We have decided that the time is ripe, for a number of reasons, for a BIG trip this year. We are going to head north for 3 - 4 weeks up in British Columbia.
To get the most out of this opportunity the plan is to pass quickly through the San Juans and the Gulf Islands, which we can get to easily on shorter trips at a later time, and spend the bulk of the time in Desolation Sound with a stop at Jervis Inlet as well.
I would appreciate any comments and info from those who have gone before us. What are your favorite anchorages? What sights shouldn't we miss. My wife also insists that we have to spend a few nights every so often off the boat. Which resorts are the places to stay at.
Thanks for all your help as we plan this adventure.
Desolation Sound
-
Duane Dunn, Allegro
- Admiral
- Posts: 2459
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:41 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Bellevue, Wa '96 26x, Tohatsu 90 TLDI and Plug In Hybrid Electric drive
- Contact:
-
Don T
- Admiral
- Posts: 1084
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 7:13 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: 95 2600 "SS OTTER" - Portland OR - Tohatsu 50 - Hull#64 (May 95)
Hello Duane:
When are you guys going? We are heading up north this year too. We have sailed 4 times in the San Juans and feel the call to north. We will be launching July 5th for a 2 week cruise.
I picked up a copy of Charlies Charts which has great descriptions of facilities with lots of helpful info about places to see and what to prepare for. I don't have any "insider" info though. Have a nice trip, I can hardly wait to shove off.
Do you know how the customs process has changed since 9-11? Do we need passports this time?
When are you guys going? We are heading up north this year too. We have sailed 4 times in the San Juans and feel the call to north. We will be launching July 5th for a 2 week cruise.
I picked up a copy of Charlies Charts which has great descriptions of facilities with lots of helpful info about places to see and what to prepare for. I don't have any "insider" info though. Have a nice trip, I can hardly wait to shove off.
Do you know how the customs process has changed since 9-11? Do we need passports this time?
-
Duane Dunn, Allegro
- Admiral
- Posts: 2459
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:41 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Bellevue, Wa '96 26x, Tohatsu 90 TLDI and Plug In Hybrid Electric drive
- Contact:
We will be up there from late June through mid July if things go as planned. We should try to meet up. We don't plan to hang out much in the gulf islands, we'll spending as much time as possible further north.
The lastest issue of Cruising World has a good set of articles on the area.
You will want a copy of the 2004 Waggoner Guide, $19.95 at west or boaters world. It has the most detailed, best info available, every island, cove, anchorage, marina, etc. We have used the 1996 and 2002 version and decided to get the most recent info. It covers everywhere from puget sound to the queen charlotte island clear up to prince rupert at the alaska border. Sounds like customs isn't to bad. The US still uses the PIN number system and you can clear by phone. Canada has the Canpass system which costs $40 but speeds the process.
I also just purchased the elctronic chart set. Canada see's charts as a profit center. The best price I could find on region P1, the inside passage from the san juans to the north end of vancouver island was $199 at boaters world. They of course don't stock it as usual. West had 5 of the CD's in stock. Now that I'm wiser I had them price match it just like they did on my autopilot. They wanted $249.
Now we're all set to plan our route between the guide and the charts.
The lastest issue of Cruising World has a good set of articles on the area.
You will want a copy of the 2004 Waggoner Guide, $19.95 at west or boaters world. It has the most detailed, best info available, every island, cove, anchorage, marina, etc. We have used the 1996 and 2002 version and decided to get the most recent info. It covers everywhere from puget sound to the queen charlotte island clear up to prince rupert at the alaska border. Sounds like customs isn't to bad. The US still uses the PIN number system and you can clear by phone. Canada has the Canpass system which costs $40 but speeds the process.
I also just purchased the elctronic chart set. Canada see's charts as a profit center. The best price I could find on region P1, the inside passage from the san juans to the north end of vancouver island was $199 at boaters world. They of course don't stock it as usual. West had 5 of the CD's in stock. Now that I'm wiser I had them price match it just like they did on my autopilot. They wanted $249.
Now we're all set to plan our route between the guide and the charts.
-
Metrognome
desolation sound
Hey Duane. I haven't been up there yet, but my family and I are headed that way at the end of August via Lund. I have done abit of research and came accross some sites that may be of interest to you
Toba Wildernest Resort rents dock space for 75cents a foot, I've been in contact with a Karen Wettig, she reccomends makeing reservations 3weeks in advance . You can e-mail her at [email protected]
or call her at the lodge (250)286-8507 or in town at (604)576-1079
the old web site is www.fishingwildernest.com
Another site offers a list of hikihg trails reachable by boat all over the BC coast, its at www.island.net/~bcamp/
Hope these help.. I'll be interested in reading your post when you return.
Enjoy...
Paul T.
