Pender Harbour to Shelter Island

[poor grammar]

firehoser75 and SaltyDogg - I am curious how your trawler handles in rough seas ?
I posted in Safety and Concern thread, feel free to answer there, here is the link:

Thread 'Questions to previous sailboat’s owners'
Questions to previous sailboat’s owners

Thinking of taking a 33.5 sea ray trawler twin Perkins from pender harbour to shelter island Friday
And Saturday I am new to this any help would be nice thank you
Jimmy

 

[poor grammar]

Good evening I am new here live in Vancouver trying to go from pender harbour to shelter island this weekend.
35 foot trawler twin Perkins 135hp any advice ? Thank you
Jimmy

 

[SteveK]

I saw you post this at the end of an old thread.

Thinking of taking a 33.5 sea ray trawler twin Perkins from pender harbour to shelter island Friday
And Saturday I am new to this any help would be nice thank you
Jimmy

You should get more help with this one.
Have you ever done that trip before, or have gone to Vancouver?
Start by watching the wind direction and wind now until you leave. Maybe get the Windy app.
Check out Straight of Georgia south and north of Nanaimo on Gov of Canada link HERE

 

[firehoser75]

Watch the weather and tides. Strong(er) winds especially over (against) tide or the river outflow can create really, really nasty conditions off of Sand Heads. Try to time this part of the passage for slack tide if there are higher winds remembering that the seas don't calm instantly.
Also, realize that going up river will be slow going against the outflow current and keep a sharp lookout for debris in the river. Docking at Shelter Island can be tricky in the river current, and the relatively fast water flow must be taken into account, also not discounting any wind that may be present. Make sure you are comfortable with the specific boat handling needed for docking for THAT boat prior to attempting this "landing". I know several fairly experienced boaters who found docking at Shelter Island "challenging".
Good luck.

 

[poor grammar]

Watch the weather and tides. Strong(er) winds especially over (against) tide or the river outflow can create really, really nasty conditions off of Sand Heads. Try to time this part of the passage for slack tide if there are higher winds remembering that the seas don't calm instantly.
Also, realize that going up river will be slow going against the outflow current and keep a sharp lookout for debris in the river. Docking at Shelter Island can be tricky in the river current, and the relatively fast water flow must be taken into account, also not discounting any wind that may be present. Make sure you are comfortable with the specific boat handling needed for docking for THAT boat prior to attempting this "landing". I know several fairly experienced boaters who found docking at Shelter Island "challenging".
Good luck.

Good afternoon thanks for the msg I need all the help I can get haha
But it’s an adventure

 

[luna]

Hopefully you are tucked in someplace quiet by now, after a bouncy day of 3'ers on the nose.

Once you get anywhere near to Point Grey, rather than head South to Sand Heads and the Main Arm of the Fraser come in the North Arm. To Shelter Island the North Arm route is about 4 miles shorter and is in protected waters.
The downside is that it is all uphill.

Have a safe passage.

 

[NoRain]

If you are an experienced boater you will give Sand Heads great respect. If you are a novice you should give Sand Heads GREAT RESPECT. Luna’s advice is spot on.

No theatrics intended, but Google Cap Rouge II. This is not a piece of water to be trifled with.

 

[poor grammar]

Hopefully you are tucked in someplace quiet by now, after a bouncy day of 3'ers on the nose.

Once you get anywhere near to Point Grey, rather than head South to Sand Heads and the Main Arm of the Fraser come in the North Arm. To Shelter Island the North Arm route is about 4 miles shorter and is in protected waters.
The downside is that it is all uphill.

Have a safe passage.

Good evening didn’t go.. leaving tomorrow morning for giibsons then shelter on suday . Hope it’s ok it’s better to take North arm rather then go to sand heads gets to rough there I keep reading about it .. what’s the best time to enter river from sand heads on Sunday ? North entrance to river is shorter to shelter ? But fighting the river all the way ? Thanks for the help . Any more tips ?

