Mt. Llanover Hike & Roscoe Bay Anchorage (Desolation Sound)

View over Desolation Sound from top of Mt. Llanover

Location of Mt. Llanover & Roscoe Bay

Mt. Llanover (view from Desolation Sound)

Mt. Llanover (view from Lewis Channel/Teakerne Arm)

Anchorage: Roscoe Bay
Entrance into Roscoe Bay requires crossing a bar that dries at approximately zero feet/metres. (Pelagia draws 6 feet, and we like to go in on a rising tide with at least an 8 foot tide level.)

Trail Start: North shore, middle of Roscoe Bay (at stream, by old fruit trees). Look for bulletin board (board describes trails in area, and also provides a detailed and interesting life history of the jellyfish in Roscoe Bay).

Rating: Moderately strenuous for 1.5-2 hours to top @ 683 metres. Trail is in good condition and is obvious. In July 2012, there were only a few fallen logs across the trail, all easy to cross. Trail mostly uphill with few flat sections. Good shoes required (we prefer our hiking boots, but good trail runners will work -- trail is mostly dry).

Amenities (water, toilets, etc): Water: (i) Water hose on north shore of Roscoe Bay (water comes from source different/isolated from stream at trailhead or others on trail). (ii) Stream water (should be treated). (iii) water from Black Lake (treat). There is no decent water on the trail in Summer season. Toilets: BC Parks outhouse over at Black Lake trail; none on the Llanover trail.

Features: Great views from top.  There are no views until the top. There is a cairn with prayer flags, and a bottle stuffed with messages. Continue for another 50m to the viewpoint. Good cell coverage at viewpoint.

At end of hike: Hike down is quite easy and faster. At the end, one has choice of a swim in Roscoe Bay (20-24 deg C in July) or dinghy over to short trail to Black Lake for a fresh-water swim.


UPDATE 2015: We returned to Desolation Sound in September 2015 (see our blog post). Trail up to Mt. Llanover was in good condition and required about the same amount of time (within 5 minutes).

UPDATE 2017: Logging has significantly impacted the trail to Mt. Llanover, destroying a section and making the trail more difficult (see our 2017 blog post). We required over 5 hours to complete the trail up and down (compared to usual 3-3.6 hrs). 

Desolation Sound arrival

Well, the sun went away for a few days. But with that came SE winds, giving us a great sail all the way from Pender Harbour to Cortes Bay (Cortes Island). Such an easy sail, with Waggy the autopilot handling the steering most of the way.

After some drizzly days in anchorages in:  Cortes Bay, Grace Harbour then Laura Cove, the sun came back out and we've had good times swimming, hiking (including our "annual" hike up Llanover Mountain) and relaxing,  especially in Roscoe Bay.

We are currently at Taku Resort in  Drew Harbour, Heriot Bay, on Quadra Island.

Update to Cruz-Pro RH-60 Tachometer added

Note added here about calibrating the Cruz Pro RH-60 Tachometer

Sunny weather, and the water is warm up here!

We are currently in Pender Harbour, up on the Sunshine Coast. Stopped first at Smuggler's Cove, then came to Pender. Managed a nice little sail from Smuggler's to Pender Harbour.

"Sunshine Coast" has been the correct term. We've been hot, with all the hatches open and fans going. Swimming (salt water) has been great. 22-24 degrees Celsius (72-75 deg F for those challenged by, well, the world's standard).

Of course, with the first swim of the year comes scrubbing of hulls (what!? barnacles!?) and changing of zincs. Challenging my aging lungs.

Probably do some biking today, and head towards (or to) Desolation Sound tomorrow.

Happy Canada Day!

Yucky weather (or yucky forecasts) over the past week have conspired each morning to keep us here in Vancouver, with Pelagia at the dock. (OK, we were out for 3 nights a week ago.)

July 1st was Canada Day: We realized we haven't been in Vancouver on July 1st for a very long time (not since at least 2006... perhaps longer, but I didn't check my logbook). Each year, we've been away, out on the boat (for example, 1 year ago we were in Queen Charlotte City, in Haida Gwai).

This July 1 turned out to be a pretty nice day. We went for a very enjoyable bike ride on the dikes surrounding Richmond (taking the Canada Line to get to Richmond), through Steveston Village (which was a happening spot with its annual July 1 "Salmon Festival" celebration). Arriving back (via skytrain) in Vancouver, the city was packed with visitors -- hundreds of thousands (yes, really) of people dressed in Canada red and white.

