The Summer Cruise: Sunshine Coast
Date: June 27, 2015
Time Start: 10:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Vancouver, B.C.
Cruise To: West Bay, Gambier Island
Engine Hours Start: 176
Engine Hours Finish: 179
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny and hot! 90's in Vancouver, 80's at Gambier, breeze, rough waters
Vancouver to Pt. Atkinson
We bid farewell to our tony neighborhood in Coal Harbor, getting one last look at some very large yachts. There are four cruise ships dwarfing Canada Place this morning. We retrace or arrival route out through First Narrows, passing Stanley Park and cruising under the Lions Gate Bridge once again.
Time Start: 10:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Vancouver, B.C.
Cruise To: West Bay, Gambier Island
Engine Hours Start: 176
Engine Hours Finish: 179
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny and hot! 90's in Vancouver, 80's at Gambier, breeze, rough waters
Vancouver to Pt. Atkinson
We bid farewell to our tony neighborhood in Coal Harbor, getting one last look at some very large yachts. There are four cruise ships dwarfing Canada Place this morning. We retrace or arrival route out through First Narrows, passing Stanley Park and cruising under the Lions Gate Bridge once again.
A rough ride awaits us in Burrard Inlet with four to five foot rollers, as much of a ride as I want! Taking photos is difficult with the boat in continual motion. We pass the scenic Point Atkinson lighthouse and then are in Howe Sound, entering through the Queen Charlotte Channel. Bowen Island is to our port and then Horseshoe Bay with its ferry terminal is to starboard. Tall mountains rise ahead off the bow. We are getting into some scenic waters.
We turn to port at Mood Point on Bowen Island, making our way to Gambier Island. Anchorage is found at the head of West Bay just off Sir Lipton Beach Park (undeveloped). Anchoring is a bit difficult as it is either too shallow or suddenly too deep, and there is no place for a shore tie. We successfully get the anchor to hold, hooray!
Dan heads to shore to explore while I dangle my feet in the balmy 75 degree water, enjoying watching whatever the currents bring floating by NORTH STAR - bits of ulva and sargassum, tiny comb jellies, swimming schools of miniature fish, feathers - all beautiful stuff from Mother Nature. An otter swims by, too, checking us out.
Dan heads to shore to explore while I dangle my feet in the balmy 75 degree water, enjoying watching whatever the currents bring floating by NORTH STAR - bits of ulva and sargassum, tiny comb jellies, swimming schools of miniature fish, feathers - all beautiful stuff from Mother Nature. An otter swims by, too, checking us out.
Then, heaven! We get our first swim of the summer and the water is exquisite! Who would believe we could be swimming in these southern Canadian waters.
Our stern tie gets put to use with an anchor attached so that we are secure in case the night is windy. We have enormous clouds of tiny purplish colored fish by us, the clouds morphing in shape. Occasionally there is a larger fish amid the small ones, looking for its dinner. There are small splashes, just flashes in the sunlight, as the little fish break the surface. We see the tiny heads of baby otters as they bob along with their mother, obviously attracted to the fish. Dan breaks out his GoPro camera to see if he can get any footage of the action. This place is wonderfully wild!
The day can only be described as memorable in every way, from our morning in Vancouver to our rough ride on the seas to the calm West Bay on Gambier Island that is rife with wondrous wildlife. We are seeing and hearing black oystercatchers as the day ends and sunset colors the sky. Someone on shore is playing "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes.
Date: June 28, 2015
Time Start: 11:30 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:45 p.m.
Cruise From: West Bay, Gambier Island
Cruise To: Smuggler Cove
Engine Hours Start: 179
Engine Hours Finish: 184
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny, hot morning, 80's, cooler and gray in p.m., low 70's
We hear a faint "cheep" off the side of NORTH STAR, like the sound of a baby bird. Young otters, two of them, dive under the water. Who knew they could make a sweet baby sound?! Once again we have clouds of little fish surrounding us. The tide is low and Dan finds the beach full of oysters. It is such a rich environment here in West Bay. We are soaking it all in.
Date: June 28, 2015
Time Start: 11:30 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:45 p.m.
Cruise From: West Bay, Gambier Island
Cruise To: Smuggler Cove
Engine Hours Start: 179
Engine Hours Finish: 184
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny, hot morning, 80's, cooler and gray in p.m., low 70's
We hear a faint "cheep" off the side of NORTH STAR, like the sound of a baby bird. Young otters, two of them, dive under the water. Who knew they could make a sweet baby sound?! Once again we have clouds of little fish surrounding us. The tide is low and Dan finds the beach full of oysters. It is such a rich environment here in West Bay. We are soaking it all in.
The shores are mainly forested with summer homes tucked in behind the trees. We see their owners arrive by boat or water taxi. The water seems to be inviting to everyone as there are a lot of swimming and boating activities happening throughout the bay. It is a lovely bit of B.C.
We manage another swim ourselves. Come on in, the water is great! We make the most of it before moving on to our next destination.
We are heading to Smuggler Cove Marine Park on the Sechelt Peninsula, just off Malaspina Strait in Welcome Passage. We slog north with hazy shoreline views along the way. The barren White Islands are offshore with Vancouver Island in the background. We pass the scenic lighthouse on Merry island before entering the narrow channel into Smuggler Cove.
We manage another swim ourselves. Come on in, the water is great! We make the most of it before moving on to our next destination.
We are heading to Smuggler Cove Marine Park on the Sechelt Peninsula, just off Malaspina Strait in Welcome Passage. We slog north with hazy shoreline views along the way. The barren White Islands are offshore with Vancouver Island in the background. We pass the scenic lighthouse on Merry island before entering the narrow channel into Smuggler Cove.
