Gulf Islands

[Island15]

We are going to make our first trip up to the Gulf Islands. We will have about four or five days to look around. Where would you suggest we spend each night? Maybe two night in a marina and three night on the hook we prefer to not be around big crowds if that's possible!
Thanks for any ideas

 

[Bigsfish]

Gulf Islands??? There must be hundreds.

 

[ghost]

Sidney spit, tod inlet, Wallace isl, Genoa bay

 

[NWSeadog]

I suspect he is talking about the Canadian gulf islands located between Vancouver Island and the straits of Georgia. AKA Canadian San Juans.

We have always enjoyed Port Browning on North Pender Island. Small, Great bar / restaurant and short walk to a grocery store.

 

[Island15]

Sorry Gulf Island B.C.. Just north of the San Juan's.
We cruise the San Juans often and want to try a little North and West!

 

[Ken E.]

Get one of the cruising guides like Waggoners. Lots of info on Gulf Island anchorages and marinas. We like to anchor in Pirates Cove and Wallace island, just for couple suggestions.

 

[Bigsfish]

That lets me out.

 

[rochepoint]

Where are you planning on clearing customs into Canada so I have a start point........

 

[tiltrider1]

You don’t need any recommendations, just go, it’s all good. You are going to want to see it all eventually so what you miss this time you will do next time.

 

[AlaskaProf]

We are going to make our first trip up to the Gulf Islands. We will have about four or five days to look around. Where would you suggest we spend each night? Maybe two night in a marina and three night on the hook we prefer to not be around big crowds if that's possible!
Thanks for any ideas

Too many choices, but i will say Ganges has to be included. Sweetest small town on the west coast. If youre serious about crowds, avoid Saturday. Ganges has the best Farmers' Market i've ever seen...and a lot of people know it.


Lots of dock space and close-in anchorage if you prefer. Groceries, liquor and hardware all near the pierhead. Block ice!

 

[Island15]

Clearing customs at Bedwell.
Thanks for the help!

 

[rochepoint]

Clear at Bedwell and stay at Poets Cove or thru the cut to Port Browning (both have docks).

Montague Harbour anchor out or grab a mooring buoy, take the pub bus to the Hummingbird.

Wallace Island, Conover Cove or Princess anchor out.

Maple Bay Marina or Genoa Bay (both have docks & restaurants).

Tod Inlet anchor out (maybe lucky and see the weekend Butchart Gardens fireworks.

These are some of our gulf island counter clockwise favourites.

 

[rsn48]

No crowds in southern coastal BC during the summer, ha... ha...ha...ha. good one! Why not do the reverse and go for the crowds, False Creek is free anchorage (with free pass, good for two weeks). How about going down Indian Arm (in the Vancouver Area) and anchor in Deep Cove over night then at the end of the Arm. All this in the greater Vancouver area. Indian Arm is a fjord many Americans don't seem to use, not sure why.

And gets donuts at Honey's in Deep Cove, a favourite of a well known actress whose name I just blanked out on... wait... Kate Winslet. Her favourite donuts on the planet form there.

If you decide to check out Indian Arm and do go to Deep Cove, here is my old address: 4534 Cove Cliff Road, North Vancouver, BC

With this address imput it to Google Earth and once it finds it, just zoom out a wee bit and you will see the Cove. Now notice the boats on anchor are to the left of the public wharf. What you are seeing is herd mentality. The better place to anchor is to the right, the other marina is Deep Cove Yacht Club (you might have reciprocals) and the very little dot is a small swim platform, just stay well away from it and you will be fine. Good anchorage there and away from the public wharf that can get loud at night with people wandering. Deep Cove is very, very popular.

 

[syjos]

Sandpiper is spending two nights in Ganges as I post this. Our favorite marina/town in the Gulf Islands.

There is no such thing as "no big crowds" in the Gulf Islands in summer.

Montague and Todd Inlet are our favorite anchorages. Winter Cove is good too.

Ladysmith and Chemanius are good marina/towns too but the dock at Chemanius rocks hard during a strong south wind.

 

[refugio]

We have a fondness for Telegraph Harbor if you get up that far. We prefer Thetis Island Marina.

