D15 HARO STRAIT
Cordova Bay – Kilometres of beaches dotted with great places to stop and anchor at the south end.
Cowichan Head – Identified by white cliffs which get smaller on either side of the head.
Island View Regional Park – Nice sandy beaches - boat launch.
Cordova Spit – Low sandy spit with a row of utility poles.
Saanichton Bay – The public float is on the northwest corner of the bay near Turgoose Point. Ferguson Cove, north of Turgoose Point, is a drying flat.
James Island – Named after James Douglas, Vancouver Island’s first governor. Beaches are public, at low tide you can walk around the entire island.
Sidney Spit, part of Gulf Island National Park Reserve, is accessible by a seasonal walk-on ferry and by boat and kayak. Sheltered anchorage is available on the west side of the spit. Camping (26 sites), group camping and picnicking are available, as well as 21 mooring buoys and dock for moorage. There are thousands of metres of beach for sunbathing and beach walking. Note: Drinking water is available, but may have a high sodium content and should not be consumed by persons with kidney or heart ailments.
Backed by towering bluffs, its tidal flats and salt marshes teem with birds and marine life. Located on the edge of the Pacific flyway, the island attracts large numbers of shorebirds during the spring and fall migrations. The inner lagoon, hook spit and the vegetated centre of the main spit are particularly sensitive ecosystems. To protect them, land access is limited to a narrow strip along the outer edge of the hook spit, and visitors should keep to the sand edges of the main spit. Boats (including kayaks) are prohibited from the lagoon.
Visitors camping on the Island must be registered at a designated campsite before the last ferry leaves for the day.
A small bay here offers temporary anchorage but not much shelter from the north or east winds. Watch for rocks.
Hughes Passage – Has drying and submerged rocks on the south side and Sallas Rocks has the largest.
10. D’arcy Shoals – Two rocky heads marked by a port hand light buoy on the east side of the shoals.
11. D’arcy Island, part of Gulf Island National Park Reserve, has numerous coves, cobble beaches and a forest of arbutus and Douglas fir, D’arcy Island’s beauty belies its past history as a leper colony for Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s. First Nations have a long association with this small island, reserving it primarily for religious practices. To avoid damaging sensitive habitats or disturbing cultural features, please camp only in the designated campsites. Marine access only - no potable water. Picnic tables, seven wilderness campsites and pit toilets.
Little D’arcy Island – Privately owned but the beaches belong to the public.
13. Kelp Reefs – Marked by a light. There are drying and several more rocks between here and D’arcy Island.