Water Taxi to Keats Island

Little Keats Island, BC Ferries, Pebble Beach, Gibson's landing

The island is located in Howe Sound, just east of Bowen Island. The largest part of Keats Island is located on the western side of the island overlooking the Shoal Channel, which separates the island from the continent. The name Keats Island is derived from the British admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats.

Used under Admiral Nelson, Admiral Keats is renowned for flying the HMS Superb through a Gibraltar embargo during the Napoleonic War of 1801. Admirable Keats is also a former Newfoundland Island gubernatorial pastor in 1813. Keats Island is a small municipality consisting of cottages with some full-time people.

The island has very few amenities, with the most shops and necessary amenities in the municipality of Gibsons. There is a small ferry to get from Gibsons to Keats Island, operated by Kona Winds Yacht Charters Ltd. which operates the Keats and Gambier Islands from Langdale by Sunshine Coast Water Taxi from Gibsons every day.

There' s also a Mercury Launch operating throughout Howe Sound, which includes a liner from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to the Eastborne jetty on the eastern side of the island. The Gambier Water Taxi also departs from Gibsons and offers a paid taxi to the island. When you get to Keats Island, there are few streets where you can see most of the island with very little car use.

An area to be visited is the Plumper Cove Marina Provincial Reserve area. Situated on the northwestern side of Keats Island opposite Gibsons. The Plumper Cove Provincial Maritime Reserve has several maritime amenities, such as a quay and moorings in the cozy docks.

You will find several walk-in campsites with fireplaces and water. The Plumper Cove also has a well entrenched trailsystem that offers great vistas of Howe Sound and Gibsons City, especially from Observatory Point. The Plumper Cove also has a small pebbly shore, which offers possibilities for searching the beaches, picnics, kayaking, bathing, angling and game watching.

A further place, from which one has another look of Keats Island, is the brief stroll on the 202 meters high Stony Hill. From the beginning of the trails is either in Plumper Cove Marine Park or on Keats Road near the beginning of Skyline Road. Directly southwest of Keats Island are the islands of Pasley and Worlcombe - the place for great canoeing.

There are about eight small islets on Pasley Island, all of which are tightly grouped with nearby Worlcombe. Abandon Keats Island and make a trip through the island with the possibility to see some animals like white-headed eagle and seal. Founded in 1926, Keats Camping is a Christmas Village that has been enjoyed by many people for many years.

The Keats Camp is located on approximately 200 hectares of farmland and is run by the Conventions of Baptist Churches of BC, which has contributed to educating and anchoring children for the better. Keats Island also has the Barnabas Familiy Ministries, a non-profit, non-denominational church service dedicated to strengthening familial and emotion.

With you happening to be boating in the area, there are a few goverment docking areas; one situated near Plumper Cove past the Guard Islands, the other at Eastborne. Most of the remaining jetties on Keats Island are privately owned.