Ranger Tugs' live webinar series, As the Prop Turns, is featuring special guest hosts, Jim and Lisa Favors. In this episode, Jim and Lisa will detail their top 5 cruising destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Stay tuned for the second in a two-part series (later this year) in which the Favors will talk about how and why they trailer their boat all over the country.
Webinar Topic: TOP 5 TRAILERABLE TRAWLER DESTINATIONS Join Jim and Lisa Favors, of Trailer Trawler Life, for a presentation on their five favorite trailerable trawler destinations. Learn more about Jim and Lisa and their adventures onboard "Kismet" a Ranger Tug R-29 on their BLOG This is the first of two webinars we will present on AS THE PROP TURNS. The second one will focus on how we trailer our boat across the USA and Canada. We'll share tips and tricks on planning, boaterhoming, permit procedures/requirements, and storing trucks, and trailers, while cruising. Q & A session to follow the presentation.…
Smiths Falls is the Mid-Way Mark, Between Kingston and Ottawa, On the Rideau Canal – Smiths Falls is the halfway mark between Kingston and Ottawa, Ontario. This industrial town, otherwise known as the Heart of the Rideau Canal, held interest to both Lisa and me. Up to this point in our Rideau Canal cruise, we have been tied up to lock walls that are more rural in nature, the peace and quiet that afforded us was welcome. However, considering Smiths Falls is the largest community we’ve visited in the Rideau Corridor up to this point, we were eager to get…
Call us Snowboaters or Boaterhomers – Using Our Boat On Land And Water! – We're certain you've heard of the term "Snow Birds." Southern Boating just coined a new boating-related term for what the crew of Kismet has been doing for over seven years. "Snowboaters!" We also like to reference our over-land adventures by saying we are "Boaterhomers." Whatever the term you use to describe what we do regularly, as a lifestyle choice, it's working for us in a big way. Using our trailerable boat as both a land vehicle and a water vessel provides us with some amazing flexibility in…
Christening Kismet – Christening is a Ritual Started by Seafarers Thousands of Years Ago – We finally got the boat graphics installed on Kismet – time to christen her. Christening, or naming ceremonies, were meant to bring good luck to new vessels and those who sailed on them. The tradition of christening goes back to the early days of boating – thousands of years ago. Viking ships were marked by the spilling of blood in early rituals. In the Middle Ages, religious shrines were placed on ships and a libation of wine was offered as the vessel hit the water. Wine became a substitute…
Taking delivery of our new Ranger Tug R29S a few weeks ago also meant we’d be in the Pacific Northwest to attend another noteworthy 2017 Ranger Tugs Cutwater Boats Factory Rendezvous – THE WORLD'S LARGEST BOAT RENDEZVOUS! With 190 boats and approximately 400 people, in attendance, this is quite an accomplishment. Seems like we were just in Roche Harbor for the 2016 rendezvous, while we had our boat in the PNW for 12 months. At the time, we didn’t have a clue that we’d be here again so soon. Just shows... a lot can happen in a year. We had…
Even Experienced Boaters Need Help Sometimes! – Because of our many years of boating experience (six of those years on a Ranger Tug), we didn’t feel we needed to have the “New Boat Delivery Experience” provided by Ranger Tugs when we took possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S – but, they insisted. Boy, were we wrong! Way wrong! We have been avid boaters for almost all of our adult lives. In all the new boat purchases we’ve made we’ve never, ever, EVER had such a thorough and rewarding new delivery experience as we recently had when taking delivery of…
Coming Home to Charlevoix, Michigan for the Ranger Tugs Cutwater Boats 2017 Charlevoix Rendezvous! Charlevoix Michigan was home to the Ranger Tugs Cutwater Boats 2017 Charlevoix Rendezvous. What a spectacular setting for this year's event. Lisa and I have a fondness for Charlevoix as this was once our homeport. That was before we became enamored of trailering our Ranger Tug all over the United States. So being in Charlevoix again was like coming home. Arriving on Monday morning, for our 3-day event, we had nothing but clear sunny skies while greeting attendees as they arrived. With 40 people in attendance, we had…
