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Marco Flamingo



Joined: 09 Jul 2015
Posts: 1154
City/Region: Seattle
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 16 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Limpet
Photos: Limpet
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

journey on wrote:
Why would one prefer gravel roads over paved roads?


Part would depend on how long you intend to stay. Also the launch area. When I went to Gold River, it was a zoo. A long line waiting for the launch and a tangle of trailers parked in the supposedly secure lot. I did a quick U-turn, kept on to Moucha Bay (gravel road), and was glad that I did. When I went in to Zeballos by boat, I saw that the ramp was free, as was parking. I can see why Gold River is popular and Zeballos isn't for other boaters. For me, it's the opposite.

I've never done the drive in to Bamfield, but I remember my dad telling me that he wished that he hadn't. He thought that he would rather risk getting slammed around boating out through the Port Alberni channel. It wasn't the dust or the pot holes, it was the log trucks.

Mark
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AstoriaDave



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 994
City/Region: Astoria
State or Province: OR
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark wrote: I've never done the drive in to Bamfield, but I remember my dad telling me that he wished that he hadn't. He thought that he would rather risk getting slammed around boating out through the Port Alberni channel. It wasn't the dust or the pot holes, it was the log trucks.

I have run the PA-B road maybe 8 or 10 times, and the PA-T/U route perhaps twice that number. It comes down to personal choice, for sure. The road to Bamfield has more log truck traffic weekdays than weekends. Most weekday runs, I have encountered only two or three. Weekends, none. It is graded often to keep rock on it, and to reduce the washboard, so potholes are a nonhazard, recent years, but it is a rough run, compared to pavement.

I expect the choice between the PA channel and trailering to Bamfield depends on your vessel. A 16 ft craft is really going to take a beating when the inflow or outflow winds kick up onnthe inlet. OTOH, towing a 25 ft cruiser down that road would be a headache, for sure.

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Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Port Alberni canal can get pretty rough. It also has a fair amount of tug and tow traffic. That can be a blessing. Call the on the VHF and ask to run in behind them. It can be the difference of a 3 foot bash, or a 3 inch ripple to run in.

Note: I think most of the are running a drag line behind the tow. Ask how long it is and give appropriate clearance, you do not want to get tangled up in that line.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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RobLL



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 421
City/Region: Bremerton
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

res roads and maps of Vancouver Island. I went to a major Seattle map retail store and to local stores in Port Angeles, also ordered what was suppose to be up to date guides on Amazon. They were all out of date - by years.

The motel clerk in Port Renfrew laughed when I asked if my car would do OK on the gravel road to Lake Cowichan. She told me she was asked that all of the time, and that the road had been paved for at least 7 years.

Perhaps calling ahead to the motel or marina and asking about routes and road conditions would work better!
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