Hopefully you are tucked in someplace quiet by now, after a bouncy day of 3'ers on the nose.

Once you get anywhere near to Point Grey, rather than head South to Sand Heads and the Main Arm of the Fraser come in the North Arm. To Shelter Island the North Arm route is about 4 miles shorter and is in protected waters.
The downside is that it is all uphill.

Have a safe passag

 

[luna]

The current forecast does not look good for Saturday late afternoon nor Sunday with the wind shifting to out of the NW @ 25 to 30.
Not many places to hide along the 18 mile run between Reception and Gower points.

Monday & Tuesday morning look a lot better.
I would make my move then.

 

[grahamdouglass]

Great decision, wait for weather and go up the north arm. I was at captains cove marina for 8 years. The south arm can be nasty, especially on a ebb tide and any kind of serious wind in the Georgia straight. The current is also weaker on the north arm so tidal considerations aren’t as critical, but should be followed for a speedy passage . The beggining of a flood tide is preferred to enter the Fraser.

 

[SteveK]

The current forecast does not look good for Saturday late afternoon nor Sunday with the wind shifting to out of the NW @ 25 to 30.
Not many places to hide along the 18 mile run between Reception and Gower points.

Monday & Tuesday morning look a lot better.
I would make my move then.

May I ask where you saw the NW 25 to 30, or maybe when?
I know forecast are on the change always.

 

[luna]

On 21 Nov./25, the 10:30 PM forecast from Environment Canada stated the NW 25-30 value.
No, I did not keep a copy of it.

Here is a screen shot of what happened in the last 24 hours at the English Bay buoy. Halibut Bank's buoy is similar although down a few knots in speed.

The Feds seem to have almost got the wind shift right (ESE to NW) but may have blew it a bit on velocity.

Then you have to acknowledge that the area covered by the forecast is large and one or 2 reporting stations may not reflect the the maximum conditions experienced in the entire area. For example at o'dark 4:00 this morning Sand Heads reported gusts of 29 Kn. Thats one more reason not to go there.

In contrast, Merry Island's 6:40 Am Lighthouse Report shows NW winds at 12 knots and a 2' chop.

Here is today's 4:00 AM forecast.
30 kn. winds are forecast again, except this time it's from the SE 20-30 on Wednesday.

Strait of Georgia - south of Nanaimo - South Coast - Environment Canada

Marine weather forecasts, warnings, synopsis, and ice conditions. Hundreds of land and buoy station observations across Canada are also available

weather.gc.ca

Monday & Tuesday morning seem to me to still be the best times to make this move in what is reportedly a 33.5 (foot?) twin Perkins powered Sea Ray trawler. I don't think I have ever seen one of those boats.
Regardless, I would enter the North Arm.

 

[SteveK]

Luna, I missed looking at that one, then saw sandheads blowing 24 nw this morning, thus scratching my head.
Meanwhile underway in gulf islands with a ripple, must be in the eye.

 

[Gonromin_II]

Discoverer,
Nordic Tugs 37 and 42 usually have 2 staterooms (I do know of one or two NT 37's that were only 1 cabin however these are rare as Hen's teeth ) and some do have flybridges. Ours had bunk beds in the 2nd cabin, so in theory could sleep 3 in that space. Our galley seatee could be made into a double as well. For us, the NT 37 was a great cruising boat for a couple with occasional guests (2) for short visits. It only has 1 head.
Like most boats without active stabilization, our NT 37 did not like beam seas!! However, with course changes, speed changes, and also avoiding "nasty" weather as much as possible, we found Pilitak to be good in most sea conditions. We have crossed the Georgia Strait (dating myself) several times in 1 - 2 meter short chop (stacked up) following seas (winds plus 20 knots) without a worry, although there were some uncomfortable moments usually when a wave pushed us toward a beam sea position more than I would like creating additional momentary roll. One time we were in a channel up near Ocean Falls going into 30+ knot headwinds with no issues or discomfort. All in all, I would say that NT's are good coastal cruisers and can handle most (reasonable) sea conditions. They have been taken down the coast to Mexico (I know of 3 AT 34's that left our area and ended up in the Carribean/South Florida area), so with good weather routing this has been done. We cruised our Tug at 7+ knots, but at WOT and fully loaded with supplies, she could make 15 knots. I feel that having the option of additional speed and power when wanted was a great feature giving more options especially in lumpy seas.

