Let's talk cruising in British Columbia

[Ken Pole]

Check out Life is Like sailing on YouTube. Alfy is an RCMP officer who cruised his C&C34 (recently upgraded to a larger Hans Christian) extensively up the British Columbia coastline. Stunning cruising grounds. Now in Ontario, I miss the west coast.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by NedX

Oh, don't worry, Mike. I'll do a "let's talk cruising in eastern Canada" post soon. It's on the list. Since I'm Canadian.

That will be fun .

I'm following this one because I too see myself coming to the BC coast eventually. The weather makes it more conducive for my lifestyle, and the cruising ground is amazing. I really do expect to move there someday.

But it will be hard to top Newfoundland for wonder, remoteness, uncrowded cruising, and sheer beauty.

[nwdiver]

Originally Posted by NedX

I'm still learning Pacific Northwestese. Does this mean you sail from Portland? Or do you fly from the airport?

It’s another left coast thing you will hear YVR all the time....

[Robhwa]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

You need heat on your boat. Almost year round.

A source of heat will get you out on the water more, and make the time you're out more pleasant. In the PNW hard rain can happen, but mostly it is misty. I lived in the USA SE Gulf area for years and you just don't see that kind of rain here very often. That said, rainfall and sun vary a lot depending on where you are. Yes, Victoria, BC boasts a milder climate then the general PNW with only 23 inches of rain and over 2000 hours of sunshine vs. 50 inches or more and less sun for other areas. The "rain shadow" that includes Victoria means much drier weather than other areas. Same for the NE Olympic area and parts of the San Juan islands. For most of the PNW it can be 100% humidity and drizzly for 2 or 3 weeks straight. We worship "sunbursts", the short appearance of the sun through or under the clouds, often shortly after dawn or shortly before sunset. Watching Mt. Rainier or another stratovolcanos cast a shadow on the undersides of clouds at sunrise is a fairly unique PNW treat. for heating, a $50 LP "Little Buddy" radiant heater can work in the cockpit and when there is air exchange. You aim it at yourself. I use 1 lb tanks, which last abut 6 hrs on low. You can buy legal refillable 1 lb tanks (REI has them). A source of outside heat also makes fishing and squidding (another PNW treat) more bearable. Proper insulation and layering is also critical. Goretex may have been invented in Maryland, but breathable membranes truly excel out here. In an enclosed space you need something that will also dry out the interior, or you'll have a tropical rain forest in your cabin with the humidity you bring in with you and breathe out. My C-Dory cabin has a diesel heater that vents to the outside, and uses very little power. That said, if I moved back east, I'd probably still use the heaters I started using here, when I think of "body booting" for Canada geese in the Chesapeake and betting back into an unheated boat, it just doesn't have the appeal it once had.

[gardeningal]

If the weather was better, the Salish Sea would be overrun with boats. Also, The hiking is amazing. Agree with the PH, especially if you plan to use your boat year round. We have a Nauticat 44 and love it for the rainy days in anchorages and just getting from place to place in warmth. Yes, a heater is a must!

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

SGI = Southern Gulf Islands...

I lived there for years and never heard that term; it was simply the Gulf Islands full stop. According to Wiki, it's a newish addition to the lexicon:

According to BC Geographical Names (BCGNIS) the name "Gulf Islands" was originally intended and commonly understood to refer to the archipelago at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia—from Gabriola Island in the north to Saturna Island in the southeast and D'Arcy Island in the southwest. During the 1990s, however, the name began to be applied to all the islands in the Strait of Georgia, resulting in the introduction of the term "Southern Gulf Islands", which BCGNIS calls a misnomer, to distinguish the original "Gulf Islands" from the rest, which are sometimes called the "Northern Gulf Islands". BCGNIS further notes that Quadra Island is increasingly described as the "northernmost of the Gulf Islands".[

[Scorpius]

Oh come on folks: It only rains once a year! It starts October 15th and ends July 15th!

Seriously though, BC is an amazing place to cruise: except it is many places.

I grew up in the Vancouver area but learned to sail in Victoria where the wind is MUCH better (it funnels in though Juan de Fuca Strait).

Most people sail in southern BC - south of the rapids (Seymour Narrows, the Yulcultas, etc.). This comprises the Salish Sea, the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, etc. It's beautiful but, in peak season, crowded. One place not to be missed is Princess Louisa Inlet which some have called the most beautiful place in the world or "Yosemite on the Sea" - and going in you have a chance to experience your first little rapids at Malibu.

North of the major rapids, things change dramatically. Because you are now dealing with water flowing around the NORTHERN end of Vancouver Island (rather than the southern end), it is much colder and foggier. There are still towns on the Vancouver Island side up to the top end, but there is almost nothing on the many thousands of miles of coastline on the mainland side (there's 17,500 miles of coastline in BC in the 500 straight line miles between the Washington State and Alaska boundaries).

