Whale of a Time at Pender Harbour

Pender Harbour

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Craig and I are living on the Sunshine Coast in Roberts Creek for two months this summer and man we feel lucky! Beaches, lakes, and lush parks are why they call it Beautiful B.C. Not even a fortnight, my parents have followed us, so we’ve hired a car and headed north to see what natural delights the Sunshine Coast offers, starting with Pender Harbour.

Pender Harbour

Sunshine Coast Road Trip

The Sunshine Coast is so easy to navigate, which was helpful for Craig driving on the wrong side of the road.

You’ll find Madeira Park on Highway 101, where boat tours of Pender Harbour commence.

Pender Harbour

The SloCat Boat tour by Slocat Harbour Tours has been recommended by Martin, the manager of Up The Creek in Roberts Creek.

He advises that all the small areas around Pender Harbour were historically not reached by wheels; there was no paved road access until the ’60s!

Pender Harbour

Slocat Harbour Tours

We met our captain, Mark, at 3pm and set sail with another group of five.

Pender Harbour

The boat was comfortable with padded seats and was equipped with a hand drawn map, Mark putting his Geography degree to use and binoculars, which we used to spot bald eagles and blue heron but unfortunately not killer whales like the week before.

Pender Harbour

The beauty of the tour was not only what we could see – the mountains, the animals, fancy boats and plush houses but Mark’s knowledge and charm!

Pender Harbour

Mark’s tour is a geography, historical, cultural and political tour of the harbour.

He told us stories about shipwrecks, pressure for the input of First Nations, the Sechelt Indian Band and the bust and boom of the housing market.

Mark is originally from Vancouver but fell in love with Pender Harbour – the small drinking town with a fishing problem after he accidentally stumbled across the area, mainly Ruby Lake, on an impromptu cycle trip.

His previous resume includes a Geography degree tours around Whistler and a radio announcer, so the transition to the captain of the Slocat Tour was logical.

It’s easy to see why he transitioned from life in the big city to the waves of Pender Harbour.

Be sure to reserve your seat on a small boat tour of Pender Harbour during your trip to the Sunshine Coast, BC.

Pender Harbour

Thanks to Mark at Slocat Harbour Tours for our ride, honest review as always.

24 thoughts on “Whale of a Time at Pender Harbour

  1. karla says:

    It really makes a difference if you have a knowledgeable and charming tour guide. I agree, sometimes, the place is so beautiful all you need to do is take it in and appreciate it. However, you know nothing about the place. Now, if you have an entertaining tour guide to educate you on that, then you not only see a beautiful place but you learn something or the story behind it which is also interesting. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    • TwoScotsAbroad says:

      Thanks Karla. I know some travellers like to wander and take everything in on a blank canvas but I am far too nosey for that! I wash the insider scoop before I start to investigate.

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