Sidney Island

You know, I've just been reading up a bit on this place.  I guess you might say it's a bit of a private playground for the fairly well-off, but it's neat all the same.

Here we have as many as 200 (?) residents, living on 111 strata waterfront lots (some have no homes yet). That's 300 acres, but then there are another 1400 acres of shared forest.  They cut some of the trees for profit.

No power on the island.  No ferry service, except the seasonal Alpine Ferry to Sidney Spit.  Strata fee is less than $200/mo.

They have a common wharf/dock, and a shared grass airstrip, plus a barge dock (look s like a boat ramp) that can take vehicles, indeed there is parking for 90 vehicles at Miner's Bay, where the dock is.

They have a full-time caretaker/security person, they have equipment on the island to maintain the gravel roads, and owners can rent those by the hour for their own use if they like.

Pretty neat, and right smack off Sidney.

http://www.sidneyisland.com/about.aspx

http://sidneyisland.ca/

There are several WWII bunkers on that island that you can check out.

There are several WWII bunkers on that island that you can check out.

In the private section of the island?  Oh, you can buy a 1-acre lot there for under $200,000.  No timelines for how long it takes you to build your retirement home.

Nope, they're located in the park if I'm not mistaken.

There are several WWII bunkers on that island that you can check out.

There used to be a brick factory on the island, but I have never seen any bunkers.

This is like the ultimate gated community, but surround by a big ocean moat.  I've never been, how clearly is it marked "private" if you stray from the park area?

Delicious venison culled from the island every year, too.  Two Rivers Meats is the distributor.

Salty.

Matt.

The pilots that use the grass airstrip there usually have to make at least one extra pass to scare the deer away first. (hopefully into Matt R's cauldron)

The easiest bunker to find is about a 10 minute walk south of the public wharf. It's a bit hard to find but it's just south of the big field.

Sidney Island is a great spot for the lazy boater. 15 minutes from Sidney for stinkpots. Bingo I'm surprised you didn't discover the bunker during your sailing days.

Fantastic Island...especially at 5:00 in the morning while pulling the crab trap up for breakfast.

Great spot for a VV summer outing.

The easiest bunker to find is about a 10 minute walk south of the public wharf. It's a bit hard to find but it's just south of the big field.

 

Sidney Island is a great spot for the lazy boater. 15 minutes from Sidney for stinkpots. Bingo I'm surprised you didn't discover the bunker during your sailing days.

 

I don't know how we missed it.

I wonder why they need a bunker on the island, unless they needed a place to go if the nearby James Island ammunition plant caught fire.

There are at least two of them if memory serves correct. They're not too far a walk from the large field in the park and they're near one of the walking trails (or makeshift trails, can't quite remember).

 can't quite remember

That's what the cooking wine will do to you.  

Little did we know Sparky gave us a phototour of Sidney Island in September.

This is like the ultimate gated community, but surround by a big ocean moat.  I've never been, how clearly is it marked "private" if you stray from the park area?

There is a fence separating the park from the private section of the island with no trespassing signs.

There is a fence separating the park from the private section of the island with no trespassing signs.

You can still walk on the beach below the high tide mark.

Alpine Group previously operated the service and it is not clear why the company divested itself of the vessel and the service. Several calls for comment have remained unanswered.

Child did not want to disclose his company’s investment in the service. “Boats are expensive, docks are expensive,” he said. “I will say though that starting a new business or taking on a new business and then having the pandemic hit, both on the whale watching end of things and as well as this ferry, it has been a huge financial burden.”

Like the ferry service, Child’s whale-watching business remains docked. In a non-pandemic year, it would have been open since March and experts are warning that the industry will take a significant hit.

https://www.vicnews....remains-docked/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 June 2020 - 05:45 AM.

The ferry connecting the Saanich Peninsula with Sidney Spit, a popular tourism destination for locals as well as visitors across Canada and around the globe, will resume service July 20, which is also the first day when campers can stay overnight.

Parks Canada announced the resumption of the Sidney Spit Ferry and opening of the Sidney Spit Campground in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve Wednesday afternoon. Would-be visitors will able to book their camping spots July 16, starting at 7 a.m.

The resumption of the ferry service will also be the debut of the ferry’s new operator, Sidney Whale Watching, which purchased the contract earlier.

https://www.vicnews....camping-ground/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 July 2020 - 03:09 AM.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 December 2020 - 11:45 AM.