Toba Wildernest Resort rents dock space for 75cents a foot, I've been in contact with a Karen Wettig, she reccomends makeing reservations 3weeks in advance . You can e-mail her at [email protected]
or call her at the lodge (250)286-8507 or in town at (604)576-1079
the old web site is www.fishingwildernest.com
Another site offers a list of hikihg trails reachable by boat all over the BC coast, its at www.island.net/~bcamp/
Hope these help.. I'll be interested in reading your post when you return.
Enjoy...
Paul T.
Message for Bruce
Bruce, Can you tell us about your cruise to the Gulf Islands? Is it more or less developed than the San Juans? What anchorages and ports did you visit? What did you see that should not be missed and what islands did you go to? What guide book did you use that has the best info on cruising in that area? We also plan a trip there this summer. Thanks for info.
-
Don T
- Admiral
- Posts: 1084
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 7:13 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: 95 2600 "SS OTTER" - Portland OR - Tohatsu 50 - Hull#64 (May 95)
Matt:
You will find the San Juans will not be too crowded right after the 4th of July. The holiday people are gone and the Friday Harbor jazz festival hasn't started yet. We had the entire Fisherman Bay resort to ourselves one year during the 3rd week of July. There are lots of boats but "crowded" would not be my description.
You will find the San Juans will not be too crowded right after the 4th of July. The holiday people are gone and the Friday Harbor jazz festival hasn't started yet. We had the entire Fisherman Bay resort to ourselves one year during the 3rd week of July. There are lots of boats but "crowded" would not be my description.
-
Duane Dunn, Allegro
- Admiral
- Posts: 2459
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:41 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Bellevue, Wa '96 26x, Tohatsu 90 TLDI and Plug In Hybrid Electric drive
- Contact:
Symphony of fire is international firework competition in Vancouver. It is annual event but you are in too early since it is always last weekend of July and first weekend of August. If your kids like firework it is well worth visiting since it is firework synchronized with music and it is absolutely fantastic watching from the boat. Each display attract huge crowds over 300 000 people. It is always three countries, one each night (I believe Wednesday and Saturday) and than the grand finale on the fourth night. Let me know in advance if you want to come, you can drive to Vancouver and be guests on our boat, or you can tow and launch here. send me a pm if you are interested and we can hook up.
Zoran
Zoran
Desolation Sound
Duane, A couple of years ago we spent 2 months in the San Juan's and gulf islands on our Mac. With one month in the Desolation Sound area. Favoriates: Tenedos Bay, Refuge Cove, Grace Harbour and Rebecca Spit.
We tend to look for places where we can take the dog ashore and go for a hike. We stayed on our boat the whole time, so did not check out the shore side facilities, except for gas, showers and laundry. We swam in Refuge Cove and cleaned the bottom of the boat. This year we are planing a 6 week trip and go back to Princess Louisa.
Tommy
We tend to look for places where we can take the dog ashore and go for a hike. We stayed on our boat the whole time, so did not check out the shore side facilities, except for gas, showers and laundry. We swam in Refuge Cove and cleaned the bottom of the boat. This year we are planing a 6 week trip and go back to Princess Louisa.
Tommy
Correction
Correction to my previous post. It was Roscoe Bay where we swam and cleaned the bottom of the boat.
TT
TT
-
Rob (1992 26S)
- Just Enlisted
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 10:36 pm
July 1 fireworks
I will be in Ganges harbour (Saltspring Island) on Canada Day. They have fireworks you can watch from your boat.
Just an idea
Just F.Y.I. there is a MacGregor gathering at Bowen Island the weekend of June 25th. Check out the Vancouver site at mycbc.ca for the information and contacts...Hopefully see you there. JoelCity of Lund near Desolation Sound
I was reading in the Waggoner guide to Desolation Sound that the City of Lund is the closest launch for Desolation Sound with long term trailer parking available. Does anyone know how the road conditions are to this end of the road city? I would prefer trailering up there and then launch. This Desolation Sound sounds like the place to visit. It says in the Waggoner book that it is the most dreamed about place to visit in the Northwest and that its incredible beauty make it one of the most sought after cruising destinations.
-
Duane Dunn, Allegro
- Admiral
- Posts: 2459
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:41 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Bellevue, Wa '96 26x, Tohatsu 90 TLDI and Plug In Hybrid Electric drive
- Contact:
Lund is the closest launch to Desolation. To get there you have to take two ferries. I priced these for my Suburban towing the mac. Each ferry, round trip is $150, $300+ dollars to get to Lund and back. Unfortunately the Mac's length and height put it into an over size category.
