Black Banks & Conway Sandhills, PEI

A few weeks after hurricane Dorian, I had to make a trip to the sandhills to inspect the hurricane's impact. I had been there earlier in the summer with Marc, Amy, and Orrin – so I had a good pre-Dorian reference point.

Track is 9.3 km

I decided to bring my Merganser kayak on this outing since I didn't know what the long access road to Black Banks would be like after Dorian. The road was reasonably dry, and fallen trees had been cleared. But when I got to the end, I couldn't drive onshore due to a soft mud hole – so it was a good thing that I hadn't brought the OSC or MYS15 on the trailer.

Once I got on the water, I decided the first place to look for hurricane damage was the peat bog cliffs at Black Point. They have already been damaged by harvesting over the years, but it was clear that Dorian had caused a bit more erosion. Black Point is a good/sad example of ecological damage from poor regulation on commercial resource extraction.

Peat bog cliff remnants at Black Point

From Black Point, I headed towards the Conway Sandhills to check on the NCC sign. Well, the NCC sign had survived the high winds of Dorian. On the inland shore, just to the SE of the NCC sign, I did see a gathering of debris that could use some cleaning (oyster bags, etc.). After a bit more paddling, I finally arrived at Shore Access 20 (SHA20). This spot has a nice sand valley going across the Conway Sandhill to the gulf. The sandbanks/hills on the gulf side are pretty high here and explain why this has been the favourite area for kids to visit over the years.

Dorian didn't wipe out the sandbanks/hills at SHA20, but it did cause some severe erosion and changes. It will be interesting to see how things recover and get reshaped over the next few years (assuming the north shore doesn't get another hurricane anytime soon).

Orrin's big sandhill (needs re-shaping now)
Dorian buried a few spruce trees in the sand

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In the summer of 2024, I did two outings from the end of Black Banks Road.

On the first trip (June 13), I paddled an 8.5km NW loop from the Black Banks Rd shore (WD12 kayak).  My first destination was the cliffs at the Black Banks' bog. They are in a sad state but some Bank Swallows are still there. From there, I crossed over to the sandhills (SHA20). After a few walks and lunch, I paddled back to the launch shore.

	Bank Swallow

Nature observations posted to iNaturalist are HERE. 

The highlight was an audio recording of a Black-billed Cuckoo (my first).

On the second outing (Oct 1st, 2024), I went SE from the Black Banks shore launch. The water is very shallow in this direction and sailing would be a challenge unless the tide was suitably high. Today, I was paddling my new 14ft Shearwater kayak. It was nice to explore the sandhills and mainland in this secluded part of the Conway Narrows.

Oct 1st track, 8.5km (from Black Banks Rd)

 

Percival Bay by MYS15, PEI

A good day sail by MYS15 is to start at the Co-op Road and do a triangular route to Baptiste Creek (INT's Acadian Marshes property) and Grand Digue Point, and then back to Co-op Road. Depending on the wind direction (i.e. tacks), that's probably an 8 to 10 km sail. The prevailing winds are usually SW, so this makes it a safe and more leisurely sail on the way back to Co-op Road.

Track is 13 km

This outing on Percival Bay was about ten days after Hurricane Dorian, and I was curious to see if there was much impact on Percival Bay's west side.  After launching the MYS15 in a light SW breeze, I headed straight for the small sand spit at the mouth of Baptiste Creek.  The sand spit was still intact in its same location (i.e. no apparent change/shift from Dorian).  After securing the MYS15 in shallow water, I took a walk on the south shore of Baptiste Creek to the old bridge.  There was a bit of erosion from Dorian, but nothing too serious.  Dorian did knock down the ATV/snowmobile south ramp of the old bridge – not a significant loss, but it was practical to get across Baptiste Creek on foot.  After a good lunch and admiring the early fall colours, I set sail for the Grand Digue sand spit.

MYS15 at anchor, Baptiste Creek, PEI

After one tack or so, I was ashore close to the tip of Grand Digue. The Grand Digue sand spit is about 1.5 km long and relatively isolated from any human traffic. Today was no exception – I had the sand spit to myself. On the sandy Egmont Bay side, you could clearly see how far the surf came up the shore during Dorian. The sandbank was moved back in places, and the seagrass flatten. I did come across a newly dug fox den in the sandbank; probably his/her old one was destroyed by hurricane Dorian.

It was a beautiful September day, and it doesn't get much better for sailing Percival Bay. Well, maybe I could have used a bit more wind -- I guess a sailor is never totally satisfied!

Baptiste Creek, looking towards old bridge	Old bridge across Baptiste Creek, after Dorian hurricane

Grand Digue sand spit after Dorian storm	New fox den on G. Digue sand spit

Holman Island, Summerside, PEI

Merganser 17 - freshly painted hull, Sep 2019

On a breezy Sunday afternoon (Sept 15th), I looked for a somewhat protected place to go and try out my newly renovated Merganser kayak. The winds were from the SSW, so I decided on Holman Island with a launch in Lower Bedeque (Route 112). Holman Island is basically in front of Summerside harbour and belongs to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). 

Track is 7 km

I found a good launch point on Route 112 past the Auchinleck Road (hopefully, it was a public shore access). From there, it was a 2 km paddle to the SE point of Holman Island. Due to my shoulder injury and the medium winds, I decided not to circumnavigate the island. After checking out the Dorian shore erosion at the SE point, I paddled over to the island's SW corner and went ashore for a walk.

There wasn't much evidence of hurricane Dorian on the south side of the island, but things were a little different on the west side. There was a good number of trees down, mostly due to bank erosion. I imagine that the north end of the island would have been worst, but I didn't get there on this trip.

