Port Renfrew

Port Renfrew is a 5-hour ride from Dodger Channel. It is a stop of convenience. We like breaking the leg from the Bamfield area to Victoria into two days. It’s a lot less tiring overall than making it in one 11-hour day. We’ve done that and much prefer taking the stopover.

Pacific Gateway Marina is part of the Oak Bay Group (like Mill Bay, Sidney and Port Browning) and was built to service the local fleet of sport fishing boats. They have a large number of small slips for them but also offer one long guest dock for transient moorage. There is no power or water, but the fact that you’re behind a nice rock breakwater makes up for that. I think we saw at least half of the fleet fishing near the mouth of Port Renfrew as we made our approach.

pACIFIC gATEWAY maRINA CATERS TO THE SPORT FISHER

We made reservations in the Spring, so we are assured of a spot. There is not a ton of room, so you really take your chances if you just show up on a whim. While anchoring out in the bay is possible, it is subject to the fetch of the ocean.

On this trip, we made the 30-minute walk to the Renfrew Pub. There is a Bridgerman’s Bistro at the marina, but it was closed due to a death in the tight knit community. There is some elevation to manage, but you’re walking on a paved road without a lot of traffic. That’s good because there is no real shoulder to walk on. Most cars were very polite and gave us a wide berth as they passed.

It’s a very busy local eatery. We arrived at 6pm on a Friday and were told it would be a 40-minute wait. We were seated in 20 minutes, so that was nice. The food is good pub food. It’s loud, but the service was pleasant, and the food came out very quickly.

Interestingly, we passed a food truck about 300 yards before we got to the Pub. Renny’s Hwy 10 Ol’ School Grub, though their t-shirts just say Renny’s.  It was very busy with locals coming and taking food home or sitting at the picnic tables provided. As we were standing in line at the Pub, a person from Renny’s food truck strolled up and announced to all waiting that you don’t need to stand in line for hours because the food truck is just a short walk away. She also mentioned that Renny’s prices were about half. They had one table of 6 walk back with her to the food truck. Entrepreneurship in action. We’ll give Renny’s a try next time we are in Port Renfrew.

SMOKE FILLED SKIES SUNSET AT PORT RENFREW