I would suggest that towing all the way to Lund is really not necessary. If you are going to go to the sunshine coast you most likely will also want to see Jervis Inlet and it's gem, Princess Louisa Inlet at it's end. There are launches in Pender Harbor at it's head. Desolation Sound is only 40 NMiles up the coast from Jervis. Why drive/ferry past what you have to then boat back down to. You would only have to take one ferry to get to Pender Harbor for a cost of $150 round trip. We also called around up there and the best parking rate we could find was $6 a day. For us, being out over 3 weeks would have cost $144 more for parking.
Another option we looked at was to ferry from Tsawwassen just north of the border to Vancouver Island and drive up to launch anywhere from Comax to Campbell River. The cost of this ferry round trip is $346 for the truck and trailer.
Given all this we decided that we would rather put our money into facilities during the trip than ferry rides. We also called a lot of resorts and marinas looking for space and found that we had to make some major adjustments to the plan to accomodate availability.
We talked with a number of our boater friends who have been up to Desolation and beyond. They all agreed that it was indeed beautiful, but that the Gulf Islands and the San Juans are equally nice. Based on this we decided to focus our trip there with a week long excursion up to Jervis and Princess Louisa. We have a good balance of destinations planned, 10 nights are at parks, 10 nights are in marinas, and 5 nights are in shore facilities.
We now have our plans finalized and reservations made. We are going to be out for 25 nights. We are starting close to home in good old Lake Washington. No ferry cost and the truck and trailer will be parked back at home. We'll spend the first week making our way north through a combination of parks and marinas. By the second week we will be in Pender Harbor where we have a cottage at a resort booked for some shore time. Then we will head in to spend the 3 days in Princess Louisa inlet. From there we marina and park hop our way back south to the San Juans were we spend 3 days out at Sucia and a couple nights on shore at Deer Harbor Resort on Orcas. A few more nights gets us back to Seattle and the lake.
Our longest leg is 46 miles from Pender Harbor into Princess Louisa since there is no where to stop in between. Most are less with the average of all the travel days being 24.5 NM. We have 8 days when we go no where at all.
Eight of the days are at places with pools so the kids are happy and 10 of the days are at places with WiFi access so I am happy.
We're working hard on the final mods and equipment and are looking forward to a great adventure this summer.
I would suggest that towing all the way to Lund is really not necessary. If you are going to go to the sunshine coast you most likely will also want to see Jervis Inlet and it's gem, Princess Louisa Inlet at it's end. There are launches in Pender Harbor at it's head. Desolation Sound is only 40 NMiles up the coast from Jervis. Why drive/ferry past what you have to then boat back down to. You would only have to take one ferry to get to Pender Harbor for a cost of $150 round trip. We also called around up there and the best parking rate we could find was $6 a day. For us, being out over 3 weeks would have cost $144 more for parking.
Another option we looked at was to ferry from Tsawwassen just north of the border to Vancouver Island and drive up to launch anywhere from Comax to Campbell River. The cost of this ferry round trip is $346 for the truck and trailer.
Given all this we decided that we would rather put our money into facilities during the trip than ferry rides. We also called a lot of resorts and marinas looking for space and found that we had to make some major adjustments to the plan to accomodate availability.
We talked with a number of our boater friends who have been up to Desolation and beyond. They all agreed that it was indeed beautiful, but that the Gulf Islands and the San Juans are equally nice. Based on this we decided to focus our trip there with a week long excursion up to Jervis and Princess Louisa. We have a good balance of destinations planned, 10 nights are at parks, 10 nights are in marinas, and 5 nights are in shore facilities.
We now have our plans finalized and reservations made. We are going to be out for 25 nights. We are starting close to home in good old Lake Washington. No ferry cost and the truck and trailer will be parked back at home. We'll spend the first week making our way north through a combination of parks and marinas. By the second week we will be in Pender Harbor where we have a cottage at a resort booked for some shore time. Then we will head in to spend the 3 days in Princess Louisa inlet. From there we marina and park hop our way back south to the San Juans were we spend 3 days out at Sucia and a couple nights on shore at Deer Harbor Resort on Orcas. A few more nights gets us back to Seattle and the lake.
Our longest leg is 46 miles from Pender Harbor into Princess Louisa since there is no where to stop in between. Most are less with the average of all the travel days being 24.5 NM. We have 8 days when we go no where at all.
Eight of the days are at places with pools so the kids are happy and 10 of the days are at places with WiFi access so I am happy.
We're working hard on the final mods and equipment and are looking forward to a great adventure this summer.
WIFI
Which WIFI are you using in that area? We'll be looking forward to the posts. When do you leave? How much room do you have in your yard for trucks and trailers? 
You might have to start out renting spots if you make it sound any better!
We've been in Pt Hadlock the past two weekends...unfortunately it has been in the truck and not the boat.
You might have to start out renting spots if you make it sound any better!We've been in Pt Hadlock the past two weekends...unfortunately it has been in the truck and not the boat.