I need to make more trips in this area to explore further Holman Island, the Bedeque peninsula, the Wilmot and Dunk River estuaries, etc. -- either by kayak or Sea Pearl.

Conway Narrows and Sandhills, Pete Con Road, PEI

My 16ft Larsboat outrigger sailing canoe (OSC) is perfect for cruising the shallow Conway Narrows of PEI's north shore.  I have usually launched the Larsboat OSC onshore at Seaweed Road or Black Banks.  Today, I decided to launch at the end of Pete Con Road, which would give me better access to the middle section of the Conway Narrows.

Track is 20 km; including all the tacks

The end of Pete Con Road is relatively isolated (i.e. no developments) and offers good shore access by vehicle. After setting up the OSC, I started sailing upwind (SE) towards Frederick Cove and SHA40. Without the right high tide, the water depth only allows for a narrow sailing channel – therefore, it took many tacks (40) to reach the sand flats at Frederick Cove. The Chinese junk rig is not the most efficient rig for going upwind, but it's a practical sail and eventually gets me there.

I decided to anchor the OSC at the large sand flats in front of Frederick Cove and go ashore for lunch and a walk. The Frederick Cove sand flats are enormous and do contain a channel that goes out into the gulf.  Today, it was all pretty quiet in the area, and I spent most of my lunch observing a huge flock of cormorants and seagulls.

On my way back, I decided to try sailing into SHA30 for a walk on the gulf side. I could have tried sailing there via the backside/north of CONISA and B islands, but I was afraid of getting stuck in low water. Instead, I stayed on the south side of the islands, rounded CONISA, and zig-zag my way to SHA30 without any trouble. After a short walk on the pristine sandhill beach, I sailed back to the car at Pete Con Road. I did have a bit of trouble with low water because I tried to take a short-cut instead of staying to the SE of a known long sand point (K SE2 SHA30). Next time, assuming higher tides, it will be fun to sail through the islands' north side (CONISA/B).

Courtin Island, Malpeque Bay, PEI

It was getting late in the summer, and I hadn't been out to Courtin Island yet, so I started to look for a suitable day for a sail (Sea Pearl) or kayak paddle. In the end, things did line-up better for a paddling day (Aug 26).  For a safer and easier paddle, I decided to launch at the end of Beech Point Road.  The Beech Point Rd access worked out, but that's not the most pleasant place to launch a kayak – the little bay there is full of rotting seaweed that you have to walk through to get in the water.

Day track was 15.4 km

Courtin Islands

Once in the water, I headed around the north side of Little Courtin Island in calm waters. The Little Courtin Islands are small islands with mostly grass and shrub vegetation (i.e. no trees).  Little Courtin and Courtin Island belong mainly to the Island Nature Trust (INT). As I was going by Little Courtin Island, I saw a bald eagle on the ground, and it looks like he/she was on a nest. I didn't want to disturb the eagle, so I moved on.  Towards the NW end of Little Courtin, there were quite a few seagulls and terns hanging around in the water. 

Paddling towards the Courtin Islands

I made my first landfall on the east shore of Courtin Island to explore and to have a snack.  There were two leftover fire pits along this shoreline – either somebody having a nice hot lunch or some people are camping out here.  The next paddle was to the SW corner, where I went ashore to explore and have lunch.  As I was paddling, I saw a few bald eagles in the air – they seem to be following me.  An osprey was also circling. 

East side of Courtin I. with red cliffs towards the north

After a good walk in both directions, it was time to start paddling down the west shore towards the SE corner.  Along the way, I noticed a bald eagle family (mom, dad, and juvenile) all perched in the same tree – that was pretty special and exciting!  I did take a few pics from the kayak with my small Nikon W300. The eagles were pretty settled and didn't move as I approached -- as much as I could in the shallow water.

I had a last walk on the shore at the SE corner. You definitely want to stay on the beach in this area; the island's SE tip is just one huge poison ivy patch.  From here, it was a non-stop paddle (3.5 km) back to the access point and home.  

I think there was a pit stop in Kensington for some ice cream!

Passing Little Courtin Island on left

Courtin Island SE corner

Large poison ivy patch on SE tip of Courtin Island

Bald Eagle family (west side of Courtin I.)

Bird Island, Malpeque Bay, PEI

Bird Island with the Malpeque sandhills in the background

Bird Island is in Malpeque Bay, just to the east of Lennox Island and belongs to the Island Nature Trust (INT). Most of my PEI summers in the last 20 years have included a visit to Bird Island. This summer, on a beautiful August day, I paddled my Merganser kayak from Gillis Point and did a circumnavigation of Bird Island (10 km or so).

Day track was 10.4 km

Bird Island, GE view

My first stop was on the south shore for a walk, and I shot a few pics of the many erratic rocks along the shoreline.  From there, I paddled around to the east side of the island and took a tour inside the small lagoon.  It was pretty quiet today – no birds or ducks to be seen. This place is busier during the bird migration times (spring and fall).  My next stop was on the north side of the island for a break and a snack. On the north side, I did notice some poison ivy on the sandy shore bank.  Also, there were some ducks in the island’s larger pond (Duck Pond).  My next/last shore stop was at the SW corner of the island. From there, it’s a nice walk on the gravelled crescent west shoreline of the island with Lennox Island in sight. 

Then, it was the paddled across the channel back to Gillis Point and my car. Even though it’s only a 1.5 km crossing, this can sometimes be a tricky paddle depending on wind, chop, and current conditions. Today, the crossing back to the mainland was easy in reasonably calm waters. Paddling around Bird Island is always great, and it was a good test of my recent shoulder injury. The shoulder has come a long way since June -- I had to be careful, but 10 km of paddling was no problem. 

One of the many erratics

Another PEI island with Poison Ivy

Bird Island's shore

Heading back towards Gillis Point