British Columbia’s Emerald Isles : Beyond the San Juans, Summering in Canada’s Less-Traveled Gulf Islands

If point scores were awarded for understatement, our captain on the Queen of Nanaimo ferry would have earned a 9.9.

“Uh, anyone who happens to be standing on the starboard side may notice a couple of whales,” he droned in his best monotone. (In keeping with their supposed national character, Canadians feel they have an obligation to convey an aura of quiet calm.)

Immediately the ferry tilted to starboard as the boat’s complement of passengers rushed to the rail. There, just yards away, as we plied between Mayne and Galiano islands in the Strait of Georgia, four huge killer whales were either having a whale of a lot of fun or engaged in an immodest display of courtship.

One of the “couples” leaped into the air and then flopped down, spraying water in all directions in a backward belly flop. A few minutes later, another of the orcas made a shallow dive only to remain perpendicular, waving its tail fins at the boat.

The lady from Munich next to me at the rail looked as if her lottery number had just been announced.

“These whales, they are trained, yes?” she said.

I assured her that no, they were indeed wild orcas and that we didn’t allow Disney-fabricated mammals north of the 49th Parallel.

Even though I live in British Columbia, I don’t get over to the splendid Gulf Islands too often--nor do I often see spontaneous whale performances. But it was June when I related the whale incident to my B&B; hostess on Galiano Island, and already my third visit for the year. “That’s nothing,” she said. “Last August, there were not one, but two pods of killer whales with 35 or 40 whales each that played around in Active Pass for almost an hour.”

If sights like this give you goose bumps, they’re only a taste of what awaits in Canada’s exquisite Gulf Islands. Riding the ferries between the islands, one is likely to see porpoise, otters, sea lions and birds of every color. Bald eagles are so abundant in places that they are considered a nuisance because they edge out resident cormorants. On all the islands there are miles of shoreline without a single cottage. Mountain peaks and mountain trails. Deserted beaches. The finest cruising and sailing anywhere.

Even though Vancouver and Victoria are both kissed by the Japanese current, bringing a mild climate (and less rain than Seattle), the Gulf Islands go one better. Tucked into the rain-shadow of Vancouver Island, they are remarkably dry, and have a climate that at times and in places feels almost Mediterranean--with much more sunshine and warmer temperatures year round than any other place in British Columbia. Cactus can be found on some of the islands along with tropical palms and flourishing artichokes.

About 200 islands lie in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver on the mainland and Vancouver Island, but only five have regular ferry service, a substantial resident population and services for visitors: Salt Spring, Galiano, Mayne, North and South Pender and Saturna. These five form the northern or Canadian extension of Washington state’s San Juan Islands.

B.C. Ferries have numerous sailings every day from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and from the harbor at Tsawwassen, about 25 miles south of the city of Vancouver, to the various islands. You can see the islands in a day trip from Vancouver, but that would be missing the whole point of going there.

All the islands are mountainous in appearance with rugged shorelines, immense bluffs and sheer cliffs that plunge into the sea. There are wide, dazzlingly white beaches layered with crushed shells that have accumulated over the centuries. The roads are draped with gnarled Garry oaks and twisted red arbutus trees. Wildflowers and berries grow in abundance.

Each has a distinct personality, but what they all offer in abundance is tranquillity and decompression from the stresses of contemporary life. You won’t find a Hilton or a Sheraton anywhere, but there are quiet guest houses, small elite hotels that seem to have been plucked out of the English countryside and a few discreet motels. The unspoken law everywhere seems to be come, enjoy, but don’t start a stampede.

Salt Spring

On a hot Sunday afternoon, a small group of Vesuvius Bay residents are sitting around in lawn chairs at the Arbutus Court Motel for the first meeting of a committee with a very serious purpose. The ferry from Vesuvius Bay to Crofton has, because of a bureaucratic whim, all of a sudden started to toot on arrival and departure.

“When the damn thing goes, I practically have to peel myself off the ceiling,” says one angry homeowner.

A letter campaign is quickly organized, government representatives to be contacted identified, tactics and counter-tactics discussed. A dozen citizens have put on their armor and are girded for battle.

Despite its small population of 9,500, a good percentage of these islanders are people who know how to get things done. Among its residents, the island has a strong core of Canadian and U.S. celebrities, such as actor/director Goldie Hawn and painter Robert Bateman, retired lawyers, judges, industrialists and a strong core of activists.

