Living in an Off-Grid Float Cabin Part 2 - Becoming Permanent Residents

Principal of Erwin Elementary School

As I mentioned in Part 1, our float cabin purchase was a spur of the moment decision. Later, however, some important details needed attention. In 2001, Wayne and I were working as educators in Southern California. I was a school administrator and Wayne a community college aeronautics professor. Consequently, the six month visitor time limit wasn't an issue.

Surrey Border Peace Arch

In 2005, we decided to take early retirement so we could enjoy cabin life for as long as possible. Soon after, we were "invited" at the Peach Arch border crossing to go inside to meet with a Canadian immigration official. We had to prove we would leave before our six months a year expired. After that memorable (not so pleasant) event, we decided it was time to see a Canadian immigration lawyer.

Landing 2008

We took the bus from Powell River to Vancouver to meet with a lawyer to begin the process. At the time, applications were backlogged. We were lucky ours only took two years. I remember the day we "landed" in February 2008 at the Peace Arch crossing between Blaine WA and Surrey BC as both scary and exciting. And even more exciting was when we became dual US and Canadian citizens in August 2018.

Citizenship ceremony 2018

I have to be honest, it was a big relief when we could cross the border both north and south with ease.  The big question I asked Wayne back in 2000 was, "Could you ever live in another country?" That was answered with a resounding yes. 

Our float cabin home with a floating garden and boats for transportation.

Now we can live in our off-grid float cabin whenever and as long as we want.  Southern California only had two seasons, summer and smoggy. The cabin has four distinct ones. We have spring with flowers blooming and birds singing, a shady porch and swimming hole for hot summer days, fall with trees changing colours, and winter with a woodstove to keep us warm. And we continue to live up the lake with trips south for travel and to soak up winter sun.

I invite you to come back for Part 3 to learn more about our experiences in float cabin living. -- Margy

Summer's Here!

The arrival of summer is a big day here at our float cabin on Powell Lake. Summer means warm days, usually cool nights, and lots of fun activities. However, our location reduces the amount of direct sunlight. 

On June 21, 2026, official sunrise was at 5:09 am. Here's our sunrise at 7:53 over the left peak of Goat Island.

Official sunset was 9:30 pm. For us, it was 5:49 over the granite cliff behind our cabin. On the longest day direct sunlight was 9 hours and 56 minutes. Official would have been over 16 hours.

We enjoy indirect light until the sun sets behind the Bunster Range behind us. We call it second sunset when the shadow goes from the bottom to the top of Goat Island. It's fun to watch from our front porch.

Until actual sunset there's enough light to do things outdoors and safely get home in the boat. 

Click here for a post comparing sunlight on the first day of summer to the first day of winter.  -- Margy

Living in an Off-Grid Float Cabin Part 1 - Discovering Float Cabins

Powell River Airport

The Furry Gnome commented that he was amazed we can live in a floating cabin. I thought I'd take a step back to tell the story.

After we purchased our Piper Arrow in 1989, we went airport camping  under the wing each summer. Our route went up the coast from California to Canada. 

We'd stop in Washington to call Nav Canada for a flight plan and CAN-PASS for customs. This became such a frequent route that one time the agent responded, "Welcome, is Margaret with you this trip?"

The cabin we chose, one of only two for sale at that time.

After years of exploring almost every province and territory, we landed in Powell River, BC, in 2000. Without airport camping, we took our gear to ocean-front Willingdon Beach Campsite. We planned to stay two nights, but extended to two weeks to explore. When summer 2001 rolled around, we returned. That was the summer we discovered Powell Lake and floating cabins.

Our first night camping on the deck while the deal finalized.

A tin boat rental let us explore the lake. We contacted Harry Zroback, a real estate agent that owned a cabin himself. He helped us broker a deal for the cabin we wanted, and introduced us to a lawyer to help us get the BC water lease needed to occupy our spot. It all happened so fast, but it was the best decision we ever made.

Our first night inside our part-time float cabin home.

 I invite you to return to read more in Part 2 about how we started living in our off-grid float cabin home. -- Margy

Want to read more about how we discovered Powell River? Wayne's first book Up the Lake in the Coastal BC Stories series tells more of the story. It's available in ebook and print formats at several online booksellers.

Return to Blogging and Home

Our Powell Lake float cabin home.

In May, Wayne and I drove to the Peace Arch in Blaine, WA. If you are planning to visit British Columbia, you can find information about border crossings at the Canadian Border Service Agency and US Customs and Border Protection.

We timed our crossing to catch the first of two BC Ferries needed to get to Powell River. 

Arriving at Saltery Bay means we're almost back to Powell River.

We came home to enjoy a cool summer after wintering in Arizona. After taking care of town business, we got in our Hewescraft to go 15 klicks (9 miles) to our Powell Lake float cabin home.

Heading to First Narrows with Hole in the Wall beyond.

 Purchasing our unique all-weather float cabin in 2001 was the best choice we ever made.

Over the years, I've written about our off-the-grid lifestyle, but a few years ago I stopped writing for a variety of reasons. You can still read those old informative posts using the links in the sidebar.

Whether you are a new reader, or a returning follower, welcome. -- Margy