New Member from British Columbia

[Tedd]

Hello everyone. I've just joined today after being directed to the OpenCPN forum from opencpn.org. I'm located just outside Vancouver, BC, Canada, and my wife and I sail a TES 246 Versus, which we bought in 2022. Our previous boat was a Macgregor 26S (classic). I sailed dinghies and sailboards as a kid but these are the only two keel boats I've sailed.

I'm particularly interested in meeting any other TES sailors, as these boats are quite rare in Canada and the U.S. I believe we have the only 246 in the Americas, although there are some other TES models in Canada.

[LITTLE DIXIE]

Welcome aboard and trust me you're in the right place . Great peeps and very helpful.

[desodave]

Welcome to the forum Tedd from another Salish Sea cruiser, with our boat located in Campbell River. Seems we've settled into the usual pattern of winter gales and driving rain.

[Stu Jackson]

Welcome. I moved here from California in 2016, sailed the boat up, great trip; once in a lifetime! Enjoy. We're in Maple Bay Marina on the Island.

[Tenedos]

Welcome Tedd, another California transplant here on the other side of the border. We spent 2 months this summer in BC, and came back via the western side of Vancouver Island, absolutely gorgeous. You are in a great cruising ground.

[Tedd]

Great to know there are so many members in my area!

We're relative newcomers to sailing on the coast, having done most of our sailing so far on Harrison Lake. My wife is a bit nervous about bigger waters and I work very hard to keep her in her comfort zone. But our new boat is more capable than the old boat and I expect to start exploring more interesting areas next summer. Howe Sound/Port Graves area, Montague Harbour, and Princess Louisa Inlet top our list. The boat's a trailer sailer so it's easy for us to sail in different nearby waters.

All suggestions for other locations welcome!

[Adelie]

Welcome to CF!

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Tedd

Great to know there are so many members in my area!

We're relative newcomers to sailing on the coast, having done most of our sailing so far on Harrison Lake. My wife is a bit nervous about bigger waters and I work very hard to keep her in her comfort zone. But our new boat is more capable than the old boat and I expect to start exploring more interesting areas next summer. Howe Sound/Port Graves area, Montague Harbour, and Princess Louisa Inlet top our list. The boat's a trailer sailer so it's easy for us to sail in different nearby waters.

All suggestions for other locations welcome!

Welcome. I grew up in Victoria and cruised the entire areas with my parents over the years before moving away. As a trailer sailor your horizons expand markedly.
- San Juan Islands and Whidbey Island/northern Puget Sound. Roche Harbour was a family favourite
- Barkley Sound, though that may need to wait until both of your comfort levels are higher
- Launch from Lund for Desolation Sound
- Launch from Port McNeill for the Broughton Archipelago

When the weather is good there’s almost nowhere that beats the BC west coast. At other times, warm clothes and rain protection, or at least a dry, snug cabin with heating.

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by fxykty

- Launch from Lund for Desolation Sound
- Launch from Port McNeill for the Broughton Archipelago

Thanks, great suggestions. I've heard great things about Desolation Sound. We can make Lund in a short day's drive (and two ferry rides).

I hadn't thought of the Broughton Archipelago but that's a great idea, too. We're planning to move to the Qualicum area in the next couple of years, so that would make Port MacNeill even more accessible. We have a fond memory of flying to Alert Bay twenty-odd years ago, when we had a plane. It's a beautiful part of BC.

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by Tedd

Thanks, great suggestions. I've heard great things about Desolation Sound. We can make Lund in a short day's drive (and two ferry rides).

I hadn't thought of the Broughton Archipelago but that's a great idea, too. We're planning to move to the Qualicum area in the next couple of years, so that would make Port MacNeill even more accessible. We have a fond memory of flying to Alert Bay twenty-odd years ago, when we had a plane. It's a beautiful part of BC.

Princess Louisa Inlet is absolutely breathtaking. I thought it was an exaggeration when people called it 8th wonder of the world, but we changed our mind after passing the Malibu rapids!

Desolation sound is good but was a bit underwhelming for us, especially after Princess Louisa Inlet. But Broughtons are amazing! We plan to go back next year and consider skipping Desolation Sound to hit Broughtons directly and spend more time there.

But wherever you go, it is beautiful out there. Enjoy!

[desodave]

Desolation Sound is our main cruising area and, especially if your wife is a bit nervous, I'd recommend going there. Trips are not very lengthy between nice anchorages and you're in the wild but never too far from civilization ... supplies and water. We like Prideaux Haven and Isabel Bay, but there's also Tenedos Bay, Grace Harbour, Squirrel Cove, Refuge Cove and Roscoe Bay all within the immediate area, and the Copeland Islands close to Lund.
If you're moving to the Qualicum area (we live in Courtenay), consider going to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island to launch ... again lots of good anchorages both on Quadra and Cortes (depending on wind direction) in the area. There's also a very strong chance of seeing whales in Sutil Channel ... there are resident humpbacks spring and summer and regular Orca sightings ... we see them there almost every trip out.

[sv_pelagia]

Desolation IS lovely, but anything but "desolate" in July and August, when most anchorages are chock-a-block full. We've often counted 70-80 boats anchored in the main anchorages (and "visiting" boats trying to "reserve" spots for their friends).

Stiil, warm water swimming and beautiful anchorages make it worth it. Just learn how to anchor amongst others.

Early June and September sees uncrowded Desolation.

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by desodave

Desolation Sound is our main cruising area...

Great suggestions, thanks very much! I pinned all those anchorages into OpenCPN.

Where do you recommend anchoring in the Copeland Islands? There's a good looking cove near the north end, facing north west. Would that be a good spot? I'm particularly interested in the Copelands because it looks like, if we left home early, we could launch from Lund and make an anchorage there before nightfall.

[sv_pelagia]

I'll let others come in on Copelands. Not our favourite but others like them. Out of season better.

An alternative to Lund: launch at nearby Okeover. Protected with easy trip to Grace or Isabel anchorages

https://www.bcseakayak.com/okeover-i...laspina-inlet/
https://www.okeoverharbourauthority.com/

[Tedd]

Thanks, sv_pelagia. Okeover looks like a good option, although it's hard to tell what the boat ramp is like just from Google Earth. I couldn't find any pictures of it. Can you comment on what it's like? I can launch from almost any decent ramp, but having a nice ramp improves the experience--9 to 11 degrees of slope, concrete carried well out into the water, and a dock close enough that someone can hold the dock lines throughout the launch.