september: sidney spit
Date: September 18, 2017
Time Start: 12:05 pm.
Time Finish: 2:05 p.m.
Cruise From: Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
Cruise To: Sidney Spit, Sidney Island
Engine Hours Start: 710
Engine Hours Finish: 712
Weather/sea conditions: Clouds & sun mixed, a true N.W. sky! Cool, 50's, wind and rain showers.
We have lovely cloud formations this morning over Mill Bay. We take advantage of the shore shower facillties, enjoying the upgrades this marina has to offer visitors.
Time Start: 12:05 pm.
Time Finish: 2:05 p.m.
Cruise From: Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
Cruise To: Sidney Spit, Sidney Island
Engine Hours Start: 710
Engine Hours Finish: 712
Weather/sea conditions: Clouds & sun mixed, a true N.W. sky! Cool, 50's, wind and rain showers.
We have lovely cloud formations this morning over Mill Bay. We take advantage of the shore shower facillties, enjoying the upgrades this marina has to offer visitors.
It's a short walk from the marina, past a group of attractive condos, and across the highway into the community shopping center. We pick up fresh produce at Thrifty Foods before enjoying lattes and scones in the friendly coffee shop.
We move on under a canopy of clouds, passing the "Salish Sentinel" spill response vessel between appropriately named Piers Island and the Sidney ferry dock. A small ferry makes its way by Piers Island, and the large B.C. ferry "Coastal Celebration" leaves the Sidney terminal just ahead of us.
We turn into John Passage between scenic islets. The water is swirling as the current pushes through the narrow channel.
There is plenty of room on the dock at Sidney Spit. The buoys are mostly empty, too, but we opt for the dock, wanting more protection today. And who is at the dock but our friendly park ranger from Portland Island! It turns out he covers a wide territory in the Gulf Islands, working nine months of the year. He has December, January and February off. Again, he is a wealth of information on the history of this island. He obviously loves his work, and it shows in his interest in and the care he gives to these Gulf Island marine parks.
A few raindrops welcome us to this scenic spot. The tide is incoming, so we will wait for morning to explore the spit. For today, we walk the forested trails through campsites, along the bluff, to the meadows where a brick factory operated in the early 1900's. The forest is lovely, with tall old cedars. English hawthorne trees are thriving in the meadows. An invasive species, they are being sprayed with herbicides as part of a control effort to eliminate them. Introduced animals, especially deer, are also being controlled.
The dock and the spit:
The dock and the spit:
Along the bluff and into the cedar forest:
The meadows with English hawthornes and campsites:
Remnants of the brick factory days:
And more . . .
Date: September 19, 2017
Sidney Spit Layover Day
Cloudy, showers in afternoon, mid 50's, some dramatic skies.
We have a watercolor morning of muted tones after a night of rain. Dan fuels us up with pancakes before our visit to Sidney Spit, where we enjoy a walk in the sand and dunes. The spit is a mile long, extending from the park area where we are moored. The final section at the tip is closed to us as it is a nature reserve. We are alone on our walk on this September day. The ranger told us yesterday that up until labor day, there would be a good 200 boats a day here, as well as foot passengers ferried over from Sidney. Today? Just one other boat on the dock with us, and all of the buoys are empty.
Sidney Spit Layover Day
Cloudy, showers in afternoon, mid 50's, some dramatic skies.
We have a watercolor morning of muted tones after a night of rain. Dan fuels us up with pancakes before our visit to Sidney Spit, where we enjoy a walk in the sand and dunes. The spit is a mile long, extending from the park area where we are moored. The final section at the tip is closed to us as it is a nature reserve. We are alone on our walk on this September day. The ranger told us yesterday that up until labor day, there would be a good 200 boats a day here, as well as foot passengers ferried over from Sidney. Today? Just one other boat on the dock with us, and all of the buoys are empty.
We meet our neighbors on "Viva la Vida". They are living on their boat and heading toward Mexico. Cruising with their dog, a ridgeback named Whiskey, they have a blog "Wandering with Whiskey". With it, they hope to support their adventures as a "go fund me" type of adventure. We all tuck back into our cabins as afternoon rains arrive.
The showers continue all afternoon, giving us time to relax and watch the clouds blow past us. The skies are nothing short of fantastic, the sunset absolutely dramatic.
The showers continue all afternoon, giving us time to relax and watch the clouds blow past us. The skies are nothing short of fantastic, the sunset absolutely dramatic.