Princess Louisa and Desolation trip

S

SeaSpray

Active member
I am planning a 2 week cruise to Princess Louisa and Desolation at the beginning of September. I will be picking-up my boat from Less at EQ.

I am considering the options of cruising the boat up from Oak Harbor or trailering to a closer put in.

It looks like it would be a 2 day cruise to Princess Louisa. It would also take most of a day to take a ferry and drive to Nanaimo, Comox, or Campbell River.

Is there a ferry that goes to Powell River? It looks like this is midway between the two areas.

Any suggestions or favorite locations would be appreciated. Also any tips for anchoring in these areas?

We would be happy to meet up with any C-Dorys in the area during that time.
Steve
 
I don't know the answer to any of your questions, but as you gather info, keep us all posted! This is a trip I think a lot of us would like to do some time...

seabran":2y1lj85b said:
I am planning a 2 week cruise to Princess Louisa and Desolation at the beginning of September. I will be picking-up my boat from Less at EQ.

I am considering the options of cruising the boat up from Oak Harbor or trailering to a closer put in.

It looks like it would be a 2 day cruise to Princess Louisa. It would also take most of a day to take a ferry and drive to Nanaimo, Comox, or Campbell River.

Is there a ferry that goes to Powell River? It looks like this is midway between the two areas.

Any suggestions or favorite locations would be appreciated. Also any tips for anchoring in these areas?

We would be happy to meet up with any C-Dorys in the area during that time.
Steve
Click to expand...
 
Steve, I've made the trip to Princess Louisa from Seattle. 1st night at LaConnor. 2nd at Bedwell Harbor(seasonal customs stop). 3rd at Schooner Cove, north of Nanaimo. 4th at Egmont. This gets you about 36 miles from Chatterbox Falls in Princess Louisa Inlet. It is also the last fuel stop. It could be done in two days but I was in no hurry. There are several neat ways to go through the Gulf Islands from Bedwell Harbor. Or, you could clear customs at Sydney and proceed up past Maple Bay. This is a great boating area with some awesome marinas/resorts/restaurants. Ultimately you're going to pass through Dodd Narrows and should try to do this at or near slack tide. There's a shopping center near the Nanaimo Marina for provisioning. Nanaimo is a great "walk around" town and boater friendly. When crossing Georgia Strait you must avoid area Whiskey Golf(see Canadian chart). It is used for torpedo exercises by the Canadian and U.S. Navies. Be prepared to cross Georgia Strait early in the morning to avoid brisk winds. Once across, Pender Harbor is a nice lunch stop. I relied on a copy of Northwest Boat Travel for local info.. I've made this trip twice. It's my favorite. Pete
 
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the info. I am thinking I will leave from Oak Bay and motor up. Probably no reason to hurry, but I want to see both Princess Louisa and Desolation in 12 to 13 days. I need to be back to Anacortes to meet some friends for a week in the San Juans.

A couple more questions:
What do I need for going into Canada? The last time I was on a charter boat that had some kind of sticker. Do I need anything for the boat?

Also I was told that the weather report tells you if the Wisky Golf range is active or not and if not you can cross the area. Is that true?

Any recomendations on anchoring and stern tying - such what anchor works best and how much line I will need.

Thanks,
Steve
 
Steve I did the Princess Louisa cruise a couple of times from Egmont in 2001. 40 miles one way from the gas dock at Egmont marina and well worth the time and effort.
The entrance into PL is very narrow and while tide changes/inbound outbound flows are not a huge concern in our boats announcing you entrance and exit via VHF ch16 are considered good pratice.

The NOAA VHF weather channel (CH1) does report on activity for the Whisky Golf area.

Did not overnight in the area except at the marina so can't give much info on anchoring or coves but couple of things to make note of.
Water under 300' deep is tough to find more than 30 yards off shore and 6 foot plus tide changes are the norm. Would think a CRQ or spade anchor would be best due to the rock bottom.


Oysters, prawns ling cod and copper rockfish were in good supply. Egmont marina at that time gave BoatUS discounts (even for fuel).
Expect to pay through the nose for fuel (US currency was accepted by everyone)
The Egmont marina bar served up some great chowder and ling cod fish & chips with a touch of local color.

Enjoy the trip and don't forget your camera

stevej
 
Steve

We made the run last year from Deception pass to Desolation Sound.

We went from the San Juans to Sydney(customs), then thru Gabriola Pass to Silva Bay. Gabriola Pass is not as busy as Dodd narrows, but you need to go thru AT SLACK. Silva Bay has marinas, fuel and anchorage.

From Silva, we crossed the Georgia Strait staying East of the WG area and went thru Welcome Pass and on to Pender Harbor.

This route is shorter than going thru Dodd Narrows and Nanaimo. Also if WG is active, this route stays East of the area. When you leave Silva Bay its only a few miles to the Georgia Strait. This makes it easier to check the wind and waves in Georgia Strait and to go back to a nice harbor if its too rough to cross.

A word about transiting Malibu Rapids to get to Princess Louise. The Rapids is a narrow entrance with many rocks and the current runs THRU THE ROCK PILE. However, the path you must follow turns to get around the rocks. This puts you at right angles to the current flow and IF YOU LOOSE POWER OR MAKE ANY MISTAKE THE CURRENT WILL WRAP YOUR BOAT AROUND A ROCK.

Until you have experience, only go thru AT SLACK. Remember, if anything goes wrong, you are 40 miles from help at Egmont. Even though we can boat those 40 miles in 2-3 hours, you are going into a wilderness area and help can only arrive by water or float plane.

Please have respect for the current passes, they can wreck you in a hurry.
 
Thanks Stevej and Larry!

I have been looking on the net for tide and current info for Malibu Rapids but have not found anything. Is there any on the net or do you have to purchase the canadian tide books?

Do you have a chatplotter? I have a Garmin 76s handheld that will work with bluechart ( which I don't have yet). I am wondering if the the bluecharts or other gps charts have the detailed depths close to islands and shore for anchoring?
I was looking at a freinds bluechart and it did not seem to have that information.

I had not read anything about anouncing your passage through Malibu on the VHF. And thanks for the warnings about the passes. I do plan on being cautious on my first C-Dory cruise.

Steve
 
Steve,

The Canadian government copywrites their tide & current tables and their charts, so its difficult to get them online.

The book which covers the southern waters of BC up to and including Desolation Sound is: CANADIAN TIDE and CURRENT TABLES, VOLUME 5, JUAN de FUCA STRAIT and STRAIT of GEORGIA.

These tide & current tables are available at marine stores in the Northwest. The price is under $10.00.
 
Seabran,

There isn't a lot of anchorages in Jervis inlet on the way to Princess Louisa.
Once you get into Princess Louisa inlet there is a few mooring buoys about half way to the head of the inlet and right at Chatterbox fall is the park docks with about 1000ft of dock space. In September it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get space at the dock unless you arrive on the long weekend (Sept 6th) in which case it may still be very busy.
If you like to visit marine parks a good book to pickup is "Marine Parks of BC" it lists most of the parks and their facilities, how to get to them and what to watch for. It can be found at a lot of marinas, and if you clear customs at Sydney BC you can certainly find it there. If memory serves me correctly it is less than $20. A paper chart of Jervis and Princess Louisa inlets can be purchased in Sydney or Nanaimo for around $20.00.
I have a copy I would be happy to lend you if its not inconvenient for you to return it within a few weeks.
Happy Planning
Ron
 
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the offer. I have a chartbook that has a chart similar to the ones posted by Nancy H. I am stil in the planning and data gathering stage.
Steve
 
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