A Weekend on the Water: 3-Day Houseboat Adventure on Shuswap Lake, BC, Canada

As the boat hummed along, cutting across the calm waters of the lake, I looked outside the window to take in the view. Swathes of trees on the land passed by, broken only by big rocks scattered here and there. The sky was crystal blue with no winds blowing. At the front, the lake stretched far away bordered by distant low hills. I could spot another houseboat which only looked like a speck on the horizon. My binoculars gave me a better view. Inside the boat, Ram and Akshaya were at the steering wheel, navigating the boat while chatting, Dwaraka was reading a book and Divu was taking a nap. The gentle rocking of the boat was lulling me into sleep as well. It was all so relaxing and calming. We were on a 3 Day houseboat trip in the Shuswap Lake near Sicamous, BC, which calls itself the houseboat capital of Canada.

Prologue

The first time I found out about the existence of something called houseboating in Canada was when I drove past Shuswap Lake through the town of Sicamous during one of my work trips in 2021. After doing some homework I found out that they are affordable and great fun. The biggest challenge was finding a group of like minded friends to go with. I tried it for a couple of years with no success. If it was an activity that could have been done alone I would have done it but I had to wait for this one as it needs a group. Finally in March 2024, while attending a travel expo with my friends, Ram and Akshaya, we spotted the stall of Twin Anchors Houseboat Vacations, which is based in the town of Sicamous near Shuswap Lake. I went over and chatted with the staff member who enthusiastically explained to me how the whole process works. On top of that he told me that if I book within the next week he would offer me $500 off the booking. I was sold. I just had to “assemble a crew” now. Later I discussed this with Ram and Akshaya. They were pretty excited about it and were onboard. So we had 3 people confirmed for now. I went ahead and reserved our boat. We choose the smallest one, called the Cruiser which houses 6 people. A couple of months later we had our 4th and 5th members in Divu and Dwaraka. The booking was for September 2024.

Day 1

Our booking was for the last weekend of September which was a long weekend. All of us took another day off so we had 4 days with us. Our plan was to start early Saturday morning. Divu had rented out a vehicle the day before and he started off from his home at around 6 30am. He picked up Dwaraka and drove over to Ram’s place. Meanwhile I drove over to Ram’s place. After Divu’s arrival we transferred all the stuff we had packed for our trip into the rented vehicle and off we went.

The drive was uneventful. We stopped at a Tim Hortons for a quick breakfast and our next stop was at a Walmart and Grocery Store in Kamloops. We reached the Twin Anchors office around 1 30pm. Here we split into 2 groups. Ram and I, since we were the Captain and co captain (yes, this has to be assigned as per the rules), went to the office to complete all the check-in formalities while Divu, Akshaya and Dwaraka went off to get some lunch for us all.

Boat Layout
We took the smallest boat available which is called the Cruiser. This is ideally for 2 people but can accommodate 6 people maximum though we felt it would be best for 4 people. It is 35 ft. long and 10 ft. wide, powered by a 90 hp engine (just for comparison, my Toyota Corolla is 132 hp). Bookended by fore deck and aft deck spaces, it has a living space which has the captain’s seat with the steering wheel, a dinette, a sofa which can be opened to make it a bed, and the galley, complete with a stove and wash basin. Then there is a cozy bedroom with a queen bed. Beyond the bed room is the aft deck, which is the back of the boat. Here is a stair to the roof and a slide that goes from the roof into the water. There was a generator for electrical connections with extra fuel provided. They also gave us two 20 liter cans of drinking water and there was a pump for normal usage of water. Overall, its a nice little self sufficient vessel.

After the check in formalities were complete, which took a couple of hours, we finally boarded our boat. After settling down, the first thing we did was to have the lunch that Divu, Akshaya and Dwaraka had got for us as were mighty hungry. After lunch, Ram, our esteemed Captain revved up the engine and launched the boat. At the rear of the boat I stood as a lookout and guided him. We reversed in a straight line till we were clear off the harbor and then sailed forward. It was a smooth start. This was our first time sailing a boat but its good that we do not need any previous experience to sail these boats, only a standard Driver’s license is enough. For our first evening, we had a huddle to discuss where to beach out boat. Taking the time we had, the sunlight left in the day and our own limited experience we decided to beach at a location 2 hours away called the Hungry Cove. Ram drove most of the time and in around an hour before sunset we were near our destination for the night.

As we approached the beach, Ram and I went over the docking process. As per the instructions given by the staff of Twin Anchors, we slowly navigated the boat close to the beach and then revved up the engine and sort of thrust the boat onto the beach. The hull of the boat scraped against the land and stuck in place. While Ram was maneuvering the boat I was guiding him from the fore deck. Once the boat hit the beach, Divu, Dwaraka and I got down and took out the spikes and hammered them on two sides of the lake. A rope running from the aft deck to the front, on each side, was then tied to the spikes. So the front was secure, being stuck on the beach and the end was secured by the ropes and spikes. This prevented the boat from moving. We repeated this process of securing the boat every time we landed on a beach over the next 3 days.

After the boat was firmly secured, we went out onto the beach to explore. To our right we had a couple of other houseboats which were beached there and we could hear music from one of them. After a little bit of exploration and chilling on the beach we went back inside. For our first dinner on the houseboat we had delicious Tamil Nadu style Mutton Biryani which we had bought all the way from Langley’s Nallan South Indian Cuisine. After dinner, we chatted for a while before we called it a day and decided to turn in for the night.

Day 2

After a restless sleep, I woke up the next day with a mild headache and uneasiness. It was quite chilly in the boat with the temperatures having dropped a few degrees in the wee hours of the morning. I was tempted to turn on the generator but did not do so as not to disturb our neighbors. As the sun rose over the horizon, slowly, the rest of the group woke up. Outside it was a serene morning, with our boat gently bobbing in the waves. There was complete silence except the sound of the water. For breakfast, Akshaya took the lead and started making omelets and sandwiches. Dwaraka and Divu helped her.

