Towing the boat to Vancouver Island questions

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Well we are in full planning mode for a probable August trip to Barkley Sound.

I've got three questions.

What has been your experience crossing the Canadian border with the boat on the trailer? Aside from the usual required ID, registration, and insurance what should we expect? Did they inspect the boat, food stores, etc.? We've crossed by sea and know what to expect going that way, but we have never crossed by land with the boat in tow. We would cross at Blaine.

Who has towed their Mac onto the BC ferries? Anything special to be prepared for here? We would be taking the Vancouver - Nanaimo (Tsawwassen-Duke Point) ferry.

Who has towed from nanaimo to Port Alberni? How is the road? Anything special to watch out for. How were the launches in Port Alberni? Any suggestions for long term parking (10 days)?

Thanks for all your input.

[DLT]

The usual required ID

By this I assume you mean passports, as they are now required...

[Lovekamp]

By this I assume you mean passports, as they are now required...

Are they required, yet? I knew they were required for arrival by plane, but I thought you could still get in via boat (or car) for this year. At least, that's what I get out of http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html.

[Terry]

The usual required ID

By this I assume you mean passports, as they are now required...

Duane,
I think that is still only an American requirement and not fully impemented untill 2009.
I have had my boat searched by American Customs on one occasion at Peace Arch but never by Canadian Customs on return but they did ask me if I had done any modifications to it. As an American comming into Canada with a trailer they may give it a quick search for guns, who knows.
As for the Tswwassen to Port Alberni drive I have done that one dozens of times on the way to Long Beach/Tofino. Expect to pay by the foot for the boat/trailer, see the BC Ferries web site.
The highway from Duke Point to Parksville is a big wide freeway no problems there. At the turn off for Port Alberni it becomes pretty much a winding cow trail but the big rigs travel it all the time so you can too. I always had a sore back by the time I reached Tofino from the winding road and it gets way worse after Port Alberni which is probably the end of the road for you, still even to Alberni it is a bit winding. Depending on your ultimate destination you will likely put in at some launch in Alberni, now if your destination just happens to be the Broken Island Group and you want to travel faster than the 50 HP engine, well just stay on the road and head in the direction of Tofino. When you get to the Kennedy Lake area there is a small gravel road called Toquart Bay road, very easy to miss, veers off on the drivers side, watch closely or you won't see it in amongst the trees. This takes you out to Toquart bay and one of those forest sevice recreation sites with a rudimentary boat launch. I put my canoe in here and paddled out to the the islands, kyakers launch here too. Very scenic area to sail but it can and does blow, I almost met my maker out there while canoeing. If you are going to be in that neck of our woods you would be absolutely crazy not to drive out to Long Beach for a day, well worth it. You might even want to lanch from Uclulet somewhere and cross the Imperial English Channel to the islands, same route the MV Lady Rose travels, been on that too. Many times I've looked out at the water from the shores of Long Beach watching the odd saiboat go by and wonder what it would be like, perhaps I'll get to try one day, but first I'll let you test the waters, one look from the shore of long beach may have you reconsider. I think there may be the odd other launch along that stretch of highway between Alberni and the coast IIRC but it has been a five years since I was out there, it was an annual trip at one time, (before I got the Mac). Next time I travel that road I'll be looking from a boaters perspective as opposed to my previous tourist perspective, didn't know I would own a boat back then. Lucky You.

I have never checked boat trailer parking that closely in Alberni but have driven by and seen them parked, it is unlikely to be of any significant cost around there since it really is not a touristy type place, might be free. Toquart bay was free when I was there a hundred years ago, never forgot that place.
You'll drive right past my place on the way to Tswwasen, I'm in the community just before Tswwassen, in Ladner just a couple blocks from the big intersection at #10 & #17, you have to pass this on the way to the terminal.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Actually passports are only required in 2007 for Air travel between the US and Canada or Mexico. For land and sea travel a drivers license is still accepted, but of course a passport won't be refused. Children still only need a copy of their birth certificate this year. Even an expired passport will work by the way.

Passports become required for all three methods of travel in 2008.

http://www.waggonerguide.com/uscust_up.html

The passport requirement is also just to get back into the US from outside.

