Anyone sailed British Columbia?

[armchairsailor]

I'm due to embark on a new adventure soon in that we're selling up and shipping out to the mighty Fraser River (probably not leaping from tree to tree though), and as a consequence I'm hoping to get back out on the water in my weeks off from dodging bears in the wilderness.

I've got a few ideas to start me off, such as joining a cooperative to ultimately introduce the family to sailing, but have no experience as yet of the waters of the Puget Sound and associated bits. I know Snooks has been there before, but have any other good folks ever sailed there, and have recommendations for good places to go or sail out from, charter outfits, clubs etc?

I think for the first year we'll have too much to do to worry about buying a boat, as we'll be setting up a home and business whilst I also work 1400km away for the majority of the summer (3 weeks out of 4), so I'll be limited to day sails and possibly one or two weekend trips if I'm really lucky, so we'll be easing into a new hobby, so I'll have to keep the Van Isle 360 or the Desolation Sound trip on the back burner for now.

 

[AndrewB]

Sailed there three times, last time spending nearly a year in 2007-8, covering from Seattle up to Prince Rupert. Fabulous cruising ground, though cold in winter. A good cabin heater is essential, specially if you aim for Alaska! I have a blog about the Desolation Sound area HERE.

12 years ago I chartered with Island Cruising of Sidney, Victoria following recommendations on this forum and found them excellent. Sidney is the best base for trips to the Gulf and San Juan Islands, and is easily reached by ferry from Vancouver. For a while we were guests of the [url="http://www.rvyc.bc.ca]Royal Victoria Yacht Club[/url], and made very welcome there.

 

[BrianH]

I used to live in Courtney on Vancouver Island when serving with the RCAF at Comox, and the cruising from there was fabulous. But that was so long ago, even before they blew up Ripple Rock at Seymour Narrows that had sunk so many ships. So instead of recounting antique memories this post is to recommend 'Passage to Juneau' by Jonathan Raban. A beautifully written book about the authors' cruise through the passage from Seattle. It has pride of place in my on-board bookshelf.

 

[ProDave]

Well as it happens that was my first introduction to sailing.

It was about 15 years ago, my wife's Uncle lived near Seattle and kept his boat in a marina at Everett on the Puget Sound.

That was our very first trip in a sailing boat from Everett, first night at Whidby island, then two nights in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

I thought it was a nice place to sail, and got us interested in sailing, even if it was many years before we got our own boat, and the little boat we have is not a patch on what Uncle Fred had.

 

[Chrusty 1]

I'm due to embark on a new adventure soon in that we're selling up and shipping out to the mighty Fraser River (probably not leaping from tree to tree though), and as a consequence I'm hoping to get back out on the water in my weeks off from dodging bears in the wilderness.

I've got a few ideas to start me off, such as joining a cooperative to ultimately introduce the family to sailing, but have no experience as yet of the waters of the Puget Sound and associated bits. I know Snooks has been there before, but have any other good folks ever sailed there, and have recommendations for good places to go or sail out from, charter outfits, clubs etc?

I think for the first year we'll have too much to do to worry about buying a boat, as we'll be setting up a home and business whilst I also work 1400km away for the majority of the summer (3 weeks out of 4), so I'll be limited to day sails and possibly one or two weekend trips if I'm really lucky, so we'll be easing into a new hobby, so I'll have to keep the Van Isle 360 or the Desolation Sound trip on the back burner for now.

I have a friend who lives Campbell River, and sails out of Comox, I am sure he wouldn't mind imparting any information you might find useful, PM me if you would like his email address, and I will put you together.

 

[Bilgediver]

I'm due to embark on a new adventure soon in that we're selling up and shipping out to the mighty Fraser River (probably not leaping from tree to tree though), and as a consequence I'm hoping to get back out on the water in my weeks off from dodging bears in the wilderness.

I've got a few ideas to start me off, such as joining a cooperative to ultimately introduce the family to sailing, but have no experience as yet of the waters of the Puget Sound and associated bits. I know Snooks has been there before, but have any other good folks ever sailed there, and have recommendations for good places to go or sail out from, charter outfits, clubs etc?

I think for the first year we'll have too much to do to worry about buying a boat, as we'll be setting up a home and business whilst I also work 1400km away for the majority of the summer (3 weeks out of 4), so I'll be limited to day sails and possibly one or two weekend trips if I'm really lucky, so we'll be easing into a new hobby, so I'll have to keep the Van Isle 360 or the Desolation Sound trip on the back burner for now.

