84PORT HARDY
A pleasant, small town situated near the northern end of Vancouver Island,
this is the last fuel and provisions center before sailing off to the north.
It is a departure or destination point for the majority of vessels crossing
Queen Charlotte Sound and the upper sections of the Inside Passage.
Hardy Bay is quite large, and marked at its eastern end by a light on
Masterman Islands about 1/2 mile oH Dillon Poi'nt. Port Hardy Ees at the
southern end of the bay, beyond the two shoal bars marked by lighted buoys at
their seaward ends. A government wharf lies between the buoys, but the small
craft harbor lies beyond the southern shoal buoy. Pass on the east side of the
buoy before entering between the two breakwaters. Two sizable small craft
'marinas' are in this harbor.
The northern marina is a government operated 5mall craft facility which is
popular with commerciaI fishing vessels. Thus it is locally called "Fisher-
man's Wharf". During the fishing season it is extremely busy and space is at a
premium. Rafting may be necessary. • • jR..Q.. ~ (fA 1"'.Qe)
The marina in the southern part of the harbor is operated by the Quarter-
deck Marina and RV Park. There is moorage available on a daily or annua l
basis. A well stocked marine supply store, showers, laundry, and other
facilities are at the head of the dock. A restaurant is nearby. Fuel may be
obtained at a Chevron station at Quarterdeck Marina or just outside the
breakwaters to the north at an Esso Marine Station. Both may be very busy in
summer, and short waits may be necessary.
Port Hardy is at the end of the highway from the south, and is now the
summer terminus of the B.C. Ferry "Queen of The North" which sails to Prince
Rupert. There are several underground caves in the area which can be visited
by bus tours. 4IIIIIt
Goletas (Schooner) Channel leads ~~ from Hardy Bay to the top of Vancouver
Island at Cape Sutil. Vessels heading for the West Coast of Vancouver Island
use this channel to reach Bull Harbour, on Hope Island, as the closest depart-
ure point from which to round Cape Scotto However, Buii Harbour is not as good
a departure point for crossing Queen Charlotte Sound.
A small, but useful anchorage to await the crossing is Gods Pocket, a small
indentation on the west side of Hurst Island off Christie Passage. There are
two white tire floats in the small bay, which can be barely made out in the
charts, but which does provide adequate shelter close to Queen Charlotte Sound.
During the fishing season the floats are used a great deal by fishing vessels
coming in for a short rest before leaving again. They often raft up several
vessels to a buoy. Little space is left for anchorage. At other times there
may be no other boat in sight. Thus one must take one's chances as to the
availability of space in this little shelter.Scarlett Point Lighthouse on the northeast tip of Balaklava Island lies 2
miles to the northwest of Gods Pocket. This is a good departure or destination
point for the crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound.?