These paddling routes follow the North Pender Island shoreline or originate from North Pender, crossing to neighbouring Southern Gulf Islands.

Around North Pender Island (tide/current flow will dictate your direction of travel) • Last paddled by RP: April 2026 • Circle Tour • EXPERIENCED • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Hamilton Beach (Port Browning): 48.775075, -123.274430 • Alternative Launch/Landing Sites: Medicine Beach, Thieves Bay Marina, Roesland, Otter Bay Marina, Port Washington CRD Public Dock, Hope Bay/CRD Public Dock • Tide Stations: Bedwell Harbour, Hope Bay • CHS Nautical Chart: 3462 • 45 km paddling close to the shoreline (approx. 24 nmi) • 2-3 days • Parking at Hamilton Beach boat launch • Day One—Hamilton Beach to Shingle Bay Campground (21 km/approx. 11 nmi); Day Two—Shingle Bay Campground to Hamilton Beach (24 km/approx. 13 nmi) • Services along route: Port Brown Marina Resort (marina moorage, tent camping/glamping in a heritage orchard, trailer/RV sites, showers/washrooms, coin laundry, garbage/recycling, Port Browning Pub, marina store, drinking water, swimming pool, WIFI, 5-minute walk to Driftwood Centre), Mortimer Spit (pit toilet, picnic table), Medicine Beach Nature Sanctuary, Thieves Bay Marina (pit toilet, picnic tables, park), Shingle Bay Campground/walk-in camping (GINPR), Roesland/Roe Islet (GINPR), Otter Bay Marina (marina moorage, boat launch, store and cafe, washrooms and showers, drinking water, swimming pools, free WIFI, eBike rentals, adjacent to Currents at Otter Bay cottage vacation rentals), Hope Bay Store/CRD Public Dock (moorage, Pender Chocolates, limited food services, Pender Islands Conservancy Association, kayak tours/rentals) • Birders: Port Browning—105 species since 1999 (eBird), Mortimer Spit—93 species since 2016 (eBird), Medicine Beach Nature Sanctuary—138 species since 2013 (eBird), Thieves Bay Marina—105 species since 1980 (eBird), Roesland—101 species seen since 2015 (eBird​), Hope Bay—138 species seen since 1993 (eBird) • Highlights/Notes: Intertidal life near/under the canal bridge, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, and marine mammal sightings, remnants of Shingle Bay fish reduction plant, historic Roe Islet/Roesland (Pender Islands Museum), islet wildflowers in Grimmer Bay across from Port Washington CRD Public Dock, barnacle-covered brick remains in Bricky Bay, Hope Bay, Pacific Harbour seal haulouts among anchored boats in Port Browning, ocean swimming; be awake to commercial and private ocean-vessel traffic in Port Browning, in the narrow waterway between the Penders (current flow under the bridge can reach three knots) and near Otter Bay Ferry Terminal and Otter Bay Marina, there are no landing spots between Wallace Point and Boat Nook • Best time of year: Spring and fall when the tide range is smaller. Be sure to visit the Pender Islands Museum website to learn some Pender Islands’ history before setting off.

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Japanese Memorial Garden (Mayne Island) from Thieves Bay (North Pender Island) • Last paddled by RP: July 2026 • There & Back • EXPERIENCED • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Thieves Bay Marina: 48.769963, -123.311188 • Launch/Landing Coordinates (Dinner Bay Beach, Mayne Island): 48.834851, -123.318747 • Tide Stations: Long Harbour, Hope Bay • CHS Nautical Chart: 3442 • 8-10 km each way (4.3-5.4 nmi), depending on directness of route • 1.5-2 hrs • Parking lot at Thieves Bay Marina • Route: Most direct route is a straight shot from Moaut Point to MacKinnon Point to Stanley Point and across Navy Channel to Dinner Bay, landing on the north end of the beach where a staircase and path lead to Dinner Bay Park and the Japanese Memorial Garden • Services: Thieves Bay—pit toilet, picnic tables, beach, marina; Dinner Bay Park—beach access, covered picnic shelter, washrooms, picnic tables, disc golf course, synthetic putting green (with complimentary putters and golf balls), horseshoe pit (with complimentary horseshoes), baseball diamonds, senior’s fitness circuit, children’s play structure, Ed Williams Memorial Trail; Japanese Memorial Garden—bicycle rack, resting benches • Highlights/Notes: Japanese Memorial Garden (read Remembering Strangers) and Dinner Bay Park; a busy BC Ferries, ocean tanker, and recreational boating area, following the North Pender shoreline adds safety and enjoyment • Best time of year: Weekday mornings in the spring and early summer. 

