2020 Spit & Nexen changes

[Brian C]

I checked out the Darrell Bay (woodfibre ferry) launch a few years ago. It looks like a bad wind shadow and sketchy launch. I decided it wasn’t suitable for windsurfing or kiting.

[telus022420]

Thanks BrianC.

Woodfibre dock.jpg (645.13 KiB) Viewed 22787 times

From Google Earth the bay is in a huge shadow. How about the ferry dock, it looks like you could walk your board/sail and launch from the wooden dock?

http://wikimapia.org/16511633/Woodfibre-Ferry-Terminal

The picture doesn't show enough clarity to ascertain whether that's possible. "The vehicle ramp has collapsed, but the structure can still moor a small vessel in emergencies." I'm wondering if its safe to walk your gear from the parking lot? The water is disturbed right at the end of the ferry dock so maybe enough wind to slog out? Wind direction would also have to be perfect. A lot ifs.

[Brian C]

My recollection is that the dock was fenced off and inaccessible but I can’t say for certain without checking again. I just recall that I decided it wasn’t a good candidate for a windsurfing launch.
I’ll re-post what I find if I stop on the way back from Whistler sometime.

[LeopardSkin]

Here's the latest news:

https://mailchi.mp/90e45ae11627/feb-updates?fbclid=IwAR3Ez7MuXdrcWC3pq-hihAoV6EkgNTBtpN8xprP3SRuYjLOwRZDexV7lzEo

[Ryan]

This was posted today, https://squamish.ca/yourgovernment/news ... -underway/

[Ryan]

I tried sailing into the Daryl Bay (woodfiber) dock a few times last year, the best I could do was about 200m from shore, huge wind shadow. I battled to water start out. Could be done with a lot of swimming.

[telus022420]

Ryan: Thanks for the info.

I guess this would need SWS as well as all stakeholders approval.
Maybe anchor boat 200/300 meters (on or near windline). Connect the boat to the dock via a rope. Windsurfers could sit on the board and use the rope to pull themselves from the dock to the boat, swim a few meters into the windline? Maybe a jetski could ferry a few windsufers/kiters out/back from windline.

As I stated a few times before wrt to Newport beach development, I don't see any parking on the designs. Might be a long carry from underground parking to beach. I also wonder how the stores/non-windsport users would feel if there were 50 cars parked near this beach for 3 to 4 hours?

Whatever!!!!!

[DavidJames]

When I was 16 (1985) we used to launch from the house north of the ferry terminal on long boards and take short boards over to the spit (when was locked). Even on a long board it was a pain in the neck and got stuck fighting our way back at the end of the day with no wind!

[raquo]

Maybe anchor boat 200/300 meters (on or near windline). Connect the boat to the dock via a rope. Windsurfers could sit on the board and use the rope to pull themselves from the dock to the boat, swim a few meters into the windline? Maybe a jetski could ferry a few windsufers/kiters out/back from windline.

That's not how windsurfing is done anywhere it's popular. Crazy setups like this will kill windsports in Squamish. Some old timers might be desperate enough to do this for a while (if it's even possible at this location), but in total this will wipe Squamish off the map within a few short years as far as kiteboarding and windsurfing is concerned.

We need to fight for a new spit / berm to be built near the terminals, and for the city to figure out Nexen parking situation before everything is built there, and before the spit is removed next winter. We need to fight for a long term solution that will handle our current numbers and have room for future growth.

Otherwise if we keep quiet, they'll just remove the spit in December, tell us to run a ferry from mamquam blind channel to the spit launch pad island, and put up 1 hr max parking signs everywhere at Oceanfront. No windsports, no problem.

[Brian C]

Forget about Darrell Bay (aka the old Woodfibre ferry dock). I stopped there today and confirmed my recollection- it’s a horrible launch! Huge wind shadow for inflows and outflows; that’s why they put the dock there. Also, the ferry ramp is permanently raised and fenced off with no trespassing signs. The shoreline itself is a steep rip-rap (boulder) slope with no beach. You couldn’t even run a shuttle boat out of there.
The only way to launch from that area is if you know the people living in the house out on the nearby point.