Salish Sea Marine Trail Grand Opening

The BC Marine Trails Network Association will celebrate the grand opening of the Salish Sea Marine Trail with a two-day celebration Sept. 16-17 on Newcastle Island off Nanaimo. Newcastle Island, the site of the grand opening celebrations, is a keystone location for the trail, and fitting for the grand opening as it is a provincial park administered by the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Highlights of the weekend activities include a “Salish Sea Crazy Eight” paddling race around Newcastle and Protection Islands, more than a dozen workshops aimed at developing and improving paddling excursion skills, keynote speakers, social events, kayak games and more. But the real highlight may well be the opening ceremonies themselves. Paddlers of all types are being asked to converge on the waters off Swy-a-lana Lagoon on the Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for a huge group flotilla to Newcastle Island. Once there, the Snuneymuxw Nation will welcome paddlers to their traditional territory in a colourful ceremony of dance and celebration, a traditional Coast Salish feast and keynote speakers. Taking part in the group flotilla is free; a weekend pass for all other events is $25.

BCMTNA president Paul Grey says the event will serve a triple purpose -- promoting the trail, recognizing the vitality and beauty of the Salish Sea, and celebrating the rich cultural heritage that it represents. He notes particularly that “We’d like to thank the Snuneymuxw and other Coast Salish partners for their support in not just the grand opening, but in seeing the entire marine trail completed.”

The Salish Sea Marine Trail, a 257-km paddling circuit launches from the Jericho Sailing Centre at Jericho Beach in Vancouver, traverses Howe Sound to the Sunshine Coast,  island-hops across the Strait of Georgia by way of Texada, Jedediah, Lasqueti and the Ballenas-Winchelsea archipelago, then continues down the Vancouver Island coastline through Nanaimo and the Gulf Islands to end in Victoria. Completing the entire trail will be a grueling and often difficult journey, and so should become renowned as a world-class paddling challenge, says Grey.

 “We’re particularly excited about the north end of the trail and opening up new paddling destinations,” says Grey. “We’re excited that communities such as Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Sechelt and Gibsons are part of the trail and so well situated to be important gateways to these spectacular wilderness areas.”

Participants wishing to book campsites on Newcastle Island for Friday and Saturday nights should book online (click here for instructions) or take advantage of accommodation specials being arranged through Nanaimo hotels. Details of the weekend can be viewed here
 

For more information: http://www.bcmarinetrails.org /  250-244-6437

Click here to download event brochure.