Take out a subscription to Pacific Yachting.....

http://www.pacificyachting.com/



Desoution Charters are doing a cruise in company in September???

http://www.desolationsoundyachtcharters.com/cruising-notes/desolation-sound/


Get your Dreamspeaker cruising guides.

http://www.dreamspeakerguides.com/


And last but not least get your Pleasure Craft Operator Card . This is the minimun certification
required by Transport Canada and will be required by you soon after arriving. Any UK quals will be time limited
IE OK for holiday sailing. The course is available on line and can be taken on line as well as a number of locations all over
BC . Not particualrly difficult ....can t be as I walked in cold to an examination centre and left soon after with a pass.


http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-paperwork-paperwork_operator-360.htm


Enjoy and if having problems finding a marina berth chaeck out Ladysmith near Nanaimo so fine for ferries from Horseshoe bay and planes from the Lower Mainland and beyond.


Lucky Dab!

 

[armchairsailor]

Thanks for all those ideas - plenty to be getting on with. My PCOC card is first on the agenda, along with brushing off my DS Theory as it's been a couple of years since I've done anything on the water. Have you seen how much those (admittedly definitive) Dreamspeaker guides are??

 

[AndrewB]

Unless you are becoming resident in Canada, I don't think its strictly necessary to have a PCOC. (See HERE.) I was never asked for one, nor asked to produce an equivalent UK qualification (though it probably helped that I had one when I chartered). But I believe the PCOC is a fairly simple test, and of course it's sensible if you are rusty.

Similarly, your yacht must comply with Canadian safety standards if it is Canadian registered, but need not if it is British registered.

If you expect to sail between the US and Canada on a British passport, don't forget that you will need a full US tourist (B1,B2) visa. Another piece of unfamiliar paperwork you might investigate is the US Border Protection Agency Decal system.

There are many cruising guides to this popular area. The ones I liked best are by Don Douglass and Réanne Hemingway-Douglass. "Exploring the South Coast of British Columbia" will give you a good feel for the area, but they have published a number covering all parts of the west coast.

 

[armchairsailor]

Unless you are becoming resident in Canada, I don't think its strictly necessary to have a PCOC. (

Similarly, your yacht must comply with Canadian safety standards if it is Canadian registered, but need not if it is British registered.

If you expect to sail between the US and Canada on a British passport, don't forget that you will need a full US tourist (B1,B2) visa. Another piece of unfamiliar paperwork you might investigate is the US Border Protection Agency Decal system.

I'll be listed as a resident.
Since I don't yet own a boat, I'll be buying over there, if I do.
Good point about the visa business - not considered that, but it'll be a necessity if I'm after cheap petrol!

 

[Cruiser2B]

Where will you be residing? There are a lot of options up and down the coast and as others mentioned over on the island. I understand there a fair number of BC sailors who sail out of Point Roberts (in the US). I like the Waggoner guide: http://waggonerguide.com/

 

[jellylegs]

I loved my time sailing there, all too brief. Seattle has to be one of my favourite cities in the World. Sailing around the island was fab. You will love it, if you love sailing.

 

[armchairsailor]

Where will you be residing? There are a lot of options up and down the coast and as others mentioned over on the island. I understand there a fair number of BC sailors who sail out of Point Roberts (in the US). I like the Waggoner guide: http://waggonerguide.com/

I have my eye on somewhere in striking distance of White Rock/ lower Mainland, so Point Roberts is a definite spot for keeping a boat - about a third less expensive for comparative length in the marina. There's also one there that I lust after...

 

[AndrewB]

.. so Point Roberts is a definite spot for keeping a boat - about a third less expensive for comparative length in the marina.

Check out the weekend traffic queues at the border before committing yourself!

 

[armchairsailor]

Check out the weekend traffic queues at the border before committing yourself!

It shouldn't be too bad getting to Point Roberts - it's a dead end. The Canucks go there to buy fuel/ bread and keep their boat, the Americans have to drive about an hour through Canada to get to the rest of the States!

 

[bbg]

Check out the weekend traffic queues at the border before committing yourself!

I don't think there is much of a border queue at Point Roberts, but maybe that has changed since I lived in Vancouver. Point Roberts is a small peninsula of US land which is only accessable from Canada, so not a huge volume of traffic.

To the OP: There are lots of marinas in False Creek, but I suspect expensive and difficult to find a spot. They would be ideal if you want to do some day-sailing in English Bay. In good weather, particularly in the summer, you can count on a building sea-breeze in English Bay as the Fraser Valley warms up.

If you see yourself doing more weekends / cruising, you might be better having a boat near Sidney (Victoria) or Nanaimo and taking the ferry over from Tsawassen. That way you'll have instant access to the Gulf Islands or (from Sidney) the San Juan Islands.

You are really spoilt for choice. If you want to meet some people you might consider joining the Tiddly Cove Yacht Club. If you think all yacht clubs take themselves seriously, read about the origins of the name of the club.

