Desert Island Discoveries

Three places to inspire that faraway feeling

By Mike Milne

Blame Robert Louis Stevenson for my fascination with deserted islands. Most boaters share a love of discovery, with many also having a taste for exploring remote places. Because they can only be reached by boat, lonely deserted islands fit the bill on both counts.

In today’s all-access world, however, they are increasingly hard to find. Private ownership puts many wild and lonely islands out of circulation. Still other islands are protected and “tamed” by public ownership and managed by parks or similar agencies.

Like Treasure Island, many lonely and seemingly unused islands turn out to be less than deserted – populated by the spirits of those who have passed through or haunted by their own histories. These places have the unique charm of offering visitors connections with the history of this land.

Many islands in popular Canadian cruising grounds feel remote and wild for much of the year, but are often crowded with cruisers on prime summer days. I’ve had a feeling of isolation while poling a dinghy through the glacier-scoured back channels of the North Channel’s Fox Harbour, but knew full well another cruiser, guide book in hand, could easily disturb my privacy.

Even on more deserted islands, you often only get a fleeting sense of wilderness, as contemporary life intrudes through a passing boat or the appearance of a well-placed aid to navigation or an intrepid kayaker. But whether the charm lasts long enough for a shore-side lunch or an overnight stay, that sense of discovery is always worth pursuing.

Cruisers have the advantage of being able to drop anchor and stay overnight if an island has a sheltered bay or harbour. But small boat and PWC day cruisers can slip more easily through or over shoals and into sheltered areas that are inaccessible to a bigger boat.

Here are some of my favourite deserted islands for getting that faraway feeling.

• Hog Island, Atlantic Ocean, P.E.I.
• Barrier Island, Georgian Bay
• Deer Group Islands, Broken Group Islands, B.C.

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