Vancouver Island

[dom]

One thing to remember is that the red/green buoyage is the opposite to that in Europe (red = starboard...)

Not quite; port and starboard retain exactly the same colour designations in the US (red: port, green: starboard).

It is only the "direction of buoyage" that is different. There is a good explanation here: http://www.rya.org.uk/cruising/navigation/Pages/tips.aspx

 

[rotrax]

Not quite; port and starboard retain exactly the same colour designations in the US (red: port, green: starboard).

It is only the "direction of buoyage" that is different. There is a good explanation here: http://www.rya.org.uk/cruising/navigation/Pages/tips.aspx

The Yanks use a little ditty to remember this-"Red, Right, Returning. The oposite of ours which would have Red on the left returning to a Port or Harbour.

 

[dom]

The Yanks use a little ditty to remember this-"Red, Right, Returning. The oposite of ours which would have Red on the left returning to a Port or Harbour.

That yank mnemonic is dangerously memorable for us lot! Excellent mind :encouragement:

 

[KAL]

I live on Vancouver Island and I sail here every day. (Ok, at least twice a week). So I guess I know it better than most of the visitors here. I was out both days this weekend- about 12 hours on the water in total.

Shoal draft???? Simply not needed and I have certainly never heard it mentioned by anyone before. You just need to know how to read tide tables to know when you can get in and out of certain bays, but otherwise not a problem - really.

Logging trees in the water??? Yes, a few, but not so much that you'd worry. I sail at night often - and as we all know the trees sink at night.

The best, and most current books on cruising in the area are the Dreamspeaker series: http://www.dreamspeakerguides.com/ You can buy them anywhere around here, and on the internet too. They will tell you absolutely everything you need to know. EVERYTHING! Just choose the area of the Island that you want to visit and choose the appropriate guide.

Otherwise, what can I say. This is simply one of the most beautiful places to sail in the world.

If you have specific questions I'd be happy to answer.

I was about to suggest trying 'Foolish Muse' who lives there, but he got in first! Good author as well, BTW.