Deas Island Slough, and Green Slough.

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

Deas Island Slough. /Green Slough.

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The Urban Oarsman Rows Deas Island Solugh

The jumper incident. 10:13am, I see a man go over the edge off Second Narrows Bridge. The RCMP Officer was only seconds behind him. Almost caught him. But missed grabbing his jacket….

Two North Vancouver RCMP cruisers. Emergency lights flashing, go on to the Second Narrows Bridge ahead of me, one from Dollarton Highway on ramp, one from Marine Drive. They are both in the right hand lane, driving slowly. They stop about ¼ o f the way over the bridge. Both Officers get out, one male, one female. The male officer is in the lead. They run past two bicyclists going north, and race towards a guy standing on the bridge. He turns and runs, going over the side of the bridge just as the officers get to him. I pass the officers and the jumper just as he goes over the edge. “Oh my god” I think, “we are not even over the water yet”. The RCMP Officer has just missed grabbing the guy by a second or so. As I pass the Officers, they are hanging over the edge, looking down. “Not much of a way to begin a row” I think. I continue driving on, to the boat launch in Ladner, with Gwragedd Annwn in tow.

I arrive at the Boat launch by Captain’s Cove Marina at 10:50am. I put Gwragedd Annwn in the water and I am ready to go by 11:10am. The boat launch and parking is free. Two runways, one dock.

The Urban Oarsman Rows Deas Island Slough

Rowing away from the Captain’s Cove Boat launch.

Gwragedd Annwn leaving the dock.

Another rowboat launches when I do….A car-top flat iron skiff built by the owner. There is a Mom, Dad and a small child.

I row up the south side past Captains’ Cove Marina. The entrance to Green Slough is to the South, just past the marina and before the Highway. The tide is low, I will row up it on my way back from Deas Island Sough when the tide is higher. I pass by the drainage canal before the River House Restaurant and the River House Pub on the west side of the highway. I do not know what the canal is called, but, it does not matter, the way is blocked by fallen trees and some sort of drainage gate/pump house.

Trees Blocking the drainage canal with the pumphouse behind.

I row up slough, between the marina and the shore. There is a boat ramp east of the hotel (?)

There is a sunken wooden ship, sources say that t is the rum-runner the “Audry B”.

The remains of the “Audry B”

Then another drainage canal blocked by a pump house.

I can hear walkers talking from a pathway on the North side of the Slough. I smell a strong cow smell from the barn on the south of River Road. At the Far East end of the slough is the Delta Deas Rowing club. No trailer launching that I can see from the water, a low floating dock. A dolly ramp to the south of the club.

There is a Slough usage sign posted on the dock North side of the slough.

Rowing on the North Side, I notice three offshoots to explore, I nose in, but, I will need a higher tide to do so. For now, I will just pass them by.

: The Urban Oarsman

Side channel one, about 1/3 of the way down the North Side of the Slough.

Side channel two, a little over half way down.

Side channel three.

I spot a duck in the reeds. It is not moving away, I close in for a photo…It is a decoy. Duck Decoy Swag!!

The recovered Duck Decoy Swag.

I row further on… Pike Pole Swag!! I am at the Highway overpass. There is stealth (all Black) RHIB that goes up and then down the slough. Wonder what that is all about.

I row past a sunken barge, I cannot pass around it, and the water is still too shallow. There is a one-half current entering the slough by the Highway Bridge.

I row over to Green Slough.

The entrance to Green Slough, just East of Captain’s Cove Marina and West of the Highway Bridge.

There is lots of water now. There are many branches in the canal. I row under the foot Bridge. The water is over two feet deep, and I can not see the bottom.

Looking North West out of Green Slough past the pedestrian overpass to Deas Island Slough.

As I row down the slough, there is a Great Blue Heron on a branch in the water, I cause it to fly further down the canal. As I row down, we repeat this three times before the Heron finally flies up and out of the slough.