Point taken about the beam seas! As former sailors, we expect we will still be “tacking” a lot, but now for sea conditions rather than wind, and without constant sail handling!

Sarah

 

[Gonromin_II]

Hi Discoverer,
Greetings from North Saanich, BC. We switched from sail to power just over a year ago after 30 plus sailboats. As a regular contributor to Pacific Yachting magazine I have an article in the pipeline about the switch over, interviewing several cruising couples in the process and their reasons for moving to power. Some interesting comments there but too lengthy to include here. We bought a Phil Barron built trawler (wood), 41’ with flybridge and second guest cabin forward. Cruise at 7 knots, 1.5 gals/hr. She is based on the seaworthy fishing trollers of the Pacific NW but built as a yacht. Went to Hawaii and back on her maiden voyage! Employs paravanes ( stabilizers) in rough weather. Lovely boat but we do miss the quietness and economy of cruising under sail.View attachment 162388

Looking forward to your article! Will probably be wishing I had seen it before making the change from sail, but
I hope I’m not hijacking the conversation when I ask, do you have any thoughts on retro-fitting paravanes on a 1972 GB 42? Or is it not worth it?
(There’s probably a whole separate thread somewhere on this … going off to look for it.)

Sarah

 

[poor grammar]

Good evening thanks for the msg we l left pender harbour yesterday was not good waves crashing over bow 5 hrs of getting beat I am in gibsions now was going to go to shelter today but was to windy tomorrow looks good I hope .. any help ? Advice it’s a 35.5 sea ray trawler twin Perkins only 68 made

 

[luna]

If it was me I would leave at first light (maybe just before) with the intent to get the 13 NM to the jetty at Wreck Beach (the North Arm) and protected waters by Monday's 9:14 am high tide slack. After that the river's current will not be running too bad as over the next 4 hours you only loose only about 2' of water. Watch for debris in the water.

Lunch at Tugboat Anne's will undoubtedly taste special.

 

[SteveK]

If it was me I would leave at first light (maybe just before) with the intent to get the 13 NM to the jetty at Wreck Beach (the North Arm) and protected waters by Monday's 9:14 am high tide slack. After that the river's current will not be running too bad as over the next 4 hours you only loose only about 2' of water. Watch for debris in the water.

Lunch at Tugboat Anne's will undoubtedly taste special.

Second the suggestion. The run today was exceptional calm water inside gulf islands while blowing hard in straight of Georgia.
What I noticed was 1-5am was calmer, so yes early starts are the way to go. Wind was picking up around noon.

 

[North Baltic sea]

Hi Discoverer, Like FireHoser we switched to a NT39 (it's the same hull size as the 37*) from a Bayliner 3388. We're in the Anacortes WA area. The NT is quiet, comfy and warm. It can go faster than 8 knots if you need to scoot. We're loving it. Ours has a heat pump which works. I liked the Webasto diesel heat on the 3388 better though, it's quieter than the hum of the heat pump. Haven't needed the cooling mode yet.
*My understanding is the original 37's did not have a swim step built into the hull. Then Nordic added a hull extension as the swim step but didn't initially change the nomenclature to account for the additional length. Then marketing got involved and voila, the name changed to 39.

Hi, I have a 37 with a swim platform and part of the LWL, it's a 2009 model.

