Belmont/Lot16 east shore, Malpeque Bay

On a breezy day (August 20^th), I went to Belmont Provincial Park with the Wood Duck 12 kayak. I thought that with a SW wind, it would be sheltered a bit on the east side of Lot 16. But the wind was more southerly, so both sides of the Belmont point had a strong breeze.

Belmont track, WD12 kayak (4 km)

When I started, I went to the west side of the point to check out the conditions. It was fun, but I wasn’t going too far in that direction. I went ashore for a few red cliff photos. Returning to the east side, I paddled 1 km and went ashore for a walk. I walked on shore across the large wetland as far as the salt-water pond/inlet. On Google Earth, there appear to be three or four round depressions in the wetland (probably artificial, DUC?). The salt-water inlet has a narrow entrance to Malpeque Bay. The entrance is wide enough that a kayak could paddle in at high tides. The pond inlet is 500m x 250m in size.

Belmont marshes, east side

East marshes with large inlet/creek in the background

Next time, I would want to paddle all the way to McLaurins Cove and check out the sand spit and the three salt-water ponds/inlets.

Mouth of east inlet/creek

Least Sandpiper (vulnerable in PEI)

Mary Fraser Island, Lot 16, Malpeque Bay

 

The best kayak launching spot for reaching Mary Fraser Island is at the end of (Miscouche) Wharf Road. There isn’t a wharf, but it’s a busy launch site for the oyster aquaculture farmers. The old Miscouche wharf site is also well situated for exploring the SE corner of Malpeque Bay. Today, my main focus was Mary Fraser Island. Is it really an island? Why is it called Mary Fraser? 

My paddle track, WD12 kayak (8 km)

It was a fairly windy morning, so I started paddling east to check out Beaton Creek. It’s a nice natural creek/wetland with shoreline salt marshes areas. The end of the navigable inlet is only 600m from the Summerside airport runway. After Beaton Creek, I crossed Bentick Cove to the back of Mary Fraser Island to see if I could go around. No luck – maybe if the tide was higher. Then, I went ashore at the NE corner of the forested area (about 2 acres). After some exploring, I started the return paddle towards the Wharf Rd launch. Due to the high wind and falling tides, I left Clarks and Black Bridge Creeks for another day. I paddled halfway up Carrs Creek before returning to the launch site. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Bald Eagle

I’ll be exploring this area more over the following years. On the list will be another look at Mary Fraser Island, Burnt Point, Clarks Creek, etc. 

Nature sightings posted to iNaturalist are HERE.

Mary Fraser Island marshes	Not this way!
Mary Fraser shore, east side	Slemon Park & Summerside windmills
Bonaparte's Gulls

Little Trout River, Grand River

 

Willets

The Little Trout River is a river that I had paddled many years ago. Still, it deserves more exploring – especially the marshes for the globally rare Salt Marsh Copper butterflies. I’m also looking for the new PEI dragonfly (Seaside Dragonlet). The river flows down from the Richmond area but is only navigable to the Cross River bridge (R131). The marshes are further up the river, where they widen, so I don’t know if that habitat classifies as an actual salt marsh. I especially like that this river is undeveloped for most of its length. There are a few homes at the mouth of the river on the east side. On the west side, there’s an old abandoned airstrip. I need to investigate this airstrip property more to see if it’s public/crown land.

My track, WD12 kayak (5 km)

On August 14 (Anne’s birthday), I drove to the Grand River bridge with my 14ft Wood Duck kayak. There’s a large launch site to the SE end of the bridge – mainly used by the oyster fishers & farmers. It’s almost 1 km from the bridge launch shore to the mouth of the Little Trout River. On the way there, I got some good photos of three Willets resting on a dock. They look similar to Yellowlegs, except they don’t have yellow legs. I did come across other bird sightings, including a nice Bald Eagle and a Belted Kingfisher. For all nature observations on iNaturalist, click HERE.

Grand River bridge launch site

 

Grand River bridge ramp

I couldn’t paddle all the way to the Cross River bridge due to the low tide conditions. I’ll have to return next year at higher tides to check out the large marsh and the narrow section as you approach the bridge (R131). Another thing to check next year is launching at the end of Cross Shore Loop Road.

Bald Eagle (mature)

Belted Kingfisher

Three Willets on a dock

Va'a Motu's first sail on Cascumpec Bay, Northport

 

Cascumpec Bay (Keskamkek, Mi'kmaq) is a smaller bay than Malpeque Bay. However, it's still large enough for a day of sailing and some exploring. There are three access locations to Cascumpec Bay for sailing and paddling. Black Banks Road is good to access the bay from the SE. Due to the shallow waters at Black Banks, the location is most practical for small light boats (i.e. not the Va'a Motu). For the Va'a Motu, the two best access would be Gordon's Wharf and Northport Point. Gordon's Wharf is an oyster-working launch location that can get busy. Also, depending on the wind, you may have to use the outboard motor to get in and out of the launch shore. The best launch location for the Va'a Motu is the significant sand point at Northport. And, on August 9th, that's where I went to launch the Va'a Motu. The sand at Northport seemed deeper and less firm than in previous years, and I had to drive carefully to avoid getting stuck. 

