De Courcy Island
Encyclopedia
De Courcy Island is one of the Gulf Islands
located in the Northumberland Channel approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) south-east of Nanaimo, British Columbia
and approximately 38 km (23.6 mi) south-west of Vancouver
, British Columbia
. The island was named after Michael de Courcy, captain of the HMS Pylades and is about 460 acres (just over 185 ha
) in area.
The island was the home of Brother XII
, (see also Brother Twelve) a mysterious cult figure in the 1920s and of Pirate's Cove Marine Park
.
The only access to the island is by boat or floatplane. Tofino Air flies to the island daily.
It gives its name to the De Courcy group of islands which consist, from north to south, of Mudge Island
, Link Island
, De Courcy Island, Ruxton Island
and Pylades Island. This island group runs parallel to the east coast of Vancouver Island inside the protection of the larger Gabriola Island
and Valdes Island
. Access by boat from Nanaimo in the north is through Dodd Narrows. From Vancouver, vessels pass between Gabriola Island and Valdes Island through Gabriola Passage. Both Dodd Narrows and Gabriola Passage have strong tidal currents. Gabriola and Valdes Islands protect these smaller islands from the more open Strait of Georgia
.
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
located in the Northumberland Channel approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) south-east of Nanaimo, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and approximately 38 km (23.6 mi) south-west of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The island was named after Michael de Courcy, captain of the HMS Pylades and is about 460 acres (just over 185 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) in area.
The island was the home of Brother XII
Brother XII
Edward Arthur Wilson, better known as Brother XII, was a notorious English mystic who founded a spiritual community in the Pacific Northwest near Canada's Nanaimo region in the late 1920s.-History:...
, (see also Brother Twelve) a mysterious cult figure in the 1920s and of Pirate's Cove Marine Park
Pirates Cove Marine Provincial Park
Pirates Cove Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park on De Courcy Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is named for the swindler Brother XII who had a cult on the Island.-Sources:**...
.
The only access to the island is by boat or floatplane. Tofino Air flies to the island daily.
It gives its name to the De Courcy group of islands which consist, from north to south, of Mudge Island
Mudge Island
Mudge Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. It lies between Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island, and is considered part of the De Courcy group of islands. It is about wide and long....
, Link Island
Link Island
Link Island is a small island at the outer margin of the Duroch Islands, approximately 3 nautical miles northwest of Halpern Point, Trinity Peninsula. The island was charted by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition, 1947–48, and called "Islote Sub-Teniente Ross" or "Islote Ross." Named by Advisory...
, De Courcy Island, Ruxton Island
Ruxton Island
Ruxton Island is one of the seven islands in the De Courcy Islands group. It is one of the southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia. Located south of Gabriola Island, it is home to approximately five year round cabins and 100 seasonally occupied cabins....
and Pylades Island. This island group runs parallel to the east coast of Vancouver Island inside the protection of the larger Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
and Valdes Island
Valdes Island
Valdes Island is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is across Porlier Pass from Galiano Island, which lies to the southeast. It has an area of 23 km2, and is 1.6 km wide by 16 km in length...
. Access by boat from Nanaimo in the north is through Dodd Narrows. From Vancouver, vessels pass between Gabriola Island and Valdes Island through Gabriola Passage. Both Dodd Narrows and Gabriola Passage have strong tidal currents. Gabriola and Valdes Islands protect these smaller islands from the more open Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
.