I have been monitoring the radio and the Coast Guard announces that the notice to mariners about the closure of the Second Narrows bridge due to a jumper has been lifted. The Jumper has been taken into custody by the RCMP. The jumper that I had seen had just go into the structure under the bridge. The RCMP had followed him and talked him down. Good news. The further down the canal, the more tan and clear the water becomes. I pass houses on the south bank, with docks on the canal.

I carry on, and come to a fork in the canal. I pick the larges and south route. This fork ends a little further on at the corner of Admiral Boulevard and River Road.

The end of the channel at Admiral and River Road. Note =how orange-brown the water is. Peat coloured?

I row back to the junction point and pick the other fork. It carries on under Admiral Boulevard to the West. The canal is less than 20’ wide now, and in some places it is less than 10’ wide.

The Admiral Boulevard Bridge over Green Slough.

I have to pole Gwragedd Annwn through these spots. I come to where the channel is blocked by a fallen Cottonwood tree. The tree has fallen from the South shore. The tree is maybe three feet thick. I can not go over the tree or under it. This is as far as I go. Did the tree fall during the big wind of December 2006 that smashed the trees in Stanley Park?

The Cottonwood at the end of the line. As you can see, there are no green leaves. The tree has been here for a while.

I row back past the backyards of the houses on Brigantine Road on the North and Regatta Way on the South. It probably looks a little muddy at low tide, but probably looks good at high tied. The water here has an orange tint. I have not seen any fish. A dead wheel barrow, a dead bike and crippled shopping cart. There are two side channels that do not go very far, just ending in small bays.

One of the short side channels off Green Slough.

There is a golf course on the north of the channel. The tide has risen and logs that were in the way down channel are floated over on the way out. As I exit Green Slough, two Trumpeter Swans guard the east end of Captain’s Cove Marina.

Trumpeter Swans on patrol.

I head West towards Canoe Passage. There is an old beached planning hull on the beach.

I continue to Lander Reach, and follow the shore line. There is another Canal/slough entrance. It is blocked by rocks and posts.

The tide will rise for another twenty minutes, not very much. If I can not get into the channel now, the tide will not rise enough today to get in no matter how long I wait. I cannot enter to explore Ladner Marsh. I row down Ladner Reach until I spot the observation tower.

Well it is 3:20 and at this time of year it will be dark by 6:00pm. Time to head back to the Launching ramp and home. I row back up Ladner Reach towards the boat launch. I pass the stranded planning hull. There are some logs tied to the shore here.

Is that derelict hull salvage too? Is this where the ghost of Bruno Gerussi haunts?

Back to the dock, I put Gwragedd Annwn on to her trailer and head home, knowing that the Second Narrows will be open now.

The Google Earth picture of Gwragedd Annwn’s GPS track. Click on picture to enlarge.

Mike

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The Burnaby Lake Row, Feburary 13, 2013

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

The Burnaby Lake Row, February 13, 2013.

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The Burnaby Lake row involved a lot of planning.

I went to Burnaby Lake looking for a launch site. I first checked the Rowing Pavilion. It seemed like a natural. Where better to launch a rowing boat than at the Rowing Pavilion? Sadly, the Pavilion is not set up for visiting rowboats. It is set up for those “Racing rowers”…. And maybe canoeists too.

The ramp to the Rowing Pavilion float.

The ramp to their float is only 53″ wide. Gwragedd Annwn’s beam is 60″. Only hand carried boats can be launched there. Any boat on a trailer (or Gwragedd Annwn on her dolly) will not be able to use the Rowing Pavilion’s facilities. I must find another launching site.

I down-load the Burnaby Lake park map from the City of Burnaby web site. Click on it for the full size image.

Fortunately I have read “The Vancouver Paddler”, by Glen Steadham, 1990, and he tells of a launch site by the bridge that goes over Still Creek. He says to put in beside the bridge.
The trail goes North to the site from the parking lot behind the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex. The bridge is for the Cottonwood trail on the North side of the lake.

