BC Gulf Islands & Vancouver Island

We just returned from a week in BC. I must say that the "anchorages" there are ridiculously crowded with "private moorings" and derelict boats. I'm talking well known and popular spots like Ganges, Montague, Genoa Bay, Ladysmith... We tried to anchor out and couldn't find any open decent spots. "Private moorings" and doper/derelict boats were everywhere. From speaking with locals at various marinas, it's a frustrating problem for them too. I guess no enforcement leads to anarchy. In Ladysmith we were even warned not to leave our dinghy tied up while we went to town for fear of returning to find it stolen. There's a derelict boat enclave that we passed at the mouth of the bay that looks like a scene from a Mad Max movie. Very disappointing to say the least.

Wow - that hurts to hear. That area was one of our favorites to cruise. With the animosity between our two governments and this situation, it would be hard to recommend a Canadian get-away to boat cruising friends.

I don't think it is just in Canada or just on the water. We have been doing land cruising again since retiring from our jobs with the whale watch company in Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor. Big cities in the US have issues with people living in broken down RVs that could only move if hauled away by a tow truck. BLM land that has 14 day stay limits for "campers," is having issues with people who think that stay limit doesn't apply to them. Just like boats dumping their waste in those anchorages, you know these "campers" are doing likewise in the woods (or on city streets).

You mentioned "dopers" - I think this, along with mental health issues and a lack of civility regarding responsibiliy, has created the situation. We see it in parts of Phoenix (our transplanted home), where summer daytime high temperatures are often well over 110º - life threatening for those who can't get out of the heat. Seattle, San Diego, LA... it's an issue all over.

JamesTXSD said:

... BLM land that has 14 day stay limits for "campers," is having issues with people who think that stay limit doesn't apply to them. ...

Click to expand...

BLM and other places are proposing using license plate tracking to monitor comings and goings on lands that have stay limits.

I've seen videos of RV encampments in west coast cities that look more like landfill dumps than a place where people live.