Gorge Harbour at Last – Desolation Sound

We could not have had a better weather day to cruise from Comox to Gorge Harbour, BC, the last stop for the Ranger Tugs group cruise, after a little downtime and one last party at the marina, we’ll all go our separate ways to explore Desolation Sound. As we all slowly trickled out of the marina, glassy water awaited us, the kind every boater dreams of for a first-rate cruising day. We also got our first glimpse of some snow-capped mountains off on the horizon. A short way out we crossed paths with the fishing boat we brought shrimp from last night (below).

Gorge Harbour at Last!

Upon our arrival at Gorge Harbour Marina Resort, on Cortes Island, we were officially considered to be in Desolation Sound. Desolation Sound is a group of islands that reside at about the 50th parallel north, between Canada’s Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, Canada, at the north end of the Strait of Georgia, a little over 200 miles northeast of Seattle as the crow flies. It’s hard for us to grasp the fact that we are finally here after all the waiting and planning during the last two years. It is hard to describe what it feels like to be at the dock with all these other Ranger Tugs and Cutwater boats in Gorge Harbour.

The marina in Gorge Harbour is set in a large, perfectly enclosed cove, accessed through a single narrow, high-walled canyon entrance. The atmosphere in the marina was electric as boats docked or rafted off other boats and excited crew jumped onto the docks to stretch their legs. Sixty-eight Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats were in attendance. It didn’t take us long to find our swimsuits and run up to the pool that overlooks the harbour from the top of a rocky, grass bluff. It was hot and so were we, a relaxing swim and nap by the pool was just what we needed to refresh our bodies. It was time to savor the moment.

After our swim, we checked out the little store, showers, and recycling area and took a little walk up to the main road and found some huge evergreen trees. The resort has many cabins and campsites on site, it has a smoky, rustic feel. The store was better stocked than we thought it would be, but we didn’t need anything yet since we had visited the grocery store in Comox the day before

On our morning walk, we found our way to the entrance of Gorge Harbour.

After our walk, followed by quick showers, it was time to gather for our last official Ranger Tug 2013 Desolation Sound Cruise function. One hundred and thirty people gathered on the terraced lawn just above the marina for a social hour where we had time to discuss each other’s cruising plans. The dinner that followed was provided by Volvo Penta, they did a great job grilling chicken and burgers for all those people, and no one went away hungry, in fact, there was so much leftover that many folks were able to get a “to go” container of meat or chicken for the next day. It was interesting to hear the loud chatter and laughter of all the participants, most of whom did not know each other but only a few days prior and now everyone is just one big happy family of Ranger Tug and Cutwater owners anxious to get out into the waters of Desolation Sound to explore.

Funny story… when we took possession of our Ranger Tug, in 2011, in Kent, WA, the first place we went was to Gig Harbor for an MTOA Rendezvous. During our stay there we met a couple who owned a C-Dory named C-Gnome, we had tours of each other’s boats as were both curious about the differences. So, the funny part of the story is that on the second day in Ganges we again met Cindy and Gerry, apparently after seeing our boat they decided they had to have one, Celtic Sun, a red one just like ours.

We just can’t say enough great things about how well-organized the run from Ganges to Gorge was. We marveled at how Jeff Messmer, Ranger Tugs Sales Manager, (shown below with his wife Kristie and two of his three children) made everyone feel welcomed and informed of activities. We think the reason this event goes so smoothly is that Jeff, Andrew, and Kenny are all having so much fun doing what they do, you can tell, there isn’t anywhere else they’d rather be but on the water in their Ranger Tugs helping other boaters boat.

We enjoyed meeting and talking with Mac, on Passage Weaver (above-left), during the happy hour and we spent time in Ganges getting to know Bill and Nicole, on Blue Merle (above-right). Bruce and Herb (below right) and I discussed some boat-related subjects while we waited for dinner.

We had initially talked about spending two nights in Gorge, but we couldn’t wait to get started with our trip into Desolation Sound. I spent some time going over the charts again, trying to narrow down a few choices for our first day out.