The Still Creek Bridge is in the North West corner of the map, next to the Question Mark. I park in the Lot marked with a red circle with a P in it.

I check out the site on my way home from work:

The Cottonwood trail Bridge over Still Creek. There is twenty-eight inches of clearance under the bridge at the South end. A very tight fit for Gwragedd Annwn to go under.

The area is a Crow Rookery.

A plan is hatched. I will put Gwragedd Annwn on my boat trailer, then put her on to her launching dolly, wheel her down the trail to the bridge, slip her into the water on the Burnaby Lake side of the Bridge, and row downstream on Still Creek into Burnaby Lake.

Gwragedd Annwn at the parking lot behind the Burnaby Lakes Sports Complex. She is backwards on her trailer, being loaded onto her launching dolly for the trip to the Bridge over Still Creek.

Gwragedd Annwn being launched into Still Creek down a beaver channel beside the Still Creek Bridge. As with the Rowing Pavilion’s ramp, she is a little wide for the Beaver Channel, but, the mud makes for a fine lubricant and into the creek she goes.

Here she is tied up to a tree while I take the dolly back to the FJ and chain it to the trailer. There is not much clearance under the Bridge. The bow flag and the stern mirrors will not fit under. Downstream to Burnaby Lake it is!

I was not kidding about those pesky Beavers. There are probably twenty beaver lodges (mounds) on the lake. It is wonder that there any trees left.

I take out my second down-loaded map showing the Streams and Creeks that flow into Burnaby Lake. Looking at the map, it should be easy to find Deer Lake Brook or Coldicutt Creek and row up them to explore. The map shows them to be as wide entering the Lake as Still Creek is.

This is the Map. Looks as if there are twenty creeks to explore as well as the shoreline of the lake.

I am going to row down to the East end of the Lake and then look for creeks/streams to explore on the way back.

Where Still Creek enters Burnaby Lake. It is hard to tell that you are in the middle of an urban area, as , from the water all you really see are the trees surrounding the lake. Note the Beaver mound on the right of the picture above the oar. This was the first of the twenty or so that I saw.

About Three-quarters of the way to Cariboo Dam, looking South-West towards Metrotown. All in all, the Lake still has a wilderness feeling. You just have to pretend that the Highway noise is merely the wind whispering through the trees. At this point, the lake begins to narrow to the Still Creek exit.

I am coming up to where Skid Creek enters the Lake.

Looking North-East towards where Still Creek exits Burnaby Lake an to Cariboo Dam.

The Eastern end of Burnaby Lake where Still Creek flows on to Cariboo Dam and then into the Fraser. None of the City is visible from here. Next stop Cariboo Dam.

Cariboo Dam, as far East as you can go.

The current was not too strong at this point. My GPS read just under a knot.

The dam itself. I did proceed past the warning sign to take this picture. I now turn back, rowing west up Still Creek, Looking for Buena Vista Creek. It will be the first creek to the South.

This is the North-West View with Gwragedd Annwn backed into Buena Vista Creek. The mouth of the creek looks passably wide, but it narrows and shallows quickly. The channel here is not an oar span wide. I pop the oars out of the locks and pole Gwragedd Annwn up the creek.

The view looking South East up the Creek. At this point the creek is less than 10″ deep and the channel is narrowing. As you can see, it is over grown and there are logs fallen across it. I am only thirty feet of so up the creek and my progress is stopped. Perhaps a canoe or a kayak could make it a little further. I cannot step out of Gwragedd Annwn and pull her up the channel because the bottom is too mucky – it is loose peaty mud that grounds the boat but will not support my weight.

The view of the North Shore of Burnaby Lake. The streams that enter are not visible and the lake is too shallow to find where the creeks enter. Once you get out of the rowing channel, the lake is not much more that a foot deep. Skirting the shoreline, every now and then I find that I am stopped, having slowly run aground on the boggy bottom.

