Calif Bill wrote:
Questions mostly for Chuck and the Washington crowd. Planning a trip up to
Vancouver Island in the Spring or Summer of 2007 and figure on taking the
boat to a few of the islands and staying in B&B's etc before going to
Vancouver Island and the West Shore for some fishing. I know there is a
book for the San Juans but what about the islands off Vancouver Island?
Cortes, etc.

The Canadian islands in the common archipelago just off the SE coast of
Vancouver Island are called the Gulf Islands. The US Islands in the
same chain are the San Juans.

Some of the best recreational cruising waters in the world, but
"Shhhhh!", don't let the secret out.

The best fishing and the fewest crowds are probably found on the West
Side of Vancouver Island, but you will also encounter some of the
roughest water over there. (Lots of sport fishing activity out of the
Port of Ucluelet).

If you want a good general guidebook for both the San Juans and the
Gulf Islands, I'd recommend Wagonners Cruising Guide. Another
interesting book, particularly for trailer boaters, is "Day by Day to
Alaska" by Dale Peterson.

Plan on spending a *lot* of time in the area, and still leaving with
many of the major highlights unseen and unexplored. Bring your rain
gear regardless of when you're visiting, but plan on actually wearing
it a lot unless you're here from mid-July to mid-August. Especially on
the W Coast of Vancouver Island. (The Gulf Islands enjoy a bit of the
"rain shadow" effect from the mountain ranges on Vancouver Island, so
they experience maybe as many cloudy but a fewer actually rainy days
than the W coast of the island).

Warning: Cruising up here can be habit forming. A lot of people who
haven't been here just don't "get it", but after spending some time in
our soggy paradise they find they can't "forget" it. :-)