Salt Spring is the largest, most developed and most visited of the islands--which simply means that it has an actual village, Ganges, on the east side, with such services as a bookstore, bank, soap factory, a couple of specialty stores and the like. The island even has a movie theater in an old community hall that shows relatively recent films.

Every weekend, you can still catch a glimpse of the island’s other face during the Saturday market in downtown Ganges. Salt Spring used to be called the “hippie island” but now the alternative lifestyle crowd has become specialist. Crafts of every description are displayed next to fresh-squeezed-orange-juice stands, jars of sugarless pure-fruit jams, herb plants for sale, hair-beading street salons and so on.

Salt Spring has 400 miles of roads, mountain peaks reaching 2,310 feet, streams and lakes filled with cutthroat and bass. If you drive to the top of Mt. Maxwell Provincial Park, mid-island on the west side, there’s an outlook that takes in rolling valley farmland stretching for miles and a lump-in-the-throat sweep of most of the other islands.

It also has one of the Pacific Northwest’s most famous small inns, Hastings House, a Relais & Chateaux accommodation near Ganges; excellent restaurants; top quality B&B;’s and the highest-priced real estate in the area.

Classy Hastings House is the island’s best-known inn (and with rates starting at $220, by far the most expensive on any of the islands). Once the family home of British immigrants, the house is a replica of a 14th-Century Sussex country home with log beams, bedrooms with cozy comforters, stone fireplaces and mullioned windows overlooking the bay and rolling gardens. The last time I visited, the aroma of garlic and rosemary floated out of the kitchen, a teasing precursor of the Salt Spring lamb on that night’s menu. ( Prix fixe meals are about $40 without wine.)

Salt Spring has more than 100 B&B;’s, some very basic, others done to a world-class standard. One of the latter is the lovingly restored Old Farm House, in the northern part of the island, run by Karl and Gertie Fuss with rooms that start at $125. I had dinner (a delicate prawn salad) with Gertie last year. For breakfast I tried one of her specialties: poached egg on polenta with fresh sorrel and bearnaise sauce. The Farm House’s rooms have old country charm, but with fine hotel service such as the steaming coffee on a silver tray that waited outside our room every morning so that we could lounge in handmade robes before dressing for breakfast.

The Penders

North and South Pender were originally one island until a canal was cut through its isthmus, saving boats and canoes a lot of rowing miles. They’re now joined by a one-lane wooden bridge. The Penders are second in size to Salt Spring and lie closest to the U.S. border. For the population of 1,800, island life is still pretty rural; there are no villages.

After a 30-minute ferry ride from Salt Spring to Otter Bay on North Pender one early morning, I drove over to what had looked on the map to be a village to find breakfast. “Port Washington” turned out to be one 1903 general store and a marina, both closed. The nearest thing to a village on Pender turned out to be the Driftwood Centre, which consisted of a bank, post boxes, bakery, coin-operated laundry, hair salon, general store and a cafe.

I finally found Diane Dryer at the Inn on Pender, who unlike everyone else on the island, seemed to be awake at 7:30 a.m. She runs her clean, motel-style inn, and the Memories restaurant (one of the three places on the Penders to eat), plus manages to keep tabs on everything happening on the island. (She was one of two people who told me Goldie Hawn had a place on North Pender.)

As I left, a delicate blacktailed deer standing a few feet from the restaurant door was unperturbed by us humans. Anyone whose childhood years were forever changed by Bambi will be ecstatic in the Gulf Islands. Deer are everywhere.

The best vista on Pender is from Mt. Norman, which has trails to its 858-foot summit and views all over the San Juans. The Penders main claim to fame are their many bays and beaches, which are accessible by public rights of way. The beaches are gravelly and secluded, great for quiet picnics and ideal for easy boat launching.

It was on Pender Island that the specter of overdevelopment in the Gulf Islands first appeared. In the late 1960’s, a Vancouver businessman subdivided an area around Pender’s Magic Lake for a mainland-style housing. The bitter controversy that followed quickly spread to the other Gulf Islands. In their zeal to preserve the pristine nature of the islands, residents set up the Islands Trust, a body empowered to “preserve and protect” the islands through zoning bylaws. It has proved highly effective.

