It’s Way Back Wednesday, an opportunity to dig through the
files and pull out an old blog post to
shed some new light on it. Over the years, I’ve written several posts about
anchorages we’ve stayed in, including first-hand anchoring information (i.e.
holding, protection, GPS coordinates), historical information and things to do.
To date, I’ve done 26 of these (they can all be found on our Destinations
page) and they’re some of my favourite posts. For the next six months, I’ll be
highlighting one every Wednesday (from south to north) and adding a few new
ones in where I can. This week, it’s a return to Shearwater in British Columbia’s Central Coast.
Disclaimer: This blog article is not to be used for
navigation. It is purely an account of
our personal experience in Shearwater during settled weather conditions.
Sooner or later, most boats cruising the Central Coast find themselves in
Shearwater, not because of awe-inspiring landscape or historical significance;
it’s quite ordinary in those regards.
But because of the services it offers along with one other key
ingredient – location, location, location!
Situated two miles southeast of Lama Passage, the main route north,
Shearwater lies along the northern side of Denny Island and is the only
major marine service area with repair and haul-out facilities from Port Hardy,
at the tip of Vancouver Island, to Prince Rupert, near the Alaskan
border.
Shearwater began its
life as a Royal Canadian Air Force seaplane base for Canadian and American
pilots during World War II. In 1947, the
property was purchased by Andrew Widsten who kept the name and turned the base,
including a plane hanger that now acts as a shop, into a fishing resort. Over the years, the property has expanded and
not only serves anglers and boaters, but is an important part of the communities
of Denny Island and nearby New
Bella Bella, providing both with jobs and a social center.
The resort continues to be family owned and in
2013, Craig Widsten unveiled a mural
entitled “United in History” that he’d commissioned to be painted on the shop
wall. The mural depicts 17 people who
have impacted Shearwater over the years – from First Nation tribal leaders to Andrew
Widsten himself. At the same time, a
waterfront memorial to the Bella Bella Royal Canadian Air Force was dedicated
and includes a warrior pole, a replica of a WWII seaplane that rotates like a
weather vane, and an obelisk commemorating veterans of the war.
On shore you’ll find just about everything you need . . . and more. The facility has 1500 feet of guest moorage
with power and water, but gets busy during the summer months so reservations
are recommended. A floating breakwater
just outside the marina area can also be used to tie up, but there’s no power,
water or direct land access. Anchorage
can be found south of Shearwater Island and east of the breakwater in 5 to 20
metres (16 to 66 feet) with protection from northerly winds: The holding is good in rock and mud (last
year we held well in 25+ SE – it was uncomfortable and annoying at times, but
fine otherwise). The head of the bay
offers southerly protection and the holding is good in mud with depths of 5 to
10 metres (16 to 33 feet).
The fuel dock is located along the southern edge of the marine
resort near the ferry terminal and sells diesel, petrol, propane, oil, Avgas
and Jet A. The boatyard can handle vessels up to 70 tons; and if you find
yourself in need of outside help to address an issue, a marine mechanic is on
hand. But you’re going to pay a
premium. Not necessarily for the haul-out
itself, but for the labour (an hour minimum plus shop time and parts).
The marine supply store is well-stocked with a good selection of
Canadian charts, cruising and tidal guides, fishing supplies and boat
parts. If they don’t have what you need
on their shelves, they can probably order it in from Port Hardy, but expect to
pay a high price for delivery in most cases.
They also carry a good range of reasonably priced jackets, tee-shirts
and hats with the Shearwater Resort logo.
The grocery store also houses a post office and liquor store and
has seen improvements over the years.
They added two larger freezers for meats, one for chicken and the other
for beef and pork. The produce section
has also been expanded. It’s a small
store, but they offer a good range of items to choose from and it’s the best provisioning
stop until you reach Prince Rupert. For the greatest selection, shop on freight
day when the barge arrives with new stock from Port Hardy. In the past, that’s been on Mondays but, if
in doubt, ask around before you reach Shearwater or phone ahead (although
that’s easier said than done).
If you need a night away from the boat, the restaurant and pub
offer a complete menu. The service is
excellent but, unfortunately, we can’t recommend the food. We’ve eaten in the pub several times and left
feeling like we’d wasted our money (in all fairness, we don’t eat out much and
generally feel that way). We heard, however,
that breakfast is good . . . and the beer is always cold. The pub has live music and regular entertainment
(check their calendar). And, if you have
a dog aboard, Fido’s welcome to join you for drinks or a meal on the smoking
patio outside.
Shearwater is one of the few places along the Central Coast that has cell
phone reception. The resort installed a
booster system to reach the towers in New Bella Bella (2.5 nm away) and the
signal is very good throughout Kliktsoatli Harbour. The resort also
has wi-fi and opened up their signal a couple of years ago, so it’s now free. Information sheets are posted throughout the
resort with instructions on how to access the network and when it’s available
(the main system goes offline when the store is closed). The signal is strong enough that it’s easily
seen at anchor, but a booster may be required for the best results.
Shearwater Marine
Resort Services:
- 1500 feet of moorage that’s open all year
- Fuel dock
- Free wi-fi
- Cellular coverage
- Ice
- ATM
- Propane at the marine supply store
- Showers and Laundromat
- Gift shops
- Marine supply store
- Restaurant and pub
- Grocery store
- Post Office
- Garbage and recycling station
- Waste oil dump
- Boatyard that handles vessels up to 70 tons
- Water taxi service to New Bella Bella
- Lodging
- RV park and campground
- BC Ferry terminal
- Helipad
- 3,000 foot paved airstrip
- Fishing adventures
- Eco adventures
- Airline service in New Bella Bella
Contact
Information:
- VHF Channel 66A
- (250) 957-2666
- Email: moorage@shearwater.ca
- Website: www.shearwater.ca
3 comments
We've found ourselves disappointed at times when we go out to eat as well. Maybe it's because we don't do it often and when we do our expectations are too high.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy going out every now and then but we're such big homebodies that it can be difficult for restaurants to meet our expectations, that's for sure -- it's a good thing neither one of us can cook very well or we'd be really hard to please. ;-)
DeleteHow is it possible to make bad pub food? Thanks for the warning on that. I don't know where we will wander this summer before the big left turn, but your blog will certainly help us decide, if we get that far north.
ReplyDelete