Canadian COVID-19 News

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

That's because it's all blowing my way . Here in southern Alberta, I'm looking across a small lake, and it is like peering through a thick fog.

Yeah, I know. We're getting lovely cool, clear, north-westerlies blowing in off the Pacific. Avoiding the expected wildfire smoke was one of the reasons we planned this around-the-island trip this summer - plus the fact we've not done it before.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Yeah, I know. We're getting lovely cool, clear, north-westerlies blowing in off the Pacific. Avoiding the expected wildfire smoke was one of the reasons we planned this around-the-island trip this summer - plus the fact we've not done it before.

You're a lucky man. We're all bitterly envious . Sail on .

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

What for the love of all that is holy, are you doing checking CF when you are in Quatsino Sound!!!

And not posting pictures!

I hate you a little bit right now.

We just stopped in Coal Harbour to get showers and do laundry - and, surprise: there's good cell service here for some strange reason ( there was none until we got in through Quatsino Narrows).

I'm trying to paste a picture in here from my clipboard - but not having any luck.

[Scorpius]

Quatsino Sound: (attached)

[TrentePieds]

And what I'd like to know is what stops you made along the way. I take it you've come from PH? I won't have the time this season, but hope have a go at Quatsino next year.

TP

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

And what I'd like to know is what stops you made along the way. I take it you've come from PH? I won't have the time this season, but hope have a go at Quatsino next year.

TP

Well, we've been out a little over a month. From Lund (I keep Scorpius over the winter there at Jack's Boatyard. Great place!) we wandered up into Desolation Sound for a week or so (first time we've been ALONE in Laura's Cove!), then back to Lund and Powell River for our second Covid shots, then back up through Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands to Calm Channel (where we had an incredible humpback whale experience), through the Yuculta, Gillard Pass, and Dent Island rapids, around behind the mainland side islands to avoid as much of Johnstone Strait as possible, then into the Broughtons, (visited Billy Proctor -still as sharp as ever but slowing down physically although he still goes out on his boat every morning beachcombing logs), then across Blackfish Sound to Alert Bay to visit the amazing U'mista Cultural Centre again, then to Port McNeil for provisioning, then to Port Hardy for a last top-up of fuel, then around to Bull Harbour (which I've wanted to see since the sixties when I worked summers in the area and it was the big Coast Guard search and rescue, and weather, station - not much there now), then out and around/across Nahwitti Bar in the dark at 4am, and around Cape Scott at 7 on the slack tide and before the westerlies, pushed by that big high we had, really built up, then to Guise Bay. From there to Sea Otter Cove (terrible chart, treacherously shallow, and no sea otters). From there to Quatsino Sound which we've been exploring for the past week or so (LOTS of sea otters!) and will continue to do so for the next few days (heading now in the direction of Port Alice), then down to Klatsino and Klaskish Inlets before attempting to round the notorious and dreaded Brooks Peninsula. Then we head on south.

We're targeting being through Juan de Fuca and to maybe Sidney Spit by the beginning of September, then a number of family and social engagements up through the Gulf Islands as far as Comox before heading back to Lund and down to Sechelt for an important birthday party September 23. Then I think that will just about be it for this year.

How's that?

[TrentePieds]

I'm green with envy :-)! First time I saw Coal Harbour, the sheds for the Stranraers were still there. Last time - there was nothing there.

In the late 60s I saw a Stranraer parked at the south end of YVR. It was probably the one that had been operated by Pacific Western Airlines back in Jimmy Spilsbury's time when it was still Queen Charlotte Airlines. What ugly ducklings those machines were :-)!

Had a notion to relocate to Port Hardy at one time, but a scull-around indicated an economy far too wobbly to make that viable given that mining was shutting down and fishing and forestry were both in trouble. You will know that the northernmost tip of VI had a fatal attraction for Scowegians a hundred-odd years ago, and that many came via settlements in the US which they had found to be rather less attractive than American "recruiters" operating in Scandinavia at the time had held them out to be. But that is a story too long for an e--mail, interesting though it is. As I think you know, I am an FDP, so the story is obviously close to my heart :-)!

So here I am - stuck in the far end of The Valley. Off to The Islands day after temorrer tho :-).

I know you'll be careful coming down the Island

Happy cruising!

TP

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

That's because it's all blowing my way . Here in southern Alberta, I'm looking across a small lake, and it is like peering through a thick fog.

Ditto south of you.

Here in Montana there are a few fires but nothing like the size of the fires, in Oregon, Idaho and Cali which smoke blows north and east.

Our sky is grey white, the sun is an orange globe, the mountains a few miles to the east and west are just faint silhouettes of against the whitish sky.

Well June was nice, the remainder of the season will be smoked. Pretty much all of the projected resolution dates of each of the Type 1 or Type 2 fire incident commanders are listed as October 30th or end of November for the major fires, to be resolved by the arrival of winter weather. There being no expectation and typically no intent to extinguish the fires, merely strategic redirection and spot infrastructural protections, power lines, antennas, homes. No significant fires in near proximity, but smoke easily travels a thousand or more miles.

It is a bit difficult to breath if one engages in strenuous activities and it kinds of messes with ones eyes and nose.

