Marina: Port of Nanaimo

The Jenny G set a new Northern-most port reached this year: Nanaimo, BC. Although we'd been there once before, by BC Ferry from Horseshoe Bay, nothing compares to approaching a new port in your own vessel.

Reaching Nanaimo from the South means transiting Dodd Narrows, which is certainly built up as a dangerous passage, but we didn't have too much trouble since the Jenny G is an outboard-powered planing hull. Look carefully in the lower left hand corner of the photo at left and you can see a standing wave that's just broken against the Jenny G's port bow. Fortunately for us, the current was with us, so we were making about 9 knots at 1200rpm when this photo was taken (1200 rpm usually gets me 3-4 knots with no current). I can see how the yacht crowd with sailboat-style displacement hulls would fear these currents, but the passage is still a few hundred feet wide, so make your own evaluation of the danger.

The port itself is nice, although plan on waiting a long time for a slip assignment if you don't already have reservations. This aspect of their operation definitely needs improvement. However, the fuel dock is great and we found the bathroom/shower facilities to be in excellent condition. The port is protected by an artificial breakwater that extends beyond the natural land protection, so views from the boardwalk back to the marina and town really made the Jenny G seem like she'd arrived in a fashionable place (though she looked a bit unfashionable with the raft looking like a big blue hamburger patty sitting on the pilothouse roof!).

Copyright © 2009 Gina’s Mexican Cafe

Our favorite part was wandering around town and finding a little Mexican place that served great food called Gina's Mexican Cafe. They have a review posted outside the door and we took a chance that was well worth it. Highly recommended if you want to wander a few blocks past the tourist area densely concentrated around the port.

Overall, Nanaimo isn't a destination in and of itself, but it's a great halfway point for a Gulf Islands tour or the jump point to more exotic portions of the Inside Passage like Princess Louisa Inlet. Ahh, there's always next year.....