Favorite Routes from Gulf Islands to the Broughtons, and Back

Contributors: Skip Hawk, Frankly Scarlett, Maxim 46; Rich Haynie, Betty Marie, Ocean Alexander 48; Fred Kaufhold, Dream Weaver, Mariner 35; Eric Muller, Dolphin, Monk 36; Kathy Perkins, Buster, Nordic Tug 37; Dave Wilshin, L'Esprit, Ocean Alexander 44.

   The Broughtons, just off Vancouver Island’s northwestern end, is gift to cruisers. Spectacular beauty. Shelter from the seas. Ample anchorages. And entertaining marinas. It’s why a large percentage of our Fidalgo Yacht Club members make the passage every year, either alone or in small groups.
   But, as we’ve all learned, getting there can be a bit of a trick. It’s at least a 120-mile trek from the southern Canadian waters (Gulf Islands or the city of Vancouver). Georgia Strait, being a large, exposed body of water, gathers its fair share of fetch. Plus, it harbors Whiskey

Golf, a vast military test range that cruisers must circumvent during its operating hours. Cruisers must also transit narrows and rapids, which require timing for safe passage.  
   So, we’d love to share some of what we’ve learned about making the long passage between the Gulf Islands and the entrance to the Broughtons.

The quickest route is through Seymour Narrows, just north of Campbell River.

Fred Kaufhold:
We usually leave from Nanaimo. If the weather is iffy, we hug the coast up to Comox and the next day on to Campbell River. If we are lucky with the weather, we leave early and make a long day directly to Campbell River.  If we are really lucky, we can ride the flood up the Strait of Georgia to just south of Cape Mudge and catch the beginning of the ebb up Discovery Passage to Campbell River.  Campbell River's proximity to Seymour Narrows allows for slack water timing, so the next day we continue up Discovery Passage, through Seymour Narrows, around Chatham Point and into Johnstone Strait.  If Port Harvey is open, it’s a convenient stop. Lagoon Cove is less convenient but is a very delightful alternative. Or we’ll dock at Port McNeill.  This is a fuel, laundry and grocery stop for us.  We have also stopped at Telegraph Cove, which we find interesting, but it may be a bit crowded for larger boats.
 
Kathy Perkins:
We leave Nanaimo, where we fuel and provision, and head to Gowland Harbour, just across from Campbell River (great fuel dock). Gowland is a good, quiet anchorage near Seymore Narrows, so it’s ideal for waiting for the ebb current to being. From Seymour Narrows, we head north to either Blind Channel Resort on West Thurlow Island (best dinners) or Port McNeill, which we really like since they bring the fuel to our boat! Or we’ll head into Sullivan Bay on North Broughton Island, which has fuel and is in the center of the Broughtons cruising area.  Notice a fuel theme running through this?
 
Eric Muller:
Optimum time to go North is when Johnstone Strait is at ebb flow. Early morning change to Ebb will result in a long-sustained push. It will be strongest at spring-tide conditions.  An early morning change with light winds in the Straits makes for a quick transition at slack in Seymour in Discovery Passage. If change to ebb occurs later in the day, one can opt for going the back way. Either cut through Hole in the Wall and Upper Rapids in Okesollo Passage, or run Yuculta, Gilliard, and Dent. The latter is the way to go if wind is really bad in Johnstone. In neap conditions, we have run Yuculta, Gilliard, Dent, Greenpointe, and Whirlpool passages without stopping or slowing down with a seven-knot boat. Watch for logs, especially in Johnstone. Coming south, reverse your thinking, but remember Johnstone always has an ebb present due to the non- tidal river inflows to the channel.
 
The longer, calmer, and more scenic route from the Gulf Islands to the Broughtons is up through Desolation Sound and then through what we sometimes call the Inside Inside Passage. But instead of timing only Seymour Narrows, cruisers must time five rapids: Yaculta, Guillard, Dent, Greenpointe, and Whirlpool. That sounds daunting, but it isn’t really.  Heading north, if you go through Dent at slack, you make Greenpointe and Whirlpool with ease.

Rich Haynie:
We go through Gabriola Pass and cross the Strait of Georgia to Pender Harbour, where we hope to get a space at Madeira Marina.  From Pender, we usually will run to Lund Marina, or if the timing is good, we will go through Yaculta, Gillard and Dent Rapids on our way to Shoal Bay or to Blind Channel Resort.  We then go through Greenpointe Rapids, Wellborn Channel, and Sunderland Channel to Johnstone Strait.  Depending on the condition of Johnstone Strait, we will go into Port Harvey Marina or continue through Chatham Channel to Lagoon Cove Marina.  If the Johnstone Strait is calm, we may run to Port McNeill for fuel, fresh produce, and meats.  Going South we usually go back the way we came up.  If tides and weather are good, we may go back through Seymour Narrows.
 
Skip Hawk:
When traveling north, we prefer to go through Gabriola Pass and head to Garden Bay.  We like this route because we can keep the wind and waves on our quarter rather than taking them on our beam. From Garden Bay, we like to stop in Lund and then continue on to Desolation Sound.
 
Dave Wilshin
We prefer the scenic route. We leave from Gabriola or Porlier Pass and head across Georgia Strait toward Pender Harbour (we listen to the Mary Island weather buoy before committing). We head north from Pender Harbour early, since Malaspina Strait can be a bit of a washtub later in the day. Sometimes we stop in Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island, to wait for slack in Yaculta Rapids, after which we stop in Big Bay to wait for the very end of the flood current. When that time arrives, we go through Guillard, just as the current is changing to ebb. We follow the ebb through Dent, Greenpointe, and Whirlpool Rapids, then either stop in Port McNeill or Port Harvey. If Johnstone Strait’s a mess, we tuck into Forward Harbour, adjacent to Whirlpool Rapids. On our way home, we take the same route, but we stop in Shoal Bay to wait for a good ebbing current to assist our passage south to Desolation Sound. Again, we do Malaspina Strait early in the morning, for our passage to Pender Harbour, and then back through Gabriola Pass and home. Dave Wilshin, (L’Esprit, Ocean Alexander 44)
 
In reality, our members often mix and match the above routes. Some are eager to get north and then take the slow road home. Others do the opposite. Get your charts out and figure the route you dream of taking to experience the beauty and fun of the Broughtons!