09/03 - 09/18 - Desolation Sound 2005

Well, I'm glad you finally asked. Don't know, but it is in the first week or two of Sep[tempober. That's September to you who are just on fresh air at 8PM.

I looked back through the thread a little and couldn't find a consensus of the dates. So let's all get this back to the front and finalize the date(s). And NO this does NOT make me the cruise director. All I know is that we head north and keep Vancouver Is. on the port and the Canadain Mainland on the starboard. And somewhere up there about two thirds the way up we get to the area we are talking about.

So?
 
We might consider:

Friday Sep 2, thru Sunday Sep 18, includes Labor Day Monday Sep 5.

This is two weeks plus and includes three weekends.

Does anyone want to comment on or commit to any particular dates?

Catman: Are these the dates you have in mind?
 
Yes, these are the dates - DON'T start messing with the dates now because I have the time off already approved! We are only doing the second week, two weekends and the week in-between...


Nancy H":1yqvb4lx said:
We might consider:

Friday Sep 2, thru Sunday Sep 18, includes Labor Day Monday Sep 5.

This is two weeks plus and includes three weekends.

Does anyone want to comment on or commit to any particular dates?

Catman: Are these the dates you have in mind?
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Catman":m2lmbejw said:
Larry, Tyboo and crew, yes, the date is September 3-18. And include Friday the 2nd if you can.

Book 'em, Mike'o.
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I'll get right after it this evening.
 
The deed is done, and CM is the No. 1 Guy In Charge. It will be fun watching the signup list grow for this one.
 
Susan and I are really talking about it but as school in in at the time we may have to call my aunt to come up from portland and take care of james for a few weeks. Where has everyone decided to launch from? I do not want to trailer more then one day and would rather spend two days on the water then trailer two days.
 
The options are sort of:

1. Trailer to Lund;
2. Trailer to Tswwassen and ferry to Vancouver Island, drive up the Island Highway to Salmon Point;
3. Boat up from wherever (Blaine for us).

To us, 1 has zero to recommend it (others will have to argue the advantages of that one). 2 and 3 are viable options to us. 3 is our first choice but 2 is more certain - won't get caught out in bad weather, fog, etc., in transit. So it is kind of a toss up at this point, but leaning towards 3...

starcrafttom":1kcovbol said:
Susan and I are really talking about it but as school in in at the time we may have to call my aunt to come up from portland and take care of james for a few weeks. Where has everyone decided to launch from? I do not want to trailer more then one day and would rather spend two days on the water then trailer two days.
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i just reread all the old post and looked at some maps. I just do not see the reason for taking the ferry over to vancouver Island when you can access the area with out the $400 dollar boat ride. vancouver traffic maybe hell but its no worse then around here and i drive around here for a living. a few more hours will not kill me, $400 may. If i go i will drive as far north with out a ferry ride then launch. My second question. How far north are we planning on going. I was thinking that java inlet was the top end but now see that is way off. the farthest i went with my folks was the place with the cheese cake.
 
It's more than just Vancouver traffic - take another look at the map, and zoom in on Horsehoe Bay. You'll get as far as about Horseshoe Bay, just north of Vancouver, before you'll need to take a ferry anyway, and to drive any farther than Horseshoe Bay, you'll need to take two ferries (each way), so you are going to spend money on ferries if you want to drive most of the way. If you want to avoid ferries altogether, you would launch somewhere around Horsehoe Bay, not sure what the facilities are there - and still have a 100 mile run by boat. Or, like I said, you can launch at Blaine and run up, it is probably between two and a half to three hours from Blaine to Vancouver (haven't done it, maybe 50 miles). I think the whole distance from Blaine to Desolation is about 150 miles, more if you go up inside the Gulf Islands rather than the Strait of Georgia, but you can get into situations on the water up there where you might have to wait out wind and weather - then again you might not...The most convenient and surest approach is the Tswwassen ferry and the Island Highway - but as you point out, that does have some $$$ attached. Basically, there is no easy inexpensive way to get there...you pay your money and take your chances. For us the decision might go right up to the day we leave, depending on the weather forecast. It will be interesting to compare notes when we get there.


