It’s customary to call “Securite” and announce your vessel’s entrance into Dodd Narrows, as there’s only enough space for boats to travel single file through its smallest point. Oversized vessels, like tugs hauling logging rafts in the video below, announce well ahead of time when they’ll enter the narrows so pleasure craft can plan safe passage.

We easily made the cruise through Dodd Narrows a bit ahead of slack tide, following a few other boaters. Wider at the south end, the walls of the ravine taper at the north; it’s easy to see why this channel intimidates newcomers.

Proud of ourselves for successful passage, we let our guard down and almost hit Oregon rock, marked by buoy P13 in the busy bay, just outside of our Nanimo slip assignment for the night. Another lesson learned: stay vigilant until safely anchored or tied up for the night. The remainder of our time in Nanimo was uneventful. Our meal out included sampling the famous Nanimo Bar then back to the boat where we acquired local knowledge from slip neighbors as the sun set.

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We made an early departure from Nanimo this morning and crossed the Strait of Georgia, following a flotilla of three who were familiar with the waters, then revised our destination from Pender Harbor to the further northern port of Powell River, the fjords and rugged mountains of BC in sight for much of the day.

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