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Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock to Moresby Island Loop

Moresby Island Loop crossing currents and passages

When Friday, February 4, 2022 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Location Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock
Directions
1 of 6 open Free
Destination Moresby Island Loop
Trip style Day
Experience Level 2
Distance 11.4 nm
Route plan A

The plan is to launch from Barnacle Road at Swartz Bay in preparation for longer crossings and discussion over beach assessments for cleanup. This is an option for and introduction to do return BC Ferry trips from the Gulf Islands such as Pender, Mayne, Galiano or Saturna Islands. Ferry route crossings are part of this paddle. Paddle out from Swartz Bay to Fir Cone Point, along Coal Island to Charmer Point, cross to Grieg Islets, over to Reay Islets, and head to Fairfax Point on Moresby Island. Then NW to Seymour Point, cross Prevost Passage to Pellow Islands SW to Hood Island before crossing Shute Passage to Pym Island. Head to Knapp Island before crossing Colburne Passage back to our launch site.

Route plan B

Should winds and paddle pod decide we can alternately circumnavigate Portland Island. This is an alternative which protects us from southerly winds for a lot of the crossings.

Safety reminders

Always dress for the possibility of immersion and please bring a drybag containing a spare change of clothes. The drybag goes in your kayak with you, not in your car at the launch site. Please bring a lunch or snacks and sufficient beverage to keep you hydrated, as well as a thermos of something warm. Your paddle leader will introduce the plan and make sure everyone is comfortable with the requirements. Please stay off the water until the group is ready. If you have a VHF radio please bring it with you.

Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock tide/current reference

Sources & licences

Tide & current predictions

CHS provides tide heights and current predictions. Secondary current stations are estimates; large-tide estimates are identified separately. Tide turns and slack water are independent. Conditions along the route vary with location.

CHS atlas & lookup licences

Canadian Atlas of Tidal Currents, Volume 3: Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia (2016), Canadian Hydrographic Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2022.

Map images are reproduced from the CHS publication and selected for the date and time shown. The publication permits noncommercial reproduction in any format; commercial reproduction requires prior written permission from CHS. This viewer is not an official CHS publication and is not to be used for navigation.

Current Atlas Lookup Tables: Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia by Emanuel Borsboom. SISKA adapts the tables to show selected hours and atlas page numbers. The original tables and these adapted tables are provided under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 CA).

Dewey atlas attribution

Salish Sea Tidal Current Atlas and calendar lookup tables by Richard K. Dewey, self-published. The selected volume and map number are shown in the viewer. SISKA displays extracted map images and selects them using the author's lookup tables.

For recreational reference only. Not for navigation. These products are not endorsed by CHS or NOAA and are not official Canadian or US government publications. Use current official charts and publications for navigation.

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SISKA · Paddle · Energizer

Printed Nov 9, 2026 11:03 AM · siska.ca/activities/1272

Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock to Moresby Island Loop

Friday, February 4, 2022 · 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Launch
Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock
Destination
Moresby Island Loop
Distance
11.4 nm
Leader
Gary Weeks

Route plan A

The plan is to launch from Barnacle Road at Swartz Bay in preparation for longer crossings and discussion over beach assessments for cleanup. This is an option for and introduction to do return BC Ferry trips from the Gulf Islands such as Pender, Mayne, Galiano or Saturna Islands. Ferry route crossings are part of this paddle. Paddle out from Swartz Bay to Fir Cone Point, along Coal Island to Charmer Point, cross to Grieg Islets, over to Reay Islets, and head to Fairfax Point on Moresby Island. Then NW to Seymour Point, cross Prevost Passage to Pellow Islands SW to Hood Island before crossing Shute Passage to Pym Island. Head to Knapp Island before crossing Colburne Passage back to our launch site.

Route plan B

Should winds and paddle pod decide we can alternately circumnavigate Portland Island. This is an alternative which protects us from southerly winds for a lot of the crossings.