Isn't Time For Yours?.

Go for it!
Happy Sailing!

[Warmland]

I live on a 41 ft Fraser full time on Vancouver Island and love the PNW. It's much cheaper to live on the island than Vancouver and you are more likely to find a Marina who takes livaboards. I grew up on Vancouver Island and the cruising is amazing. Get an insulated boat though if you can. Life in winter will be much more comfortable.

Cheers.... Tanya

[Lightwave99]

Re "It rains a lot": it does rain a lot IN THE WINTER, but very little in the summer, unless it is an unusual year. Then, it is a warm rain.

Rain is good! Where would the world be without it? Learn to enjoy Nature as she is!

[chriscd]

much less rain in victoria than in vancouver.
it is a very long trip around vancouver island and the west side is pretty
rugged sailing.

[Exctyengr]

You have had 12 pages of sound advice and opinion. Most of which I wholeheartedly agree with. But here is my suggestion, charter for a few weeks up there, I use Cooper Boating, and go with an instructor with local knowledge, I used John Gourlay, he knows the waters and is a superb boater and great instructor. Going through the many rapids up there can be a bit of a pucker unless you know what you are doing (slack water) and the money you spend on someone like John is well spent.
Also, get a copy of Waggoners Guide and Ports and Passes. The guide is excellent a fun read and very comprehensive. Ports and Passes are tide tables adjusted to local time. It's worth the $20 bucks or so. (BTW: You can buy both from Waggoners for $55.00)

[evm1024]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Gawd I hope that was tongue in cheek... because otherwise dude, seriously, you should move

Alberta has tons of sunshine, empty roads for miles, dry prairie landscape, and 40° below. Come on over...

I spent some time in High Prairie one winter. I liked it.

Always wondered what sailing on the Lesser Slave Lake would be like. For that matter the Greater Slave Lake.

I was living on my Cal 2-29 at the time and heading all over North America automating sawmills.

My time off was spent sailing up the coast from PDX to the San Juan's and Gulf Islands. Not quite as crowded then (early 80's) as now.

[Lightwave99]

Forgot to mention: annual rainfall in Vancouver in 60 inches, on the North Shore (North and West Vancouver it's 90 to 120 inches!), in Tsawwassen, the Gulf Islands and Victoria it's 30 inches. In Kauaii it's 180 inches!!!

[gcaws]

In The Salish Sea we have 2 extra months: Junuary (a week or two in June) and Fogust (a week or two in August). In Victoria the locals have a saying: “if you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.” (The converse can be true ...) I use my 20 foot fishing boat to blast around to coffee places with docks that are all over the place. Lots of good hiking everywhere. (Oh yeah, I fish crab and prawn too). I can’t count the times I’ve heard a big “whoosh”, turned the engine off, and waited for the local black and white salmon eaters to cruise by. Sheesh, the nerve. Hopefully they don’t splash my boat. Grabbing oysters off the beach is faster than knocking them off of rocks I’ve found. Kelp keeps me from hitting the rocks on the other side, so that’s a bonus. The frikkin’ eagles are squawking at all times of the day. Great to see the young ones playing tag with the sh-thawks. Glad I’m not a sh-thawk. These are some of the reasons not to come. ; j

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Lightwave99

Desolation Sound is magnificent: It is a national park, so no building allowed. It is beautiful, picturesque, and--excuse me--the water is definitely swimmable from June through to early September. What kind of wussy are you? (referring to the person who said the water was too cold to swim). It is a very big area and you can find your own little nook everywhere, unless it is (in normal times) July to August, when THE AMERICANS ARRIVE and the kids get out of school so there are many more boats some very large (prior source) vying for an anchorage spot. But most anchorages are big enough to accommodate everyone.

