Mooring buoys at D’Arcy Island
(Photo by Matthew Lettington)
Parks Canada installed the new buoys with funding from the Marine Parks Forever Society (MPFS), an all-volunteer non-profit founded by the Council of BC Yacht Clubs in 1990.
MPFS has since contributed more than $2 million to improve and expand many marine parks in the province. It has been responsible for funding the purchase of land to expand marine parks and installing scores of shore pins to assist stern tying in numerous parks in Desolation Sound, the Sunshine Coast and the Gulf Islands to both protect the environment and improve boater safety.
D’Arcy Island, a former leper colony, has a fascinating history, including a spell as a supply base for illicit liquor shipments during Prohibition in the US. But it is known as a difficult anchorage due to rocks and kelp in the small bights around the island. As well, tidal currents and exposure to wind complicate matters for boaters.
The mooring buoys on the island’s eastern shore will certainly offer boaters more secure holding, expecially in unsettled weather.
The buoys are available under that same conditions as other mooring buoys in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, such as those at nearby Sidney Spit at the north end of Sidney Island. Buoys cost $14 a night from May 15 to Sept 30. Boaters can use the buoys for a maximum of 14 days during a calendar year. Day use is free, but boats will be charged an overnight fee after 3pm.
