Fall Island Cruise 2025 - Leg 3

After a quiet night at Stuart Island, we slipped lines at 9:30 a.m. and pointed JOMO west, easing into a smooth morning sail across Haro Strait. The conditions were just about perfect—light breeze, good visibility—and we settled into that easy offshore rhythm as we threaded our way through the southern edge of the Gulf Islands. We wove around North Cod Reef, gliding past a scatter of small islets, the kind of scenery that makes you slow down just to take it all in.

By 11:53 a.m.—11 nautical miles and two and a half pleasant hours later—we slowly motored into Sidney and Van Isle Marina to check into Canada. A line of boats had formed at the fuel dock, the delay caused by a large sailboat having a bit of trouble ahead of us. Fortunately, the customs dock sat empty,  just aft of the fuel area, and we were able to tuck in behind them.

Erika grabbed our passports and made the call from the small phone kiosk on the dock—one of those moments that still feels oddly official and charmingly old-school vs. the modern cell phone video calls coming back into the states.  After clearing customs, I wandered over to the sailboat that had been holding things up. They turned out to be fellow Americans, planning to leave their boat nearby for the winter before heading back to their land home in the SF bay area.  The nice couple admitted something to do with air not venting from their fuel tank - frustrating for sure.  

Despite the wait, the mood on the dock stayed calm and friendly. The other boats queued up were patient and courteous—very on-brand for Canada… wink, wink. With customs behind us, our Fall Island Cruise into the Gulf Islands was back underway. 

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