 

[Island15]

Thanks for all of the great options!
We will be there during the week so hopefully the crowds won't be as bad.

 

[Slowmo]

Everyone has their favorites but here are some that we tend to hit consistantly. If you're going in July/August, expect it to be busy. If you want to hit the good spots plan on arriving around 12-1 or so. We're not dock people so most places I mention you get a buoy or anchor mostly.

First, as Rochepoint said, if you clear in at Bedwell you can either stay at the Poets cove marina or grab a buoy at the park which is very close by (5 minutes in a tender). Poets cove has a nice restraunt/pub which we like to hit. You can cut through the Pender Cut to Port Browning and points north but be aware it is very narrow and shallow. I did it at low tide once and had maybe three feet under the keel. There's a turn as you transit so you can't see boats entering the other way - some announce on the radio but that assumes everyone using the VHF (poor assumption). I announce on VHF (16) then hit a long blow on the horn before entering - then pray that a 50' boat isn't coming the other way.

Our absolute favorite in the islands is Montague harbor on Galliano island. Big harbor where you can tie to buoys at the park at the NW end, or anchor at the SW end. Nice beach facing W at the park. Buoys fill up quickly in the summer but the harbor is large and I've always been able to anchor at the SW end. Good sunsets at the SW but you can also watch the sunset from the beach on at the park. You can also anchor off the beach outside the harbor on the NW, some do but I don't due to the chance of winds coming down Trincomali channel. At Montague the's the 'Pub Bus' that runs from the park and Marina (either) to the Hummingbird pub - it's a fun ride.

Wallace Island is a short Journey NW of Montague and has a nice park. Connover cove has a park dock, useful if you're 30' or under. There are a couple stern ties in there as well. Most use Princess cove just west of Connover. Long and narrow it requires a stern tie to chains (on the rocks) provided by the park. Only a couple boats can anchor and swing freely. Get there early to get a stern tie, drop the anchor mid-harbor and back to the shore. Its deep enough right up to a couple feet from shore. The caution on Wallice is check the weather for a blow from the NW. Harbor is protected other directions but NW winds come right down it.

Another place we like is De Courcy with Pirates Cove park. This is the very north end of the gulf islands. Again arrive early and take heed, the entrance is tricky, turn at the arrow on the rocks and heed the buoy in the entrance channel - keep it on the starb.ord as you enter Also, don't cut the entrance, don't turn in before that arrow (further out is fine). There is both stern tie and some free swinging anchorage there and a nice park. 'Harbor is good for boats up to about 45'

Others have mentiond Tod inlet where you can visit the Buchart Gardens. Very nice place. Ganges is a fun town but the anchorage sucks, plan to use the dock. The harbor is wide open to the SW and often gets afternoon wind and waves. We tied to the dock last month and that was great (but in early June it was easy to get a spot as well).

The last place I'll mention in this little essay is Sidney. First, if you need services there a number of boat service companies there (Tsehum harbor), most famous is Philbrooks. I'll give a shout out South Island Marine who fixed our generator last month with same day service. I've also had good luck with Vector Marine when I had a heat exchanger fail. You can dock at Port Sidney right in town or Van Ilse about mile away (we use Van Isle as they have fuel and the service companies are there). Why Sidney? The Sidney Bakery and the Swiss Bistro on Beacon street. As the Michelin guide says, worth a detour. You can also anchor/buoy at Sidney Spit Park just a mile or so off shore. If the weather is good it's a nice place to spend the day.

Your speed will dictate how much you can do. I'd also consider some places for lunch stops.

 

[sledge]

If you cross to the east side of the strait, I highly recommend one of our favorite little marinas is Union Steamship marina in Snug Cove on Bowen Island; neat little marina tucked in there with cool shops, lots of places within walking distance.
Also a 2nd vote for Ganges on Saltspring, three highlights there:
- Mouat's Home/Hardware store (essentially carries EVERYTHING you can think of)
- Tree House Cafe for breakfast
- Moby's Pub

 

[syjos]

Sidney is a fun town and we spend a nite or two there every year. However, Port Sidney marina is not one of our favorites. Long walk from the moorage to the ramp, moorage is expensive and as of 2018, there was no wifi on the docks. You have to walk to the lounge near the ramp to get wifi.

