Tanu Island Anchorage Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve

Tanu Island Anchorage Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.   The beautiful and haunting village of T’aanuu Llnagaay is located on the east shore of Tanu Island, on Laskeek Bay.  T’aanuu means eelgrass, which commonly grows in shallow water around the village.  T’aanuu Llnagaay follows the shoreline of two beaches divided by a rocky shoal.  In the mid-1800s the village population was about 550, with 25 longhouses, 31 mortuary columns, and 15 mortuary houses.   Present-day visitors notice the many logs on the ground and may mistake them for windfalls; these, however, are the posts and beams of old longhouses.  The longhouses faced the shoreline and were dug into the ground for protection from the weather.  Large, rectangular pits mark their locations.   Though there are no standing poles here, on close inspection you can see ancient carvings made smooth by time and furred by moss.  Walking amidst the ruins, surrounded by protective rainforest, one gets a strong sense of the people who lived there.  Contact the Haida Watchman on VHF 06 for permission before coming ashore.

Fairweather anchorage can be found just off the landing beach, in 35-50 feet.  Holding is marginal and currents run strongly.  When the wind is blowing from the north, swells roll in from Hecate Strait.

For more information visit our partner site Waggoner Cruising Guide.   For all your yacht provisioning call our concierge desk at 778-432-0477.   If you’re looking for a superyacht marina we accept 65′ to 180′ vessels.  Phone or book online to reserve your slip or book the ultimate yacht Rendezvous.