2022 Ganges Marina or Poets Cove Cruise

We still haven’t heard from the marina to pay for or slip. Are there any updates?
 
Flagship,
Just wanted to clarify something you mentioned in your post. Yes, Ganges Harbor is a Canadian reporting location but for Nexus(Marine) and CANPASS(Private Boat) card holders only! Everyone on board must hold a Nexus or CANPASS card to use this reporting location.
Bedwell Harbor (aka Poets Cove) is also a Nexus & CANPASS location but it also has a Telephone Reporting service for those who don’t hold Nexus or CANPASS cards. Going into to Canada by boat without Nexus or CANPASS requires reporting at an official staffed “Customs Dock” like the one at Port of Sidney or a telephone reporting location like at Van Isle Marina or the dock next to Poets Cove. Telephone reporting locations are sometimes staffed.
So the route to Ganges for those without Nexus or CANPASS still requires a stop at the Poets Cove telephone reporting location before heading on up to Ganges.
Almost all of the 17 locations I posted as open as reporting locations in BC on the Sidney Customs thread are for Nexus or CANPASS holders only. Hope that clarifies things.
 
RE Ganges. We have Nexus passes. Is it best to list Ganges as our first port even if we are traveling with the group from Anacortes up to Ganges? Help this is a little complicated.
Rick Paine
 
Rick,
I don’t know what the cruise organizers would prefer you to do.
For me, one of the main benefits of Nexus on the boat is skipping the sometimes really long lines waiting to use the dedicated Customs phone at Poets Cove or Van Isle or being the 18th boat in line waiting for a spot on the Customs dock at Port of Sidney. Sometimes no lines, sometimes huge lines and long waits.
If it were me, I’d use the Nexus call in number with either Ganges or Bedwell Harbor as your reporting point. That way you wouldn’t need to physically dock and wait to use the dedicated phone on the dock. Just remember that if you declare Ganges you can’t drop anchor or touch dock or land until you get to Ganges.
You will get practice with Nexus this way. And you will get notes in the Canadian customs system about your entry that will speed things up the next time you use Nexus. We’ve been across the border enough that I rarely get more than the standard ID questions about who’s on board, is there cannabis onboard and what am I declaring. It’s usually a 3-5 minute call from the boat.

PS: If you choose Bedwell Harbor as your reporting point using Nexus you need to have your anchor touch bottom or physically touch a dock or mooring buoy to establish that your first point of “landfall” in Canada was actually at Bedwell Harbor before heading up to Ganges. Sometimes the Canadian Nexus Customs agent will ask you to “hang around” for 30 minutes at your reporting point for possible physical inspection of your boat. We’ve been asked to do that but never had anyone show up to do an inspection.
 
We have tickets for the June 2nd @ The Ganges.
Current plan is (if boat OK - not in water yet-just have to test impeller change):

May 31-Anacortes to Deer Harbor over-night in reserved slip;
June 1st-Deer Harbor to Bedwell (Canada Customs report-in and stay on reserved slip overnight);
June 2nd-Bedwell (Poets Cove) to Ganges.

Anybody traveling same way or parts of same way?

Barry & Leslie
Keep On Tuggin
 
Hi all,

I'm sure someone has already posted this on tugnuts but if not, I have some great news, the Bedwell Harbour customs office is open! This will save us some time and hassle for the cruise next week. This means the factory boats and their cruising groups will clear customs in Bedwell Harbour, not Sidney.

It sounds like there will be quite a few boats on the dock in Anacortes Wednesday night. It's going to fun to see everyone!

I'll be sending another trip update email out tomorrow.

thank you.

Sam
 
Sam,
We still haven’t gotten a bill for the slip. Do you know if the marina will have us pay ahead of time or when we arrive?
Thank you
George Mullen
 
geontemt":3dlgxlp2 said:
Sam,
We still haven’t gotten a bill for the slip. Do you know if the marina will have us pay ahead of time or when we arrive?