The Penders have a full-scale resort, Bedwell Harbour, a number of lodges and inns and some charming B&Bs.; I particularly liked Eatenton B&B;, just off Scarff Road, with its huge sun deck that looks over the entire bay, and Cliffside-Inn-on-the-Sea, which was the first B&B; on the island and has the reputation for being as efficient as a Swiss watch.

Galiano

Ask anyone what the defining personality of Galiano is and you get almost 100% agreement: It’s the home of the environmental activist. If there’s a protest going on somewhere in B.C., you can be darn sure some of the picketers are Galianoites.

Long-time resident Tom Hennessy and his wife, Ann, are typical of the kind of islanders who came vowing to escape the rat race--and then found themselves busier than they ever were at home. Tom, a former gallery- and museum-designer in Washington, D.C., came upon Galiano during a vacation and never went home.

Their large property right on Montague Harbour is home to Sutil Lodge, a B&B; with 1930’s fishing lodge decor, plus umpteen dozen other enterprises they now run--including a majestic 46-foot catamaran that takes people on four-hour picnic cruises to one of the best swimming beaches in the Gulf Islands.

Club-shaped Galiano is 15 miles long and one mile wide, reaches further north than the other islands and has 900 residents. Although there’s no real village, there are more than 20 B&B;’s, several inns and lodges and the elegant Woodstone Country Inn, which is situated inland and features rooms with wood-burning fireplaces.

I stumbled on a sheer gem of a place to stay on my last visit--Lion’s Gate Guest House, a private home with only one bedroom. The house is about as “B.C.” as they come--a log house at the end of a garden-lined drive with a huge open living room and kitchen. The guest room (with its own bathroom) felt like a little log cabin and at night I sank into the most comfortable bed in the Western world. Owners Debbie and John Stewart are great conversationalists and even after I’d polished off a mean herb omelet, it was hard ripping myself away.

Mayne

Mayne is the smallest of the Gulf Islands (8.4 square miles) but it has a whopping population of 835, due partly to its position closest to Vancouver, but also to its great community spirit.

There’s a good selection of charming B&B;’s, one of the most elegant inns anywhere in B.C., Oceanwood, and several good restaurants such as Perry’s Place, where we sampled a huge feed of freshly caught prawns (for about $8.50) that I still dream about. On weekends, Perry’s has jazz concerts over dinner as well as a beer garden out back.

(For anyone who has cooking facilities, fresh prawns can be bought off a fishing boat on the government dock at Horton Bay on weekends from 4 to 6 p.m.)

Miner’s Bay is the heart of Mayne, with craft shops, general stores and the popular Springwater Lodge pub. The pub has the best fish and chips on the islands ($4.94) and despite my now-elevated cholesterol count, I suggest you not miss it. The ling cod was done just right, covered with a crispy light, thin batter shell.

A cozy B&B; in Miner’s Bay, the Root Seller, has down-home rooms, a hostess who invites guests to “just help yourself” and, the two nights I stayed there, interesting fellow guests. (I shared digs with a group of physiotherapists and doctors from South Africa and a teaching psychiatrist from Colorado.)

The top-of-the-line inn is Oceanwood, run by Marilyn and Jonathon Chilvers with the grace and style of a fine English country hotel. Their dining room is unquestionably the best on Mayne (and probably in the islands), thanks to their dynamic young chef Chris Johnson. Oceanwood is known also for its extensive wine cellar of internationally praised B.C. wines. Menus change daily and a four-course meal will cost about $25 per person. The place is packed with sybaritic treats: You can sit in the Jacuzzi with a glass of that B.C. wine and watch the boats come by, or take a pre-dinner stroll in the herb garden, or sit by your own fireplace sipping more of that wine before slipping into your whirlpool bath.

Among other things to do, Active Pass Lighthouse on a peninsula southwest of Miner’s Bay is a good photo op and picnic spot, and there’s a two-hour walk from Miner’s Bay to Helen Point. Mayne seems to have fewer hills than the other islands, so cycling is a big pastime, and there are numerous places to rent bikes. Kayaks can be rented from Mayne Island Kayak & Canoe Rentals in Miners Bay.

