Sutil Channel

Sutil Channel is a channel, or strait, in British Columbia, Canada, located at the north end of the Strait of Georgia, between Quadra Island and Read Island to the west, and Cortes Island to the east. It connects to several channels to the north, including Calm Channel and Hoskyn Channel. Sutil Channel is one of the larger waterways of the Discovery Islands.

The southern boundary of Sutil Channel, where it joins the Strait of Georgia, is defined as a line between Francisco Point, at the southeast end of Quadra Island, to Sutil Point, the southern end of Cortes Island. Sometimes Cape Mudge instead of Francisco Point is mentioned as the southern end of Quadra Island. The boundary between Sutil Channel and Hoskyn Channel is a line between Rebecca Spit on Quadra Island and Read Point on Read Island. Wide in the south, Sutil Channel narrows in the north, and merges with Calm Channel at the northernmost point of Cortes Island in the vicinity of the Rendezvous Islands. Settlements on the shore of Sutil Channel include Whaletown on Cortes Island. [Geography from [http://www.basemaps.gov.bc.ca/ Base Map Online Store] , TRIM 1:20,000 Digital Base Maps, British Columbia Integrated Land Management Bureau, Base Mapping and Geomatic Services; and cite book |last= Hale |first= Robert |title= Waggoner Cruising Guide 2007 |year= 2007 |publisher= Weatherly Press |isbn= 978-0935727-26-5]

Desolation Sound, which strictly defined does not directly connect to Sutil Channel, is sometimes used loosely as all the waters north of Cape Mudge and Sarah Point, including Sutil Channel and Discovery Passage. [cite book |last= Hale |first= Robert |title= Waggoner Cruising Guide 2007 |year= 2007 |publisher= Weatherly Press |isbn= 978-0935727-26-5 |pages= p. 208]

Sutil Channel was named around 1864 by Captain George Henry Richards in honor of the ship "Sutil" used by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano in exploring the region in 1792. [BCGNIS|14048|Sutil Channel] A group of small islands in Sutil Channel called the Subtle Islands are named for Galiano's ship as well, translated to English. [BCGNIS|8775|Subtle Islands]

References