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Kadonaga Bay/St. John Point Regional Park (Mayne Island) • Last paddled by RP: August 2026 • There & Back • INTERMEDIATE • Launch/Landing Coordinates (Hope Bay, North Pender Island): 48.80285, -123.27633 • Launch/Landing Coordinates: (Kadonaga Bay, Mayne Island): 48.82001, -123.24281 • Tide Station: Hope Bay • CHS Nautical Chart 3477 • Trail to Hope Bay beach launch • 3.4 km each way (1.8 nmi) • 45 mins • Launch Parking: South of the Canada Post boxes at the Hope Bay Store • Route: Pass Fane Island and its green-and-white navigational marker, then cross Plumper Sound to Kadonaga Bay (the last bay before St. John Point); the west-side entrance to Kadonga Bay is marked by colourful floats hanging from an Arbutus tree; beach your watercraft atop the mass of driftwood, below two beautiful homes • Services: North Pender—Hope Bay Store; Mayne Island—Hike the St. John Point Regional Park ŦÁ,WEN Trail • Birders: 64 species seen since 2023 (eBird) • Highlights/Notes: Easy paddling, other than when standing waves are present mid-channel (during a strong current); pay attention for powerboaters and ferries in Plumper Sound • Best time of year: Anytime.

Alternative Landing Coordinates: St. John Point Regional Park east-facing beach (48.816821, -123.231917)—4.7 km each way (2.5 nmi) from Hope Bay • 60 mins • Route: Cross Plumper Sound to Kadonaga Bay, then trace the shoreline southeast to St. John Point and around to the east-facing beach (if hiking the park’s ŦÁ,WEN Trail, undertake it counterclockwise to finish up with the spectacular shoreline sections). 

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Port Browning Circle Tour • Last paddled by RP: September 2026 • Circle Tour • INTERMEDIATE • MAP • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Hamilton Beach (Port Browning): 48.775075, -123.274430 • Tide Station: Bedwell Harbour • CHS Nautical Chart: 3462 • 6.4 km (approx. 3.5 nmi) • 90 mins • Parking at Hamilton Beach boat launch • Route: Paddle through Port Browning Marina (under the metal gangway/tide-permitting or around the outside of the marina breakwater, then follow the shoreline past the CRD Public Dock and the seal haulouts to the multi-peaked log home on Port Browning’s north shore; cross to Mortimer Spit/Shark Cove and under the Canal Road Bridge; return to Hamilton Beach hugging the southside Port Browning shoreline • Services/amenities along route: Port Browning Marina Resort (marina moorage, tent camping/glamping in a heritage orchard, trailer/RV sites, showers/washrooms, coin laundry, garbage/recycling, Port Browning Pub, marina store, drinking water, swimming pool, WIFI, 5-minute walk to Driftwood Centre); Mortimer Spit (pit toilet, picnic table) • Birders: Port Browning—105 species since 1999 (eBird), Mortimer Spit—93 species since 2016 (eBird) • Highlights/Notes: Intertidal life attached to/or near the CRD dock and under/near the bridge, Pacifc Harbour seal haulouts among anchored boats, Great Blue heron sightings, cold-water ocean swimming in Shark Cove or at Hamilton Beach, Port Browning Marina Resort camping and pub; east/southeast wind is a paddling deterrent, lots of powered-vessel traffic to and from Port Browning Marina and in the narrow waterway between the Penders (current flow under the bridge can reach three knots) • Best time of year: Year-round in the early morning; weekend powerboat traffic in late-spring, summer, and early-fall make crossing Port Browning more dangerous.