I cannot find where Deer Lake Brook enters the Lake. The north-West corner is too shallow to row in. I search for but cannot find the channel. I give up and row past the pavilion and into Still Creek.

My FJ in the parking lot, photo taken as I row up Still Creek.

The trail bridge over Still Creek. I have to take my bow flag down, fold down the rowing mirrors and ship oars to pass under the bridge.

I row on, up Still Creek. I spot a Red-eared slider turtle sunning himself/herself on the North bank. Unfortunately, the turtle goes into the creek before I can get a photograph.

I row under the Sperling Avenue foot bridge and spot the first barrier.

This is the foot bridge over Still Creek at Sperling Avenue. The barrier is just upstream of it.

The Barrier upsteam of the Sperling Avenue footbridge. I think that it is supposed to collect all the floating garbage coming down the creek. Note all the flotsam upstream of the Barrier. There is just enough space on the North side to manoeuvre Gwragedd Annwn past. By tipping her on her side, I pass the barrier.

The elevated walkway on the North Side of Still Creek. It is part of the Central Valley Greenway trails. I have also heard it called the Winston Overpass.

Looking back (East) at the Kensington Avenue Bridge and the Kensington Urban Trail foot Bridge.

The footbridge is in the foreground

The next bridge is the one for Douglas Road.

The Douglas Street Bridge with the Second barrier behind it.

Just below the Bridge, a hand throw West of the bridge, there are coins on the creek bottom. Is this a lucky spot to wish? I have found treasure on the row, but, I have no way to retrieve the booty.

It is very hard to get a good picture of the treasure on the creek bottom. These two coins looked like loonies. I will have to come back with a net or perhaps a magnet.

Passing under Douglas Road to the Second Barrier.

The Second Barrier. I have run out of time on this trip, I will have to come back another time to explore further up Still Creek. I would like to row all the way up to the McDonald’s at Willington but it is 4:00pm and it will be dark by 5:30pm. Short exploring days in the winter. Time to turn back so I can be packed up by sunset. I head back to the take-out spot.

Leaving the Douglas Street Bridge behind.

Going back under the Kensington Urban Trail bridge and the Kensington Avenue Bridge.

Slipping Gwragedd Annwn under the Cottonwood trail bridge . Not much clearance. I have to balance the boat by moving my body weight first to depress the bow and then the stern to squeeze under.

Using a block and tackle to pull Gwragedd Annwn onto her dolly .

On her dolly, ready for the trip to the parking lot to be loaded onto the road trailer.

Gwragedd Annwn on the road trailer, ready to be strapped down for the trip home.Too bad there is not a better and easier place to launch your boat at Burnaby Lake.

A Google Earth picture of the trip. Burnaby Lake is was not as overgrown as this picture shows.

Mike

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Harrison Lake to Kilby Park in Gwragedd Annwn.

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn from Harrison Lake, down Harrison River to Kilby Park

Harrison Lake to Kilby Park Pauls view001

The shake-down row to test out “Gwragedd Annwn” for the trip down the Fraser from Hope to HSC.

On go the forward view mirrors.

I put in at the Harrison boat launch. It is free during the winter. I believe that fees start in at the end of March. These are the times off the Fraser Valley Regional District web site:

Mar 29 – May 10:
Fri: noon – 8 pm
Sat & Sun: 6 am – 8 pm
May 11 – Sep 2:
Daily: 6 am – 8 pm
Sep 3 – Oct 15:
Fri: noon – 8 pm
Sat & Sun: 6 am – 8 pm

Taking Gwragedd Annwn down the dock, off of the trailer. Thanks to my dock help, Paul.

The row is reasonably easy, but you have to be cautious if there is a down lake (from the North) wind. This would make the launch choppy, and you have to row into the wind and waves until you reach Whippoorwill Point and turn to row down the Harrison. The Harrison runs quite swiftly in spots and you must be careful and avoid the Dolphins and some other obstacles while running the river.