Going north, the next big barrier is Queen Charlotte Sound, a very shallow body of water where the big Pacific waves roll in from Japan and build to sometimes alarming heights. You need wave height forecasts of less than 2 metres to cross that baby.

North of Queen Charlotte Sound you really are in the wilderness and, if you stray at all off the Alaska milk run, you will be alone in the vast majority of anchorages. They are many and very often spectacular. However, there is very little in the way of services between Port Hardy (on the northern end of Vancouver Island) and Prince Rupert (on the Alaska border) and no road access at all unless you go 'WAY up a couple of inlets to Bella Bella or Kitimat. Except for the clear-cut logging scars dotting the hillsides, this is really wilderness and you are on your own.

Haida Gwaii (closed now due to Covid-19 concerns) is spectacular - but crossing Hecate Straits to get there can be unnerving. It is so shallow that crossing in a blow (not unusual) you might well find gravel on your decks - and the narrow, twisty, natural channel into Skidegate and Queen Charlotte City is challenging after an exhausting crossing.

Then there's the west coast of Vancouver Island: rugged, isolated, spectacular, amazing anchorages, but open passages in between and even worse weather.

If you want spectacular, challenging cruising, this is a place to come!

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

That will be fun .

I'm following this one because I too see myself coming to the BC coast eventually. The weather makes it more conducive for my lifestyle, and the cruising ground is amazing. I really do expect to move there someday.

But it will be hard to top Newfoundland for wonder, remoteness, uncrowded cruising, and sheer beauty.

I've been to both, sailed both areas (a lot more in BC). BOTH are spectacular - but different - and I've never had to dodge an iceberg here!

[evm1024]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Oh come on folks: It only rains once a year! It starts October 15th and ends July 15th!

SNIP %<
One place not to be missed is Princess Louisa Inlet which some have called the most beautiful place in the world or "Yosemite on the Sea" - and going in you have a chance to experience your first little rapids at Malibu.

SNIP %<

Princess Louisa is fantastic. Where else can you have your bow on the rocks and your stern in 200' of water.

I taught my younger daughter to swim there. Summer water temps in the 70's. Plus fresh, cool water from Chatterbox rides over warm salt water. Your feet are warm and your chest is cool and clean.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Scorpius gave you a really good concise overview of the areas. We went up the inside passage 4 years ago and came back down the following year after being in Alaska for a fall/winter/spring season.

Below the northern tip of Vancouver Island, we found the Dreamspeaker series of guidebooks to be very well done and informative.

https://www.dreamspeakerguides.com/

North of Vancouver Island we found the Douglas guides to be the most valuable ones.

https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Ins.../dp/0938665332

I can only echo everyone's sentiments on here - the cruising is spectacular, and there is literally a lifetimes worth of places to visit.

[Paul Howard]

The PNW is great cruising grounds, I am from the Canadian Great Lakes area and sailed through Panama to British Columbia and up the B.C. coast to Alaska and up to Glacier Bay.
We left the boat in Anacortes, WA, over one winter as there are few places to haul and leave a boat ashore for several months on the Canadian side where most boats winter over in the water.
The southern part of WA and BC are crowded in all but the Nov. to April months. We headed north for great anchorages, often the only boat, once we got north of Vancouver Island. The inside passage is very easy if you watch the tides and catch the slack times in the constricted passages.
Don't miss Haida Gwaii, it is the best!
The south is sunny and warm, getting cooler and foggy and rainy-er as you go north. We had Radar and Navionics on a notepad and had no problem navigating. You will pass through the Great Bear Rain Forest, a great place to visit and see bears, cougars, whales, etc. Fishing is better the more isolated. A crab trap is a must as they are easy to catch and great eating.
We used to joke that when the weather forecaster predicted '80% chance of rain,' he really meant it would rain for 80% of the day. It is usually a light and misty rain, not like heavy tropical downpours.
You will not do much sailing in the inside passage, mostly motoring with rolling out the genoa when the wind is fair. It puffs though the valleys and is blocked by the mountains.
A Pilothouse or well protected cockpit is a must, as you will see much more wildlife, like bears and deer and whales if you can sit in the anchorages with a good view around as well as when underway. My wife and I spent two seasons out there and loved it. Then sailed back through Panama back to the Great Lakes.
We had sailing friends (not from the area) who bought a Tiawan built 38ft trawler for about $70k USD, used if for two years cruising from WA to Glacier Bay, AK, up and back twice, then sold it for about the same money, purchased in WA, sold in BC.








5

[Exctyengr]

Having learned to sail in 1952 and having the opportunity to sail in many places of the world including the Chesapeake, Caribbean, Japan, SoCal, Maine, NJ and the BC coast, IMHO NOTHING holds a candle to BC. in terms of just spectacular scenery, fishing and crabbing. It can't be beat. Yes the weather takes some getting used to and navigation and seamanship skills are vital but it's all part of the fun. You've had some excellent responses above and I can do nothing but second them. Suggest you charter up there and check it out.

