CRUISING DESTINATIONS
BC Coast and Vancouver Island
Framed by snow-capped mountain ranges, tranquil waterways, and lush landscapes, adventure awaits those who sail alongside Canada’s most Western Coast. Through passages and channels, inlets and coves, Vancouver Island and the BC Coastline, offer yachters awe-inspiring scenery with an endless opportunity to explore. Below we’ve listed the region’s most coveted destinations. From native villages, dense rainforests, marine parks, wildlife (like Grizzly bears and Orca whales), first-time visitors will see and experience things they never have before. Let us help you plan the most memorable adventure.
Here are only some of the destinations on Vancouver Island and the BC Coast that are well worth the visit.
The service at Dent Island Lodge is first class with moorage and dinner prices to match. The professional staff treat you like a special guest in a small, quiet, private retreat. At the end of the day after the guide boats have returned from fishing, an elegant appetizer table is set out. The dinner menu is the main dining room is limited but very well done.
Much of the Broughton Archipelago is now a marine park. Some of the islands are private, so use discretion when going ashore. This large group of islands west of Gilford Island does have anchorages, including Sunday Harbour, Monday Anchorage, and Joe Cove.
The Broken Group extends from the wind-and-wave-lashed outer islands to peaceful islands deep inside Barkley Sound. The Broken Group is part of the Pacific Rim National Park, to be preserved in its natural state in perpetuity.
The Fiordland Recreation Area was established in 1987 and is some of the most striking country on the coast. The mountains are sheer and beautiful and the wildlife abundant, but anchorages are just about nonexistent. Fortunately, good anchorage can be found in Windy Bay.
PIERRE’S ECHO BAY LODGE & MARINA
Open all year, gasoline, diesel, propane, 15, 30 & 50 amp power, rental cabins, store, ice water, washrooms, showers, laundry, Wi-Fi, guest moorage, reservations recommended mid-July through mid-August. Float-plane service by Kenmore Air and NW Seaplanes.
Savary Island is a 4-mile-long sandy island that lies approximately east and west and is served by a water taxi from Lund. Anchorage is good, sand bottom, within easy dinghy distance of shore.
Clayoquot Sound is a series of inlets and passages with entrances at both its north and south ends. By travelling inside Clayoquot Sound you can explore many coves and anchorages, and avoid 20 miles of ocean swells.
PENDRELL SOUND DESOLATION SOUND
With Summer water temperatures dependably in excess of 68°F, Pendrell Sound has been called the “warmest saltwater north of Mexico.” Major oyster culture operations are in the sound, providing seed oysters to growers all along the coast.
Located 130 miles north of Vancouver Island and 65 miles west of the BC coast’s mainlands, Haida Gwaii offers some of the Northwest’s most spectacular cruising. Haida Gwaii, formally called the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago of over 150 islands, best explored by boat.
Wallace Island Marine Park is open all year. Wallace Island, a marine park purchased with the help of the local boating community, is a low and beautiful tree-covered island in Trincomali Channel.
Texada Island has three main anchorages: Anderson Bay on Malaspina Strait at the south end; Blubber Bay at the northern tip; and Sturt Bay, a couple of miles south along the Malaspina strait (eastern) side.
The Bunsby Islands are rocky, rugged, and beautiful. They were named for a character in the Charles Dickens novel Dombey and Son. A number of other features in the area also carry names from that novel.
Best described as tranquil, raw, and untouched, Desolation Sound is located at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia and is easily considered a yachters paradise. Fjords, inlets, coves, bays, and mountainous terrain leave it ripe for exploration.
Roscoe Bay, on West Redonda Island where Waddington Channel meets Homfray Channel, is an excellent, protected, and popular anchorage. The bay is divided into an inner cove and an outer cove, separated by a drying shoal easily crossed by shallow draft boats at half tide or better.
SMUGGLER COVE
Smuggler Cove has a narrow entrance through the rocks but opens to a beautiful anchorage that is protected from most weather. We have received reports that the cove is not protected from north westerlies. Before entering, first-timers should have in hand sheet 3 from Sunshine Coast Strip Chart 3311 or Plans Chart 3535.
BELLA BELLA
Bella Bella is a large First Nations village, with gasoline and diesel, potable water, garbage drop, good grocery store and nice cafe; cell phone service is good. The village has a hospital. The closest laundromat is at Shearwater. The fuel dock attendants are courteous, but religious about their lunch hour.
HOT SPRINGS COVE
Hot Springs Cove Vancouver Island is adjacent to Sydney Inlet, the norther entrance to Clayoquot Sound. Depending on the points of departure and arrival and the exact course chosen, the distance from Nootka Sound around Estevan Point, past Hesquiat Peninsula, and east to Hot Springs Cove, is approximately 30 – 31 miles.
DESOLATION SOUND & DISCOVERY PASSAGE
Desolation Sound is not a huge area. Even a slow boat can go from one end to another in a day. Desolation Sound offers a wilderness setting, generally easy waters, many bays and coves to explore and anchor in and marinas where fuel and supplies area available.