Sailing track, Va'a Motu (16 km)

After launching, I sailed SE following the sandhills but keeping the KW waypoints to port. The KW (Keep West) waypoints mark the edge of the shallow sandhill waters. The destination was SHA15 – the best sandhill shore access between the two large sandflats of Cascumpec Bay. This area is an NCC property, so I did a monitoring walk. ATV tracks were visible on the gulf side. These tracks are probably from the lighthouse cottage near the Northport gulf channel.

Va'a Motu, Northport point

Largest erratic, Cascumpec Bay (SW point)

After my walk and lunch, I sailed westwards across Cascumpec Bay (3 km or so) to Erratic Point. I went ashore for a short walk and to take photos. Then, I made the sail passage (4 km or so) back to the Northport launch location. This was a good first Va'a Motu sail on Cascumpec Bay. Next year, I would like to spend a longer day on the bay to get to the south end towards Black Banks. I would also want to explore launching at Gordon's Wharf to avoid the deep/loose sand issue at Northport. It also requires less driving (saves 24 km). Either way, the Alberton tides should be 0.5m or higher to make sailing enjoyable on Cascumpec Bay.

American Germander (Imperiled in PEI)	Viceroy butterfly

The old ferry crossing, Grand River

 

On August 6, I loaded my 17ft Merganser kayak for a paddle across the Grand River at the old Ferry Road. I went to Ferry Road's end on the Grand River's south side to launch. I would have gone to the north side to launch off the Old Ferry Road (near Bayside), but I wasn't sure there was access to the river. As it turns out, there is a path to the river from the corner of Old Ferry Road – so it would be a launch option with the kayak trolley. 

Paddle track, 8.5 km (Merganser kayak)

It's 1 km across the river at the old ferry location. I headed downriver to explore Birch Creek inlet to make a more extended outing. This 1 km creek inlet is mostly undeveloped except for a few farmer's fields on the west side. The inlet was good for bird sightings – Bald Eagle, Kingfisher, Nelson's Sparrow, etc.

Bald Eagle

Belted Kingfisher

After a break at the mouth of Birch Creek on a small sandy beach, I paddled 2 km across the Grand River to a long, unnamed sandspit. Behind the sandspit, there's a large shallow inlet and a marsh with a narrow creek leading towards Old Ferry Road and Route 12. I had a nice walk on the sandspit but didn't paddle the inlet due to low water conditions at the time. At the sandspit, I did get iNaturalist quality photos of Short-billed Dowitchers—a rare shorebird to observe in PEI and globally threatened. 

Short-billed Dowitchers

Once back in the kayak, it was a straight paddle to the north side end of the old ferry route. It's an easy spot to go ashore (a bit rocky) and would make a great place to launch on this side of the river via a public 150m access trail. After some exploring, I made the 1 km paddle across the river in a 10-knot breeze without any issues. It was a great day on the river. This route is definitely a re-do outing – but beware of strong SW summer winds!

Click HERE for all my nature sightings of the day (denisag2, iNaturalist).

Carolina Sea Lavender	Savannah Sparrow
Sandspit	Cottages, Old Ferry Rd corner (north)

Shipyards & Mill Creeks, Grand River

 

The Grand River has many tributaries and inlets of various sorts. On the west side of the river near the Grand River church, there are two inlets/creeks that I’ve wanted to check out for a while. These are the Shipyards and Mill Creeks. There’s excellent access to the Grand River at the MacDougall bridge on the SE end towards the church. Names like Shipyards and Mills Creek suggest that this area contributed to the shipbuilding industry of the 19^th century. Some research is required.

My paddling track, 6 km (WD12)

After launching, I headed to the mouth of Shipyards Creek for a complete shoreline paddle. There wasn’t enough water to paddle up the creek segment towards route 12 – maybe on a high tide in the spring. Before paddling out of the inlet, I encountered a small flock of Yellowlegs. Usually, you see one or two, so seeing a group was great.

Grand River catholic church

 

Access to river, R12 bridge

 

Then, I went under the bridge and did a shoreline paddle of Mills Creek. Again, the water was too shallow to paddle the narrow creek toward Route 131. It looks like 500m should be navigable at high tides. In Mills Creek inlet, I observed the usual pair hanging out together – a bald eagle and a belted kingfisher.

Greater Yellowlegs	R12 bridge near church
Bald Eagle	Belted Kingfisher

These two inlets/creeks make a nice protected paddle, so I will be back – hopefully during higher water levels.

Grand River view