Pender Harbour To Thormanby Island On The Sunshine Coast Of British Columbia

The Sunshine Coast is accessible by boat or by taking the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale. Made up of two peninsulas, the Sechelt and the Malaspina, the Sunshine Coast is aptly named with it's 1400 to 2400 hours of sunshine annually. During the winter months liquid sunshine serves to nurture the temperate rain forests. Traveling by car up the Sechelt Peninsula on the scenic Highway 101 through the villages of Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt and Half Moon Bay one arrives in the Pender Harbour area. Garden Bay, Irving's Landing and Maderia Park are collectively referred to as Pender Harbour.

In Madeira Park there is over 400 meters of moorage at the government floats.  A brief walk from there is the village shopping area.  Maderia Park provides the main shopping area for the Pender Harbour region. 

Whether or not you have arrived in the area by boat or have trailered your boat by ferry there are many places along the coast and neighbouring islands to explore.  There are also boat rentals and charters available for those vacationers who have traveled by car.

While there is plenty to do and see in the Pender Harbour area, if you are traveling by boat you will want to head out to some of the surrounding islands.  You can travel to Pender Harbour by boat rather than taking the ferry but the waters can be choppy and the fuel costs to get there will be more than offset by taking the ferry from Horseshoe Bay.

One of the islands you may consider visiting is Thormanby Island, home to Simson Provincial Park.  The park is so named in honour of a pioneer by the name of Calvert Simson.  The land was gifted to the Province of British Columbia by his descendants in 1983. 

Simson Provincial Park is 461 hectares of both rolling and rocky hills, forests and the impressive Spyglass Hill.  Explore rocky shorelines and pebbled beaches in the numerous bays.  There is a wide variety of bird life living in many colonies that make the park their nesting site.  

After you have finished exploring Thormanby Island you may want to head for Squitty Bay on Lasquetti Island as you take in the sights along the way.

All photographs are used with the permission of my wonderful niece Sarah who took them while on vacation with my brother, sister-in-law and her brother, Adam. Thank you Sarah and Well Done!

Summer, 2010