South Gulf Islands

[LadyDi381]

We plan on going into the Gulf Islands during the last week of July. Does anyone have recommendations for marinas in Bedwell
Harbour and Ganges?
Thanks, Diane

[Seapuppy]

I have plenty of recommendations...unfortunately I have never been to any of them!! :shock:
I have heard from strat that pender, bedwell and ganges are great to go too......

[Stratocaster]

Diane, in Bedwell Harbour you have one choice for a marina. Poet's Cove is a 4-star resort destination. Hot tub, pool, fancy eats, thatkind of thing. Five minutes north is Beaumont Marine Park. 15 park buoys, a beach and a great hike to a lookout 800 feet above the harbour.

Ganges...there are 2 marinas, Ganges Marina and Saltspring Marina. If you want to be close to town, choose the former. If you want to eat all your meals at Moby's Pub (great place) choose the latter. Keep in mind that while neither marina is what you'd call "classy", Saltspring is pretty run down. Ganges Marina is in better shape and most of the larger boats go there. Never go to Ganges without taking in the Saturday Market. There is nothing like it anywhere.

[Kuredu]

You also try Otter Bay marina on North Pender - they get very good write ups in the boating mags.

[LadyDi381]

Thank you Strat and Etienne,
That helps.
Diane

[Stratocaster]

You're welcome Diane. One more thing.

If you pass Poet's Cove.....and pass Beaumont Marine Park.....keep heading north and find Shark Passage in the NE corner of the harbour. It's not far from Beaumont, just a mile or so. It'll be on your right and looks like a ditch that meanders into the forest, but is perfectly safe at all tides; just keep to the middle. You will go under a bridge and pop out into Port Browning, where there is great anchorage and a marina a few hundred yards to your left. The marina has a good restaurant, a pub and a pool. No VHF radio contact from the marina, it's phone or drive-up only. If you're there on a Tuesday, make sure you go to "Turkey Tuesday" in the restaurant. It's a full turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. for 10 bucks.

But here's the clincher. From the marina it's a 10 minute walk to the Driftwood Centre, the only "mall" on the Penders. A supermarket and a bunch of small artsy shops are there and amazingly, not everyone knows it exists!

[3688DB]

Hey Mike, you forgot to mention there is a Liquor store at the Driftwood Mall. At least there was a few years back.
Might just be enough incentive to get some excercise. 8)
PS: The fish and chips were exquisite at Port Browning's Pub.

[Stratocaster]

Liquor? I just met her!! Sorry, bad pun.

You are right, Doug. I was there last summer and there was a liquor store.

Liquor? You brought her, you liquor!

Arrgghh, sorry again.

[Randygh]

Diane--we just did a week in the Gulf Islands and visited areas recommened by others on this website (*). Here are some observations and recommendations:

*Sidney--Very nice marina, clean restrooms, courteous staff. Concrete docks. Nice shopping within easy walking distance. There is an art gallery several blocks from the marina that has some really neat artworks. Great to look at, but too expensive to purchase.

*Genoa Bay Marina--Nice Harbor, rustic/crummy restroom/shower. Bathroom is a one holer and only one cramped shower. Food at the Genoa Bay restaurant is excellent with great service. Would go back again for a meal. No shopping.

*Telegraph Harbor Marina--May be alittle farther north than you want to travel. Very nice facility, clean showers, beautiful lawn and flowers around the office. Small "burgee" soda fountain with several hundred burgees hanging for ceiling beams. No shopping, but suggest you travel across channel to Chemainus. Nice community with many neat murals on city buildings. Great fish and chips at "Barney's".

Ganges--the inner marina is rundown, but worthwhile to visit the Sat AM public market. Local artisans sell their varied waries. Neat stuff.

*Otter Bay Marina--Nice marina, no shopping, very clean showers/restrooms. Courteous staff.

Poets Cove--New condo's with pool and very nice washrooms. Pricey.

Hope you have a nice vacation. Be sure to take your passports. We went through Canadian customs at Sidney and American customs at Friday Harbor. Both experiences were painless.

Randy

[bradvo]

Diane, besides what was mentioned above my wife and I really liked Maple bay. the first time I never really gave it a chance and just floated down and checked it out, the next time we went up and stayed there , now we make it a part of each trip. It has a great pub, restrooms are spotless, laundry, small marine store and boutique-they will shuttle you off to a nearby town for supplies if ya make arrangements. It is a great place to explore on the tenders, in fact we found another great pub on the far end of the bay which now has a liquor store below. They used to offer an early morning breakfast outdoors but I do not think they have that going again. The grounds are really clean and tidy and have nicely painted old diesel engines lying around. The pub girls are friendly and they have about 6 different choices of chicken wings, those are some small chickens up there, but taste good. The pub also offers a restaurant in the same building.
The maple bay marina is the one furthest back in the bay- the first marina you come to has a fuel dock, as does maple bay marina. Makes it a good place to fill up.
Brad

[LadyDi381]

Thank you for all of the great information. We have decided on 3 places since we only have a week to do this. They are Sidney, Poets Cove and Ganges for the Saturday market. We have the other places on a list for next year. Hopefully, Jerry can find a way to get more help with his job and we can take more time next year.
Diane

[1northernstar]

We spent Sunday night at Poets Cove and I was again deeply disappointed. I can honestly say I don't think I'll be back. The memories of Bedwell are too great and to see what's happened is to much...