Lagoon Cove Marina – A Must-See When Cruising the Broughton Islands – This day was somewhat bittersweet! Although we were still in the Broughton Islands, we were heading south to our last stop, Lagoon Cove Marina, before high-tailing it 254 miles back to the USA. It was windy and the water was rough when we departed Pierre’s Echo Bay for our 25-mile cruise into Knight Inlet and finally, our last stop in the Broughton Islands... Lagoon Cove Marina. This is a full-service marina located at the north end of E. Cracroft Island, just southeast of the Broughton Archipelago. The setting is well-protected…
Visiting the Billy Proctor Museum – The next morning, after arriving at Pierre's Echo Bay, we took a short walk. We made our way over a bumpy well-worn path starting at the marina, over a bridge, through the woods, and finally a big open field, to Billy's Museum. Billy Proctor, fisherman, logger, and beachcomber, is a living legend in these parts. Billy was born and raised in the Broughton Islands. Over the years he has gained a vast personal knowledge of what it was like to live in this remote area. Billy started collecting the impressive memorabilia found in his…
Pierre's Echo Bay Lodge and Marina is Famous for Their Nordic Themed Feasts – Less than 2 miles away from the previous night's anchorage in Shoal Bay sits Pierre’s Echo Bay Lodge and Marina. We arrived early morning for a 2-day stay. Before making our way to our assigned slip, we stopped at the fuel dock to top off our tank. This is a chore we prefer to do on the way into a marina. That way, when we leave early morning, we don't have to wait in line at the fuel dock. After coming out of the wild, with several days spent watching for bears, whales,…
Simoon Sound – A Sure Thing for a Bear Sighting We left Kwatsi Bay late morning to head back west into Tribune Channel and eventually Simoon Sound. First, we wanted to explore the length of Tribune Channel while also looking out for a spot to anchor for the night. Our preferred choice was Macintosh Bay, but the best spot was taken. We proceeded further back into O’Brien Bay and found a nice spot in the north corner of the bay with a good view of the level shoreline and a wide open beach area where we hoped to have a black bear sighting…
Return Visit Kwatsi Bay Marina More fog greeted us this morning. We watched it slowly roll into Viner Sound the night before. Never have seen this much fog in our lives! So, today was another exploration cruising day. We enjoy poking into little coves, around islands, up bays, rivers, or sounds, just to see what's there. It must be the inquisitive nature and wanderlust in our blood and our ongoing desire to see as much of the Broughtons as we can this summer. Our end goal today is a return visit to Kwatsi Bay Marina. Soon after we departed Viner Sound, we…
Waddington Bay – Located Off Bonwick Island – After waking up to thick fog, we departed Goat Island and cruised up Knight Inlet for seven miles in search of whales. Having no luck finding any, we retraced our path through extremely calm water, moving in and out of the dense fog to make our way to the mouth of Knight Inlet. We skirted into a channel by Midsummer Island and out into the base of Queen Charlotte Strait. Still idling through heavy fog, not seeing much past the bow of Kismet we went up Arrow Passage, still looking for whales. With none yet to…
Stopping at Goat Island on Our Way to Provision at Port McNeil – It had been 11 days since we had been to a grocery store and the boat cupboards were getting bare! We certainly had enough canned goods, so we wouldn't starve, but we craved fresh produce. Also, our fresh water tank was about empty. With that in mind, we departed Sullivan Bay Marina for a scenic cruise within the Broughton Archipelago past Pierre’s Echo Bay Marina and Knight Inlet to an anchorage at Goat Island, it was a 20-mile run. [huge_it_maps id="35"] At Goat Island, we found low-lying islands surrounding our anchorage. Calm…
Sullivan Bay Marina is on the Edge of the Broughton Archipelago – After two peaceful nights on the hook at Turnbull Cove we pulled anchor to head a short seven miles to Sullivan Bay Marina. We timed our stay at Sullivan's to coincide with their prime rib dinner, a weekly, scheduled event. Sullivan Bay Marina is a remote floating island community, only accessible by boat, seaplane, or helicopter. Besides dockage, there are float homes, a convenience store, a fuel dock, and a restaurant. [huge_it_maps id="35"] Lisa took photos while Jim drove the boat. When we arrived we stopped at the…
Exploring Picturesque Waterways On Our Way to Turnbull Cove – After enjoying only a one-night stay at Laura Cove, we decided to move on. Having limited time to explore the Broughtons, we need to stay on task. Our day’s charted course consisted of a cruise through Sutlej Channel past Sullivan Bay Marina. Then we cruised up picturesque Dunsany Passage and Grappler Sound into the pristine and remote Kenneth Passage. [huge_it_maps id="35"] We were rewarded with a two-bear sighting this morning in Mackenzie Sound We passed by Turnbull Cove, our day's final destination, for a sightseeing cruise and black bear hunt…
