Capilano Squadron
Capilano Squadron
Note to users: Links to other pages are underlined and you can click these for more info. Please bookmark this page and check back - I will update information as we get closer to the cruise.
Princess Louisa Inlet is like no other place on earth. It is spectacularly beautiful and a must visit destination for all boaters in the Pacific North West. The fjord is reached by cruising to Jervis Inlet from the Strait of Georgia and then through Prince of Wales Reach, Princess Royal Reach and Queens Reach. From Vancouver, the shortest route will be through Agamemnon Channel, just North of Pender Harbour.
There is a 200 meter public (and free) dock at the head of the Inlet and several mooring buoys behind MacDonald Island to port approximately halfway up the Inlet (watch for a drying rock off the South end of the Island). The land drops off very quickly from the side, which limits anchoring, but you can comfortably anchor at the head near Chatterbox Falls. I have seen vessels snug in quite closely to the falls, drop the anchor and then back down and let the stream keep them in place. Remember that the Inlet is tidal so don't go drop the hook in 6 feet at high tide, unless you are planning to do some mussel scraping at the same time! There are also 4 tent sites at the head of the inlet (and more on MacDonald Island) if you wish to join the cruise but camp on shore.
Here are a few excellent reference sites on Princess Louisa Inlet:
Princess Louisa International Society
The Legend of Princess Louisa Provincial Marine Park
Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park
Here's the webcam image
If you plan to cruise up from Vancouver the distance is approximately 100 miles (86 nm or 160 km). We (Kuredu) have cruised up to the Inlet over a normal weekend so the long weekend will afford an easy and relaxing cruise. Sunrise is at 5:25 am and sunset at 8:50 pm for the weekend. Low tide on Saturday at Pt Atkinson is around 6:00 pm at 5ft.
Kuredu will leave Horseshoe Bay on Friday around 4:00 pm and we will anchor in Smugglers Cove (40 miles) for the evening. If you prefer a marina, Secret Cove is nearby and is one of our favourite stops. We have always found fuel to be very reasonable at Secret and often cheaper than Vancouver and they are pretty well stocked for supplies and sell liquor. If your cruising speed is limited, you may choose to leave a little earlier and could reach further up also, which would shorten the Saturday cruise somewhat (more about this further down). If you have not been into Smugglers before, be very careful when entering - it is narrow and you should favour the Western side of the entrance. Please check your charts before entering Smugglers. We prefer the inner cove and we will leave our VHF on ch 16 if you want to contact us for assistance or would like to raft up. If the inner cove is busy you may be required to stern tie. If we are there before you just give me a holler and I'll come help.
We plan to leave Smugglers around 8:00 am on Saturday (that's 'boat time' folks!) and will cruise through Agmemnon Channel into Jervis and up to Princess Louisa which should get us to Malibu Rapids between noon and 1:00 pm. The cruise up the fjord is easy and relaxed. During our last trip up we found no junk in the water but there is logging taking place so keep a watch as always. The water is very protected and should present no problem at all.
Malibu Rapids can be challenging when flowing strongly but at or near slack is easy to navigate. High and low tides are approx 30 minutes after Pt Atkinson. The tides for the long weekend are very much in our favour and assuming 4 knots will still allow passage, the only time you may have problems transiting Malibu Rapids on Saturday will be between 1:00 pm and 5:30 pm. You should announce your intention to enter on channel 16 on the VHF to ensure you have clear passage and have the rapids to yourself. Your call should be something like:
"Securite, securite, securite. This is the motor vessel Kuredu, Kuredu, Kuredu. We are a four zero foot motor vessel about to enter Princess Louisa, north bound through Malibu Rapids. Any opposing or concerned traffic, please indicate on channel 16. Kuredu standing by, over."
Wait a few minutes and repeat your request. If no answer, proceed but do not assume that the channel will be clear..... For larger vessels there is no room to turn around once you are committed. Once inside the inlet please reduce speed to no-wake.
Here are the current predictions for May 20 and 21.
Please verify the tides and currents for yourself. Consult the Canadian Tide and Current Tables, vol. 5, for the times of slack. are listed in the tables as a secondary current station based on the tides at Point Atkinson.
To give you an idea what Malibu Rapids look like - here is a satellite image of the entrance and another picture which will give you an idea of the course to be taken. Do NOT pass on the Eastern side of the island at the entrance!. I find maps.google.ca a valuable and fun resource when planning a cruise. And speakinmg of valuable resources - here is an amazing webcam page with views all the way from Washington to North Vancouver Island.
If you have a smaller boat and would like to join the cruise, you could consider trailering up to Egmont and launch from there. The cruise up the fjord should present no problem but you must be equipped for a 35 mile cruise and have a VHF on board. Once you get a little into Prince of Whales Reach there is no way to contact anybody except via VHF and even that will be limited to your immediate area at times. From what I understand, even satellite phones will not work inside PLI so be sure to leave a float plan with someone.
Kuredu will be happy to act as 'buddy boat' for smaller or slower vessels or if you not comfortable cruising alone. Please contact me if you want to arrange this.
If you have a slower vessel you should still consider the cruise. If you leave Vancouver at, say, noon on Friday you should easily reach Pender on Friday, even at just 6 kn cruise. This puts PLI within 55 miles for Saturday and you could time it to enter at 6:00 pm with three hours of daylight still left and just in time for evening cocktails! Pender Harbour offers some excellent anchorages and marinas and you may even find a spot in Agmemnon Channel (half way up on port side is a great spot) or Egmont. If you cruise as far as Egmont, you could anchor in lovely Harmony Islands Marine Park. (65 miles from Vancouver). And if you're worried about spending too little time in Princess Louisa to make it worth while, believe me that the cruise up is as amazing, as you can see from the following picture taken about midway up the fjord.
We will leave PLI for home on Monday. Slower vessels may prefer to leave on Sunday afternoon and split the cruise back in two.
There are no organized events planned for the cruise but Saturday evening will probably turn into a pot-luck on the docks or at the Memorial Cabin. Cocktail recipes should be exchanged only if you can back this up with a taster. Otherwise it's just mean. It is also customary to offer the cruise master (ahem...) a drink.
I will throw a bundle of wood on the boat before we leave here, just in case there are no fire restrictions and we want to share boating stories around the fire in the Memorial Cabin. Feel free to bring some marshmallows and a stick. There will be no professional belly dancers as some have rumored - heaven knows who starts these stories - but it should be fun none the less. If you have a budding musician on board, please pack a guitar or other instrument and serenade us.
You must bring everything you need with you and also bring back your garbage when you leave. This is a no discharge zone for holding tanks and there are pit-toilets on shore. Each vessel is responsible for their own supplies. If there are smaller vessels that would like to join the cruise we would be happy to take some supplies on board with us and take it up to the Inlet for you. The Park requests that generator use be limited to 8:00am to 10:00am and 8:00pm to 9:30pm.
Bring insect repellent!
The closest weather station is Sechelt and you can look at either the Weather Network or Environment Canada forecasts.
I have found the data from the automated buoy at Halibut Bank very useful as an indicator of conditions in the Strait along the Sunshine Coast. The graphs showing wind speed and wave height is often the last thing we look at before we leave and the pressure charts will give you a good indication of short term weather issues. It has been my experience that the wave height at the station is conservative and anything over 3-4 feet will keep us out of the Strait.
If you have any questions of suggestions or need to contact me, please feel free to do so at etienne@kuredu.info or on my cell at 604-833-0770.