After breakfast it was time to go. The plan for the day was to go the maximum possible distance away from our current location but still within reach of making it back in time on the final day. After much discussion of options we decided to ‘charter’ a course for Cottonwood Beach. Our plan was to reach there by late evening, before sunset and dock there for the night. The map provided by Twin Anchors, which had distances in terms of hours, was very helpful.

The boat journey was fun, we all took turns steering it. Throughout the day we spotted other boats at various points, either going in the same direction or in the opposite. By afternoon we were near the Cinnemousun Narrows Park where we decided to dock for lunch. We got down, explored for a bit and then started our preparation for lunch. Dwaraka was taking the lead today to make Mulakkada Pulusu or drumstick curry. We all helped him as much as we could. Once complete, we settled down and had some nice rice and drumstick curry. It was delicious.

After lunch we started again. I took time to wander around the boat, sometimes just lounging on the bed in the bedroom looking out the window, sometimes sitting on the roof of the boat. It was a relaxing way to spend time. Some of us took naps as well. My binoculars which my sister had gifted me last year came in super handy. I used it everywhere, from simply looking at the surrounding sights to scoping the beaches for a good place to beach our boat. An hour before sunset we reached Cottonwood point and anchored or boat. It was a bit windy now and we were not 100% happy with our anchoring. Nevertheless we started prepping for dinner. Divu, the Master chef for tonight, made some nice grilled chicken. After Dinner, we settled down for some good storytelling session by Dwaraka.

After Dinner, it was time to sleep. It was still a bit windy outside and I hoped the boat would stay in its place till the next day. We changed our layout of sleeping today to give everyone a chance to get some good sleep.

Day 3

Today we had the most dramatic day of the trip. I slept better than the previous day but my sleep got broken around 5am, probably by how chilly it was. Nevertheless, I was awake. Outside I could hear the water splashing on the rocks in the beach and trees swaying in the wind. I could sense that it was quite windy. I was a bit apprehensive of our anchoring and wondered it it would hold. So now and then I peeped out the window to see if were still firmly in place. It was all good for now. In the morning, as I was standing at the back of the boat, just as everyone else was getting up, I suddenly sensed that the boat had swayed quite sharply to the right. I immediately realized that one of the ropes must have given in. I ran from the back to the front and sure enough one rope had come off. I immediately jumped into the water and while shouting for the others to help, I picked up the rope and started pulling it. The staff at the Twin Anchors had told us that it was extremely important that the boat does not get stuck on the beach on its side. If it did, the normal boat engine would not be enough to jag it out of the beach and we would have to call for help. So it was crucial to not let it get stuck. I am not strong enough to have made a difference alone and only after our supermen Dwaraka and Divu joined that we prevented the boat from getting stuck. It was a bit stressful but thankfully we avoided any major problem. Rest of the day this happened again a few more times but every time we managed to avert any major issues.

After this eventful morning, we had our breakfast. It was still very windy and we were not sure if we should be venturing out on the lake. We tried the boat radio channel to see if there were any notices or guidelines regarding it but there was none. We even thought to approach the neighbors boat but did not do so. Soon, they left, which was an indication to us that it was good to go ahead. We soon launched into the windy lake. Throughout the day the wind kept blowing. At some points our boat rocked so much, the pantry cupboard drawers came off. We did get slightly scared but one of the instructions mentioned in the booklet was to ride out the storm if there was any. This was not a storm just some strong winds so we braced ourselves and carried on.

We briefly stopped for lunch at Shuswap Lake East Beach before continuing on. Afternoon was no different the wind kept blowing. We reached Hermit Bay Beach in the evening just around sunset. As usual we headed out on the beach to do a bit of exploring before making our way back. As night settled in, the night sky turned pitch black. Standing on the roof the boat we looked at the view of the lake. It was a clear sky and the stars looked stunning. This was the best view of stars I have had in years. Far away on the other side of the lake I could see a few boats with their lights. We tried to take some pics of the stars but none of them turned out to be good.

Dinner today was a mix of grilled chicken and some of the nice Mulakkada Pulusu or drumstick curry. After dinner, it was my turn of storytelling. Though I did not have a movie like story of Dwaraka, I recounted my experience of my recent trip to India where I was invited as a guest for an inauguration ceremony of a restored stepwell. After this we had some random discussions before we called it a day and tucked in the for the night. We used the same layout as the previous day for sleeping.

Day 4

Today was our last morning on the boat. The boat was firmly in place when we woke up which was reassuring. We discussed the plan for the day and started off. We had breakfast while making our way back to the harbor. Our target was to be there around 7 45am. We did even better and were in the vicinity of the dock around 7 30am when a Twin Anchors staff member in a dinghy spotted us and asked us if were returning to the harbor. On replying in the affirmative, he moved closer and boarded our boat. He then took control of the vessel and guided it inside the harbor. The harbor was engulfed in the morning fog which gave it a dreamlike vibe. It was stunningly beautiful.

We completed the off boarding formalities and started our return to Langley. On the way we made two stops. One at the Planet Bee Honey Farm in Kelowna where we did some shopping and checked out some of the interesting exhibits they have of beehives and the other at the Jammery, also in Kelowna, where we had some delicious breakfast. Then it was a drive back to home which we reached around 5pm. We still had to return the rental car. By the time I reached home it was around 7pm. After a quick dinner, I slept on my bed, which as one might find after a few nights of sleeping somewhere else, was so comfortable I slept “as soon as my head hit the pillow”.