Desolation Sound Cruising Guide
The Dream Cruise
Two Week Sample Itinerary
- Day 1 - Bedwell Harbor. Clear Customs on South Pender Island after a sail across Bellingham Bay and up Hale Pass; perhaps lunch at Sucia. (33 NM)
- Day 2 - Nanaimo. Northwest up Trincomali Channel, through the Gulf Islands; pass Dodd Narrows at flood or slack tide. (41 NM)
- Day 3 - Pender Harbor. Across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland, with lunch at mysterious Smuggler's Cove. Overnight at peaceful Pender Harbor. (34 NM)
- Day 4 - Princess Louisa Inlet. Turn right up Agamemnon Channel, Prince of Wales and Princess Royal Reaches, through the Malibu Rapids. Anchor beneath Chatterbox Falls. (44 NM)
- Day 5 - Pender Harbor. Back through the magnificent fjords to Pender Harbor. (44 NM)
- Day 6 - Lund. Texada Island to port and BC's Sunshine Coast to starboard, you run up Malaspina Strait, get fresh shrimp in Westview, and dock at Desolation's door. (36 NM)
- Day 7 - Squirrel Cove. Wriggle up Thulin Passage with the scenic Copeland Islands cluster to port. Continue north to Refuge Cove, then west to this oyster-laden cove. (13 NM)
- Day 8 - Tenedos Bay. Get warm cinnamon rolls at the cabin, then sail east. Tuck around the corner of the tiny island and climb the cascading stream to the lake. (7 NM)
- Day 9 - Prideaux Haven. Zip around the corner, drop anchor in any of the scenic inlets. (5 NM)
- Day 10 - Blubber Bay. Play on Savary Island's sandy beaches before anchoring in Texada's northern bay. (27 NM)
- Day 11 - Schooner Cove. Up early to voyage south to this marina on Vancouver Island, cruising west of Texada; lunch in the warm turquoise waters and white sands of Hornby Island. (42 NM)
- Day 12 - Ganges. Cruise the northern edge of the Gulf Islands; duck through Porlier Pass (on ebb or slack), down the channel, and into this artist town on Saltspring Island. (45 NM)
- Day 13 - Cypress Island. Back into US waters to clear customs at Friday Harbor, then through the San Juans to a state park buoy on the northeast shore. (43 NM)
- Day 14 - Bellingham. A short cruise across Bellingham Bay while savoring the memories...until next year! (13 NM)
Desolation Sound Up Close
