One of our perennial favorite stops during the years we’ve come to the Canadian Gulf Islands is Thetis Island. With an afternoon forecast of high winds (which never materialized), we pulled out of Poet’s Cove on South Pender Island at 8am sharp, waiting for breakfast and showers underway. Right off, our AIS (Automatic Identification System) started squawking at us to beware the huge BC Ferry coming our way. AS IF we could miss it in this sunshine, but nice to have the AIS working properly.
Boat traffic was heavy all morning, and voice traffic on the VHF radio was non-stop, nothing like our quiet winter and spring cruising trips. We heard the Canadian Coast Guard following the rescue of a kayaker in the water near Nanaimo.
Most of the homes visible on the shoreline in the Gulf Islands are much more modest, and this one stood out as almost castle-like in proportion and a couple of details.
We passed (or were passed by) so many beautiful boats that we won’t post all the photos.
One fast little fishing boat accompanying two jet-skis buzzed close by.
This is Thetis Island Marina, a small place in small Telegraph Harbor.
It was so hot in the afternoon we dropped the dinghy to explore The Cut, a narrow, very shallow passage which separates Thetis Island from Kuper Island, too shallow to travel in “Next To Me”.
Using our portable depth sounder, we had no trouble, but there was only 2 feet of water in places, and this was at a +7 tide, so the channel dries out completely at really low tides. On the other side of The Cut we discovered a huge, beautiful anchorage holding 25 boats. We checked the depth in various places so we can remember to come back here to anchor out on our way south.
Another gorgeous boat, anchored beyond The Cut.
Five minutes after we arrived at the Thetis marina, a boat pulled in behind us, and out spilled two men, a father and son both named Bob. The son is a former co-worker of Cathryn’s, so we enjoyed Happy Hour among Cathryn and the Three Bobs after our dinghy exploration. Small world! Both boats are headed tomorrow through Dodd Narrows, a short but exciting stretch just before Nanaimo, so we discussed what time to leave in the morning to catch slack tide to avoid rapids that run faster than either of our boats operate.
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