starcrafttom":2mau6lax said:
i just reread all the old post and looked at some maps. I just do not see the reason for taking the ferry over to vancouver Island when you can access the area with out the $400 dollar boat ride. vancouver traffic maybe hell but its no worse then around here and i drive around here for a living. a few more hours will not kill me, $400 may. If i go i will drive as far north with out a ferry ride then launch. My second question. How far north are we planning on going. I was thinking that java inlet was the top end but now see that is way off. the farthest i went with my folks was the place with the cheese cake.
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Pat & Tom
There is a way to avoid most of the Vancouver traffic for anyone who wants to trailer to Lund. Use the Pacific Highway crossing just east of I-5.
I think the exit is just past Birch Bay when heading north. This crossing will allow you to avoid driving through the City of Vancouver. This road would be similar to the road to LaConner. A few traffic lights but no city traffic and mostly farmland. Once across the border you stay on a good two lane (one each way) road north for about 10-15 miles until you reach highway #1 west. Hwy #1 is a divided freeway. Head west on highway #1
direct to Horseshoe bay. No traffic lights or stops until you get there. Its about 40 miles or so I think.
Tom,
Horseshoe bay is as far north as you can go without getting the boat wet or taking a ferry. There is a launch and parking at Sunset marina which is about 5 minutes past the ferry terminal. I've left from there several times in the past.
The only reason for taking a ferry is time. If you have enough time the distance is not all that far from Blaine to Lund. The weather does play a major part in the amount of time required though. I've taken 2 1/2 hours to do 19 miles on stretches of Georgia Strait in the past. It can stay rough for days as well. On my last Sept trip to Desolation Sound I would not have been able to return home from Lund for 3 days if we hadn't trailered. It was simply to rough to go.
Another option to consider would be to take only the first ferry from Horseshoe bay. This would get you past Georgia Strait and still keep the cost somewhat lower. I think the ferry would be about $110 US return on this leg.
Just some more info to ponder.
Ron
 
Ron thanks for the info. the route sounds like the way to go. I just hate spending money on ferrys when i own a boat. but may be just one ferry will do the trick. the weather will make up my mind later.
 
Good suggestions, Ron and Pat. I think if I trailered I'd either go to Tsawwassen and ferry to Nanaimo, then drive to Campbell River, or take the Anacortes ferry to Sydney and drive north.

But I still favor a cruise from Anacortes.
 
Waggoners Cruising Website offered the following perspective on the need for a radio license when a US boat is cruising in Canada: (omments?)

For some time, the U.S. has not required pleasure craft under 20 meters (65 feet) to have station licenses or individual operator permits for travel in U.S. waters. For foreign travel, a station license is required for the vessel, and individual operator permits are required for the people.

Beginning in 2000, Canada exempted its pleasure craft under 20 meters (65 feet) from VHF radio station license requirements, and also removed individual operator requirements for those vessels, as long as the vessel is used in Canadian and U.S. waters only.

With neither country requiring VHF radio licensing for its pleasure craft under 20 meters, it was natural to assume that U.S. boats no longer needed station licenses for Canadian travel.

Unfortunately, the U.S. regulation requiring licensing for U.S. pleasure craft in foreign waters is still on the books. It's supposed to be revoked, at least for travel in Canada. But it hasn't been revoked - yet.

What about enforcement? The reality is that the U.S. Coast Guard does not check VHF radio licensing for U.S. pleasure craft, because in U.S. waters no licensing is required. Neither does the U.S. Coast Guard go into Canadian waters to enforce U.S. VHF radio licensing regulations. In Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and RCMP have no interest in enforcing U.S. regulations.

So nobody is looking at, nor are they about to look at, this obscure regulation requiring U.S. boats and their people to be licensed if they cruise in Canada. Given these circumstances, what should the U.S. boater do? We'll leave the decision up to each individual.

We would not dream of suggesting that because an obscure regulation cannot be enforced it could safely be ignored.
 
This issue of FCC license for our boats has been discussed before.

If you should decide to go without the license, :wink don't forget that the FCC listens to radio transmissions. It is possible for the FCC to hear you while you are in Canada and if they can identify you, they can mail you a notice of violation. :smileo

Even though a license is not required in the US for our boats, you are still required to follow the FCC radio rules.
 
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