Royston Wrecks Paddle Pictures - August 1st -

On August 1st Bob Geig and Elaine George led 19 paddlers on our annual trip to the Royston Wrecks. We launched on the beach at Royston and started by viewing the Royston Wrecks before paddling to the Comox Harbour. We took a break there before heading to the gorgeous sandy beach at Goose Spit to enjoy our lunches. We ended the paddle by returning to Royston. After the paddle we met at the Royston Roasting Coffee House for refreshments and good lots of conversations about another sunny day spent on the water.

Thank you Lil Harm for sharing these great photos. 

 

 

Peter Law's Canoe Trip on the Churchill River

On July 11^th, I met my big brother (who lives in Cambridge Ontario) in Saskatoon, and we caught a small plane to La Ronge Saskatchewan where we drove up to a small town called Missinipe for a 7 day (guided) paddle down the Churchill River. It was a great trip…no bugs..big water…swimming…. Lots of laughs

The description of the trip.

The Churchill River is unique in its form. It is a series of lakes joined by rapids or falls. Flowing over the Precambrian Shield, it passes through a forested landscape of rock outcroppings and muskeg. The many lakes making up the Churchill are sprinkled with tree-covered islands. The rapids are generally short and shelf-like in nature. The more difficult rapids can be easily portaged by those without the skills to run them. The total trip length of the route is 105 km, which is covered in eight days. The route of the Voyageurs passes through some of the Churchill's most beautiful country. Photographic opportunities abound along the entire length of the trip. You may see bald eagles and white pelicans fishing below rapids, moose wading in the shallows, black bears wandering along the shore, and enjoy evening concerts by common loons at sunset. As we trace the path of the Voyageurs east, you can imagine these adventurous times. You will also see ancient rock paintings of the first inhabitants of the Churchill area. This trip is run in co-operation Blackfeather https://blackfeather.com/our-destinations/manitoba-saskatchewan/  and Churchill River Canoe Outfitters (CRCO).

 

Here are some photos.

 

Cedar to DeCourcy Paddle - July 11

 Sixteen paddlers had an enjoyable and sunshine-filled paddle recently to DeCourcy Island across from the Cedar boat launch, just south of Nanaimo,  on Tuesday, July 11th.  

 

When we headed off, the 7-8 knots of easterly winds were in our face, the tide was flooding, so the paddle across the channel was a bit of a  “grunt”.

 

When we reached the shores of DeCourcy the waters calmed as we were in the lee of the island. 

 

The sandstone rock formations along the west side of Link and De Courcy islands are quite stunning and well worth the paddle if you have never seen them. A leisurely paddle along DeCourcy, enjoying the rock formations, made up for the struggle coming across the strait.

Quadra Island Trip Report

 Quadra Island Trip Report – June 13- 15, 2023

22 members of our group met on Quadra Island near Campbell River for 3 memorable days of kayaking, exploring and socializing. Some people camped at We Wai Kai Campground at Rebecca Spit

 

 while others stayed at the Heriot Bay Inn 

 

and High Point Resort in Quathiaski Cove. When we arrived on the Island we were greeted by sustained winds of 70 km with wind gusts approaching 90 km. On the Tuesday (June 13) we had planned to have a pot luck dinner at the We Wai Kai Campground. These plans had to be changed due to the extreme wind conditions.

Jo and Linda Winner graciously hosted the dinner in their cabin at the Heriot Bay Inn. Everyone enjoyed the amazing food and socializing with their fellow paddlers. 

 

The evening was capped off by musical entertainment provided by Peter and Gilly, Norm and Michelle, Doug and Jim. Note: Unfortunately the 2 movies that Linda submitted were too large to display on this website. But Elvis was definitely in the building.

 

On Wednesday Morning (June 14) we met to go over the day’s schedule of events. Originally we had planned to drive to Granite Bay at the north end of Quadra Island. From there we were going to paddle to Small Inlet Provincial Marine Park. The continued strong winds forced us to change the itinerary. Some of us drove to the Main Lakes Provincial Park to possibly kayak on the lakes while others decided to explore some of Quadra Island’s hiking trails.

 

The few of us who braved the winds on Main Lake enjoyed a brief one hour paddle before the winds increased in speed. 

 

The afternoon was spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful nature found on the Island.

That evening we met for a Greek Night Dinner at the Heriot Bay Inn.

 

After enjoying the delicious food quite a few of us went on a Sasquatch Hunt at Rebecca Spit led by Pam. This was a great way to walk off our dinners, look for the large driftwood Sasquatch figure and view the amazing scenery on the east side of Quadra Island. 

 

Horne Lake Paddle - May 30, 2023

 Eighteen paddlers gathered at Horne Lake to enjoy a couple of hours of kayaking on this beautiful spring day. 

 

Winds were light as we started out and on the whole remained light for most of the excursion. We paddled clockwise from the boat launch, past many cabins, 

 

 

and after an hour reached our lunch spot.