Nanaimo is a good place to provision and get boat parts, with a large grocery store and chandleries conveniently located near marinas. But the city is worth a visit as a destination in its own right.

The peninsula of Point Roberts juts south into the Strait of Georgia from the mainland of British Columbia: a five-square-mile rectangle of United States land occupied and enjoyed mostly by Canadians. For U.S. boaters, Point Roberts is completely out of the way to or from anywhere. Arriving by land is even more inconvenient, as you [...]

As much fun as sailing can be, it’s also pretty nice to take a few days off and just sit someplace, anchored out and watching the world go by. It’s necessary, of course, to pick some place where the world actually goes by; sheltered anchorages with a small opening out into a well-trafficked channel are [...]

We left Blind Channel to bash through the ceaseless northwest winds and swells that have been rolling implacably down Johnstone Strait every day for a month under clear blue skies. Word on the docks was that today was the day for those heading further north; max winds of 25 knots rather than 35 made for [...]

Spencer Spit juts from the northeast shore of Lopez Island and is one of the most popular state parks in all the San Juans. The quarter-mile spit encloses a tidal lagoon. Driftwood is piled on the silvery beach grass, and in summer the sandy shoals are warm enough for wading. The wooded uplands of the [...]

There’s not a lot to recommend Blind Channel Resort if you are assessing it using the conventional cruiser’s nine-line report. It’s expensive, awkwardly located in the middle of a set of tidal rapids, very rolly, docks swept by current, deucedly shallow along the inboard rails, and they pack you in like sardines. The fresh baked [...]

Desolate adj. 1. Devoid of inhabitants or visitors; deserted 2. Joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful, through or as if through separation from a loved one 3. a. Showing the effects of abandonment or neglect b. Barren, lifeless c. Devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope Mandy and I come to Desolation Sound to find, as previous generations [...]