D11 SATURNA ISLAND

Breezy Bay – Good overnight anchorage if the winds are not blowing from the west. Saturna Beach on the south side is the site of the Canada Day Lamb Barbecue which attracts up to 400 boats. Crocker Point is marked with a light.

Elliot Bluff – Good scuba diving spot where you will find some of the islands’ largest sea anemones a few metres below the surface.

Lyall Harbour – Named after David Lyall, a surgeon on the navy survey vessel Plumper which explored the area from 1857-60. A public wharf, pub and washrooms by the ferry landing at Saturna Point on the south point. Exposed to the northwest but offers some good anchorage. Watch for Crispin Rock which is marked by a buoy at the entrance. Boot Cove is entered north of Trevor Islet and provides good shelter.

Winter Cove – A good all-weather picturesque anchorage. Winter Cove is part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR). Winter Cove offers picnic sites and toilets as well as a beautiful trail through to Boat Passage. Boat Passage is tough to spot, but a good way of seeing what is out on Georgia Straight. A new dinghy dock is also available.

Boat Passage is between Saturna and Samuel Islands. The narrow channel is a funnel for tides. Currents can run through at speeds up to seven knots. At its narrowest, this pass is 15 m (50 ft) across.

Samuel Island – Private. Functions as a quasi-wildlife preserve. Irish Bay is a good place to drop a hook, particularly in the southeast corner.

Belle Chain Islets – Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. They have been afforded the highest level of protection by Parks Canada therefore it is authorized access only except for a day-use area at East end of Little Samuel (Lot 65). Named after Isabel, the youngest daughter of Captain Jeremiah

Nagle. It was here that the Ken Kon Maru was shipwrecked in 1916 when it ran into the reef.

Cabbage Island – part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. The park is a great place for beachcombing. Do not light any fires on the island and watch for drying rocks. One visit and you will know why it is a favourite with local boaters. Good fishing which explains the seal population. Anchorage even if all the buoys are used. The island is an important nesting site for Black Oystercatchers and Bald Eagles. Oystercatchers are particularly sensitive to disturbance by dogs and people walking along the shoreline: use an alternate route or landing area if you spot Oystercatchers on the beach. Marine access only, composting toilet, five wilderness campsites and no potable water.

Tumbo Island – part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Tumbo Island has recovered well from the fur farming, timber harvesting and coal mining activities that highlighted its rich and varied past. Today, the island is largely forested with old growth Douglas fir and Garry oak meadows. Tumbo Island derives its name from the landform that gives it its distinctive shape—a tombolo. A tombolo is a sandbar extending outward from shore connecting with an island—or from island to island as it does here. First Nations found a safe harbour on Tumbo Island when hand trolling for fish offshore in their canoes or on their journeys across the Strait. The island remains an important spiritual place to this day.

Tumbo Island can be visited by kayak or by dinghy from larger boats. A short trail system provides opportunities to explore the island. Discover the diverse creatures who live in shoreline tidepools and the freshwater marsh. Birding, photography and picnicking are other great activities to pursue on Tumbo. (Note: a life tenancy agreement for the house on the island means that there may occasionally be someone in residence on the island. Please respect their privacy.) 10. Rosenfeld Rock – Named after the John Rosenfeld which was being towed by a tug on her way from Nanaimo to San Francisco on February 20, 1886 when she ran on this rock. The Rosenfeld cost $150,000 US to build when constructed in Bath, Maine in 1884.

11. East Point – part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Offers day use activities such as picnic tables, toilets and wildlife viewing. Has a wildlife sanctuary and a light house established in 1888 to help shipping traffic navigating Boundary Pass. The first lighthouse keeper was James Georgeson. Boiling Reef (by the point) should be past at a distance. Stay closer to Tumbo Island when traveling west through Tumbo Channel. Tides can run at up to five knots here.

12. Boundary Pass – Produces steep and confused seas when easterly winds meet the flood tide; can be dangerous for small craft.

13. Narvaez Bay, part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, is one of the most beautiful and undisturbed bays in the Southern Gulf Islands. Nice beach area. Not much protection from the southeast. Shorelines are fairly steep. Nice beach in Fiddler’s Cove. South of the entrance is a nice beach. There are seven camping sites now available.

14. Monarch Head – Named after HMS Monarch, the 84-gun flagship of Rear Admiral Henry Bruce. It sailed these waters in the mid 1850’s. There are large patches of grass on its steep slopes. There is also a new loop trail developed by GINPR to the magnificent viewpoint overlooking Boundary Passage.

15. Java Islets – part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Authorized access only. Bare rocks with some vegetation clinging to the top. Scuba diving site; kelp, abalone and urchins.

16. Bruce Bight – Named after Rear Admiral Henry William Bruce who was commander-in-chief of the Pacific Station from 1854-1857. Nice beach and good temporary anchorage. Taylor Point - good dive site.

17. Murder Point – Two Americans were killed here by Lamalchi Indians.

18. Saturna Island – Almost half of Saturna Island is protected within Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. If you are planning to stay overnight on the island, be sure to make arrangements in advance. There are several accommodation options, from rustic cabins to bed & breakfasts to inn-type lodgings, but they are limited in number. Garbage disposal is a costly service for islanders because garbage must be shipped off-island. Please don’t litter, and be prepared to take any garbage you generate off-island with you for disposal. No marina facilities. There are seven campsites at Naraez Bay - ideal for paddlers.