Nooks and Crannies of the Sunshine Coast

Entering Secret Cove

Continuing south along the “Sunshine Coast” of mainland British Columbia, we ducked into Secret Cove, which has three short arms.  Secret Cove Marina and the Secret Cove Public Wharf (a Pender Harbour Authority facility) are both in the northwest arm. 

The Store Building with the "Upper Deck" restaurant at Secret Cove

Secret Cove Marina has maintained its reputation as a well-run marina with quality staff and quality docks.  The store has wonderful gift items, clothing, and groceries.  Unfortunately, the five-star “Upper Deck” restaurant has been closed for the 2018 season due to health issues.  You can read Chef Jennifer D’Amour’s statement posted at the marina, stating that she has been assured that treatment will be a success, and that she looks forward to being back at Secret Cove.  Marina personnel indicated that the restaurant (with a dress code) will be open for the 2019 season; dinner service will start at 5 p.m. and run late into the evening, open Tuesday through Sunday.  We join our fellow boaters in wishing Jennifer the best and are awaiting her return with great anticipation. 

Hidden pockets in beautiful Smugglers Cove

The next morning, we headed a short distance around the corner to visit Smugglers Cove, a marine park with lots of hidden pockets among a scattering of islets; an ideal cove for some lovely anchorages.  Eye bolts with chains along the rocky shoreline serve as stern-ties. 

Eye-bolts with chains are available for stern-ties in Smugglers Cove

The name Smugglers Cove stirs the imagination, the cove is well-protected, and it certainly would be a good place to hide contraband.  As the legend goes, Larry Kelly used Smugglers Cove when he was smuggling Chinese workers into the U.S from Canada.  When the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885, many unemployed Chinese tried to emigrate to the U.S. but were forbidden official entry.  Kelly happily assisted the Chinese for $100 each. 

Public Wharf and Float at Halfmoon Bay

Another interesting stop is Halfmoon Bay, located a few miles south of Smugglers Cove.  The Public Wharf at Halfmoon bay is under the management of the Sunshine Coast Regional District.  A guest float, approximately 75 feet, offers guest moorage with a maximum stay of 24 hours.  As we pulled up to the float, we could see that a sailboat and a small work boat were at the dock and the remaining space was not large enough for our vessel.  Two guys from the work boat kindly pulled their boat around to the end of the float and offered to take our lines as we came in.  Soon engrossed in an interesting conversation, we learned that the guys were loggers, waiting out some bad weather before heading north to Jervis Inlet for logging operations at the head of the Inlet.  Branding logs was also a topic of conversation, a brand is marked on the end of the log with a branding hammer; the brand runs deep inside the log, so if it is sawed off, the brand remains visible.  Metal or plastic tags is the newer method for marking logs. 

Anchorage behind the Tug's Logboom provides protection during rough sea conditions

Speaking of logging, when the Strait of Georgia, between Gibsons and Thormanby Islands, gets rough, you can usually count on seeing a tug with a log boom in Halfmoon Bay, also waiting out the weather.  Pleasure boats can anchor behind the log boom, which acts as a breakwater from the rough seas.  Indeed, we saw a tug and log boom in the Bay upon our arrival.  Winds were blowing 25 to 30 knots when we came down the coast from Secret Cove; as expected, we quickly identified a tug with a very long log boom stretched across Halfmoon Bay. 

Why would pleasure boaters want to stop at Halfmoon Bay anyway? – it’s for the old-fashioned country store (quality bacon and free-range eggs) and the great bakery, it's a short walk from the public wharf; you don’t want to miss those great cinnamon rolls! 

Who can resist fresh bread and cinnamon rolls?

After a short stop at Halfmoon Bay, we departed for the 2 ½ - hour trek to the adorable town of Gibsons, located at the southwest entrance to Howe Sound.