Boaters have been sending in reports about the delightful new hosts at Toba Wilderness Marina. Paul and Nahanni extend a warm welcome and are extraordinarily helpful and accommodating to their guests. As boaters themselves, Paul and Nahanni understand the needs and expectations of boaters. They currently own a small sailboat, which they plan to restore to her former glory.
Paul Brimicombe began his career in suburban Toronto as a Licensed Mechanic and Foreman with General Motors, after which he became a Pub and Restaurant Manager. His love of the mountains and the ocean brought him to British Columbia in the early 90s, where he made his home in North Vancouver and began his towing business, North Van Towing and Recovery. In 2006, he purchased land on Read Island in the Discovery Islands and began building his dream cabin in what would become his home with his wife Nahanni. During that time Paul worked as a heavy-duty mechanic at a local logging outfit. One day Paul’s neighbor Bill Matheson, a former fishing guide, introduced him to Eagle Creek Lodge on Stuart Island, where Paul became its manager in 2018.
Nahanni Campbell was born in British Columbia, and like Paul, was raised from an early age in suburban Toronto. Similarly, her love of the mountains and ocean brought her back to Vancouver in the early 90s. After traveling for 5 years throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, she resumed her career in Hospitality at Hotels and Resorts in Whistler, BC. She met Paul in 2001 and followed him to North Vancouver and helped in the towing business, then helped build their dream cabin in the woods. They relocated full time from city life to Island life in 2008, and never looked back. Nahanni continued her work in Tourism, managing Heron’s restaurant in historic Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island, then joined Paul at Eagle Creek Lodge as Lodge Operations Lead then Lodge Manager in 2020.
Paul and Nahanni “retired” from corporate Lodge Management in the spring of 2024 to jump into full-time and year-round caretaking and Marina Management for Toba Wilderness Marina.
Marina Improvements. Since serving as hosts and managers of Toba Wilderness Marina, Paul and Nahanni have enthusiastically completed new additions and service offerings at Toba. They replaced an old wooden float with a new 194-foot concrete float and added a fish cleaning station. At the end of this new float is a new floatplane dock to welcome flights from Campbell River, Vancouver, and Seattle/Renton. A newly constructed washroom and shower facility offers 3 toilets and 2 showers. The marina accepts garbage (please no food scraps) and accepts limited recycling. Trail maps are provided for the well-maintained upland trails, and doggie clean-up bags to keep those beautiful lawns clean. They even have bear spray and air horns to borrow if requested. Toba Wilderness Marina continues to offer cubed ice and the lovely Welcome House for meet and greet opportunities. Starlink internet is a big plus.
Guest Moorage. Guest moorage is open seasonally from mid-May to the end of September, with 1200 feet of side-tie moorage on concrete docks for vessels up to 200 feet in length. Moorage rates are all inclusive with power, water, washroom/showers, satellite internet, and garbage drop. Contact Toba Wilderness Marina on VHF 66A for instructions prior to approaching the docks. Moorage reservations are highly recommended during the peak season. Boaters can make reservations online at tobawilderness.com via Dockwa. It should be noted that transient/guest moorage fees are charged in U.S. funds since Dockwa has a U.S. based web platform that does not yet have the ability to charge in CN funds. Toba Wilderness Marina can reverse your reservation deposit and charge the CN equivalent amount through their SQUARE credit/debit card device. This option is done in person upon arrival as requested.
Toba Inlet. Located at the mouth of Toba Inlet, the marina serves as an excellent staging location for a day-trip up beautiful Toba Inlet, which offers some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Pacific Northwest. The water is very deep right up to the sheer rock wall shores. Mountain peaks of the Coast Range rise 8,000 feet along this 20-mile-long Inlet, ending in drying flats at the mouth of Toba River. Magnificent waterfalls tumble into the sea, especially during the spring time. As noted in the Waggoner Cruising Guide, there are two Native pictographs in Toba Inlet, one along the west shore 1 mile south of Brem Bay, and another on the north shore 3.6 miles east of Brem Bay.
Photos:
Bob & Betsy Sharf, WG Field Correspondents
Janine & Nick Mott, WG Field Correspondents
