explorermike
Paddler
Last weekend wanted to get out in some open water, so took a stab at a day paddle from Swartz to Sturdies Bay ferry docks. It worked pretty well, requiring about 5 hours, including a lunch stop on Prevost. I think it's about 16 nm.
Route Plan:
- depart swartz bay
- cross colburne channel (where the ferries come through)
- skirt west side of knapp
- skirt west side of portland
- cross over to eleanor pt on saltspring
- round beaver pt, and then cross over to prevost
- skirt east side of prevost
- travel half way up north side of prevost (insurance against current)
- cross over to galiano
- ride the incoming tide current through Active pass, hugging Galiano shore
- arrive sturdies bay
Lots of small boat traffic on the route, but only have to account for ferries right at Swartz Bay and in Active Pass. Generally, I suspect that going south to north, you can enjoy the wind behind you. Ferries to Swartz depart from Tsawwassen on the hour most days, so it's easy to schedule that side. However, getting off the ferry, walking around and launching will probably consume 45 min to 1 hour. On the Sturdies side, I was informed by locals that walk on reservations are a good idea, as sometimes they fill up the boat, and you could get left behind.
This route offers quite a bit of variety, with some open crossings, and rocky shorelines exposed to a quite a bit of fetch. So if the wind picks up, it has the option to get lively. Also, the combination of Active Pass currents and frequent ferries coming through, means that paddlers should have their rough water / rolling skills well in order. The currents weren't too severe at 3 kts max while I was in there - but it's definitely a thing to plan around, as things can happen fast in a current, and the ferries whip right through.
A possible second option, if Active is not desired or current direction is wrong, would be to end at Village Bay instead - which would mean crossing from Prevost over to North Pender. But would need to stay pretty sharp doing that, as ferries coming south out of Active could pop out of the pass, only a couple of miles away.
Sorry, didn't have a camera with me, so no pix. But if you can recommend other interesting day runs, with some good looking shoreline and a bit of exposure to wind and weather, please share. Also, I'll be doing this run again, so if you'd be interested to jump in, please drop me a note.
Regards,
Mike
Route Plan:
- depart swartz bay
- cross colburne channel (where the ferries come through)
- skirt west side of knapp
- skirt west side of portland
- cross over to eleanor pt on saltspring
- round beaver pt, and then cross over to prevost
- skirt east side of prevost
- travel half way up north side of prevost (insurance against current)
- cross over to galiano
- ride the incoming tide current through Active pass, hugging Galiano shore
- arrive sturdies bay
Lots of small boat traffic on the route, but only have to account for ferries right at Swartz Bay and in Active Pass. Generally, I suspect that going south to north, you can enjoy the wind behind you. Ferries to Swartz depart from Tsawwassen on the hour most days, so it's easy to schedule that side. However, getting off the ferry, walking around and launching will probably consume 45 min to 1 hour. On the Sturdies side, I was informed by locals that walk on reservations are a good idea, as sometimes they fill up the boat, and you could get left behind.
This route offers quite a bit of variety, with some open crossings, and rocky shorelines exposed to a quite a bit of fetch. So if the wind picks up, it has the option to get lively. Also, the combination of Active Pass currents and frequent ferries coming through, means that paddlers should have their rough water / rolling skills well in order. The currents weren't too severe at 3 kts max while I was in there - but it's definitely a thing to plan around, as things can happen fast in a current, and the ferries whip right through.
A possible second option, if Active is not desired or current direction is wrong, would be to end at Village Bay instead - which would mean crossing from Prevost over to North Pender. But would need to stay pretty sharp doing that, as ferries coming south out of Active could pop out of the pass, only a couple of miles away.
Sorry, didn't have a camera with me, so no pix. But if you can recommend other interesting day runs, with some good looking shoreline and a bit of exposure to wind and weather, please share. Also, I'll be doing this run again, so if you'd be interested to jump in, please drop me a note.
Regards,
Mike