Getting ready to row away, up lake and then down the Harrison River.

Rowing away from the Boat launch into the Down Lake wind and swell.

OOPs! Forgot my hat. My head is bare. I ask Paul to toss it to me.

My head begins to get cold so when I clear the dock, I put my hat on.

Once you pass Whippoorwill Point, the Harrison River current begins to help

you and the mountains begin to shield you from the wind..

Rowing down the Harrison south of Whippoorwill Point with a warm head.

Looking back up towards Harrison Lake. Whippoorwill Point to the East, Spooks Point to the West.

A little further down stream. Harrison Lake has disappeared behind the turn in the river.

The river ahead. Pirates Point is to the right. Log booms are to Port.

The river widens. I stay on the East side. There were more signs of logging than when I came down here in April of 2011 in Snowdrop.

A logging (?) camp on a barge.

There are log booms behind the barge.

I did not see any logs in the April 2011 Trip.

If you go during the salmon run, I believe that you will see many more eagles than I did.

I leave the logging camp barge astern.

Helicopter logger flies overhead. I only saw it once.

The power lines cross the river. I came down at the very end of the Salmon run.

McDonalds Bay.

This is the widest section of the river.

Further down the river.

The East shore where the river narrows again, across from where Morris Creek enters.

Another shot up river. The logging barge is barely visible.

Bluff on the North-West shore.

Another spent salmon floating downstream.

I leave the salmon astern.

Further downstream.

The view ahead. The Morris Creek delta/marsh area is to the right

The shore of the Morris Creek delta/marsh area.

It does look like snow in the mountains ahead.

Looking up river again.

A fishing boat goes upstream.

Looking at the delta/marsh area between Morris Creek and the Chehalis River.

The Dolphins:

This is the fastest part of the river. The current exceeds 12km/hr. I do not know if Gwragedd Annwn, with her high, Ocean-going freeboard could be washed under one of the logs between the pilings. There is a lot of water from the Harrison going past the Dolphins into the Chehalis River Delta. I do not want to do a buoyancy/freeboard test and find out the hard way… or Any way. I keep well clear of the Dolphins. A canoe or kayak would definitely be in trouble. That much water flowing at that much speed would has the power to suck a small boat under the logs. If a person was in the water, even with a lifejacket on and hit the logs he or she would be sucked under and if they did not get snagged on something, probably (hopefully) pop out on the other side. I am not going to take any chances with current that strong. When you row by yourself you must always err on the side of caution.

Snow on the mountains behind.

The Harrison is flowing underneath the logs between the Dolphins. I am keeping a respectful Distance. Behind (West) of the Dolphins is the wast expanse of the Chehalis River Delta. If you had high river levels, say in May or June, it looks like a interesting area to explore as the Harrison takes Gwragedd Annwn swiftly by.

Here is a short video clip of me racing by the dolphins. In the middle of the clip, I put the camera down to row and keep my distance from the dolphins and the logs between them.

Eagles like the dolphins.

The Lougheed Highway Bridge at Harrison Mills. The snow and rain are closing in on me.

Looking North-East towards the Lougheed Highway Bridge at Harrison Mills. Kilby Park is to the East. The three and one half hour row is almost over.

Around the bend is Kilby Park boat launch. In the far background is the Railway Bridge.

Almost there. A few more strokes at the oars and I will be on the beach.

The railway bridge (3.9 meters clearance closed) and the boat launch.

Paul goes to get the truck and trailer to recover Gwragedd Annwn.

Packing up Gwragedd Annwn for the drive home.

Putting on her travel cover.

The frames for her cover go in.

Locking down the oars for the trip home.

Cover on and strapped down.

Ready to go home. As we leave, the mixed rain and snow begin. It rains all the way back to North Vancouver.

