Pre Positioning boat for trip to BC

[Ted]

Conrad - Never been to Campbell river either.

Dave - it's time to correct that deficency.


Ted

 

[dhays]

Conrad - Never been to Campbell river either.

Dave - it's time to correct that deficency.


Ted

Lots of places I need to get to, just need the time/money.

I would like to get up as far as the Octopus Is area but not sure I can drag my wife away from the warm waters of DS.

 

[Ken E.]

I would like to get up as far as the Octopus Is area but not sure I can drag my wife away from the warm waters of DS.

Dave, yes the water is colder at Octopus Islands, being fairly close to Discovery Passage and Johnstone Strait, but it's really a beautiful spot. Lots of nooks and crannies, good wind protection. Great place for kayaks. The three approaches to Octopus are all narrows/rapids that require slack tide transit; Surge Narrows/Beazley Pass to the south, Hole in the Wall to the east, and Okisollo Rapids to the west. On an average summer tide, anything outside of about plus or minus 1 hour from slack water will be thrilling with any of the three, and probably scary. Hitting any of the three near slack, though, is uneventful. This is one of our favorite spots in the DS region.

 

[mramoo]

Dave,
I've seen that just about all the places in the north sound have been mentioned, except Port Ludlow, My brother-in-law used to use it since it is on the same side of the sound. That makes the drive back and forth much easier.

 

[dhays]

Dave,
I've seen that just about all the places in the north sound have been mentioned, except Port Ludlow, My brother-in-law used to use it since it is on the same side of the sound. That makes the drive back and forth much easier.

Port Ludlow is about 7-8 hours North of us. We actually bought our boat out of Port Ludlow. It is a good spot. I also have a good buddy that lives there and I need to visit to meet his new wife.

It would shave off some time but now as much as further North.

 

[klee wyck]

Great idea folks.

Anyway, am I just being a whimp wondering about the trip up the East side of Georgia Strait around Point Robert and Roberts Bank?


I can attest to the occasional brutality of Roberts Bank, especially if your fuel supply is only 'semi' liquid. One of the toughest trips stamped in my memory right there. Intervals and waves were short and steep.

 

[djones44]

Great idea folks.
That is the advantage of Anacortes or Bham, if it looks like the conditions in Georgia Strait was going to be good, we could head up the east side. If not, we could via Nanaimo and take two days to get to DS, skipping Westview or Lund.

I do agree with this and KOliver - I'd take a leisurely cruise from Anacortes to Sidney, clear customs there, then up the west side to Nanaimo.

The run from Blaine to Pender Harbour up the east side is deep sea (if you know) and rough (as in brutal NW chops) especially when the sun shines. It can be a glorious run at night, however, if all is calm.

Gunkhole the Gulf Islands if you haven't before.

 

[dennisspain]

Dennis, could you elaborate on preregistration? Is this a new program and does it have a name? Both Nexus and Canpass are 'port specific'.....Canada wants to know your first port of call so they can meet you after the phone clearance if they choose to.

Hi KEN
Sorry for the delay. I wasn't following the thread after my post.
What I discovered was that if Canadian Customs is familiar with you and your boat they may just "wave you through". I've crossed over three times in the last three years. First to Sidney where the phone kiosk was nonfunctional, then at False Creek where there is no office,no kiosk, only a sign with the # posted.
Last year I was heading again to Vancouver and I called while still in US water to inquire if there was a new customs dock in Vancouver. They asked for my boat registration # and my passport # and pulled up my last visit record. Then the phone agent said just call agin when I crossed into Canada and they'd give me my clearance # over the phone! I did and they did.
It wasn't a new program and it may have been a one off anomaly, but I got the clear impression that as a known boat they weren't going to come to the dock anyway. Pre clearance is a good idea in any case and if you are a known boat that has no history of problems they don't see a need to make you call from a dock where they have no agents. Maybe different this year but it's worth a call.

 

[JustBob]

Note that you can also fly back from Bham on Alaska, to SEATAC. This would cut your round trip drive from 5-6 hours (traffic dependent, could be worse) to about 1.5 hours (depending on where you are in GH, traffic on I5).

Here is pricing two weeks from today... If you wait to decide until the previous day or two, the pricing seems to be around $179.

 

[dhays]

Thanks Bob.

After more discussions with my wife we divided to forego the idea of pre-positioning this year. My wife has too many weekend commitments this summer.

We also will likely try to get a Nexus Pass this year. Timing is tricky as we won't be available to do the interview until the end of June, but we will see.

 

[mbevins]

Thanks Bob.

After more discussions with my wife we divided to forego the idea of pre-positioning this year. My wife has too many weekend commitments this summer.

We also will likely try to get a Nexus Pass this year. Timing is tricky as we won't be available to do the interview until the end of June, but we will see.

Most Nexus card applications take between 6-8 weeks to process so your date is probably safe. Also you make an appointment for the interview after approval process is complete, there is no set date for that interview.

 

[dhays]

Thanks. I will get started on it.

 

[Hawgwash]

Keith makes the very good point that going up Malispina...if it was up to me, I would explore there this year and make it up Princess Louisa. However, my wife yearns for the warm waters of DS, and she will not be denied.

AND

...not sure I can drag my wife away from the warm waters of DS.

Sechelt Inlet!!!

 

[dhays]

Good suggestion Hawgwash. I think that will be another trip.