Clousie

Instead of taking the late ferry from Friday Harbor to Sidney, BC, it was suggested on another post that we go back to Anacortes and drive to the ferry in Tsawwassen. That does seem like a more practical suggestion than driving to Tofino in the dark or staying one night on the way to Tofino.

The summer ferry schedules aren't all out yet, which is what originally caused this problem, so I'm only guessing at this point.

If we arrived in Anacortes at 9:10 am, would we be able to make it to the Tsawwassen ferry for the 12:45 pm sailing without feeling totally rushed? With reservations (for 4 cars) how early do we need to check in?

I know Rt 5, but what kind of road is it in BC? Is it through a congested area, lights, etc or fairly open?

Thanks for any suggestions you can make.

Gardyloo

I would think the 12:45 ferry would be doable - figure you'd hit I-5 around 9:40, border 10:30 at the latest, 30-45 min in the border line, then 30 min. to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal... sounds like you could be 30-60 min. early.

BC 99 (the continuation of I-5) is a rural freeway until you get closer to Vancouver. The Tsawwassen exit is quite close to the border - maybe 10 min. up the road from White Rock at the most. Piece of cake.

NWWanderer

Yes, you should be able to. With reservations, you need to be there at least 30 minutes in advance or you'll lose your reservations (even if you're there 29 minutes in advance that's too late). So, working back from 12:15, that gives you 3 hours to get from Anacortes to Tsawwassen.

That *should* be sufficient, as it's about a 90 minute drive from Anacortes to Tsawwassen, even if the border wait is an hour (which is certainly possible--we waited 50 minutes this past Saturday afternoon). What day of the week will you be traveling? During the week, mid-morning, you should be ok but you never know.

The highway once you're in BC is the same as I-5 basically. You will get into some traffic lights once you exit on the road to the ferry terminal but that's only maybe 10-15 minutes.

The real variable is whether the ferry from Friday Harbor to Anacortes will be on time. You've got about a half hour leeway, so hopefully that will be enough. But if you did miss the 12:45, the good news is you'd be at Tsawwassen in plenty of time for the 3:15 so a reservation for that ferry would be unnecessary ;-).

Clousie

Thanks for the comments. I'm feeling a "little" better about this possibility. We'd be doing this on a Thursday in August.

NW You mentioned the ferry from Friday Harbor being late. Is that a frequent occurrance?

I suppose another option would be to take an evening ferry back to Anacortes and just go from there the next day, but that involves another 1 night stay.

Gardyloo

The overall tradeoff is an extra ferry trip and the time involved, vs. just going on to BC on the WA ferry from Friday Harbor, then overnighting somewhere on the island. Frankly, with border hoohah at Blaine, I'd just take the easy route. A Thursday night won't break the bank cost-wise, and you'll be able to get easily to Tofino the next day.

NWWanderer

I always think of ferry schedules as approximate. I don't think they keep on time stats though. You just never know when a boat is going to go out of service, etc. It's just part of ferry travel--not that it happens every day but it happens often enough that it's always a possibility, although if that's the first ferry of the day, it's less likely to be running behind.

As far as whether to do this or not, you know your group so you're probably the best judge of the relative hassles of moving a group of 14 to an interim lodging for one night vs. dealing with the ferry/border.

Orcas

I don't know why you wouldn't just go on to Canada from Friday Harbor and stay in Sidney. The border crossing is unpredictable. The longest it has taken us is 1 1/2 hours, going into Canada (granted it was Boxing day, but it has often taken more than 1/2 hour).

Why sweat it? As for cost, don't forget the ferry isn't free. With the time you'd save in the morning, being in Sidney, you could take the water taxi to the Sidney Spit and have a picnic and a little walk. It's fabulous. Take a look at it:
http://www.vancouverisland.com/Parks...etails/?ID=453

Clousie

Again, thanks for your comments, and I agree that the easiest option is to just continue on from Friday Harbor.

If I had known the ferry schedule ahead of time, I definitely would have planned an overnight "somewhere." However, with 14, I had to make early reservations for a house and B&B rooms in Tofino for 4 nights. Now if we cancel on Thursday night, we'll loose some of our deposit, so I'm just looking for alternatives before I go that route.

dina4

Clousie,

I've been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the summer 2007 schedule, too, so i finally just googled it and got this...

http://tinyurl.com/ysjr89

Looks like you can leave Friday Harbor at 8:10 and get to Anacortes at 9:35.

I still can't find this schedule by navigating the website, but i assume it to be accurate since it says "Summer 2007 (upcoming)".

IMO, I'd stay the night in Sidney or Victoria instead of going back to Anacortes.

good luck!
dina

Clousie

Have decided to leave San Juan Island a day early and stay in Nanaimo at Coastal Bastion Inn. Anyone familiar with it?

Orcas

I have recently stayed at the Coast Bastion Inn, as a matter of fact. It is a standard, decent hotel, clean with nice views of the harbor from many rooms, free pking, free internet access, and very comfortable beds (and I have a discriminating back).

It's in the heart of downtown near the marina, in an area that is being revitalized. There are a handful of little stores of interest within an easy walk. There are two First Nations shops nearby, a couple of art shops (including an artist's coop right across the street), book stores, and other antique type shops and cafes. These shops close up fairly early.

Also, there is a shopping mall within an easy walk, that has a major supermarket and casino. There is a little museum just out the door. I think the theme was the history of the area, but I didn't check it out. Here's the website:

http://www.nanaimomuseum.ca/

Orcas

PS. Re the ferry, make your reservations well in advance. I recently tried to make ferry reservations in the morning for my return trip later that day (from Duke Point to Tsawwassen). All the reserved spots were already booked except for on the last ferry.

I still made the ferry I wanted, but I arrived at the terminal early and sat and waited a couple of hours.