Washington and BC have just cut a deal that has been blessed by Homeland Security to issue drivers licenses with enhanced security features. Washington will sell them for $40 extra over the normal drivers license. BC will make them available as well. This is cheaper than the $96 passport. The other problem with passports right now is the demand is so high for air travel that it is takeing 4-6 months just to get one.

Thanks for the info Terry.

I justed priced out the ferry, Mid week, round trip, $339.20 cnd assuming my rig is 49' long with my family of 5 on board.

[Chinook]

Hi Duane,

We trailered our boat across the border at the start of our 2004 Inside Passage cruise. On advice of friends, we crossed at Sumas rather than Blaine, which worked well for our drive to North Vancouver. If you're heading for the Tsawwassen ferry, I'm guessing Blaine would work well. We had no problems in '04 getting into Canada. They asked the usual questions at the border (liquor, firearms, fruit, where are you going and why), but didn't inspect us. Same experience at the Oroville crossing last summer. We've had a harder time getting back into the US, and have had the boat inspected by US Customs twice in returning home from trips.
Be advised that after you launch in Canadian waters, if you stop in a port where Canadian Customs hangs out, you may get questioned about how you got into the country. This happened to us in Prince Rupert. It's a good idea to make sure you get some sort of paper documentation of your crossing, which you can show to the Canadian Customs officials which work the ports. In Prince Rupert they regularly walk the docks, and pay particular attention to US boats which aren't displaying a clearance number.

I've driven the road from Nanaimo to Tofino, via Port Alberni on two occasions. We canoed Clayquot Sound out of Tofino on both occasions, and were not towing a boat. The highway from Nanaimo to Port Alberni is fine. If you opt to trailer over to Tofino, however, beware that the road crosses a rather sharp little mountain ridge. It's narrow, steep and very twisty on both sides of the mountains, and it carries a lot of traffic. I've seen people towing some very large powerboats over this road, but it didn't look like fun. However, if you put in at Port Alberni, a good starting point for Barkley Sound, the drive is no big deal. I'll be eager to hear all about your trip at some future BWY rendezvous. Good luck and enjoy.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Even an expired passport will work by the way.

I still have my passport from when I was in the Army, red cover, "Abroad on an official assignment for the U.S. government".
I'll try using that.
Maybe not.

[Frank C]

... Washington will sell them for $40 extra over the normal drivers license. BC will make them available as well. This is cheaper than the $96 passport. The other problem with passports right now is the demand is so high for air travel that it is takeing 4-6 months just to get one.

Wow, first I've heard that passport delays were so long. FWIW, I just renewed my passport in December. If you have imminent travel plans you can pay an extra $30 for expedited service. Handled 100% through the mail, in both directions, mine arrived in just 3 weeks.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

A recent article in the local paper said the expedited ones were now taking 2 - 3 months.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

That was smart to do in December. My wife and I applied for renewals in early Feb and we are still waiting. Just had to put one in for our new baby too as we are planning to go to Europe in late July. I heard that the passports were taking about 10 weeks now. As we still have 4 more months, I hope we have plenty of time still. Anyone who has been to a passport office would probably agree that these government workers are about the slowest form of human beings that exist!

[jda]

Duane,

Don't have personal experience with trailering up there but one time, many years ago, I knew some guys that owned a fishing lodge on floats located in Nahmint Bay. Usually people flew in. I went with the owners in the off-season and we motored from Port Alberni. BEAUTIFUL. I've never forgotten it.

I was told that when the Kings were running the average fish they caught in the bay (in small skiffs, not far from shore) ran around 30 pounds. When I was there it was shrimp season and a Shrimper stopped and gave us some shrimp. They ruined me for life. Shrimp has never tasted as good as it did that time.

I also took a church youth group on a hike, I believe it is called the West Coast Trail (Provincial/National Park). We started at Port Renfrow and ended in Tofino? What an experience! That "hike" was more like an obstacle course.

Have fun. Tell us all about it. I'm jealous.

jda (John)

[Derrick]

Passports are becoming a big problem. I work for a company that does a lot of business in Canada & Mexico. We are having problems getting staff to leave the US to meet contractual obligations. We can ship people out, but can't get them home.

It is taking 12 -15 weeks for people to get passports. We had one co-worker, that took him 12 weeks to get a passport and his name was spelled wrong. Took him another 3 weeks to get it corrected.