PS Puget Sound is US waters. Between Vancouver and Vancouver Island is the Strait of Georgia

 

[armchairsailor]

I don't think there is much of a border queue at Point Roberts, but maybe that has changed since I lived in Vancouver. Point Roberts is a small peninsula of US land which is only accessable from Canada, so not a huge volume of traffic.

To the OP: There are lots of marinas in False Creek, but I suspect expensive and difficult to find a spot. They would be ideal if you want to do some day-sailing in English Bay. In good weather, particularly in the summer, you can count on a building sea-breeze in English Bay as the Fraser Valley warms up.

If you see yourself doing more weekends / cruising, you might be better having a boat near Sidney (Victoria) or Nanaimo and taking the ferry over from Tsawassen. That way you'll have instant access to the Gulf Islands or (from Sidney) the San Juan Islands.

You are really spoilt for choice. If you want to meet some people you might consider joining the Tiddly Cove Yacht Club. If you think all yacht clubs take themselves seriously, read about the origins of the name of the club.

PS Puget Sound is US waters. Between Vancouver and Vancouver Island is the Strait of Georgia

Whoops, stand corrected - should've known that... I like the idea of a ferry journey, but I think it'll be a year or two before we're in a position to think about that. With setting up an equestrian business, proximity to the coast will be a major consideration so we can predominantly day sail. I'll let my wife do the mucking out for a change...

 

[Cruiser2B]

Most of us understood what you meant by Puget Sound. Just for the sake of trivia the collective area encompassing the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Gulf Islands (Canada) and the San Juan Islands (US) was known archaically as the Gulf of Georgia - it has recently been officially named the Salish Sea.

That aside, from White Rock, Blaine or even Bellingham might be an option worth looking at; again it's across the border, but you would get to know the off-peak times to cross and after 3 years residency you could get a NEXUS pass to speed up the border crossing. There are also a couple of marinas in Richmond - http://www.shelterislandmarina.com/ is the one that springs to mind. There also appear to be more "economical" mooring options along the river, although I have no idea of how one would obtain it. I think there has been talk of a marina development in or around Steveston, but that might just be rumour.

While the ferry to the island is an option, you should be aware that you will be waiting for the ferry (in the peak season you can wait a few hours) and the crossing is about two hours. It's not cheap either.

Not many day sailors spend much time out in the Strait of Georgia (think the English Channel with less traffic) - they mostly swarm around the more sheltered waters of English Bay or Howe sound; for Sidney it would be Haro Strt/Boundary Pass. Boundary Bay between Pt Roberts and White Rock would also be busy with recreational boats, but I would think have less commercial traffic than the ones above. I have not spent a lot of time in that particular area so I might be completely off. I'm sure you'll have fun investigating the possibilities.

 

[SamSalter]

Remember:
Red Right Returning - our buoys are backwards!
sam

 

[Harpsden]

Some other points that I don't think have been mentioned yet.

With the logging industry there are plenty of logs in the water and so a really good lookout has to be kept at all times. The really hard ones to spot are those that have become waterlogged and then float vertically with just the top showing. They then drift until they touch bottom and then sit like a spike fixed to the sea bed.

The mouth of the Fraser River is I believe well known for the amount of logs floating out into the Straits.

As Sam said above the port and starboard marker colours swap but the shapes stay the same.

Anchorages are not common as the shorelines are so steep, the number of shallow bays is fairly limited.

When mooring on a dock (pontoon means a different thing) there are unlikely to be cleats. There will probably be rails instead so docking techniques have to be changed.

The tidal range is pretty high so there are strong tidal streams and Magnetic Variation is about 18 degrees so the difference between True and Magnetic really matters.

Marine radios have a couple of extra channels (WX1 and WX2 from memory) which broadcast constant weather reports and sea conditions on a loop. Wake up, turn the radio and the days weather is being broadcast, wish we had it here.

I took the Canadian equivalent of Day Skipper (power) with Cooper Boating at False Creek on Granville Island. They do lots of courses, charters etc for sail and power. There is a post about it with pictures here http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1855597

Since then we have been back on charter as a family and explored more locations including Howe Sound (Snug Cove is a wonderful marina). I'd echo the comments above about the Dreamspeaker Guides, they really are excellent. Charts and Tide Tables are good to use as well.

Locations and features have a real feel of naval history with the use of the names of Royal Navy officers such as Vancouver or the ships themselves such as HMS Ganges and HMS Trincomalee.

It really is a wonderful place to cruise.




Harpsden

 

[armchairsailor]

Thanks Harpsden & Sam - good points about the deadheads and red right returning. I'm going to start with a season or two sailing with a cooperative out of White Rock until I'm confident enough to think about getting my own boat. Plenty of racing round the cans, absorbing local knowledge and the odd weekend away for $600 per annum. It seems like the best way of getting back in to things without too much finiancial exposure. Enough of that with setting up our home businesses!