 

[poor grammar]

Good evening thanks for msg
Well that was worst day of my life I stayed another night in gibsons wind was to high on Sunday so I left at 630 Monday morning was going great then something happened to power outlet inside boat could only use gps inside had to go up top use that power !!!
started raining so hard and I have no canvas up top
So I download garmin on my iPhone used chat gbt to give me safest cordnets to sand heads
Then fog started coming in I was like oh **** !! Got around the sandheads big light bout could only see 3 feet in front of me rocks on port side
Was not a fun day I should of took North arm but didn’t no where to enter? I .. Think I will keep my boating for summer months

 

[SteveK]

So sorry to hear you had problems. Why did you not go to the suggested route at the Fraser north arm?

 

[poor grammar]

Was my first time in a 36 foot trawler what a crazy experience when gps went out and fog started coming in from for south I felt lost at sea no one around was a weird feeling

 

[poor grammar]

i didn’t no how to get in there.
Way easier ? Was worried about entrance
Sandheads is crazy like a scary movie in the fog wind and rain

 

[firehoser75]

Sorry to hear of your problems. We tried to warn you. Didn't your boat have radar? If no radar, no GPS/chartplotter, with rain, wind, and fog, Sand Heads should be avoided!! Glad you made it without serious incident.

 

[grahamdouglass]

I had a similar problem with failed electronics last September, except in my case my positive DC bus failed and I had no DC circuitry. NO charts, no lights, no VHF, no domestic water. And, i had a date with a tidal passage. Thank God my engine was running or that would have been hard to start. So, out came the charts and the hand bearing compass and it was back to the early 80's with basic navigation.
With the use of GPS and electronic charts I find it is very easy to do nothing in the way of route planning and preparation. You get lazy, Just turn on the monitor and away you go. Before, back in the old days you would at least take out the chart, plot out the compass bearings and at least have a plan. The physical nature of taking bearings, looking at your wake to judge the slippage to leward, all those things kind of disappear because you just look at the chart and monitor the progress as your autopilot takes you there.
The above story ended well. When I got to a secure dock I found the fault and all was well.

 

[Twosheds53]

Indeed. Best to wait for a calm day. If there's a southeasterly blowing, forget it. You'll roll around too much. Jervis Inlet can get gnarly so go with the tide and avoid a counterflowing wind in that location. Once you get to the Fraser river mouth, same thing; try to go at slack tide because the South Arm of the Fraser can be miserable when it's running and the wind is blowing against the tide. It might mean that you have to break your trip into two days but it just means that you might spend the night in Gibsons or Plumper Cove before heading out on the final leg to the Fraser. You can also take the North arm route and approach Shelter Island from the north; it's easy cruising. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[poor grammar]

Indeed. Best to wait for a calm day. If there's a southeasterly blowing, forget it. You'll roll around too much. Jervis Inlet can get gnarly so go with the tide and avoid a counterflowing wind in that location. Once you get to the Fraser river mouth, same thing; try to go at slack tide because the South Arm of the Fraser can be miserable when it's running and the wind is blowing against the tide. It might mean that you have to break your trip into two days but it just means that you might spend the night in Gibsons or Plumper Cove before heading out on the final leg to the Fraser. You can also take the North arm route and approach Shelter Island from the north; it's easy cruising. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Good evening thanks for info I don’t come on here often but I did make it was an adventure that’s forsure
Just had an electrian look at boat the reason gps plug inside was not working someone hooked it up to the water treatment switch .
So it worked all along
Boat ran perfect 13 hours total
But now I just checked transmission fluid in port side looks a little creamy ..
Not good .

 

[READY]

Probably your transmission cooler (heat exchanger) has pinhole. You can pressure test but unless you know their age and they are less than a year or too old you probably should just replace. Mine for my ford lehman are not very expensive and it is a pretty easy DIY job.

 

[poor grammar]

Ok thank you I am new to all this now I have 2 engines to look after .Probably your transmission cooler (heat exchanger) has pinhole. You can pressure test but unless you know their age and they are less than a year or too old you probably should just replace. Mine for my ford lehman are not very expensive and it is a pretty easy DIY job.