BC Sailors: Porlier Pass

[YVRguy]

As a reasonably new sailor I'll be transiting Porlier Pass for the first time this weekend. Any thoughts/tips? Looks like it should be fairly straight forward at slack or with the current but the chart seems to show lots of potential rocks. Looks like staying more to the South side is the better bet.

 

[Hello Below]

Doug, in the last 12 months I have transited Porlier Pass over a dozen times. Mainly to Speciality Yachts in our new 2012 Hunter 33. Send me a private message and I will send you a route that I have safely used each time.

 

[Hello Below]

Doug, in the last 12 months I have transited Porlier Pass over a dozen times. Mainly to Speciality Yachts in our new 2012 Hunter 33. Send me a private message and I will send you a route that I have safely used each time.

Let's try this. In short the south side is the safe way to transit the pass. For sailboats slack or ebb (from North to South) is definitely the only time to transit. Even a current in the right direction, over 4 knts, would make things exciting. I have seen as much as a 10 knot flood and without a lot of get up and go power I would never consider it. Also IMHO, given the wonky currents and winds through there I will never again try sailing through there (gave the locals some entertainment once).

 

[YVRguy]

Let's try this. In short the south side is the safe way to transit the pass. For sailboats slack or ebb (from North to South) is definitely the only time to transit. Even a current in the right direction, over 4 knts, would make things exciting. I have seen as much as a 10 knot flood and without a lot of get up and go power I would never consider it. Also IMHO, given the wonky currents and winds through there I will never again try sailing through there (gave the locals some entertainment once).

Thanks very much for this! Just to give you some comfort, I do have the appropriate charts I just wanted to make sure there were no other hazards to be aware of. Looking forward to it.

 

[Stretch]

Read your post on the Hunter Rendevous, sounds like you made out fine in Porlier Pass, but got your first grounding over with anyway. Nothing like that ''minefield ''feeling, eh?

 

[YVRguy]

Rock

Read your post on the Hunter Rendevous, sounds like you made out fine in Porlier Pass, but got your first grounding over with anyway. Nothing like that ''minefield ''feeling, eh?

Yeah, hitting that rock wasn't a pleasant experience. But as I said in the blog it turned out to be one of those lessons that didn't come at a high cost. I'm a lot more careful now when I'm anywhere I don't have local knowledge.

 

[Hello Below]

A marina acquaintance hit a rock at that exact location last summer. Several months and several tens of thousands of dollars later (covered by insurance), his boat was ready for use. I see the boat now has a "For Sale" sign on it.

 

[YVRguy]

FWIW, I have examined the best chart for that location in great detail and it's clearly wrong. According to the chart we would have been fine where we were even at chart datum. Guess that's another lesson...