Burgoyne Bay, Mt. Maxwell, August 2026
Updated: Aug 31
We loaded Baywolf with food and drink and motored the 35 minutes to Burgoyne Bay. We decided to anchor deeper in the bay than we usually do. Normally, we drop the hook closer to the dock which makes the dinghy ride to shore a bit shorter. We felt that anchoring further away would make the experience feel a little more remote. I'm only talking a difference of 200 meters but it did indeed feel like an anchorage much further away.
Burgoyne Bay is a Provincial Park on the west side of Saltspring Island and is at the base of two major attractions, Mt. Maxwell and Bruce Peak. Both of these offer fantastic views and extensive trail systems to explore. There are homestead sites and stands of Garry Oak. The bay itself wasn't very nice 10 years ago. The waters were used as dumping grounds (water heaters, tires, bedframes, 45 gallon drums, etc.) and fouling an anchor was always a risk. There were abandoned boats on sketchy moorings and the shores were littered with abandoned dingies, beached boats, and junk. It has been cleaned up considerably. The bottom is thriving with healthy eel grass and the shores and derelict boats have been cleaned up.
Provided your anchor can penetrate the eel grass, the holding is great and it's comfortable in all wind directions except west (not a great place for a Danforth anchor in my opinion). We were lucky with gentle winds and a wide range of weather. It was mostly sunny but we had clouds and even a few sprinkles. It was also chilly enough in the evening that we ran the heater for a while. Summer is clearly thinking about moving south.
We jumped into the dinghy and ran to the dock where we began our hike. The ascent of Mt. Maxwell is short but steep. It's a terrific workout and the reward is the view from the top. We were able to look down at Baywolf and also across the bay to see Mollie's house. At a vantage point on the way up, the views of the southern Gulf Islands and even the San Juans provide a great opportunity to have a look and try to sort out the proximity and arrangements of the islands we love to visit and explore. Our conversation contanied comments like, "is that Russel Island or is it Portland", or "the Pender Islands look different from this perspective". The visibility was really good and even though a little chilly in the breeze at the top, it was a great place to hang out.
The hike down was faster, easier on the lungs, but required a lot of focus to stay upright! My new knee is working well but there are a few points of flexion where it's still very painful. Stepping down with my good leg creates a severe bend in my surgical leg which hurts like hell! I'm not complaining though, because a year ago, this hike would have been impossible for me. Huge thanks to medical technology and skilled surgeons!
Back at the dock, we ran the dinghy over to Bayworlf and settled into our evening of dinner, cards, a downloaded episode of the TV series called The Handmaids Tale and finally, an exhausted bedtime.
We woke late and after I made coffee for the first mate and I, we had an amazing brunch before heading to shore for another hike. This hike was on the Mt Bruce side of the bay. There are hikes to the top with more incredible views but we stayed along the shore and enjoyed a beautiful trail that leads toward the southern boundry of the Provincial Park.
Back at the boat, we had a snack and prepared the boat to return home. But first a swim! I donned mask and fins and did a wipedown of the hull and cleaned some marine growth from the trim tabs, rudder, prop and bowthruster. Barnacles are tenatious creatures and I need to repeat this task with a small scrapper in hand.
We have equipped Baywolf with 200' of chain which is attached to the boat at one end and a pretty big anchor at the other. The electric windlass does a great job of lifting this chain back into the boat effortlessly. However, one negative of this little vessel is that the anchor locker can only be accessed from inside. It is located at the front of the V berth behind a small door. The chain piles up and needs to be flaked every 20' or so in order to get it all inside. The first mate puts gloves on and lies on the V berth to access the door and manage the chain as I bring it in. We have a system worked out to make this as safe and efficient as possible but it remains a PITA (pain in the, uh, posterior) which needs to be sorted out. I may be able to move a bulkhead back a foot to make the anchor locker bigger with more room for the chain to self flake. It's on "the list"!
Sherman (the new autopilot) performed the steering while I conned the boat from my perch on the flybridge for the short run home. The first mate completed a well practiced series of steps getting ready to leave the boat at the dock. Another wondeful adventure aboard MV Baywolf was recorded in the logbook.
