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Western
Frontiers (20-2)
By Lynn Ove Mortensen
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No
matter where your compass is pointing, isolated beauty,
unique culture and compelling history await along the
coastlines of British Columbia.
THE BROUGHTON ARCHIPELAGO
Fishing, excellent boating opportunities and
folklore await those who visit this northwestern destination.
 Following
the Inside Passage north and west, several sets of tightly
constricted waterways mark a very real barrier to British
Columbia’s coastal travel. Beyond these rapids,
including Seymour Narrows, Yaculta Rapids, Surge Narrows
and Hole in the Wall, the weather changes. The air and
water are colder, rain and fog are more prevalent and
settlements are fewer; the wilderness begins.
For the adventuresome, leaving behind the reliable summer
playgrounds of the south leads to greater insight into
the province's past and a real sense of having been
somewhere different. These days, a lot of boaters are
heading to the Broughton Archipelago.
This group of 300-plus islands is now designated as
a marine park. Recreational boaters cruise this region
for its quiet anchorages, and natural wildlife. They
also come for the astounding sport fishing where salmon
and immense 50-kilogram halibut are guaranteed to deliver
the thrill of a lifetime.
This is the land of lumberjack tales and villages on
floats tied to shore. It’s the land of Three-Week-Willies
who worked in camps just long enough to earn money for
another bust into town, and remained loyal to the old
Union Steamship Cassiar, the only steamer that allowed
caulk boots on her decks.
Around the park are signs of this era, the old steamship
stops at Simoom Sound, Minstrel Island and Echo Bay,
where day boats brought loggers, fishermen and prospectors
from miles around. Nowadays, in remote bays around the
park, small entrepreneurs summon boaters with interesting
bait. Lagoon Cove on West Cracroft offers a gathering
place for recreational boaters who can tie-off on their
floats. Happy hours commence and potlucks are concocted
from the daily catch. Shawl Bay, with its breathtaking
scenery, sales of fresh pastries and free pancake breakfasts
is another popular stop among the boating community.
One of the other highlights in the summer is Pierre's
regular pigroasts, complemented by side dishes contributed
by guests. In these parts, isolated restaurants at Sullivan
Bay and Greenway Sound are other noted stops. (Page
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GULF ISLANDS
A region that blends breathtaking scenery with
several amenities and services.
 The
Gulf Islands attract multitudes of boaters annually
from both Canada and the United States. Lying along
the southern portion of the Strait of Georgia, this
archipelago of islands lie in a triangle formed by the
major population centres of Vancouver, Victoria and
Nanaimo and boast a warm, dry climate, offering year-round
cruising. Homes nestle in the coves and dot the hillsides.
Towns and villages offer a broad choice of marine facilities
and remarkable opportunities for shopping, dining and
of course, nightlife.
To the west, this cruising region includes the southeastern
shores of Vancouver Island. Nestled closely together
from the Saanich Peninsula north through Sansum Narrows
it's hard to choose a particular destination with such
scenic areas of Sidney, Cowichan Bay, Genoa Bay and
Maple Bay, with several services and amenities.
In the old mill town of Chemainus, colourful murals
depict local history while the shops, galleries and
parks are hard to resist. Right up Stuart Channel, two
popular marinas welcome boaters at Telegraph Cove on
rural Thetis Island. More services plus world-class
dining can be found at Page Point Marina.
At Montague Harbour on lanky Galiano, a tropic-like
sand beach lies near an archaeological site thought
to be nearly 7,000 years old. More secluded hideaways
wait among bays and bights nearby. The route through
narrow, picturesque Gabriola Pass leads to fishing in
Georgia Strait where bald eagles swoop and soar in the
strong gulf winds.
At the center of the archipelago, Saltspring Island
is a cruising magnet. Shops and restaurants on Saltspring
proudly feature local goat cheese and island grown lamb.
To the south, age-old petroglyphs decorate boulders
on the beach in Fulford Harbour.
Many smaller islands dot the center of the group. One-boat
bights provide peaceful stops among the islands ending
with DeCourcy Island where cult leader Brother Twelve
held sway over a horde of devoted followers in the 1920's.
At the top of the Gulf Islands, the even narrower, S-curved
Dodd Narrows, where the current runs eight to ten knots
on spring tides, accesses the broad grassy fields, teeming
tidepools and lovely trails on charming Newcastle Island,
directly across from the community of Nanaimo. (Page
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For more information contact www.gulfislands.com
DESOLATION SOUND
A rugged shoreline and magnificent seascapes
combine to make this destination a must for any recreational
cruiser.