Desolation Sound:
- Is a Provincial (not National) Marine Park
- Indeed, there are private buildings allowed, grandfathered from before park established
- Desolation is beautiful, especially so when not crowded
- In a normal non-Covid year, July & August SO overcrowded we avoid many (most?) anchorages (one year, we counted 80 boats in Tenedos Bay) https://sailing-pelagia.blogspot.com...onger.html?m=1
- I agree, water IS warm enough (~21°C) July-August, and sometimes in June

Lightspeed: was that you in the shallow (drying) nook between Prideaux and Laura in 2020? If yes: that's one way to get away from crowds!

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Desolation Sound:
- Is a Provincial (not National) Marine Park
- Indeed, there are private buildings allowed, grandfathered from before park established
- Desolation is beautiful, especially so when not crowded
- In a normal non-Covid year, July & August SO overcrowded we avoid many (most?) anchorages (one year, we counted 80 boats in Tenedos Bay) https://sailing-pelagia.blogspot.com...onger.html?m=1
- I agree, water IS warm enough (~21°C) July-August, and sometimes in June

Lightspeed: was that you in the shallow (drying) nook between Prideaux and Laura in 2020? If yes: that's one way to get away from crowds!

I love the internet. This post led me to you site and your post about THAT rock. Von Donop is one of my favourite places, and while I have never hit that rock, it makes me nervous every single time as it really isn't well described. Thanks for doing the mapping!

[JSSailem]

Originally Posted by NedX

LOL it never ends

With all this starting as a pig fight, there is maybe no end in sight.

The water here are a wonderful sailing environment.

Consider the Waggoner's Guide as a tool in learning about the many areas from Olympia WA in the south to Alaska in the north.

[waltknowles]

I've cruised out of Anacortes for 30+ years, most of it in an Ericson 27, now in a Moody 46. First some climate data:

• West side of Olympic Mountains and West side of Vancouver Island can expect 25-40" precip per year--less than New York or Boston, in most years. You may get as many as 3 days/year when you will get more than 1" in 24 hours, and lots and lots of days where you will have continuous precip for a total of 0.1" in 24. You may not see a single drop of rain from July 1 to November 1 (that's a Mediterranean climate pattern, like most of the west coast)
• Lows seldom below 40ºF in the dead of winter, but you may get one or two snow days on your boat. Highs seldom above 80º, but there are days when really good ventilation makes for a much more enjoyable boat.
• Winds are challenging. In the middle of summer, expect to be a power boat with a stick--or to really pay close attention to local weather patterns. You could probably sail from Anacortes to Comox without touching your engine--in August--by leaving at 0700, dropping hook at 1100, leaving at 1600, and dropping hook at 2000.

This is drop-dead gorgeous cruising country. There aren't very many places in the world where you can, in a single day, fly the kite and go 10kt, engage in a tacking duel up a mile wide (and 1000' deep) channel, drop hook in/near a tidal lagoon so it's dead quiet in the boat, row your dinghy to a pebble beach, skinny dip in salt water (because there's no one around and because the water is 75ºF) and pick yourself a dozen oysters off the rocks for supper on the way home. And that's not a composite. That's where we have anchored our E27 several times (and the Moody once).


Your Bavaria is close to an ideal boat for these waters. The only thing I'd complain about is its draft, which makes gunkholing a bit more difficult. It's light enough to sail in the summer, and heavy enough to make the trip to Haida Gwai without blinking. I know it seems expensive for trucking, but bring it with you. At least by Yacht World, boats are 20-30% more expensive in Seattle than in Boston.


And take the suggestion of chartering seriously. There are a number of charter agencies that cover the San Juans. We have our Moody, Braesail, in charter with Anacortes Yacht Charters (Anacortes Yacht Charters), becuase people want to pay us money to use our boat in the summer, which then helps to pay for our use the other three seasons!


Walt Knowles
Moody 46: Braesail

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I love the internet. This post led me to you site and your post about THAT rock. Von Donop is one of my favourite places, and while I have never hit that rock, it makes me nervous every single time as it really isn't well described. Thanks for doing the mapping!

Glad you found it (the post, not THAT rock[emoji6])!

Planning lots more....