[desodave]

We cruise mostly in the northern parts of the Salish Sea with our boat kept in Campbell River, in the water year round. My wnterizing of the boat consists of removing the jib from the furler (40 knot + winds), draining the water, putting a tarp and dinghy over the deck hatches so I can keep them open a bit for airflow, and then putting some heat in the boat to combat the mildew growth. Many people just use a dehumidifier. Lot less hassle imo than what you would go through in the NE.

Yeah ... it's raining today. And there's another gale warning for Georgia Strait North today - and that's the basic winter weather pattern. But it really doesn't rain as much as people have been making out up thread imo - but then I'm a native BC'er. Here is the historical weather for Comox (mid Vancouver Island, northern Strait;
https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climat...=155&autofwd=1
The last two years have seen very dry springs, and there's usually a rain "event" late June - early July. But there's more than enough sun for solar panels to function as they're supposed to. I view April through October as the basic cruising season in the northern Strait - we're a couple of degrees colder and a lot windier than southern areas. It usually snows once per year, and often so little that I don't have to even clean the boat off. Gulf Island areas in the south have snow only occasionally - the City of Victoria hasn't even had snow removal as an item in their annual budget.


Cruising options are myriad. Personally I avoid the Vancouver area - lived there too long - but southern areas in the Strait have lots of marinas and lovely small communities. Pubs, restaurants and supplies all close at hand.


The scenery gets more spectacular as you cruise north, and there are less communities & marinas, more anchorages. Our home area is Desolation Sound - mile high mountains surrounding the area. The attached picture was taken last week of September, and not even any snow on the mountains. It's busy in August but hardly anyone there spring and fall. As others have said, further north less people, few opportunities to get supplies and don't pass up the fuel stops.

We have to play currents all the time especially among the Discovery Islands. Seymour Narrows just N of where our boat is moored runs at 16 knots on a big flood, 14 knots on a big ebb. Even the big Alaska cruise ships time it. Discovery Passage (where our marina is) runs at up to 9 knots and has to be timed for exit and (especially) entry. There is an almost constant current during bigger spring tides and prudent planning takes it into account when traveling. Lots of other passes too - many with peak currents above 10 knots - so timing is key to a lot of travel.


Incredible scenery, lots of wildlife and it gets better as you go North imo. Get good ground tackle, good water capacity, a diesel heater and a decent solar setup on any boat you buy, and you're set for good cruising in BC waters. You've probably already got the foul weather gear you'll need - a few layers and a water/windproof shell.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Robhwa

A source of heat will get you out on the water more, and make the time you're out more pleasant. In the PNW hard rain can happen, but mostly it is misty. ....................
..............................................

There is another reason for heat beside just "comfort." My career was in HVAC. When it snows, it is usually colder than the water temperature. Snow on your deck, like in my picture, is 32F. The water temperature is around 47F. That means it is warmer inside your boat than it is on deck. What that also means, since it is so humid (HIGH relative humidity with lots of moisture in the air) is that unless you have heat inside, it will RAIN INSIDE YOUR BOAT.


Sure, you can insulate the walls and ceilings and hatches, and many have. There are tons of posts on how to do that, not only from folks who live here, but those who have, for example, wintered over in Boston Harbor.


But full time heat for when you are not plugged in is essential if you are going to be out on a boat when, not if, it snows.


It is a Law of Physics - psychometrics.



I found that out the first time it snowed here on my birthday (Dec. 9th) in 2016. My present was an electric heater, and when I got to the boat then next day to plug it in, it was literally raining inside!

[NedX]

Originally Posted by Exctyengr

You've had some excellent responses above and I can do nothing but second them. Suggest you charter up there and check it out.

For certain, this thread has been spectacular. I have bookmarked many links. And learned for many new words. YVR! Chatterbox! PDX! Body Booting!

Gravel over the bow is a new one. When that happens in the Gulf of Maine, it means you are aground.

Rapids: This word means a section of fast-moving, shallow river that has rocks just under the surface where I'm from. I'm assuming from the charts and guides that this means "long narrow passage where timing tides is a must and where the entrance is likely choppy depending on wind direction," kind of like the 10-mile stretch out of the Cape Cod Canal into Buzzards Bay in the prevailing southwesterly. Or are they worse? (The ASA 105 focuses on the lower cape, the bay, and the Elizabeth Islands, for their navigational complexity, but it sounds like you could teach a good navigation class using the Georgia Strait and those inlets.)

It looks like, in addition to a pilothouse and a heater, you need a lot of diesel besides that 75 gallon tank for all the gunkholing in unpopulated places when you go north.

It's kind of shocking that you can drop a trap and catch crabs. Around here, I'm sure it's pretty illegal for me to lobster without a license.

Squidding sounds like fun. We're havin' seafood tonight!

It looks like there are enough places to go to last a lifetime. Definitely planning a charter next time they're open and I'm free.

To the poster who said you can "visit bear"—you're waving from a boat, right?

Ah, Canada.