Moorage at Van Isle and some of the other places in Tsehum Harbor are alternatives to Port Sidney. There are buses that will take you to Sidney. If you need marine supplies, Tsehum harbor has several.

As of 2018, there were no marine stores in downtown Sidney. There were several marine stores in Sidney until West Marine decided to enter the Canada market and opened a store in Sidney aboutv10 years ago. The small local marine stores could not compete with WM and eventually went out of business. Then West Marine decided that their profits from Canada was not enough and closed the store. So there is no marine stores in downtown Sidney.

 

[Oldersalt]

I second Montague Harbor and the crazy bus to the Hummingbird Restaurant. I also second Ganges...cute artsey little town. Tree House restaurant there is one of the best in the Gulf Islands! Making marina reservations a day or two in advance is a good idea, if you can plan that far.
Russell Island, off the south end of Saltspring Island is a nice, somewhat open anchorage with a very interesting old home, hosted by docents most days who are all relatives of the old owners. Really interesting history! Nice anchorages are Selby Cove on Prevost Island and Clam Bay on Thetis Island. At Clam Bay, try for the little bight on the north side of the bay, rather than the south, more popular and more crowded side.

 

[dhays]

I don't have a lot of experience in the Gulf Islands but here are some thoughts.


Poets Cove (Bedwell). While convenient clear into Canada, I've stayed the night there and wasn't impressed. Nice restaurant, live music on the weekends, decent docks, but after staying there once, we decided that there were too many other places that we liked better and it wasn't worth one of the limited nights we have available.


Todd inlet. We grabbed buoy last year in Buchart Cove and visited the Gardens. It was raining torrents and it was September. So it wasn't crowded at all. We loved it. We then spent the next night around the other side anchored in Todd Inlet. Very nice, quiet spot.


Ganges is great when you want to see a town. The Saturday market there is fun.


We enjoyed anchoring in James Bay on the NW end of Prevost Island. There is a park there on shore that makes for good hiking.
Edit: Be aware that James Bay is open to the NW so I'd avoid if there is weather coming from that direction. Also, the wakes from the ferries will roll into the bay. They aren't bad, but it is a consideration.

There are huge number of places to go and I've only barely scratched the surface. Lots of places to anchor and plenty of marinas.

 

[Island15]

If anyone is still reading I have another question?
I have never stern tied. From what I think I understand (sounds dangerous)you drop the anchor out at a 90 degree from shore back up to the shore and secure a line.
With a 34 foot boat how far out would I drop the anchor?
Do you pull down on the anchor to set it?

Thanks again for all the great Ideas you have been a great help!

 

[syjos]

You drop your anchor far enough from shore to maintain adequate scope - 3 to 1, 4 to 1. You want more scope than usual since the boat will not swing with the wind and you may experience wind broadsides. Set the anchor by backing to shore and once set, have someone at the helm manning the gearshift to maintain a little tension on the anchor.

Have someone take a line to shore and loop it through a ring or around a tree, rock etc. and if long enough bring the end of the line back to the boat. If the rope is not long enough, tie it to the ring, tree, rock.

Adjust the anchor chain and shore line length so the boat is located where you want to be situated and make sure there will be enough depth under the keel at low tide. Keep the shore line fairly tight but remember the falling/rising tide.

I tie a sacrificial rope to a tree or rock and tie my shore line to that to keep the wear on the rope to a minimum.

I usually just tie my shoreline to a tree or rock without looping it. Everytime I've looped the line, it gets twisted and I end up having to row ashore anyway.

It's a good idea to have the tender in the water and shore line ready, prior to dropping anchor.

I personally try to avoid tying to shore. It's time consuming and having a strong wind on the side can be troublesome while tied to shore. And if the anchor drags because of a side wind, it will be a big cluster. Also when anchored close to shore, the bugs will have less distance to fly to find you.

Get to an anchorage early, drop your anchor at a place of your choice, swing on the anchor and watch the late arrivals trying to find a good spot and/or tying to shore. We find that it's great entertainment.

 

[dhays]

If anyone is still reading I have another question?
I have never stern tied. From what I think I understand (sounds dangerous)you drop the anchor out at a 90 degree from shore back up to the shore and secure a line.
With a 34 foot boat how far out would I drop the anchor?
Do you pull down on the anchor to set it?

