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Discovery Islands – Travel
the "Inside Passage" between Vancouver Island and the
Sunshine Coast on the mainland and boaters will soon arrive at
Quadra and Cortes Island. Centrally located, the islands, offer
excellent moorage with some good sheltered bays from the winds
and currents.
One thing to watch for when boaters are about to
enter the region of the Discovery Islands - a sure sign you are
close to Quadra Island - is the high number of kayakers, fishing
boats and scuba divers in the area. The islands are not just a
boating destination... but are much, much more.
The looming limestone towering bluffs in the region
are a sight to behold when exploring the islands located east
of the Discovery Passage opposite the community
of Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
The coastal region also has a
cluster of smaller islands to circumnavigate that are great for
boating and finding private coves for off shore moorage include
Maurelle Island, West Redonda Island, Rendezvous Islands,
Stuart Island, East Thurlow Island, Read Island, Subtle Island
and Sonora Island. Together, this group
of islands is sometimes referred to as the north-central
Gulf Islands.
The bigger islands of Quadra Island and
Cortes Island along with the smaller Read
Island, work together in developing the tidal currents
of the area, forcing the ocean tides into a powerful bottleneck
creating small rip tides, upwellings and whirlpools.
Always be prepared in BC waters and have proper
tidal and navigation charts when exploring the region. The nearby
area of Bute Inlet, just tucked behind Stuart
Island also means “violent winds”
because the winds funnel up the passage with unpredictable velocity…
so prepare adequately. Boating the Discovery
Islands has memorable wildlife highlights with many opportunities
to view Black
Bears and Bald
Eagles.
Some of the more popular areas to explore include
the Octopus Islands Marine Park, Waiatt Bay and
the seals perched at Cyprus Rocks. Boaters should
be cautious when entering Johnstone Strait because of the heavy
marine traffic and the tide rips which create challenging boating
conditions.
Other areas to mark on the charts are the challenging
Yuculta Rapids, Dent Rapids, Lower and Upper Rapids, Okis
Islands and Surge Narrows. Now, we are serious when we
say … Tide tables are a must and a good understanding of
tidal currents is essential when boating this
area.
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