Saturna

The minute the ferry docks at Lyall Harbour, you know this is an island not like the others. Soaring cedar and fir trees descend right down to the water, compelling you to explore along the island’s only major road. East Point Road winds along the 10-mile-long coast through tunnels of red arbutus beside a “beach” of unbroken sandstone that looks over the Strait of Georgia and Tumbo Island to the northeast. There were moments when I felt I was touching the last pristine beach in North America. Only rarely was there a piece of cleared property or a house. It was love at first sight.

Even though Saturna is the largest of the “outer islands” (all are “outer,” except Salt Spring), it has the least development and the smallest population (only 280 full-time residents). There are no villages, no coin-laundries, no garbage pickup or dump, no tourist shops selling “Welcome to Saturna” banners. There is, however, a good lodge, several fine B&B;’s, bike rental, a superb bakery, a pub, marina, two general stores and an Avon lady.

Among the reasons why the island has not been densely settled--despite, in my opinion, being the most beautiful of the lot--is a chronic shortage of water in some places.

Among some of the long-timers are the residents of the Breezy Bay community on the island’s southwest side, who run the Breezy Bay Bed & Breakfast. Betty Spears, who has lived on Saturna for 15 years, runs the “more than 100-year-old” house and whips up farm-style breakfasts of eggs, pancakes, granola and Haggis Farm bread on the wood stove in the kitchen. Everything is period: the wrought iron beds, Amos ‘n Andy radio, overstuffed sofas and tongue-and-groove walls. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and guests have the run of the house.

One absolute must: the Haggis Farm Bakery, which I heard about on several of the other islands. Owners Jon Guy and Priscilla Ewbank started the bakery eight years ago when they were overwhelmed by demand for the sourdough bread they baked each Sunday in their home kitchen. They now have a proper bakery mid-island on Narvaez Road.

Coming over on the ferry to Saturna, a young man pointed to the top of Mt. Warburton Pike, the highest point on the island, and told me not to miss it. “If you’re lucky, you’ll see some of the brown or honey-colored feral goats with their twisty horns. There’s a grassy plateau and from there you can see all of the islands and as far as Mt. Baker. It’s the most beautiful spot on earth.”

He was right.

GUIDEBOOK: The ABC’s of B.C.

Getting there: Delta and Canadian International Airlines fly LAX to Vancouver nonstop; Alaska and United connect. Lowest round-trip, restricted fare is about $280. BC Transit operates regular bus service from Vancouver south to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, telephone (604) 261-5100; so does Pacific Coach line at (604) 662-8074. BC Ferries sail daily to all five islands from both Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island; tel. (604) 669-1211.

Where to stay: Contact the Canadian Gulf Islands B&B; Reservation Service, 637 Southwind Road, Galiano Island, BC V0N 1P0; tel. (604) 539-2930, fax 539-5390.

SALT SPRING (all prices are peak season, U.S. dollars): Hastings House, 160 Upper Ganges Road; tel. (604) 537-2362. Rates per room from $220.

Old Farm House, 1077 North End Road; (604) 537-4113, fax 537-4969. Rates from $90.

The Green Rose B&B;, 346 Robinson Road; tel. (604) 537-9927. Rates from $54.

PENDER: Cliffside-Inn-on-the-Sea, Box 50, North Pender Island; tel. (604) 629-6691; $61 single, $68 double.

Eatenton House B&B;, 4705 Scarff Road, RR1, North Pender Island; tel. (604) 629-8355. Three rooms, $47-$68.

GALIANO: Woodstone Country Inn, 743 Georgeson Bay Road, RR1; tel. (604) 539-2022. Rates from $64-$94.

Lion’s Gate, 754 Burrill; tel. (604) 539-3225, fax 539-3210. One room only, $65.

MAYNE: Oceanwood Country Inn, 630 Dinner Bay Road; tel. (604) 539-5074, fax 539-3002. Singles from $79.

The Root Seller Inn, 478 Village Bay Road; tel. (604) 539-2621. Singles from $29.

SATURNA: Breezy Bay B&B;, P.O. Box 40; tel. (604) 539-2937, fax 539-5200. From $33 single, $43 double.

Boot Cove Lodge, Box 54; tel. (604) 539-2254, fax 539-3091. Rates $65-$90.

For more information: Contact the Canadian Consulate General, Tourist Information, 300 S. Grand Ave., 10th Floor, Los Angeles 90071, tel. (213) 346-2700.