Haifisch
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2019
- Messages
- 156
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-31 S
- Vessel Name
- Pilar
Providing some recent intel on our trip to Princess Louisa Inlet with 3 boats. (A little long, so scroll on by if you're not in the PNW...). Not at all crowded for high season. Canada is open for business but with the same labor and supply limitations we face in the USA.
40 cruising hours on the engine round trip; about 350 gallons of fuel. We cruised 14-15 knots most of the way getting about 10.2 -10.5 gph. Cruises were 4-5 hours per day. Our R31 performed very well with no systems issues at all. Combo of eating at restaurants and cooking on the boat.
Route: (downloaded pay versions of Navionics and Windy which were extremely helpful.
7/19 Depart Bainbridge at 6 AM. Crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Right after Point Wilson it was flat and freaky calm. Entered San Juan Channel, bought fuel at $6 (with tax )at Friday Harbor and spent the night.
7/20 Departed Friday Harbor at 8 AM and cleared customs at Bedwell. Took 5 minutes with a call only. Mostly concerned with how much alcohol, weapons and cannabis we had on board. No prob. Headed up to Clam Bay and anchored to wait for the slack at Dodd. Nice lunch stop. Crossed at slack at 4:30 – No problem. Stayed at Port of Nanaimo. -A little hard to find as it is tucked back and slips are tight. Very nice place to stay.
7/21. Departed Nanaimo at 10:00 AM. Called the phone number for Whisky Golf. They were not in operation so we headed NNE straight across the Strait of Georgia. A little bumpy, but no swells. Ran Agamemnon Channel to BackEddy resort in Egmont. Kind of scruffy place, but had water and fuel. Aggressive current through the marina so needed to think about getting out in the AM. A lot of random logs flowing through the marina. Highly recommend facing into the current. Not enough power for everyone docking so keep that in mind. Nice little bar there.
7/22 Depart Egmont at 6 AM and headed up Jervis. Lovely calm ride EXCEPT there was an unmarked log boom about ½ way that ran from the east shore about 120 yards west. There is a helicopter logging operation going on and they drop logs in the water. Cool to watch from a distance. Crossed Malibu rapids at around 10 AM. Uneventful and not at all spooky as long as you steer to your charts and are near slack. AM slacks are great as they create lots of openings at the dock and mooring balls. Dock had plenty of space and the balls at McDonald were empty. We snagged the Starboard tie closest to the falls. Park Ranger was ultra friendly. No problem with rafting one additional boat at the dock. Several boats were doing this. PLI is as incredible as everyone says.
7/24 Depart PLI at 9:30 for the 10:!5 slack at Malibu. Big turnover of boats coming in and out. Ran back down to Pender and stayed at John Henry Marina in Pender. Nice place. It’s for sale if you have $7.4 Million on your boat. Great dinner at the Grasshopper up on the bluff.
7/25. Strong winds and waves in the Strait of Georgia, so we spent an extra day waiting it out but had to move to the Pender Marina and Resort. Very nice place with new docks, but not much for supplies There’s an IGA about 15 minutes away by dinghy.
7/26. Crossed the Georgia Strait. Great through Malspina strait, but Georgia had other plans with waves and following seas on the starboard quarter than made for a long two hours. Wish the RT had a larger rudder as the dealing with the yaw is a workout and full throttle is needed to straighten it out. Stopped for lunch at Silva to wait for Gabriola slack. Safe in the Gulf Islands, ran down to Montague Harbor and anchored. Wished we’d planned an extra day as it was one of our favorite stops.
7/27. Easy cruise to Poets Cove. Watch out for the whale exclusion zone along the West shore of south Pender. It is on Navionics, but not on my Garmin Charterplotter since I haven’t updated in a few years. Someone from the government does hang out there shooing people out of the zone. Completed the CBP ap and paid my $30 for my “cruising license”. For all you 29 & smaller RT that’s one less fee you have to pay since it’s for 30’ + boats. I had planned on just calling in from Friday Harbor tomorrow, but my friend went through today and when he called, was told to download the ap and pay the government. Recommend taking care of it ahead of time or just get Nexus and skip the whole Kafkaesque experience of the CBP Roam BS.
7/28 Cleared customs while floating in Friday Harbor over the phone. No citrus, eggs or chickens allowed in. Lovely night on G Dock.
