The BC Ferries terminal dock at McLoughlin Bay on Denny Island, serving the Discovery Coast route between Port Hardy and Bella Coola. This is a ferry loading facility, not a full-service marina -- boaters should head to Shearwater Marine Resort a short distance away.
McLoughlin Bay is a small inlet on the southwest shore of Denny Island, in the heart of BC's Central Coast. It is best known as one of BC Ferries' Discovery Coast terminals -- the mid-route stop where the summer passenger ferry pauses between Port Hardy and Bella Coola, with connections northward to Klemtu and Prince Rupert via the Shearwater terminal on the same island.
The dock at McLoughlin Bay is primarily a ferry loading facility operated by BC Ferries and serves the Bella Bella / Heiltsuk Nation community on adjacent Campbell Island. It has a waiting room, accessible washrooms, and boarding assistance for foot passengers and vehicles. There is no dedicated boater moorage at this terminal; the dock is reserved for ferry operations when vessels are present. Transient boaters arriving in the area should plan to stop at Shearwater Marine Resort, which is roughly 2 nautical miles northeast on the same island, rather than attempting to tie up at the ferry terminal.
Shearwater Marine Resort (post 4604, already researched as part of this pilot) is the regional hub for visiting cruisers on Denny Island: it offers 1,500 feet of concrete floats, 15/30/50-amp shore power, diesel and gasoline fuel, a full chandlery, groceries, laundry, showers, restaurant, hotel, and a 70-ton haul-out shipyard. VHF 66A is the working channel at Shearwater. Summer reservations are strongly recommended. The two locations -- McLoughlin Bay ferry terminal and Shearwater -- are often confused or conflated in cruising guides, as they share the same island and are served by different BC Ferries terminal codes (PBB for McLoughlin Bay / Bella Bella and SHW for Shearwater).
For boaters transiting the Discovery Coast Passage, McLoughlin Bay itself offers a reasonable temporary anchorage in settled conditions while you wait for Shearwater to have space, but it is open to northwest winds and should not be considered a protected overnight anchorage in unsettled weather. The area immediately around the ferry dock is generally not suitable for anchoring due to ferry traffic and shallow edges.
The Heiltsuk Nation operates a small fuel and grocery facility at nearby Bella Bella (McLoughlin Bay / Waglisla) for community use; availability for transient boaters should be confirmed locally before relying on it.
Fuel and shore power available at Denny Island / McLoughlin Bay Ferry Dock.
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