The Va’a Motu outrigger sailing canoe was launched in the summer of 2021 but it was mainly short test sails. For the summer of 2022, I had a new mast and sail ready to go and did several sails on Malpeque Bay. One sail was to Courtin Island in the middle of Malpeque Bay, a couple were south towards the Grand River, and at least three were north towards the sandhills. On a beautiful day with 10 to 30 km/hr winds (preferably westerly), the Va’a Motu was perfect for heading towards the sandhills from the Willie Birch Road launch beach on the west shore of Malpeque Bay.
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| Va'a Motu Malpeque Bay sails (summer 2022) |
The waters around Bird Island are fairly shallow except for the south shore. So, if the winds are not too strong from the west or SW, the south shore is a good option for a shore stop. Otherwise the east (lagoon) sand spits may be a better choice – assuming reasonable high tides. The south and north sides of Bird Island are the best shore walks. Beware of poison ivy!
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With the right winds and if the tides are high enough, it’s fun to sail over to the sandhills north of Bird Island and Lennox Island. Behind Bird Island, the sandhills are quite wide and it would be hard to cross over to the gulf side. That’s OK. The sandhill’s inner shoreline has lots of nature and is great to explore. If you sail further west (behind Lennox Island) where the sandhills are narrower, then you have the option of crossing over to the gulf side for a walk. Another option to visit the sandhills is east of Hog Island. Here too, the sandhills are quite wide unless you go to the bitter end (i.e. Fish Island, Malpeque channel).
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Hog Island is well-isolated in Malpeque Bay and is always a special place to visit. Hog Island (also known as George Island) is part of the Mi’kmaq nation reserve and permission is required to go ashore/inland. Over the last few years, I always see Bald Eagles on the southern part of Hog Island (nesting, TBD). There’s also a cormorant colony at the south tip of the island. Both the west and east sides are great for shore walks. The north side of Hog Island with the sandhills forms a unique basin that is fun to explore. The basin is over 1 km long but only 200-300m wide, so it’s not so easy to sail under certain wind conditions (better in a kayak). The eastern end of Hog’s north shore is a very special geological place for PEI. It’s the only location where igneous rock (vein of dolerite) can be found on PEI.
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I got the most iNaturalist postings from the August 16 trip. Sightings are HERE.
I’m already looking forward to next summer for more Va’a Motu outings on Malpeque Bay. Now that I have more confidence in the boat, I’ll have to take some sails across to the eastern and southern parts of the bay.
For the summer of 2024, I did four outings on Malpeque Bay with the Va'a Motu (all from Willie Birch Road). Over the summer, I noticed that the Va'a Motu can be launched, retrieved, and sailed from Willie Birch Road with a minimum tide level of 0.4m (Malpeque).
ReplyDeleteFor nature sightings, check "denisag2" on iNaturalist for the trip dates.
16July2024 (13.5km) - On this first outing, I went south (tacking) along the west shore. I went ashore in a couple of locations and recorded several nature observations (Bank Swallows, Bald Eagle - see iNaturalist).
07Aug2024 (22km) - For this trip, in a good southerly wind, I did a triangular loop (Willie Birch Rd, Courtin Island, Belmont Park, and back home. It was a short stop/walk on Courtin's south shore, and a longer stop at Belmont Park for lunch. Great sail on a beautiful day!
24Aug2024 (24km) - On this outing, I headed to the sandhills behind Bird and Lennox Islands. This is a great destination but the tides should be reasonably high (0.5m or higher). The sandhills behind Lennox Island are pretty dramatic and make great scenery images.
25Aug2024 (20km) - A trip to Hog Island is always great. Bald Eagles and Cormorants are always there, and not much else. On this outing, I sailed (& walked) on both sides of the island but did not have time for a sandhill visit.