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Portland Island/SXEĆOŦEN  (GINPR)  • Last paddled by RP: August 2026 • There & Back • EXPERIENCED • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Thieves Bay Marina: 48.769963, -123.311188 • Launch/Landing Coordinates (Arbutus Point Beach, Portland Island): 48.73456, -123.36737 • Tide Stations: Bedwell Harbour, Fulford Harbour, Sidney • CHS Nautical Chart: 3441 • 3.2 nmi (approx. 6 km each way) • 60 mins • Parking lot at Thieves Bay Marina • Route: Due to the open-water distance, only undertake this crossing in windless, flatwater conditions; current direction and strength will dictate your ferry angle to and from Portland Island; depart at ten past the hour to allow BC Ferries’ vessels west and east bound to move out of your path (if you’re unsure if a ferry, commercail vessl/tanker, or private boat is a threat to your safety, pause in place until it passes) • Services: Thieves Bay—beach, picnic tables, and pit toilet; Portland Island (SXEĆOŦEN)—information/educational signs, hiking, three camping areas, beaches, picnic tables, and pit toilets • NO potable water • Birders: 134 species since 2002 (eBird) • Highlights/Notes: Shoreline paddle or hike (or both), sand beach at Shell Beach, intertidal life, wildflowers, and fascinating history • Best time of year: Spring for the wildflowers; Summer for the low tides and intertidal life (finest in the SGI); Fall for the quiet • BULLETIN (PROHIBITED ACTIVITY ORDER): The stretch of the Portland Island Shoreline Trail between Princess Bay, Shell Beach, and the Kanaka Bluff trailhead and the Shell Beach camping area are closed from September 8-30, 2026 “to complete mitigation work.”

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​Ruckle Park, Salt Spring Island (BC Parks) • Last paddled by RP: August 2026 • There & Back • EXPERIENCED • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Thieves Bay Marina: 48.769963, -123.311188 • Launch/Landing Coordinates (Grandma’s Beach, SSI): 48.76948, -123.37904 • Tide Stations: Fulford Harbour, Sidney • CHS Nautical Chart: 3441 • 2.7 nmi (approx. 5.5 km each way) • 60-75 mins • Parking lot at Thieves Bay Marina • Route: Choose a flatwater, wind-free day; aim west of the green-and-white marine navigation beacon at the Ruckle Park campground (current direction and strength will dictate your ferry angle); depart at ten-fifteen minutes past the hour to allow BC Ferries’ west and east bound vessels to move out of your path (if any vessel is a threat to your safety, pause in place until it passes); Grandma’s Beach is at the head of the first bay west of the campground • Services: Thieves Bay—beach, picnic tables, and pit toilet; Ruckle Park—information/educational signs, extensive hiking trail system, beaches, picnic tables, campground, pit toilets, roadside farm stand • Drinking water stations • Birders: 155 species since 1979 (eBird​) • Highlights/Notes: Paddle or hike along the campground shoreline, heritage farm with free-roaming sheep and turkeys, farm stand, wildflowers, and intertidal life • Best time of year: Spring for the wildflowers; summer for the low tides and intertidal life; fall for the farm stand selection.

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Russell Island (GINPR) • Last paddled by RP: September 2025 • There & Back • EXPERIENCED • Launch/Landing Coordinates from Thieves Bay Marina: 48.769963, -123.311188 • Launch/Landing Coordinates (Russell Island/northwest midden): 48.74776, -123.41261 • Tide Stations: Fulford Harbour, Sidney • CHS Nautical Chart: 3441 • South Russell Island route: 5 nmi (approx. 9.3 km each way) • 90 mins • Parking lot at Thieves Bay Marina • Route: The preferred route is to cross to the Salt Spring Island, follow it west to Eleanor Point, then cross to the east end of Russell (BC Ferries, private boaters or other commercail vessels may dictate extra time in the high-traffic, open-water channel (be patient/err on the side of caution); undertake in calm ocean conditions • Services: Thieves Bay—beach, picnic tables, and pit toilet; Russell Island—information/educational signs/map, hiking, GINPR dock, midden/beaches, pit toilet, heritage building and orchard, and seasonal park host program • NO potable water or camping • Birders: 80 species since 2009 (eBird) • Highlights/Notes: Shoreline paddle with high sandstone bluff on the island’s south side, EASY 2.3 km Haumea Trail with offshot paths to great south-facing views and Out & Back extension to historic homestead and Mahoi Orchard (allow 45-60 mins), orchard apple picking • Best time of year: Fall for the apples and peace and quiet.