With islets, waterways, and coves to explore, this is going to be a fun anchorage. There are 400 acres of park here with trails to walk. We stern tie to shore and plan to stay tucked in here for a couple of days as strong winds are in the forecast for the more open waters. The weather is definitely shifting this evening, with the skies growing gray and the temperature dropping. Then rain falls to wash our salty boat. Dinner will be in the cabin tonight. The sun manages to peek through the clouds and give us a glowing sunset to end the day.
Date: June 29, 2015
Smuggler Cove layover day
Weather: Sunny, calm morning, then windy, upper 70's, calming in evening
If he doesn't get too distracted in this lovely place, Dan hopes to get some work finished today as we lay over in Smuggler Cove. A pattern of good weather is forecast for the week ahead. Mornings are expected to be calm, but there will be strong northerlies blowing down the Strait in the afternoons. We'll be planning our cruising accordingly.
Even in our protected cove there is plenty of wind, but the air is warm. The cove attracts boaters from nearby areas who arrive in smaller cruisers. The waters are perfect for kayaking, rowing, and swimming.
Smuggler Cove layover day
Weather: Sunny, calm morning, then windy, upper 70's, calming in evening
If he doesn't get too distracted in this lovely place, Dan hopes to get some work finished today as we lay over in Smuggler Cove. A pattern of good weather is forecast for the week ahead. Mornings are expected to be calm, but there will be strong northerlies blowing down the Strait in the afternoons. We'll be planning our cruising accordingly.
Even in our protected cove there is plenty of wind, but the air is warm. The cove attracts boaters from nearby areas who arrive in smaller cruisers. The waters are perfect for kayaking, rowing, and swimming.
Another Ranger Tug arrives! It is our twin, another R27, called "Nest Egg" and hailing from Salt Spring Island. There is also a terrific looking "real" tug called "Ella McKenzie" at anchor here. We meet her owner as well, he has put a lot of loving labor into his boat.
We take a dinghy tour of the cove, checking out all of the little inlets and islets.
We briefly check out the trails, deciding they will wait until another time. We are both ready for a swim!
The evening is perfect for dining in the cockpit. It is also the perfect spot to be as so many of our neighbor boaters are out enjoying the evening in their kayaks and dinghies and stop to socialize. It reminds us of the walks Italians like to take with their families in the evening, visiting with friends and neighbors along the way, but done by boat instead of on foot.
Evening lingers as the sun sets and an almost full moon rises over the cove.
Date: June 30, 2015
Time Start: 9:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Smuggler Cove
Cruise To: Egmont
Engine Hours Start: 184
Engine Hours Finish: 187
Weather/Sea Conditions: Breezy day, mostly sunny, heating to 90's
Captain Dan says it's time to move on before we get locked in for several days as the forecast is predicting strong northwesterlies starting tomorrow and lasting into the weekend. As we leave, the channel out of Smuggler Cove is narrow and shallow at low tide. We get a farewell wave from Kim on Nest Egg and from the crew on Ella McKenzie. What a beautiful place we are leaving!
Time Start: 9:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Smuggler Cove
Cruise To: Egmont
Engine Hours Start: 184
Engine Hours Finish: 187
Weather/Sea Conditions: Breezy day, mostly sunny, heating to 90's
Captain Dan says it's time to move on before we get locked in for several days as the forecast is predicting strong northwesterlies starting tomorrow and lasting into the weekend. As we leave, the channel out of Smuggler Cove is narrow and shallow at low tide. We get a farewell wave from Kim on Nest Egg and from the crew on Ella McKenzie. What a beautiful place we are leaving!
We continue in Malaspina Strait along the Sechelt Peninsula, turning at Daniel Point into the Agamemnon Channel that takes us between the peninsula and Nelson Island toward Sechelt Inlet and the small town of Egmont, our destination for today. (Smuggler Cove is next to Half-moon Bay on this map.)
The water is calm for our first hour, then we hit swells. We start to see mountains rising above the layers of hills. The windows are salty by the time we reach Pender Harbor area (Garden Bay on map) and Daniel Point. We see a sign that is new to us, a red circle on a white square. It seems to indicate that there are overhead power lines crossing the water.
We are approaching Egmont, passing the small local ferry terminal and some commercial vessels. As we turn into Skookumchuck Narrows in Sechelt Inlet, the mountains are getting bigger and bigger. Beautiful!
We pull into the Back Eddy Marina at Egmont, a quaint and picturesque place with views toward Jervis Inlet and Skookumchuck Narrows. NORTH STAR gets refueled and we meet Taylor, our dock attendant. A family group is jigging for bait off the dock and then head off on their fishing trip. We have lunch on the scenic deck of the pub, where the views are awesome. Dan checks with the marina office to find out what conditions will be like tomorrow for cruising up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa.
Quite a current flows through this marina, and there is a lot of activity with small boats coming and going. The current is ripping through this afternoon like a powerful river. There are sloshing sounds as docks and boats are hit by the force of the water. If only that power could be captured and utilized!
Late afternoon is especially active with everyone wanting to use the hoses for filling water tanks and washing down their boats. Power hookups are also in demand (but not for us, we get along fine with our solar panel on these summer days). We fill our water tank and then chart our cruise route and timing for tomorrow.
Sunset is stunning, followed by a full moon.
Late afternoon is especially active with everyone wanting to use the hoses for filling water tanks and washing down their boats. Power hookups are also in demand (but not for us, we get along fine with our solar panel on these summer days). We fill our water tank and then chart our cruise route and timing for tomorrow.
Sunset is stunning, followed by a full moon.