Amy Marie Visits: Southeast Coast of Vancouver Island

July 15, 2023

After exploring Desolation Sound, we returned to Vancouver Island at Comox, and were there for Canada Day. From there we continued south down the eastern side of Vancouver Island. We only had tentative thoughts of what we wanted to see and do. That is the joy of ambling. Weather is the largest variable outside our control. Wind direction determines which coves and harbors provide shelter and which, being too exposed, should be avoided. People who are schedule driven would not make good sailors or amblers. Trying to keep to an itinerary will invariably lead to making poor decisions. We have departed anchorages only to return when we find sea conditions exceed our comfort level. So, we have developed patience and cultivated a tactic that is based upon looking for weather windows. Our criteria are simple. Look for days when the wind is less than 15 knots and seas less than 2 feet. Even when we carefully follow those guidelines, Mother Nature will surprise us, and we will find ourselves bashing through waves 2-3 times that large.

So chronicled below are the ramblings we undertook as we headed south along the eastern side of Vancouver Island.

Newcastle Island

We spent an enjoyable several days at Newcastle Island across from Nanaimo. It is so wonderful for the local folks to have a wonderful island so accessible, by ferry or boat, from an urban area.

Large grassy areas, with picnic tables and fire rings are dispersed around the island for the use of campers. There is plenty of room for people to spread out and enjoy their surroundings.

We tied Amy Marie to a mooring buoy and then took our dinghy to the park dock. From there we set out on a 6-mile hike around the perimeter of the island.

Newcastle Island is a Provincial Marine Park.

Every day we observed otters playing nearby. This group of 3-4 otters loved to use this old dock as their playground.

The Dinghy Dock Pub was just a short 10-minute ride from the anchorage. It is only accessible by dinghy, small boat, or shuttle from the mainland. We enjoyed a delicious repast of fresh boiled prawns.

A tasty margarita is a good remedy for clearing trail dust from your throat!

Beth also enjoys the medicinal properties of a well-made Margarita!

The dinghy ride back to the boat was short and uneventful...

Ladysmith

When we arrived at Ladysmith, we discovered they were having music on the docks two of the nights of our visit. The first night was an "open mic" night. A variety of local musicians played to our enjoyment. All were good. The second night Joe Stanton performed. It set a nice tone for our visit.

While talking to a local shopkeeper, he shared that there was to be a car show of all British Classic Motorcars at the local park. It was a 5-minute walk from the marina. As a previous owner of a 1952 MGTD, I just had to attend!

The cars on display brought back a flood of memories from the 1960's. These were the cars I fantasied about in my early driving years. I could recite their specs from memory. I just loved the sound of a high revving 4-cylinder engine, double clutching on the downshift as you came into a corner....

A row of classic MG's had me drooling uncontrollably....

I had not previously seen an Avon

It was almost impossible to drag me away from the show as the variety of classic British iron was hugely impressive.

Chemainus

OK, I must admit, when Beth suggested we take the bus from Ladysmith to Chemainus, I was not too excited. However, my enthusiasm grew as we walked and explored the town.

Liberally dispersed around town were wonderful murals and art pieces celebrating the town's history.

The main street was clean, lined with well-kept houses, shops, and restaurants.

There were a variety of parks in town for people to enjoy. Parks take people outside and provide a sense of community. Chemainus had a full schedule of summer activities in their parks.

One of this day's activities was a street market.

Spontaneously, we stopped at their playhouse and purchased tickets for a musical interpretation of Ghost. The cast was strong, the staging we well done, and the music was engaging. We loved it!

Yes, we loved our stay in Ladysmith with a side trip to Chemainus.

Wallace Island - Conover Cove

Sunset as seen from Wallace Island.

90% of the island is a Provincial Park with wonderful hiking trails. For 40 years it had been a rustic resort. Following the owner's death, the park service purchased the resort for use by all. The resort is non-operational. About a third of the buildings remain as artifacts from its prior life. Access is by boat. Many kayakers paddle out to the island and camp. We anchored in one of the two coves suitable for doing so.

Once again we were entertained by the wildlife. A family of otters played and snacked on the abundance of suitable food in the cove.

In this case they are running along the shoreline.

If you look closely, you will see this eagle just caught a little fish.

The island is long and skinny. It has a rocky spine running the length of the island. We hiked to both the southern and northern points.

One of the former resort buildings is now adorned with homemade signs bearing the names of boats that have visited.

We looked to see if we knew any of the boats.

Clearly considerable work was invested in some of the signs

This building is the former home of the family that developed the resort in the late 1940's

This is the northern tip of the island

Kayakers were camped at the northern tip.

Genoa Bay

Genoa Bay is a quiet, and pretty spot just north of Cowichan.

We met up with friends April and Scott from Santa Rosa.

We originally met when we were members of the Petaluma Yacht Club.

Genoa Bay's claim to fame is a tasty marina restaurant.

In the mornings there is a breakfast bar down on the docks.

They also have the prettiest restroom, bath house, laundromat building I've seen!

Portland Island

Portland Island, formerly known as Princess Margaret Island, is located just east of Salt Springs Island.

It was presented to Princess Margaret in 1957. She later deeded it back to the Provincial Park Service for use as a park. In its early history, late 1800's, it was inhabited by Hawaiian Islanders, who were prevented from owning land in the United States. They could purchase land and be free in Canada.