Nanaimo Vancouver Island to Smugglers Cove British Columbia Mainland July 11th, 2008

In order to get to Smugglers Cove which is a small Marine Park, you need to cross the Straight of Georgia – again. This time we have the added concern of dealing with the Canadian Navy’s testing area. It is a live test area for torpedos and naval weapons. They are not armed, but they can track vessels and if struck cause severe damage to your boat. You must avoid the area if it is active. If active you go the long way around and cross the straight north of Whiskey Golf and Whiskey Foxtrot areas. We headed out to avoid the testing area. For us, going directly across the straight would save us from 1.5 to 2 hours in travel. As we neared the area, Alexus contacted the Winchelas Control and we were advised that the area was open to crossing. Yea!!! Off we went directly across the straight. The weather was perfect and the seas were calm. We made good time to Smugglers Cove.
Smugglers Cove is small and in order for a good number of boats to anchor, you must stern tie as well as bow anchor. Stern tie means after you set anchor, you either use eye bolts provided in the shoreline rocks, or in some cases trees, running a line out from the stern of your boat to the eye bolt or tree. What this does is reduce your swing off the anchor considerably, in fact almost to nothing, depending on the current, tide and wind in the area in which you anchor. Alexus wanted to try this and after a second attempt and some coaching from the folks on Nora Dee II, we were able to set anchor and have effective stern ties. Smugglers Cove is much like the area around Angel Island, only more enclosed with three separate little bays or anchoring areas. We rowed the dinghy around, piddled at Smuggler Cove and I was fortunate to watch a small Red Deer on the shore makes it way from one small canyon to the next.