Going out on one of our sailboats would provide a reprieve from the plus 90 degree heat but there is no joy when one can't see but a mile or two across the surface and can't navigate by sight or enjoy the majestic beauty of the mountains and forested shoreline. I removed the compasses from two of my smaller sailboats, thus to navigate in impaired visual conditions, I need to use my cellphone navigator app, which likes to tell me when to turn and states things like: "Return to road." Google navigator just was not intended for day cruising and it does not have in its programming locations for anchoring in the coves of the islands. It must think I am walking on water because I tried to use the pedestrian mode for navigating and it decided that I must have taken a long walk on the short pier. I was expecting to say, "Swim back to shore."

Hate to say this being only a 45 days away from last winter but with forest fire season arriving one would like to just fast forward to September and hope for an early season snow, say Tuesday, September 7th, one day after the Labor Day weekend holiday.

Now where did I put my snow shovel?

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Quatsino Sound: (attached)

Truly Gorgeous. And Clear Skies. Enjoy.

[desodave]

CBC is reporting today that the border will be reopened to fully vaccinated Americans by August 9th. Entrants will also require a successful covid molecular test. Vaccines must be those approved in Canada. Border will be opened to other countries roughly a month later. Remains to be seen how provincial health authorities react since there are still some inter provincial travel restrictions in place.

[steffan]

Originally Posted by desodave

CBC is reporting today that the border will be reopened to fully vaccinated Americans by August 9th. Entrants will also require a successful covid molecular test.

Starts Googling covid test availability in Grand Marais MN and Houghton MI...

[Macblaze]

"starting Aug. 9 at 12:01 a.m. ET. — fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents living in that country will be able to visit Canada without having to quarantine for two weeks."

So those in the PNW get to go two hours early! I wonder if this is a the docks or across the actual border... imagine the boats circling in the Haro Strait!

(Oops I mean 3 hours...forgot I wasn't in BC)

[marty9876]

I'm still sorting through the details, and all the official website stuff might not be updated yet, but I think private boats are no go per https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...utm_content=en (entering by private boat).

Requirements for entering Canada by private boat
You currently cannot enter Canadian waters for optional reasons, such as:

touring
sightseeing
pleasure fishing
visits to cottages/vacation homes across the border
You must report to the Canada Border Services Agency if:

your vessel lands on Canadian soil at any point
your vessel anchors, moors or comes alongside another vessel in Canadian waters
anyone onboard disembarks in Canada
For more information on reporting and border clearance, consult:

Reporting requirements for private boaters

Also, needing a pre entry and arrival test when my plan would be to get a remote boarder crossing permit and be as far from people (Canadian North shore Lake Superior) as possible seems like a non-starter. Odd the RABC site seems to be accepting applications, unsure what the use case for those are (cross then get to a testing site ASAP?).

Progress for sure, existing to see. Hope it all goes well.

[Qismat]

Originally Posted by marty9876

I'm still sorting through the details, and all the official website stuff might not be updated yet, but I think private boats are no go per https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...utm_content=en (entering by private boat).

Requirements for entering Canada by private boat
You currently cannot enter Canadian waters for optional reasons, such as:

touring
sightseeing
pleasure fishing
visits to cottages/vacation homes across the border
You must report to the Canada Border Services Agency if:

your vessel lands on Canadian soil at any point
your vessel anchors, moors or comes alongside another vessel in Canadian waters
anyone onboard disembarks in Canada
For more information on reporting and border clearance, consult:

Reporting requirements for private boaters

Also, needing a pre entry and arrival test when my plan would be to get a remote boarder crossing permit and be as far from people (Canadian North shore Lake Superior) as possible seems like a non-starter. Odd the RABC site seems to be accepting applications, unsure what the use case for those are (cross then get to a testing site ASAP?).

Progress for sure, existing to see. Hope it all goes well.

The website almost certainly is not yet updated - for them to open the border EXCEPT to private boats only would be ridiculous.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by marty9876

I'm still sorting through the details, and all the official website stuff might not be updated yet, but I think private boats are no go per https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...utm_content=en (entering by private boat).

Requirements for entering Canada by private boat
You currently cannot enter Canadian waters for optional reasons, such as:

touring
sightseeing
pleasure fishing
visits to cottages/vacation homes across the border
You must report to the Canada Border Services Agency if:

your vessel lands on Canadian soil at any point
your vessel anchors, moors or comes alongside another vessel in Canadian waters
anyone onboard disembarks in Canada
For more information on reporting and border clearance, consult:

Reporting requirements for private boaters

Also, needing a pre entry and arrival test when my plan would be to get a remote boarder crossing permit and be as far from people (Canadian North shore Lake Superior) as possible seems like a non-starter. Odd the RABC site seems to be accepting applications, unsure what the use case for those are (cross then get to a testing site ASAP?).

Progress for sure, existing to see. Hope it all goes well.

I think that applies to the old system, There are more details vis a vis the announcement on the link (https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...etermine-fully) but it doesn't mention boats and I suppose its possible that they won't have the facilities to check anyone in other than at airports or land border crossings. Fingers crossed for more details I suppose...