GWAII HAANAS NATIONAL PARK RESERVE PERMITS
The Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, a protected area, was created in 1987 and encompasses the southern third of the archipelago. The Reserve is jointly managed by the Haida and the government of Canada. It is unique in Canada, covering both lnland and sea.
LASQUETI ISLAND
Lasqueti Island is often overlooked by yachts as they cruise across the strait between Nanaimo and the Sunshine Coast, or run along the Vancouver Island shore between Nanaimo and Campbell River. The island has a number of good anchorages
BARKLEY SOUND
Depending on your direction, Barkley Sound is the first sound on the way north or the last sound on the way south. It is roughly square in shape, measuring 15 miles across it’s mouth and approximately 12 miles deep, not counting the 20-mile-long canal to Port Alberni.
JERVIS INLET
Jervis Inlet extend 46 miles into Coast range mountains and is the route to fabled Princess Louisa Inlet. Jervis Inlet is 1 to 1.5 miles wide and often more than 600 feet deep. Steep to shores, with mountains rising directly above, make for a few good anchorages.
POETS COVE, PENDER ISLAND
Poets Cove Marina is open year-round, offering gasoline, diesel, and ice at the fuel dock. Guest moorage is available for vessels up to 100 feet across 95 slips and side ties, with 30-amp power. If slips are full, a floating dock is available at a reduced rate for smaller boats. Onshore amenities include a liquor store, café, pub with dining, heated pool, hot tub spa, eucalyptus steam cave, fitness centre, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Coin-operated laundry machines are conveniently located next to the pool.
GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK RESERVE
Established in 2004, the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve brings together a collection of former provincial parks, uninhabited islands and islets south of Active Pass, and additional lands acquired through federal purchase. This protected area preserves the natural beauty and ecological diversity of the Southern Gulf Islands for generations to come.
GULF ISLANDS
The Gulf Islands receive much summertime sun and little summertime rainfall. The Gulf Islands are blessed with dozens of anchorages, from one-boat notches to open bays that hold many boats. Marine parks provide anchorage, mooring and occasional docking possibilities and facilities ashore for the small yachts.
PRINCESS LOUISA INLET
A bucket-list sailing experience and considered by some to be the Grand Canyon of the North, British Columbia’s Princess Louisa Inlet is similarly thought to be glacially carved. It’s frequently described as a granite-walled gorge, with serene waters, and is disturbed only by the thundering and paradoxically calming sounds of the nearby cascading sixty-some waterfalls.
SECHELT INLET
Beautiful Sechlet Inlet, with a few anchorages and limited facilities for pleasure craft, is often passed by especially with Princess Louisa Inlet at the end of the nearby Jervis Inlet. Sechelt Rapids also serve as a gate to keep out all but the determined.
SURFING LONG BEACH & TOFINO
Located 4 1/2 hours north of Victoria is the famous Long Beach and the ultimate surfer town Tofino. The Outside Magazine has named Tofino as North America’s top surf town. Driving to Tofino you pass Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park which is home to an ancient rain-forest, rivers teaming with fish and a scenic mountain range of snow-capped mountains. You can rent a car, RV or charter a flight from Victoria to Tofino.
BUTE INLET
Bute Inlet, approximately 35 miles long, is very deep. Except in small areas near the mouths of rivers and at the head of the inlet, it is not good for anchorage. Usually, the bottom drops away steeply, making a stern-tie to shore necessary. Anchorages should be chosen with an eye to strong inflow winds during the afternoon, followed by calm, then by icy outflow winds in the morning.
BALLET BAY ANCHORAGE
Ballet Bay, located on Nelson Island, is a popular and well-protected anchorage in Blind Bay. While entry from the north is possible, it’s obstructed by numerous rocks and requires caution. The preferred approach is from the west, between Nelson Island and Clio Island. If entering this way, be aware: the charted rock near the point before turning into Ballet Bay is real—and sits farther offshore than expected.
FLEMING ISLAND
Fleming Island, located off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Tzartus Island, is a stunning destination for adventurous boaters. Its rugged shoreline features sea caves and tunnels carved by Pacific swells, best explored by dinghy during calm conditions. While the scenery is dramatic and rewarding, caution is essential—waves can surge unexpectedly, even on clear days. Remote and wild, Fleming Island offers a rare chance to experience the raw beauty of British Columbia’s coastline.
SQUIRREL COVE CORTES ISLAND
Squirrel Cove is made up of an outer bay and an inner bay. The outer bay provides access to the public wharf and the Squirrel Cove Trading Co. general store dock. The Flying Squirrel take-out stand and The Cove restaurant are located upland. A farmers market is held in the summer months on Saturday’s from 10am-1pm.
PRIDEAUX HAVEN INSIDE EVELEIGH ISLAND
The coves that make up the area generally known as Prideaux Haven are the most popular spots in Desolation Sound, with several requiring stern-ties to incrase the number of boats accommodated The area is described in great detail by M. Wylie Blanchet in her classic book “The Curve of Time”.
