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Old 04-22-2017, 04:33 PM   #1
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Disappointed with Ganges Marina

So, we've been cruising around the San Juan Islands getting a few items organized on the boat. We finally have everything organized (the dinghy took a little too long but..,) and decided that we'd head into Canada. We cleared in at Sidney, spent a spectacular day there and then thought we might visit Ganges the next day.
Although they list their hours as beginning at 9:00 am we couldn't get anyone to pick up the phone before about 10:30 am.
We asked if they could accommodate us and got a "no problem" from the woman who answered our call.
When asked what our boat was I answered "an American Tug 395" because, well that is what it is...
Anyway, we were directed to B dock and slip 21.
We get there and note that the electrical hookups are way too far away for us to access. There are lots of empty slips so we simply move over to the next slip where we can access the electrical outlet.
The dock is kind of grungy, the electrical outlets are not working and the breakers are loose in the box...kind of scary.
I decide to walk to the dock house to see if we might find a better slip.
In the middle of my asking about a slip with two 30's or a 50 amp outlet that I might split a dock hand glanced at our boat and said something about his dock having shrunk.
He ran down to the dock with a wheeled measuring device and proceeded to measure our boat from about 3 feet behind the swim platform to ahead of the bow and said "you're 45' long"....
I said that no we were not. We were about 41' when I measured tip to swim platform give or take a few inches for parallax.
He accused me of lying!
All I wanted was a decent slip with working electrical!
This idiot couldn't wait to show me that I was somehow trying to get up on the marina somehow and actually referred to me as "busted"...
So, we took in our lines, left Canada for Roche Harbor, checked back into the US and will spend the evening here.
Hope they actually sell some dock space today but it won't be to us!
I have never lied or misrepresented the size of our boat to save a buck and that is about how much dockage is running in the area, a buck a foot...
Amazing!
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 04:47 PM   #2
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Greetings,
Mr. BrB. Not surprising. You pulled into a marina called Ganges on 4/20. Still, no excuse...

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Old 04-22-2017, 04:51 PM   #3
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Looks like the Active Captain reviews were pretty accurate.
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Old 04-22-2017, 04:57 PM   #4
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How were the showers
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Old 04-22-2017, 05:17 PM   #5
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Your comments mirror my experience at Ganges some years ago. We don't go in there anymore. The other big downside is that Ganges harbor is very exposed to the south and there's not much to break the wind coming up Haro Strait.
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Old 04-22-2017, 05:22 PM   #6
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Guess we weren't alone then!
I'm not in the habit of reading Active Captain but that's about to change!
I can't figure out how to leave a review there but I'll figure it out...
Amazing...
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 06:36 PM   #7
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Did you include davits/duckboard and anchor in your measurements?
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Old 04-22-2017, 06:37 PM   #8
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Did you include davits/duckboard and anchor in your measurements?
Everything, tip to stern.
The length of the boat was never the issue though, except in his mind.
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 06:52 PM   #9
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Your hull color looks great.
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Old 04-22-2017, 07:01 PM   #10
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Your hull color looks great.
Many thanks! We do concur...
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 07:13 PM   #11
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Why did't you just go to Salt Spring Marina, the Government dock or anchor out?
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Old 04-22-2017, 07:20 PM   #12
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Why did't you just go to Salt Spring Marina, the Government dock or anchor out?
Rick
The guy so ruined the mood that we just wanted out of there. We have just a couple of weeks left in the area and everything is so beautiful that my desire to roll with it is non existent. We have literally hundreds of places to see that will not treat us like criminals. That is what we will do with our time.
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:07 PM   #13
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Take it on the positive side... your boat looks bigger than it is!

L.
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:14 PM   #14
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You did right taking your business elsewhere. Bad behavior shouldn't be rewarded.
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:43 PM   #15
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Thanks, helped me decide which route I'll take north.
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:55 PM   #16
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Can't say I've ever taken moorage at Ganges Marina, although my boating history in Ganges goes back to 1960 or so.

We find the anchorage to the NE of Goat Island (the next bay to the E) to be a good location where you can get out of much of the summer boating slop and southerly chop, short tender ride to the dinghy dock or public wharf.

Sometimes in fair weather, we will tender in from anchorage at Prevost I.

It's always fun to make the summer time Saturday Market for some serious people watching.
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Old 04-22-2017, 10:04 PM   #17
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You didn't have a political bumper sticker on your boat, did you Bruce?
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Old 04-22-2017, 10:11 PM   #18
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Yup, had the same experience but it was mid Summer and at the busiest time. The marina is in very poor shape and some slips are...well just plain difficult to get in and out of.

There is NO EXCUSE for this kind of service especially given the poor weather we have been having and slow start to the year. They should have welcomed you and given you top notch service!!!

It's too bad.....Ganges can be a fun place to stay for a couple of days.
If we go again, next time we will go to the NEW Govt docks and avoid both marinas all together.

Please don't let this be your only memory of boating in BC.

Most of us are more welcoming than that!
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Old 04-22-2017, 10:13 PM   #19
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You didn't have a political bumper sticker on your boat, did you Bruce?
Good question!
No, no political stickers and no political discussions in Canada...
None on FaceBook that can be credited to me either.
I'm sure there are no other American Tugs in this color masquerading around as we were the first one in Sea Shell green!
Not sure what was up except that as posted earlier, the AC reviews suggest that this is pretty normal behavior for the place.
Life is short, we moved on...
Bruce
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Old 04-22-2017, 10:18 PM   #20
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Well played Bruce.

I'm not in the habit of paying for the privilege of being insulted either.
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