 Desolation
Sound, named by Captain George Vancouver, seems a poorly
chosen moniker for what is arguably the most popular
cruising destination on the Pacific Coast. When Vancouver
encountered the deep mountain-rimmed basin in 1792,
rain clouds must have shrouded its mile-high snowcapped
peaks.
But, from May to September, except for the occasional
passing weather fronts, the sun beats on Desolation's
coastline, infusing a golden glow and sharpening the
jagged skyline as it slides westward to sink below Vancouver
Island. Much of the Sound is now protected as a marine
park, resulting in an awesome display of untouched natural
wonders. While the park has no facilities, fuel or groceries,
amenities can be found at nearby Lund to the south,
Refuge Cove on West Redonda Island, and Squirrel Cove
on Cortez Island to the west.
Cruisers enjoy many stories about early hand loggers
and several old bachelors who lived on these isolated
shores. But except for one or two plots of arable land
in the Sound itself and the gentler shores of Malaspina
Inlet, the terrain is too steep to have offered preemption
possibilities.
Despite rocky and steep shores, there are gentle gravel
beaches if one looks hard enough. Short hikes lead to
two warm, fresh water lakes. Ancient native pictographs
wait on stone faces camouflaged by fir and arbutus.
Just about the only negative aspect of this area is
the high season overcrowding in popular anchorages such
as Prideaux Haven, Tenedos and Galley Bays, Grace Harbour
and Squirrel Cove. Several float plane services also
run regular scheduled summer flights into some of these
harbours. Yet private one-boat bights reward the early-comers
and the diligent. For those lucky enough to arrive in
the less traveled months of late spring and early fall,
Desolation remains an incomparable wonderland. (Page
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THE ROUTE NORTH
 Winding
isolated cruising routes offer a fascinating journey
into British Columbia’s heartland.
For more than a century, the call of the north has beckoned
boaters. Cape Caution, located at the entrance to Queen
Charlotte Strait, presents a stark dividing line between
boaters of the lower coast and those drawn in either
by a journey to Alaska or the next nook north.
Cape Caution is best approached during settled weather
since all boats are exposed to the full force of the
Pacific. Even on the calmest days, large broad siding
swells roll in from the open ocean. Egg Island signals
the beginning of this endless exploration.
Many choices off the Inside Passage present nearly uninhabited
webs of twisting routes. Few boaters make this choice,
leaving the purist to enjoy his mountain vistas undiluted
by fellow travellers. Only parts of this area has recently
been charted and there are no facilities. Solitude,
hidden lagoons and one-boat bights can be found in Smith
Inlet, Smith Sound and the intricate channels off Fishegg
Inlet.
Salmon have drawn visitors to Rivers Inlet since the
late 1800s. Once the site of more than 15 canneries
and enough fishing activity to warrant its own hospital,
the inlet today, however, houses several fishing resorts.
At the end of Draney Channel, the floating village called
Dawson's Landing supports an old-fashioned general store.
Just off Klaquaek Channel, fine anchorages abound. Frypan
Bay and Five Windows are just two of the hot spots.
At the top of Calvert Island, cruising routes from Pruth
Bay lead to several broad open ocean beaches. A few
miles north on the mainland side, the old BC Packers
site at Namu typifies the amazing town-like appearance
of company canneries. While the region may seem remote,
three communities lie hidden among its winding passages.
The First Nations town of New Bella Bella is located
on the west side of Lama Passage. Its grocery store
is a valuable stop. At the head of Cousins Inlet, Ocean
Falls, the once-thriving, hill-clinging papermill town,
sits skeleton-like in the mist. When the mill closed
in the 1970s, most of the town was dismantled, leaving
only rustic boardwalks, a huge 400-room empty hotel,
hospital and courthouse. Finally, the Norwegian-settled
town of Bella Coola lies tucked at the head of North
Bentinck Arm. Bella Coola sits above a loop formed by
Dean and Burke Channels. Alexander Mackenzie, trekking
overland, reached tidewater nearby in 1793. Two local
hot springs burble piping hot water into unique settings,
and the scenery, especially near Cathedral Point is
spectacular. It’s easy to understand why explorers
continue to head north to this wild and isolated region.
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