Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island

June 18, 2022

[ 36NM, 2 hours, 15 minutes ]

Our morning cruising took us to our next destination and first visit to the Southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island. We had made reservations at the Ganges Marina. Said like Gan-gees and the "gan" rhymes with "can". I had only made the reservation last week for our overnight stay, but we were told by our visits with other boaters that I wouldn’t have been able to make a reservation once July was here. The staff at the marina is very helpful. Dave went in search of the best location to drop crab pots. They let us know that the Dungeness crab were still going to be fairly small, but that he could try near Chocolate Beach at 3rd Sisters Island. They did think we should spend more efforts on catching prawn. On the topic of reservations, the staff said it was imperative to have one if we planned to dine out in town during our stay. We had black & blue plans, so no worries there.

There is a lot of talent on display and a heavy lean towards the natural, both in product and personal style.

After our information gather at the office, we headed into town for the locally famed Saturday Market. Town is very cute and has an overall Lopez Island vibe with more options of shops. Our first stop was to fulfill the hangry needs that were on their way. There was a number of cuisines to choose from, but we decided on the Salt Springs Smokies cart for dogs and brats and we were not disappointed. The market itself had around 75 vendors selling their artistry and local goods. There is a lot of talent on display and a heavy lean towards the natural, both in product and personal style.

We moved on from the market in search of shrimping supplies. We hit Mouats Home Hardware and found everything we needed. Our last stop in town was to find harnesses for the dogs. They are horrible leash walkers (definitely operator error). The pet store in town is well stocked and had a fix for us. The walking experience was instantly more enjoyable.

You can take a seat on the swing ...or the really cool outhouse.

Crabbing near Chocolate Beach became our next item on the activity list. I had poured myself a glass of wine and the 60 degree sun had shown up, so I wasn’t really intending to join on the dinghy ride to drop them. Dave had a different expectation of me and my company. Off we went in search of the recommended location. I’m happy he wanted me to join him since Chocolate Beach was a wonderful surprise. It is made of white crushed shells and artfully placed driftwood. You can take a seat on the swing ...or the really cool outhouse. In some late night reading, I learned that the toilet was designed and built by a man that was tired of guests pooping throughout the island. I’m sure his commitment to the cause is appreciated and we thought the structure was the cutest outdoor toilet we have ever seen. It even had a view of the bay.

The beach was fitting the bill for the vacation we are in search of, so Dave left the pups and me there to start the dinghy, taking the 5 minute dinghy ride back to the marina to get the kids for forced family fun time and a young set of arms to help with crab pot checking. The pots produced zero things. Hopes of more fruitful efforts to come.