Foxley River - Canadian Bridge, PEI

 

In western PEI, another relatively undeveloped waterway to paddle and explore is the Foxley River. Last year, I explored the lower Foxley River from Gordon’s Wharf, so today (Sep 29), I headed to the Canadian Bridge (route 168) to check out the upper parts of the river. The Foxley River has quite a few tributaries and inlets. The plan was to paddle east and explore the river up to the Foxley River bridge (route 12 E) and a few small side tributaries. But due to the strong NW winds, I decided to head west from the Canadian Bridge. It’s always a good idea to try and have the wind on your back when you are tired and making your way back to the launch point. 

Foxley River (track from Canadian Bridge)

In a stiff breeze, I made it to the mouth (east side) of the MacDonald River. After exploring the shoreline at that river junction, I decided to paddle across the Foxley River and hopefully find some shelter from the NW wind. As I was crossing, I noticed a Bald Eagle in a tree on the north side of the river. I managed to get a few distant shots before it flew deeper into an inlet on the north shore. I paddled into the inlet, but it was nowhere to be seen!

Canadian Bridge launch

Bald Eagle

Earlier, I had spotted a sandy beach on the north shore, so I made a stop there for lunch and a walk. On that north shore, you can get a good view of the Foxley River/Bay (i.e. the aquaculture operation) by climbing the 10ft cliff. After lunch, it was time for more paddling exercise, so I paddled up the 1km Canadian Creek against the wind. The wind was annoying but not as much as the manure odour from a local farm. A flock of Canada Geese is all I found at the bitter end of the creek.

Wood Duck 12 (WD12)

Great Blue Heron

The Canadian Bridge is a great launch spot, and I will be back next year to explore the eastern end of the Foxley River (kayak) and go up the MacDonald River (kayak also).

Lunch shore (Foxley River, north)

Erratics (mouth of MacDonald R.)

Cascumpec Bay - Fox Island, PEI

 

Early on the morning of September 24th, I drove to Gordon’s Wharf with the MYS15 skiff in tow. The plan was to sail and explore the west shores of Cascumpec Bay – may be as far as Northport or Oulton’s Island. But the wind had a different plan! It was dead calm as I launched from the harbour, so I rowed to Erratic point (NE from Gordon’s Wharf) for a walk while waiting for some wind.

Cascumpec Bay, west side

That’s a good thing I did.  I parked the MYS15 next to the large erratic and immediately saw a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers playing in the trees and on the shore. Even with a few mosquitoes around, I managed to get quite a few good pics of the warblers. To get away from the mosquitoes, I decided to row to the bay’s eastern shore. 

MYS15 & large Cascumpec erratic

Yellow-rumped Warbler

I did another short walk on the eastern shore, then the wind suddenly picked up from the east. After rigging the boat, I sailed over to the south shore of Fox Island. After a quick lunch and some exploring, I decided to return directly to Gordon’s Wharf to be on the safe side (of the weather). Since I was close to shore, I didn’t bother reefing the sail for the trip back. On a beam reach, the MYS15 is capable of 8 km/hr – so it was a relatively quick sail back to harbour (45 minutes).

Cascumpec Bay, west shore

MYS15 at Fox Island

East or NE winds are a good time to sail from Gordon’s Wharf towards Northport. And during SW winds, it’s a good time to start in Northport and sail towards Gordon’s Wharf. 

On the west side of Cascumpec Bay, it would be good to explore Mill River and the shores around Fox & Ram Islands.  Mill River is probably best travelled by kayak.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Hebron Sand Spit, Egmont Bay

 

In 2021, I made three boat outings to the Hebron sand spit via the end of Campbell Road. This location has become my favourite sailing launch point for the northwestern side of Egmont Bay. The launch site has excellent access to the water, a great shore/beach for set-up, and ample parking space. There’s a 4km stretch of deep enough water for sailing inside the sand bars between Brae Harbour and the Hebron sand spit. The 2km long Hebron sand spit makes a good trip destination for a shore break, lunch, or a long beach walk. It’s a bit tricky to sail further up or down the Egmont Bay coast. The 800m wide sand bars have to be crossed close to high tide! The best location to cross out is near Brae Harbour at the mouth of the Brae River. I did it once with the Va’a Motu this summer, but it wasn’t easy in the SW wind. The other drawback to the Campbell Road shore is the 45-minute drive (43km). A warning about the Campbell launch point - lots of poison ivy in the area!

Google Earth map of Hebron sailing area and tracks

My first outing to the area this summer was on June 29th (green track). In a light foggy breeze, I sailed the Larsboat OSC to the tip of the Hebron sand spit and went for a  walk. After a snack, I started back with one exploration stop at the end of Kennedy Road (or MacLeans Rd). Near the Campbell Road shore, an Osprey was observed and posted to iNaturalist. 

Larsboat OSC at the Hebron sand spit in the morning fog

The second trip to the Campbell/Hebron area was on July 28 (blue track). It was a beautiful sunny and clear day for a sail. Due to the high tide and southerly wind conditions, I was able to sail the MYS15 skiff up the outer shore of the Hebron sand spit. I did not go all the way across the sand spit due to time and tide constraints. On the way back, I sailed to the mouth of the Brae River and then back to the Campbell Road shore. With higher tide conditions and the right winds, it should be possible to sail further up the Brae River (next year).

MYS15 skiff on the outer Hebron shore

On September 8, I did a great Va’a Motu outing between Brae Harbour and the Hebron sand spit (red track; 12km). I had some luck sailing through the sand bars, but it wasn’t so easy with the shallow water, surf, and wind direction. Next year, I’ll try the same area but a bit more to the east in the outlet channel of the Brae River. There was a good south wind breeze, so the sail to the Hebron sand spit and back was good. After going ashore for a short break at the tip of the sand spit, I sailed on the inside to check out the oyster farming operation. After passing Dog Creek, the water gets shallow for sailing, so it was time for a U-turn and back to Campbell Road.

The new Va'a Motu on the inside shore at the Hebron sand spit

Due to the sailing area restriction, this area is best for a short sail outing and walking on the Hebron sand spit. The MYS15 skiff is the best boat for this, followed by the Larsboat OSC. If the idea is to venture beyond the sand bars, then the Va’a Motu is the way to go! 

Note: Try to start sailing 2 hours before and finish not more than 2 hours after high tide. The tides should be 1m or higher. 

Osprey	Oyster aquaculture (inside sand spit)
Hebron sand spit	Va'a Motu sailing towards Brae Harbour