Planning a 3 week holiday to Desolation Sound this August and would like any feedback on this trip
Desolation Sound
- Thread starter Lost Parent
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Lots of anchor line. Very deep in most place back inside. Forbes Bay is a great anchorage. Not much wind, if any once you make the turn at Sarah Point. You might consider Chatterbox Falls as an alternative trip. Much shorter and a lot more beautiful. You can anchor right in front of the falls. Sean
Some anchorages are crowded and a stern line is run to shore to prevent swinging so take a few hundred feet - ideally on a reel mounted on the stern pulpit.
Great place to go.
Great place to go.
LP, the magazine "Northwest Yachting" the big oversized one, has recently run excerpts from the Dreamspeaker book including Desolation Sounds and surrounding areas. Of course, the book that those excerpts come from, as well as Wagonner's Guide, seem to have covered almost all you'd need to know. While I'm from the States, my father-in-law lives on Vancouver island, so I have done a lot of reading about the area.
Have a great trip.
Have a great trip.
The scenery is spectacular. Been there many times.
As Ray says, you must have a camera with a large memory and MAYBE a little bug spray. It's not all that bad. Mind you, skin like a rhino is definitely helpful.
Canadian Hydrographic Services (CHS) charts are mandatory for the area as there are numerous submerged rocks in the area. Available at most marinas along the way.
As Seanshine mentions, Chatterbox Falls is possibly even more spectacular but does require a few days to get in and out as you're timing the slack.
As Ray says, you must have a camera with a large memory and MAYBE a little bug spray. It's not all that bad. Mind you, skin like a rhino is definitely helpful.
Canadian Hydrographic Services (CHS) charts are mandatory for the area as there are numerous submerged rocks in the area. Available at most marinas along the way.
As Seanshine mentions, Chatterbox Falls is possibly even more spectacular but does require a few days to get in and out as you're timing the slack.
Stu's comments inspired me to check amazon.com for Dreamspeaker series.... this might be a worthwhile investment:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=1570613540
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=1570613540
Agree on this.
Have not been to Desolation Sound yet from Blaine, but have been to Chatterbox Falls (Princess Louisa Inlet ) -- I think that was a 10-12 day trip from Blaine .. It was spectacular and we plan on going back.
We also did a loop through Octopus Island area from Blaine in about 2 weeks -- that area was very nice, not crowded .. away from VHF chatter etc. Very good trip also.
I don't have a stern line yet , about how much line would i need for a line to shore and return also how deep are most anchorages
LP,
Reread rep;ly #9 for length of stern line.
You could check the charts for water depth. My understanding is that it gets real deep real quick, so you're not dealing with 7:1 scopes up there.
As suggested, do some reading up, it's in the books, really.
Stu
Some of the anchorages are deep, others not so deep. Scope isn't much problem as with a line ashore you can't swing. Drop the anchor and back up towards shore - it's deep fairly close to shore in most places. I have seen all types of line used for a stern line - 3/8 or 1/2 poly is probably the least expensive and it floats. Most here get an empty spool from a marine store and find some way to mount it on the stern rail. If you are creative make a mount with a spindle and add a handle to wind it in - 200' is plenty. A cover for the spool is a good idea to protect from uv.
Depths Vary Widely
Hi Lost Parent,
Been to Desolation and Princess Louisa Inlet many times. You have to go right by the passage to P.L. inlet. Don't miss it! Spectacular!!
Anchoring depths vary from "normal" at a lot of locations to "deep and steep". Pendrell Sound (sp) is very deep. We anchored with only 2-3 to 1 scope with the anchor about 85 feet down on a slope. We backed towards shore and stern tied about 25 feet from land. The rudder still had about 30 feet below it. There was no way to get a better scope at this location. Good locations are Squirrel Cove, Von Donop, Gorge Harbour, Grace Harbour, Roscoe Bay, etc. (many, many places).
From your marina it should take about 4 (or 5) days to get there.
Maybe I will see you there as we are going again this year.
Enjoy,
Tom
Hi Lost Parent,
Been to Desolation and Princess Louisa Inlet many times. You have to go right by the passage to P.L. inlet. Don't miss it! Spectacular!!
Anchoring depths vary from "normal" at a lot of locations to "deep and steep". Pendrell Sound (sp) is very deep. We anchored with only 2-3 to 1 scope with the anchor about 85 feet down on a slope. We backed towards shore and stern tied about 25 feet from land. The rudder still had about 30 feet below it. There was no way to get a better scope at this location. Good locations are Squirrel Cove, Von Donop, Gorge Harbour, Grace Harbour, Roscoe Bay, etc. (many, many places).
From your marina it should take about 4 (or 5) days to get there.
Maybe I will see you there as we are going again this year.
Enjoy,
Tom
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