Thanks again for all the great Ideas you have been a great help!

I had never done it until 3 years ago. Once you do it, the mystery disappear.


Your understanding is correct. Judge the distance just as you might if you were in an anchorage and wanted to anchor ahead of another boat. I usually shoot for a 3-4:1 ratio on the rode. You need to factor in the tide as well.



I do back down on the anchor to set it well. Once it is set, I get in the dinghy and take a line to shore, go around a rock, ring, or tree, and bring the bitter end back to the boat and make it fast. Then adjust tension on the stern line to leave you where you want to be. As the tide comes in and out you can adjust it a bit.



My wife and I use headsets during the operation as I leave her at the helm. She will keep the boat in position by putting the boat in and out of gear in reverse. She will use the thrusters as well to keep the stern aimed at the point on shore to which we are tying.


Here is another thread with some additional info. http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/thanks-stern-tie-pvc-reel-suggestion-27397.html

 

[tiltrider1]

Take 300’ of line. You want to loop all the way back to the boat. You never leave at the same tide level that you showed up at. This means your ring or tree might be underwater or way up a cliff that wasn’t there at high tide.

 

[koliver]

All Bay Marine has everything I have needed every time I have visited. One of the smaller, but still one of the better stores in Sidney.

Though open to the NW, I have never had a NW wind of any real concern in the summer in Princess Cove.

Long Harbour has some good anchorage if you go in past the ferry dock. There is a charted a rock just SE of the big anchored Malahide, so stay clear of it.

The Hummingbird bus is the real reason to stop in Montague.

Moby's docks are missing this year, so make a reservation if planning a stop at Ganges marina, they will be busy.

Burgoyne Bay is a nice, quiet anchorage, well protected, seldom busy, never full. If going through Sansum Narrows, the pub in Maple Bay is worth a stop.

 

[Coppercove1]

I think the others picked up a lot of highlights. One more spot to consider is Cabbage Island Marine Park, in the sheltered area between Cabbage and Tumbo Islands, both off the SE Coast of Saturna. This would make a great last night before heading back to the US. Mooring buoys, nice sandy beach, walks in the arbutus trees and great views across the Straight to Mt. Baker.

 

[Rickschnurr]

Irish Bay on Samuel Island is a favourite of ours. Selby Cove on the north side of Prevost has access to good hiking. Princess Bay on Wallace. Royal Cove and Princess Bay on Portland, again, nice walking trails.
For a marina stay, I would avoid Ganges unless you really like crowds. Port Browning on North Pender is nice and newly renovated.

 

[syjos]

Spent 5 nights on the hook on the south end of Montague. The harbor gets more and more mooring buoys at the south end so anchorages are further out from shore. It was crowded on some days and not on others.

Went through Dodd at the 9:48 am slack. Misinformed, by Wagoneer, boaters announcing themselves when they are not a hazard to other boats. One sailboat going south tried to halt a gaggle of northbound sailboats. Some of the northbound sailboats stopped and others slowed. We proceeded through at about 6 knots. The southbound sailboat saw us coming through and made a 180 even though there was plenty of room. He did not wave to us.

Approaching Nanimo Yacht Club, the reciprocal dock was full. We slowly cruised by and a trawler started to depart. Hot D&m!

We'll spend two nites on the dock and anchor over by the Dinghy Pub for a few days.

Our weekly routine cruising San Juan/Gulf Islands is to anchor 5 days, then go to a dock for 2.

 

[mpstan]

Hi, we just did our first cruise out of Bellingham with our 30 Tolly and had 7 nights. We did one night in Deer Harbor WA, 3 nights at the Causeway in Victoria, 1 night in Maple Bay, 1 night in Nanaimo, and one night in Montegue before going home. If we could have done anything differently, it would be not to spend all of the cruising time going up to Nanaimo just for one night. Although Dodd's narrows was pretty cool. Victoria and Todd Inlet (Bouchardt gardens?) would be strong contenders; Maple Bay was very nice with a good restaurant but I think we liked Montegue better. Staying more than one night in any one place gives more of a chance to relax. FYI. Good luck; keep us posted