Kwatsi Bay Marina is Just One of Many Floating Communities in the Broughton Archipelago! Kwatsi Bay Marina was just around the bend from our anchorage, so it was a short trip to the dock soon after breakfast. We have never thought it made sense to go into a marina at the end of the day if there is an anchorage situated nearby. Maybe it’s the Scotch in us, but why pay for a full day when you don’t have to? This family-owned and operated marina has a well-known reputation for being a friendly, hospitable stop. After teaching and then managing the Scott…
There are no roads to Kwatsi Bay. To access this the remote gem you have to either boat or fly in. Located just north of Gilford Island on the north side of Tribune Channel, the Kwatsi Bay Marina sits on the edge of the Broughton Archipelago, in the Great Bear Rainforest, nestled on the side of a majestic granite mountain on the mainland side of the Broughtons. At the end of our day’s cruise to Kwatsi Bay from Forward Harbour, we were following a yacht through Chatham Channel into Knight Inlet. We saw them suddenly stop turning their bow to point…
Shoal Bay – A Peaceful Oasis in the Discovery Islands! Once we successfully navigated through the rapids of Yucalta, Gillard, and Dent we made our way another eight miles to the Discovery Islands and finally to Shoal Bay. This will be our first stop on the way to the Broughton’s. Shoal Bay sits, as the name implies, in a bay off of Cordero Channel, up Phillips Arm. The shoal part of Shoal Bay has to do with how shallow the bay is as represented by how far the old dock, built in 1927, extends from shore out into the bay. Originally a cannery town, Shoal Bay…
Exploring the Wilderness of the Broughton Islands! The crew of Kismet has been waiting for this day for a long time. It is the day we point our bow north of Desolation Sound to reach a cruising wilderness known as the Broughton Islands. This archipelago is famously wedged against the coastal mountain range on the mainland side and Vancouver Island to the west. First, we’ll cruise through the Discovery Islands, Yucalta, Gillard, and Dent Rapids to our day’s destination of Shoal Bay. Our furthest reach north is located on the 50th parallel. Turnbull Cove is approximately 300 miles from Washington State’s San Juan…
We had a two-eagle sighting and cruise to our destination, Gorge Harbour on Cortez Island. We were one day early for our reservation, so we anchored in the harbor for the night. The 2016 Ranger Tugs Desolation Sound Cruise had started a few days prior, in Comox (on Vancouver Island), and was culminating with the arrival of about 40 boats at the Gorge Harbour Marina for the final two days of the cruise. We’ve been looking forward to a return to Gorge Harbour Marina to use their pool after roughing it during our two weeks in Desolation Sound. A swimming pool is…
Pendrell Sound Provided a Break from All Distractions! From Tenedos Bay, we cruised over to Waddington Channel and finally into Pendrell Sound, on East Redonda. We went all the way to the end of the sound, through a fjord-like channel to anchor. That way we'd be facing toward the snow-capped mountain range to the south. From this spot, we would also have a view of all boat and seaplane traffic on the sound. It was a gorgeously hot summer’s day. During our three days at anchor in Pendrell Sound, it all sunk in. This is what we came for. Stunning mountain ranges,…
Tenedos Bay is Located on the Mainland Side of Desolation Sound – East of Mink Island After two windy days at the dock in Heriot Bay, it was nice to have a calm water day for our 27-mile run to Tenedos Bay. The location of the bay is on the mainland side of Desolation Sound, to the east of Mink Island. Having anchored in Tenedos Bay previously, we thought we’d like to try a different spot. First, we slowly cruised the perimeter of the anchorage on the opposing side of the bay. Staying to the right after entering the bay instead of to the left where…
Campbell River is a Good Place to Provision When Cruising Desolation Sound – Today we headed to Campbell River, located on Vancouver Island. We like to balance our boating time between anchorages and marinas. We do this because we like the social aspect marinas offer with a taste of small-town life and a chance to interact with local boaters. We also need to provide for the next stretch out on the water. Our routine is roughly 65% at anchor and 35% at marinas. Campbell River is one of the larger cities on Vancouver Island and within a reasonable distance from Desolation Sound. If you need a…