Hi George,

Ganges will not be contacting attendees ahead of time this year. They already have your boat information so when you get near the marina, radio in as you normally would, and they will assign your slip. You will pay at the office after you arrive.

Poets Cove has the details for each boat as well and was planning on contacting each attendee to collect payment ahead of time but it's possible they run out of time and/or people power to make all the calls. In that case, Poets Cove attendees will do the same as the folks going to Ganges. Radio in for your slip after you leave the customs dock and they will assign you. Then you can pay in the office once you're settled in your slip.

If you received the confirmation email from Eventbrite after you registered for the event, you are registered and the marina has your boat information.

thank you.

Sam
 
FYI, CANPASS Private Boat is discontinued as of 19 May 2022. Current passes are good until expiration.
 
Sam,
Thank you!
George
 
Just set up our itinerary for an 11 night cruise of the southern Gulf Islands. Looks like we will be uninvited guests crashing the party Friday night at Ganges. If the sponsored boats have not taken up all the guest moorage spots at Ganges and Salt Spring Marinas that is!
Saturday night we are at Telegraph Marina on Thetis, Sunday at Wallace Island, Monday night in Montague Harbor then back to Prevost on Stuart Island for Tuesday night with Garrison Bay for oysters on Wednesday.
Anyone else on the PC/Ganges cruise extending their trip past Sunday?
 
I’m going to Sydney spit from poets cove
Then on to Victoria for two nights
Then …?
 
Hi all you cruisers
Wondering if anyone has been Able to find and enter bedwell harbor as a place to clear in the drop down list with the ArriveCAN app?
 
Ernie, We just tried to enter Bedwell Harbor in to ArriveCAN app today for entry into Canada Saturday May 28th and could not find Bedwell in the app. So we called customs and boarder. They said the app hasn’t been updated yet. They told us just to enter any location for now and we picked Sidney but will still arrive at Bedwell for customs clearance.
 
Thanks
See you there
 
Easy entry at Bedwell Harbor for customs. 10 minutes from docking till we had the clearance number. Poets was pretty empty. Ready for the Ranger tugs and Cutwater to arrive in a few days. Safe travels everyone
 
Mike&Sarah":1mvve2u5 said:
Easy entry at Bedwell Harbor for customs. 10 minutes from docking till we had the clearance number. Poets was pretty empty. Ready for the Ranger tugs and Cutwater to arrive in a few days. Safe travels everyone

I'm hoping for good weather on Thursday when we head up there, the earlier in the morning the better.
 
Martin,
Weather forecast is looking good for Thursday right now as far as I’m concerned. Yeah it may be raining but winds and waves should be pretty mellow. Windy app showing winds 7 KTS gusting to 10 KTS with waves 0 to 0.2 meters over the entire route. If that holds should be an easy cruise up to Ganges.
We are heading from Bellingham to Sucia on Thursday and will be at Ganges Friday afternoon.
 
scross":1p1jbbej said:
Martin,
Weather forecast is looking good for Thursday right now as far as I’m concerned. Yeah it may be raining but winds and waves should be pretty mellow. Windy app showing winds 7 KTS gusting to 10 KTS with waves 0 to 0.2 meters over the entire route. If that holds should be an easy cruise up to Ganges.
We are heading from Bellingham to Sucia on Thursday and will be at Ganges Friday afternoon.

I'm looking to leave my slip Thursday, an hour before sunrise in the dark. Get to the end of the no-wake zone right at daybreak. That time will align with my gate open at Deception Pass, with around 2-3 knots of current, easy passage. That'd get me to the Bedwell customs dock around 8:30am, maybe a little earlier. I hope to be in Ganges well before lunch.

If the weather turns, I've got a backup plan for Wednesday afternoon/evening. But that'd have me anchored out in Prevost as I'd probably get to the Bedwell customs dock too late. But then my Thursday travel would be short (Prevost to Bedwell then Ganges).
 
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