Arriving back at our apartment, we felt in need of  a Canada Day celebratory drink -- limes, triple sec and tequila were secured and a pitcher of margaritas quickly made up. When we regained consciousness...*  well, after a short nap (due to either, or both, the bike ride and the margs), we decided to walk down to Pelagia to have dinner on the boat and then watch the fireworks from chairs on our dock.

It was a great show. And we had a much-better-than-expected Canada Day. Happy 145th Canada!

(As forecast, we woke up to rain this morning... it is still raining.)


* If you're Canadian (and not too young), "When I regained consciousness..." should ring a bell (Dave Broadfoot).

Stop the closure of Vancouver's Kitsilano Coast Guard Station!

UPDATE APRIL 2016:  Despite all the protests, the Harper Conservative Government did indeed close (and strip) the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station in 2013. In October 2015, the Harper government was defeated and replaced by a Liberal Government headed by Justin Trudeau. Keeping their promise made during the election campaign, the Liberals re-opened the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station in April 2016. 



June 2012 post:

In response to significant budget cuts by the Harper Conservative (Federal) government to the  Department of Fisheries and Oceans (parent department of the Canadian Coast Guard), the Coast Guard has announced it plans to close Vancouver's Kitsilano Coast Guard Station.

Plans are not fully laid out, but apparently, the main base will be in the currently existing Coast Guard Station on Sea Island (near Vancouver's airport) on the Fraser River -- quite a distance from where all the activity is in English Bay/Howe Sound/Burrard Inlet. Also, apparently, there will be increased reliance on a seasonal (May-Sept) "inshore boat"  and volunteer auxiliary coast guard.

What happens when sh&T hits the fan in the middle of the night? Or in the Winter?  If the responders do respond, how long will they take and how well trained will they be? (The Sea Island station is about 16 nm away from the First Narrows by boat or hovercraft (although boats are severely limited, as there is a 2-metre height restriction for the Dinsmore Bridge, effectively ruling out any response using boats); the Kitsilano station is only 3.5 nm from the First Narrows. Hmmm, one could be on the rocks/in the water before the Sea Island responders arrive.)

Vancouver has the busiest harbour in Canada, and the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station is one of the busiest in the country.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/06/01/bc-kitsilano-coast-guard.html

Just this morning, the Kitsilano station had to respond to a distress situation in the early pre-dawn hours.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/06/13/bc-boats-collide-english-bay.html

There was no prior consultation with stakeholders (including the auxiliary coast guard) prior to this decision -- now there is a major backlash by the public over this decision (but still the government is suggesting it will not back down).

This closure must be stopped!

Change.org|The Proven Petition Site

'Been out sailing in May

We haven't disappeared. Just not been writing. Not been working on boat much either; instead, we've been enjoying Pelagia.

So far this May, we've been out on Pelagia three times:

(i) 3-night trip to Howe Sound, including Artaban and Plumper Cove. Good weather, with nice sail back to Vancouver from Plumper.

(ii) Day sail in English Bay for our club's (Vancouver Rowing Club)  annual "Sail Past" . Oh so sunny, with nice 10 kn NW winds, making for a great sail past and great sail; party after was prety good too!

(iii)  5-night trip over to Gulf Islands. Tried initially to sail late afternoon over to Porlier Pass, but wind (NW) and seas (1-2 m) were uncomfortable in Georgia Strait, and we kept getting headed sailing (first, we could not hold course for Porlier, so we tried for Active Pass, then even that was too tight as we headed towards the airport) -- so we tacked and sailed to Howe Sound, eventually in to Artaban (almost always a safe bet) for 1 night. Next day, seas were calm, and we had a nice sail (half way) across the Strait to Porlier, and then motored to anchor at the north(west) beach of Montague Harbour.

After 2 nights (sunny days, calm nights) there, we moved over to the VRC docks at Ganges (Saltspring Island) for 2 nights. At the end, we motored up to Porlier Pass, and then had a great sail all the way across Georgia Strait right in to Stanley Park.

We finally brought our new folding bikes on the boat with us (still need to work on best location for storage). Tried a bike ride on Galiano Island (from Montague Harbour) -- oh my, what a VERY hilly island! A little too much. Next, we tried biking on Saltspring Island (from Ganges). Much, much better. Went on a very nice ride from Ganges, to Fernwood, around St. Mary's Lake, then back to  Ganges. Although initially very hilly, most of the trip was quite comfortable. Very enjoyable.