7/29 Back home via Deception Pass. A little bumpy in Rosario, but overall a nice ride home.
Hope this recent info is helpful to those headed north. Life-changing cruise
40 cruising hours on the engine round trip; about 350 gallons of fuel. We cruised 14-15 knots most of the way getting about 10.2 -10.5 gph. Cruises were 4-5 hours per day. Our R31 performed very well with no systems issues at all. Combo of eating at restaurants and cooking on the boat.
Route: (downloaded pay versions of Navionics and Windy which were extremely helpful.
7/19 Depart Bainbridge at 6 AM. Crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Right after Point Wilson it was flat and freaky calm. Entered San Juan Channel, bought fuel at $6 (with tax )at Friday Harbor and spent the night.
7/20 Departed Friday Harbor at 8 AM and cleared customs at Bedwell. Took 5 minutes with a call only. Mostly concerned with how much alcohol, weapons and cannabis we had on board. No prob. Headed up to Clam Bay and anchored to wait for the slack at Dodd. Nice lunch stop. Crossed at slack at 4:30 – No problem. Stayed at Port of Nanaimo. -A little hard to find as it is tucked back and slips are tight. Very nice place to stay.
7/21. Departed Nanaimo at 10:00 AM. Called the phone number for Whisky Golf. They were not in operation so we headed NNE straight across the Strait of Georgia. A little bumpy, but no swells. Ran Agamemnon Channel to BackEddy resort in Egmont. Kind of scruffy place, but had water and fuel. Aggressive current through the marina so needed to think about getting out in the AM. A lot of random logs flowing through the marina. Highly recommend facing into the current. Not enough power for everyone docking so keep that in mind. Nice little bar there.
7/22 Depart Egmont at 6 AM and headed up Jervis. Lovely calm ride EXCEPT there was an unmarked log boom about ½ way that ran from the east shore about 120 yards west. There is a helicopter logging operation going on and they drop logs in the water. Cool to watch from a distance. Crossed Malibu rapids at around 10 AM. Uneventful and not at all spooky as long as you steer to your charts and are near slack. AM slacks are great as they create lots of openings at the dock and mooring balls. Dock had plenty of space and the balls at McDonald were empty. We snagged the Starboard tie closest to the falls. Park Ranger was ultra friendly. No problem with rafting one additional boat at the dock. Several boats were doing this. PLI is as incredible as everyone says.
7/24 Depart PLI at 9:30 for the 10:!5 slack at Malibu. Big turnover of boats coming in and out. Ran back down to Pender and stayed at John Henry Marina in Pender. Nice place. It’s for sale if you have $7.4 Million on your boat. Great dinner at the Grasshopper up on the bluff.
7/25. Strong winds and waves in the Strait of Georgia, so we spent an extra day waiting it out but had to move to the Pender Marina and Resort. Very nice place with new docks, but not much for supplies There’s an IGA about 15 minutes away by dinghy.
7/26. Crossed the Georgia Strait. Great through Malspina strait, but Georgia had other plans with waves and following seas on the starboard quarter than made for a long two hours. Wish the RT had a larger rudder as the dealing with the yaw is a workout and full throttle is needed to straighten it out. Stopped for lunch at Silva to wait for Gabriola slack. Safe in the Gulf Islands, ran down to Montague Harbor and anchored. Wished we’d planned an extra day as it was one of our favorite stops.
7/27. Easy cruise to Poets Cove. Watch out for the whale exclusion zone along the West shore of south Pender. It is on Navionics, but not on my Garmin Charterplotter since I haven’t updated in a few years. Someone from the government does hang out there shooing people out of the zone. Completed the CBP ap and paid my $30 for my “cruising license”. For all you 29 & smaller RT that’s one less fee you have to pay since it’s for 30’ + boats. I had planned on just calling in from Friday Harbor tomorrow, but my friend went through today and when he called, was told to download the ap and pay the government. Recommend taking care of it ahead of time or just get Nexus and skip the whole Kafkaesque experience of the CBP Roam BS.
7/28 Cleared customs while floating in Friday Harbor over the phone. No citrus, eggs or chickens allowed in. Lovely night on G Dock.
7/29 Back home via Deception Pass. A little bumpy in Rosario, but overall a nice ride home.
Hope this recent info is helpful to those headed north. Life-changing cruise