Thanks to my son Paul, for driving up with me and bringing the FJ and the trailer to Kilby Park to pick me up. A funny story… As Paul was having a nap in the FJ while waiting for me to arrive at Kilby, a RCMP Officer tapped on the FJ window to as if he was OK. He said that he was OK and waiting for his crazy dad to row down from Harrison. The officer gives him a funny look, so, Paul shows him the photos he had taken of me leaving the dock at Harrison Lake.

The officer, with a befuddled look on his face, said ” Oh, OK, Have a nice day” and walks back to his cruiser shaking his head.

Happy Rowing,

Mike

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Before Rowing: Snowdrop’s Epic Voyage From Harrison Lake, Down the Harrison and Fraser Rivers to Hollyburn Sailing Club

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

Before Gwragedd Annwn I took Snowdrop, my 12′ clinker lifeboat down the Harrison and Fraser Rivers, from Harrison Lake to the Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Before Rowing: Snowdrop’s Epic Voyage From Harrison Lake, Down the Harrison and Fraser Rivers to Hollyburn Sailing Club

Snowdrop’s Voyage:

I had hoped to launch Snowdrop into the Fraser at Hope, but, the river level was so low that the boat launch was not usable. Fortunately, the Boat launch at Harrison lake was useable even with the low water levels.

The voyage took two days. I left the dock at Harrison lake at 10:45am. and arrived at Hollyburn Sailing Club the following day at 3:45pm.

Because of the good early spring weather, there were no campsites at Derby Reach park, so, I slept on the dock at Hatzic. I awoke to a frosty morning.

The fastest boat speed I had was in two locations, at 15 km/hr, one where the Fraser goes by Harrison Knob and again in the North Arm near Coward’s Cove, when both the tide and current were going out.

Hope you like the video clip: Snowdrop’s Epic Voyage

Mike

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Before Rowing. My Clinker Putt-Putt Lifeboat Trip from Harrison Lake, Down the Harrison and Fraser Rivers to Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

The small boat trip that inspired Gwragedd Annwn’s building.

Snowdrop at the Vancouver Wooden Boat Show 2012

I wanted to go down the Fraser From Hope to the Hollyburn Sailing Club, but river conditions kept me from using my wooden clinker lifeboat “Snowdrop”.

I tried to put “Snowdrop” in at the launch in Hope. The river level was too low to use the ramp. The water level at Harrison Lake was high enough to launch there. The trip went from Harrison Lake, down the Harrison River to the Fraser, then down the Fraser, out the North Arm and across English Bay to the Hollyburn Sailing Club in West Vancouver.

During the trip, the Fraser in spots was very shallow (less than 10″ deep) and I was afraid that I would bend the prop shaft or propeller.

I build Gwragedd Annwn so I could float all the way down the Fraser without worrying about bending a prop. Weather conditions have so far prevented me from going on the trip from Hope to Hollyburn and the next window is the end of August 2013.

Gwragedd Annwn at Hollyburn Sailing Club, October 2012

This animation is the intro for a slide show of the Harrison Lake to Hollyburn trip I made April 21st & 22nd, 2011. Here is a link to “Snowdrops Epic Voyage”.

Mike

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Widgeon Creek Trip

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Urban Oarsman

Mike & Matt, The Urban Oarsmen, The Widgeon Creek Row

Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:30am. Matt, Julie, Thomas and I leave the Grant Narrows Boat launch and head Northwest to the Widgeon Creek Estuary. The Launch fee at Grant Narrows is $10.00 for trailer boats and free for car-topped boats. The next boat I build will be car-topable!

Chart #3062 Pitt River and/et Pitt Lake, 1985, for the Widgeon Creek Estuary. Grant Narrows boat launch at the Bottom, Widgeon Creek Estuary at the top.

I also have a Topo map of the area.

Our plan is to row up Widgeon creek as far as we can go while the tide rises. There are no tide tables for Pitt River, Pitt Lake or Widgeon Creek, but internet sources say that the tide is between three and six hours later than at Point Atkinson or New Westminster.

