‘Day Tripper’

Mosquito Creek Marina in North Vancouver served us well as a base of operations for a planned day-trip to Indian Arm.  A local’s favorite cruising ground, Indian Arm is one of the most scenic areas in Greater Vancouver.  The Coast Range Mountains rise 5,000 feet over the inlet.  From Vancouver Harbour, we passed through the ‘Second Narrows’ along an industrial area; but once we turned the corner northward up Indian Arm, we found a scenic playground. 

The Village of Deep Cove in Indian Arm

Although relatively close to Vancouver, there is a remote feeling in this fjord-like inlet.  The village of Deep Cove is the only substantial settlement in Indian Arm and is literally at the end of the road from North Vancouver.  The first permanent residents in Deep Cove were John and Rhoda Moore who settled here with their five children in 1919.  They opened the first store in the area in 1927 at the corner of what is now Panorama Drive and Gallant Avenue. 

Nice eateries and shops are found in Deep Cove

Deep Cove is a delightful place to visit offering cute shops and eateries. 

Deep Cove Public Wharf and Deep Cove Yacht Club

A public wharf (for boats up to 36 feet) is available for day-use while visiting the village.  No overnight stays on the wharf but the adjacent Deep Cove Yacht Club has a reciprocal program with other yacht clubs; and Deep Cove North Shore Marina, located nearby, offers transient moorage in unoccupied slips.  Anchorage is possible south of the public wharf but is often full during the peak season.  Motoring to the public wharf can get exciting, as we soon discovered. 

Future generation taking kayak lessons at Deep Cove

Deep Cove is a popular location for youth summer programs for kayak and day-sailor lessons.  These future boaters crisscross back and forth around the anchorage area and public wharf, creating an interesting obstacle course for others to maneuver around. 

Deep Cove Yacht Club with North Shore Marina in the distance

Views from Deep Cove North Shore Marina

If anchorage in the area is not available or space at the North Shore Marina is full, Bedwell Bay, located two and a half nautical miles from Deep Cove on the east shore of Indian Arm, is a good choice.  Continuing northward, Indian Arm becomes more isolated with only a few homes along the shore and tucked along the banks. 

One home we spotted near Lone Point has an elevator down a rock face in order to reach the home below.  Completing our day-tour of Indian Arm, we headed back through ‘Second Narrows’ on a 3-knot flood, skirting around a large yacht that was waiting for the bridge to open.  As we approached Mosquito Creek Marina, several tug boats were bearing down on us while making their way into a nearby port.  This time we knew where we were going and slipped through the unmarked narrow entrance to Mosquito Creek Marina; however, we still needed to turn our 46-foot vessel inside a 36-foot fairway for slip moorage.  We decided it might be easier to back in.  With fenders and lines ready and a hand-held radio for communication, we began the tight maneuver.  Three guys were standing on the dock across the fairway and I heard one of them exclaim, “he’s going to have a heck-of-a-time getting that boat in there!”  Leonard skillfully made two or three maneuvers and we were easily inside the slip, a roar of cheers and clapping erupted as they said “well done.”  It was a nice ending to a day of constant vigilance and dodging traffic on a busy summer’s day.