This past Sunday the nice folks at Sewell's Marina hosted us for the afternoon. If you're not familiar, it's a family owned and operated institution of Vancouver that operates right next to the ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay. Currently a fourth generation of Sewell’s are managing it and just last month the marina celebrated it's 80th anniversary!
Sewell's offers guided eco tours and fishing charters but one of their most popular services they offer is the rental of speedboats, for sightseeing or fishing adventures. We took one out for a few hours up Howe Sound and to say that it quickly got me hooked on exploring the coast by boat would be an understatement: I WANT MORE!
You don't need a license to take out one of their boats (okay, you need a valid driver's license but not a boater's license) you basically just show up and after a quick orientation and safety check you're out on the water, where you slowly make your way past the ferries and into the Sound.
You're free to go wherever you want within a pretty broad area of the Sound and they provide you with a list (which you can view HERE) of a bunch of different landmarks and locations to check out. For me one of the best things about being out there was just seeing the area as a whole from a different angle. Also, the feeling of being out on the water is worlds apart from what you might be used to in the city, but it's just right there. So accessible.
One of the things on the list that we checked out was an old Canadian Forces destroyer called the HMCS Annapolis which is parked just off of Gambier Island and is being prepared to be sunk by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. You can get right up to it, but I figured I'd give you this overview shot.
Another inlet on Gambier Island is home to Halkett Bay Provincial Park which you can access by simply tying up your boat and walking up the pier. That's our rental there with the red top.
The park is 309 hectares in total but there's plenty of goodness just two minutes up this trail.
The trail leads to a few campsites and perhaps the best place to have a picnic anywhere.
Wrapping up I think it's obvious that we had an amazing time. If you're thinking of taking a boat out Sewell's' pricing for a 4 hour rental is around $200 depending on what size of boat you'd like to get (4 to 6 passengers). HERE are all the details. Until next time...
