Circumnavigating Vancouver Island

[Pleiades]

Richard;

I called in on Ch 74 (as per chart notes) to verify that it was safe to transit WCFA North and WCFA South. (WCFA = West Coast Firing Area)They were not active. Also checked WG before transiting that area.

I also filed a verbal sail plan with CCG before leaving Bull Harbour. I closed the sail plan on arrival at Bamfield.

Pleiades

[Amgine]

There are a half dozen or so other military areas inside, in addition to WG, which are extremely rarely used. I'm fairly certain if you listen to the local weather channel they would announce if any of these were activated.

We're currently in Lund, trying to time our passage of Cordero Channel's rapids without having to make a run after dark. Every other time I've used Surge Narrows - it so much easier to time it, and you can always go hang out at the bay on Read Island where the Surge Narrows General Store was (according to Waggoner's it's now closed - a sad thing if true.)

Newt: if you're getting online at all - we're meandering northward, we may get as far as the Broughtons, but we have no set destinations now that we can't go around the island.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Amgine

There are a half dozen or so other military areas inside, in addition to WG, which are extremely rarely used. I'm fairly certain if you listen to the local weather channel they would announce if any of these were activated.

Exactly. They'll publish any use in Notices to Mariners, there are recorded warnings on the weather channels, Tofino traffic will let you know, and there will be Securite calls on ch 16 at least 30 mins before any firing which will give very specific coordinates to avoid.

[s/v Beth]

Amgine- I hope you got my PM. I am still grounded as we are working out the bugs. Thanks for the thought.

[Princesa]

I just found this thread & have just registered because I'm planning a circumnavigation this year - starting from Deep Bay (just South of Comox) where I keep my 30' Ranger 'Princesa', probably end August.
After studying the comments on this thread, I hope it's OK to contact a few posters direct?

Thanks - Simon

[Lancerbye]

The thread that ran last year seems to have started getting interest again. I missed last years V.I. circumnav but am doing it this year. However this will be part of a bigger cruise. I will be leaving Victoria, B.C. mid May and work my way up to Kitimat and Prince Rupert via the inside passage. When I come back down I will cruise the back side of V.I ending back in Victoria by the end of July. Anyone else going to be out and about at that time?

[jackdale]

I am scheduled for an AVI starting in Sidney on April 17, with a crew change in Port Hardy on April 23. Anyone else trying an early trip?

Jack

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Princesa

I just found this thread & have just registered because I'm planning a circumnavigation this year - starting from Deep Bay (just South of Comox) where I keep my 30' Ranger 'Princesa', probably end August.
After studying the comments on this thread, I hope it's OK to contact a few posters direct?

Thanks - Simon

Simon

I have an AVI planned in the first part of September. Feel free to PM me or contact me on the forum. I have been around 8 times.

Jack

[Livia]

Hello Lancerybye,

We'll be heading north on June 15. We haven't decided if we are going to try to go directly (and by that I just mean "in a relatively effiicient manner" to the Queen Charlottes (by beating up the coast or up the inside passage?) and spend as much time up there and in Queen Charlotte Sound before Fall strikes and we feel the need to move further behind Vancouver Island, spend that winter in the islands and the Puget Sound and then head up the W Coast of Van Isle the following summer *OR* to head up the W Coast of Vancouver Island this summer, spend the winter in behind the island and in the Puget Sound and then head to up the inside passage in the Spring and be poised to hit the Charlottes earlier in the summer than we can this year.

In August of the following year we would be heading south to CA which means we would need to be coming back down from the Charlottes by then.

If anyone has suggestions on these options, we would love to hear them. It's a delicious problem to have!

[Princesa]

Is anyone other than Jackdale & myself planning end Aug/early Sept start? I ask because I heard that fog can be a problem that time of year.
Not willing to invest in radar for this one trip, I will have a chartplotter, large scale charts plus two GPS and, I think most importantly, time to wait until fog burns back/offshore.
Interested to hear anyone else's experiences at that time of year.

Thanks - 'Princesa'

[michaelmrc]

im not planning on going around this year but i know from kayaking around tofino bamfield and port hardy areas that august is very well known for fog. september isnt as bad but still foggy. been up around hardy august fog so thick couldnt see 20ft in front of you.

[jackdale]

I have experienced fog in June, July and September; I have not been around in August. The boat has a chartplotter and radar, and I have requested AIS. (This is not my boat; it is a charter boat. I know the owner and he has gone with reasonable requests.)

I also monitor vessel traffic services and I will contact any traffic that may be of concern. When I contact traffic they will tell me about anything about which I need to be aware. That also helps them identify the blip on the radar screen so that they can inform others of my presence. On the outside, Tofino traffic has been asking me to report in when I do I night passage from Winter Harbour to Hot Springs Cove via the South Brooks weather buoy. When I first started making the trip I was often mistaken for a fishing vessel, even though I was lit as a sailing vessel.

Just take all precautions and be prepared to "hole-up" if necessary. I sometimes do a crew change in Port Hardy where we get the latest weatherfax, Grib files, etc.. before heading around.

[Princesa]

Thanks MichaelMRC & Jackdale.
We plan no overnight sails, point is to see/enjoy the coast. And as you say, we will have time to hole up & wait for fog to clear.
Anyone else going around at that time?

[s/v Beth]

I have two weeks in September for cruising. Haven't decided what we will do, but probably stay on the inside and go up the strait to ?? Thats still a long ways away...

[Sonrisa]

We're planning on heading around this summer. Leaving from Vancouver around June 20th. We want to go fairly quickly up the inside then take our time a little more heading down the outside. We've got about a month for the trip. If that timing might intersect with anyone let me know.