Today, it was going to be my last 2018 sail with the Larsboat OSC. So I went to my favourite outrigger canoe sailing spot – the Conway Narrows at Seaweed Road. Environment Canada and windGuru were forecasting high SW winds for the afternoon (30km/hr with gusts to 50). So, I headed out with the view of getting off the water in the early afternoon. In the Conway Narrows with a SW wind, the water doesn't get too rough unless the wind gets over 25 km/hr. At that point, things can start to get wild & wet!
When I arrived at the Seaweed Road beach, a family camped on the beach (trailer). They were from Charlottetown. I slowly set-up the OSC and headed SE at a good clip in a 20 km/hr southerly wind. Due to favourable winds and tides, I was able to sail all the way to the Milligan channel entrance (5+km). At the channel entrance, I went past the green buoy and landed ashore on the channel's east side (for more wave protection). I had a short walk and a snack. Then I started sailing back on a broad reach along the narrow marked channel, following very close to the sandhill shore for 2km or so. My speed was hitting 10 - 12 km/hr on the GPS through this stretch! Here the channel turns SW towards Milligan Wharf, which I followed for about 0.5 km and then started heading westward over shallow water towards the Seaweed Road launch point. I'm not sure there's any way to avoid the shallows in this area.
On the way back, I checked out the oyster farming operation on the PEI main shore side, just NW of Milligan Wharf. There were thousands of cormorants sitting on those oyster crates! How would you keep them away? I still had time, so I crossed the Narrows again to the sandhill for lunch (SHA55). When I got to the sandhill, somebody was waiting for me – a young red fox. He did not seem to be disturbed by my presence and just sat there on the sand while I came ashore and walked by. The sandhill's gulf side was a bit of a sand storm, so I had a pretty quick lunch and made my way back to the boat for a fast beam reach across the Narrows to Seaweed Road.
Today was a short outing in the Conway Narrows but a great sail! I covered about 12 km in relatively strong southerly winds and made it to the Milligan's channel entrance for the first time with the Larsboat OSC. That was fun!
Next year, I should start at Milligan Wharf and try
to reach the back of Lennox Island by following the mainland shore. From there, you can easily get to Bird
Island and Hog/George Island!
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| The wind speed for today (km/hr); sailed between 10am to 2pm |
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| The tide table for today. |
On 14Jul2021, I made the same trip to Hardy's Channel. It was a beautiful day and a great sail (Larsboat OSC). This is definitely a trip that can be repeated every few years!
ReplyDeleteSee my Outdoor pics and iNaturalist for 2021-07-14.
... Denis
Over the summer of 2024, I made four outings in the Conway Narrows from Seaweed Road.
ReplyDelete29June2024 (WD12, 7.5km) - This first outing by kayak was to check out the road and launch conditions. I did NW loop by crossing to the sandhills, and then heading north along the sandhills before crossing back to the mainland.
02July2024 (Larsboat OSC, 9.5km) - I was ready to sail but no wind! So, I got the paddle out and made a nice loop in the SE direction. The loop included Milligan's wharf entrance, the sandhill hut, SHA55, and back home.
09July2024 (Larsboat OSC, 14km) - A great sail on a beautiful day. Up and down the narrows from Seaweed Rd with a sandhill stop for lunch.
17Sep2024 (Larsboat OSC, 16km) - For a good sail in the narrows, everything has to be just right - and today it was. The tide was high enough, the wind was in the right direction and speed, and as a bonus -- the sun was out. I was able to sail pass the narrow channel at Frederick Cove and make my way as far as Luke/Fitzgerald Rd. On the way back, there was a sandhill landing for lunch and nature observations (denisag2, iNaturalist).