Similar problems in Canada. Talked with an associate in Edmonton last week and he spent two days standing in line at the Canadian Passport office, getting his passport renewed so he could come and do business in the US.

As for BC Ferries, have not pulled a boat over on the ferry, but took a truck & travel trailer over a few times years ago. I believe the same rule applied for boats in general: no propane tanks where permitted on the ferry.

Also line-ups at the ferry used to get quite long in the summer. Often waited for one or two sailings before getting on board.

I am actually shipping a railroad test vehicle over on the ferry over to Vancouver Island in the next week or so.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Checked out the Washington State ferry alternative. A couple years ago when I looked they were way more expensive than the BC ferries for getting to Vancouver Island.

Turns out they have been feeling the heat and just this year put in a new promo / recreational fare on the Anacortes to Sidney run to make them more competitive. Round trip on the Washington ferries using this fare works out to $346. Close, but still not quite a cheap as the BC ferries when you consider the $339 price is in Canadian dollars ($292 US right now).

The Washington ferries have also started taking reservations this year. Either way we would most likely be crossing mid week when traffic is a lot lighter.

Now I need to compare driving distances for each route.

I wonder if it would be any easier to clear Canadian customs in Sidney.

[waternwaves]

Duane, I have some experience clearing through sidney.... It is my preferred clearance now.....since I cant stand what they did to bedwell harbor.

The most memorable recent one was:

taking the boat out on one of my single handed trips, racing through the islands, mast down, full throttle ... (with some serious fuel consumption) after leaving laConner -deception pass. to pick up some friends for a quick cruise up to powell river

only to arrive at the sydney customs dock after dark..... where a full blown party is really getting going, tents on the docks, a couple of bands playing, hundreds of people on the dock....drinking, partying.... looked like a near riot in a waterpark....

now mind you..... Canada is a little different. 5 people trying to help me, I pull up to the dock,I toss the end of the rope......and two beers are tossed to me in the boat ( do they figure I can catch with both hands, amazingly not dropping or chipping fiberglass, or is the new canadien custom to drink both at the same time) now these are total strangers...(well maybe not......I honestly cannot call too many people stranger than me) I put down the cans, not wishing to scratch the fiberglass. I cannot even make myself heard over the din. I try to explain that I need to use the dock phone for check in, They laugh at me.......saying just try and get someone to quiet this crowd.

I pick up the phone.......A pleasant canadien woman onthe other end of the line asks me to find a quieter location (phone has a 4 ft . cord) I shout where I am, plug my other ear with my finger, and try to tell her my registration number.. pretty soon I hear her laughing, I repeat names, ID, me and the vessel, no passengers, And she asks if I have any alcohol to declare.......meats, bugs, fruits....etc.

I said I couldnt find the Duty free shop in the harbor., and worse, that a half a dozen drunk canadien revelers were trying to get me in trouble by putting beer in my boat. (for my boat now has 4 partiers in the cockpit with their cooler), while I am on the dock, (me worrying on how many customs rules have been broken in the first 60 seconds of this entrance to canada)

She next asks me how much beer I have been given and how long the boat has been at the dock, I explain they tossed two in the boat. and I have only been on the dock 2 minutes...... she asks me to hand the phone to one of the revelers.... ( I pick the closest guy with most of the beer on the dock, who just happens to be a member of the yacht club there)

he explains the party, and the background noise, she tells him she already knew, from earlier report ins, as the party is an annual event, and the customs woman chastises him for only giving the american a couple of beers.....

I get the phone back, she asks, is the beer cold? I said yes.......

her next comment

"Welcome to Canada.... have a nice trip, recites my clearance number".



Most of my sidney arrivals are plain and simple phone remote checkins....
that one was especially memorable.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Thanks for the info. We would be clearing in by land having just driven off the ferry with the boat on the trailer. And likewise back into the US somewhere, Anacortes perhaps, I'm not sure where the customs process happens on the Anacortes to Sidney ferry run. No doubt they are more tourist focused than at Blaine where they get all kinds of traffic.

We found clearing by sea in Bedwell to be a simple phone only affair as well, although no free beer. Coming back into the US we got a real person at Roche.