Comments:
-There are plenty of buoys just north of the marina, probably the best bet.
- Rates for Sunday were $1.35 CDN per foot since it was a "holiday weekend". Otherwise they're $1.30. sheesh.... BTW, they're strict about the LOA of your boat, they automatically add 2 feet assuming you're longer than you're telling them. sheesh again...
- The breakwater dock is $1/foot. Not too many were using that...
- The store went from very well stocked last year, to pretty much nothing this year.
- Don't plan on buying any alcohol offsale unless you're the Budweiser or Canadian type. Within an hour of tying up, we were in the dingy headed for Port Browning's liquor store.
- The pool: crowded with kids. The hottub: crowded with adults. We passed on it...
- one last thing, when coming into your slip, don't bet on it that they've told you the right tie up for your slip. I saw more than a couple of boats (including me) having to scramble to switch fenders/lines for our slip assignment.

[bradvo]

1northernstar, i totally agree with you about Poets Cove.
Brad

[Stompor]

Thank you for all of the great information. We have decided on 3 places... They are Sidney, Poets Cove and Ganges...

Diane you will have a great time. Sidney (http://www.sidney.ca/) is a wonderful little town and you can take the bus to Butchart Gardens (http://www.butchartgardens.com/). I also really like the marina, with guest moorage way out on the end you can watch all the big boats come in. Ganges (http://www.vancouverisland.com/Regions/towns/index.asp?townID=4067) is really unique, a great place to pull up a bar stool and talk to the locals or just people watch. I also think you will really like Poets Cove (http://www.poetscove.com/), they have a nice restaurant that I will bet you will enjoy. The staff is very friendly and it will remind you a lot of Roche Harbor with out the American attitudes. If you liked it before when it had the ramshackle little pub on the dock and catered to the less well to do boating rif raf, then you might be a little disappointed.

I am sure you and Jerry will have a fun and romantic week in the Gulf Islands.

Scott

[1northernstar]

Well, from this less-well-to-do boating rif-raf, in a way I'm glad they've changed Roche and Poets Cove to cater to the more-well-to-do. It centralizes *** *********** *****-******* in one place and leaves the rest of the Juans and Gulfs for the rif-raf.

<Words replaced with *'s to not get sucked into any kind of "class-based" discussion>

[bradvo]

Scott, you obviously have not been to Bedwell much.


Diane , you will have fun- just be prepared at Ganges when docking- what I mean by that is many times the wind is blowing in that place.
The employees have always been very helpful at grabing the lines so it does help take the landing stress off.
Brad

[LadyDi381]

Thanks Scott, We went to Sidney last year and loved it. We did the bus and garden thing too. We reserved a gormet picnic dinner from the restaurant and that was fun. We ate on the lawn and the waiter would serve us the wine. Later, we watched the fireworks.

Roche Harbor is my 2nd favorite place to go in the American San Juans. I enjoy everything about it.... the beauty, the old restored buildings , the lights at night, the corny lowering of the flags and the church music played over the harbor on Sunday mornings.

I know everyone has their favorite and least places to go in the Canadian Islands and that's why I asked. I recieved a lot of good information.

Thank you Bradvo, the information on the wind is helpful. I will remind Jerry before we get there.

Diane

[Stompor]

Oh Brad,
We go to Bedwell every year. It is the best place go do customs. Did I like it before it became Poets Cove, you bet. Do I like it now, well yes and no. I like the pool, good for the kids. I like the fancier attitude, nice when we want to do the "adult" night out. I think it is over priced, I miss the everyman feel it had before.

But I can not make it like it is before so I choose to look at the positives, and it is a great place for couples.
Scott


"rif raf" was not ment to attack anyone here, (well maybe Tedd :evil4: ) I must be watching too much Aladin.

[bradvo]

So does anyone know why the docks were rebuilt at Poets Cove ( Bedwell Harbor) 6 or so years back? Not all the docks but around maybe half. See who knows.
:?:
No prize awarded except an ada boy, or girl.
Brad

[reggies3270]

If memory isn`t failing me to badly did`nt some big yacht type boat run over the gas dock etc?

[Stratocaster]

I seem to recall it was a 90 foot converted tug, which got stuck in reverse. Took out half the docks before it stopped.

[bradvo]

Was related to Tugs---- The resort ( Docks) were closed and we were told it was the owners of the Foss tug companies private vintage Yacht the "Thea Foss" if I recall the name properly, that wiped them out including damaging a few boats.
Brad

[SomeSailor]

I was just reading another post about the Tall Ships, and read the name "Thea Foss". Here's the article if you're interested: http://news.tradingcharts.com/futures/5/9/67843295.html

[bradvo]

Mike, I have read the history once before of the Foss Maritime business. very interesting at how it grew from row boats to say the least. I did not read all the article , but skimmed through it ( work sucks today). I know the tugs are named after many family memebers as well. thanks for the link.
Brad