The high tide at Atkinson is at 9:03, New Westminster is at 10:07. So the tide should be rising until sometime between 12:00 to 3:00pm., giving us up to a five hour cruise window.

The crossing is quiet and uneventful, hopefully the weather will clear.

Myself in Gwragedd Annwn. Photo courtesy of Thomas.

As we cross Grant Narrows, the current is running at 1.5kts up river into Pitt Lake. We get carried close to Widgeon Creek Lodge. We row towards the entrance to the creek, 1/3 of a nautical mile away. The tide is quite high, and we have lots of water to row in. As we enter the estuary, there is much signage to help us on our way. No power boats are allowed.

There is not a lot of wildlife to be seen. I have not seen any seals or beavers only birds.

An eagle takes flight as we near.

The couple that row together….Matt and Julie show how tandem rowing should be done.

A water depth marker. I think that it is showing 5 feet of depth. On our return trip, the marker again showed five feet. We did indeed ride the tide up and back on this trip.

There is an old cabin on the Eastern shore with more no trespassing signs than you can believe. We Respect the privacy of the ghostly cabin and do not stop.

Matt in Full Explorer Mode.

According to our guide book (The Vancouver Paddler, by Glen Stedham, 1990), we are coming to a fork, where if we go into the channel to Starboard, we will go up Widgeon Creek rowing against an increasingly strong current until we feel the full force of Widgeon Creek and can go no further. If we go to port, we will go up a remnant channel to the camp site. There is a sign that points to the campsite channel. We pick the campsite channel, the Starboard one looks too narrow for the spread of our oars.

The Port (remnant) channel is still quite wide and we row towards the Campsite. Matt keeps a steady watch.

Rowing up the port remnant channel which surprisingly, has a current to row against. The further up river we get, the clearer the water gets and the stronger the current.

Matt bailing out his boat with his boot after he stepped into a hole while pushing his boat off a shoal. Note more helpful signage to the left on shore. Probably says: “Use caution when pushing your boat off this shoal, deep hole to east of shoal. Hip waders advised”.

Beaver dam at the head of the port channel, just upstream from the campsite. I have marked this on the chart. The dam is four to five feet high. I was tempted to haul my boat up and over the dam to explore on the other side, but the dam was too steep and slippery.

Matt, Julie and Thomas working their way up stream through the shallows.

Our boats on the gravel as far up as you can row. Since the guide book was written (1999) Widgeon Creek has shifted, making the port channel the main one and the Starboard channel the remnant one. The Google Earth Aerial photograph (2004) shows the Starboard channel having the creek flowing into it. I guess the change happened sometime after 2004.

It must be those pesky beaver!

It is 1:45pm and the tide is probably as high as it is going to get. Time to head back. It has taken us two hours fifteen minutes to row 3 nautical miles to get to here. Our average speed up river on this leg of the trip was about 1¼kts. Should be a little faster going downriver.

Heading down the creek, stern first, flowing with the current. The creek is not much wider than the spread of our oars.

Our row down the creek is pleasant and uneventful. No groundings for Matt and crew on the way out. We meet a lone kayaker going up creek. She says that when she crossed the Narrows the tide was still coming in. She asks how far up the creek to the camp site and we tell her that we are about 45 minutes down from it. She heads up the channel to the campground and we continue downstream. When we pass by the depth marker it again shows five feet. I figure that the high tide would have peaked halfway through our trip, around 1:30 or so, making the high 4½ hours after Atkinson and 3½ hours after New Westminster. We row across Grant Narrows with a 2+ knot ebb tide and return to the boat launch around 3:30pm.

We pack up for the hour and a half drive back to HSC.

Where to Next? Deer Lake, Burnaby Lake, Still Creek, Deas Slough, Pitt Polder, Granville Island?

There is a lot of good rowing in Widgeon Creek.

Mike

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