Nanaimo Harbour

Last updated

Nanaimo Harbour
Nanaimo Waterfront.jpg
Nanaimo Inner Harbour
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Nanaimo Harbour
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Nanaimo Harbour
Location Vancouver Island
Coordinates 49°09′55″N123°55′35″W / 49.16528°N 123.92639°W / 49.16528; -123.92639
River sources
Ocean/sea sources Strait of Georgia
Basin  countriesCanada
Islands
Settlements Nanaimo

Nanaimo Harbour, also known as the Port of Nanaimo, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The city of Nanaimo runs along the west side of the harbour. Three islands, Newcastle, Protection, and Gabriola, along with Duke Point, form the eastern edge. [1] The Port of Nanaimo includes the Inner Harbour, Nanaimo River estuary, Departure Bay, the waters on the east side of Newcastle and Protection Islands, and Northumberland Channel. The port is under the management of the Nanaimo Port Authority.

Contents

History

Long before Europeans arrived, the indigenous Coast Salish lived in the area and used the harbour, its islands, bays, and inlets for hunting, fishing, gathering, and shelter. They built longhouses from the abundant supply of timber surrounding the harbour.

The first European in the area was a Spanish Naval Officer in 1791 named Juan Carrasco. He named the bay Bocas de Winthuysen. Carrasco also named several other places in the area such as Gabriola Island, Galiano Island, Valdes Island, and Porlier Pass. Though the Spanish had claims in the region since the early 1500s, they did not exert any significant control over the area. The British had a competing claim from when Captain James Cook landed at Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island in 1778. In 1792, Captain George Vancouver sailed into the Salish Sea as well and unexpectedly met up with another Spanish expedition, led by Jacinto Caamaño. With both Spain and Britain claiming the region, tensions were building. This led to the Nootka Crisis and eventual Nootka Convention. Spain relinquished all claims to Vancouver Island in 1795, paving the way for British colonisation and development.

View of Nanaimo Harbour showing the Bastion and passenger vessels View of Nanaimo Harbor showing the bastion and shipping (HS85-10-18676).jpg
View of Nanaimo Harbour showing the Bastion and passenger vessels

In 1849 the Colony of Vancouver Island was established and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) was given a ten-year lease over it. By this time, HBC was transitioning from the fur trade to resource development. In 1850 Coal Tyee, chief of the Snuneymuxw First Nations, travelled from his village on the Nanaimo Harbour to Fort Victoria with coal, prompting the governor James Douglas to visit the future site of Nanaimo. In 1853 the Hudson's Bay Company built a fort called the Nanaimo Bastion [2] in the Nanaimo Harbour to protect the new coal mining interests in the region. Twenty-four settlers from England arrived in 1854 marking the first European settlement on the harbour. They named the new community Colvile Town, which by 1860 would be renamed Nanaimo. [3]

Besides coal, the area surrounding the harbour had an abundance of other natural resources, such as timber, fish, and sandstone. Soon multiple saw mills, canneries, and quarries sprung up. The deep, sheltered natural harbour made an excellent port to export the resources to market.

Harbour infilling

Coal mine tailings were used to fill in the harbour in and around downtown Nanaimo starting in the late 1800s, most notably the filling of Commercial Inlet. Commercial Inlet was a tidal ravine that divided downtown along modern-day Terminal Avenue. The Nanaimo Port Authority and the Commercial Inlet Basin and Marina sit at the entrance to Commercial Inlet. From that point, the inlet went inland along the modern-day roads of Museum Way and Gordon Street to the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Commercial Street. From there it banked north along Terminal Avenue to just past Campbell Street. In 1923, more of the area around the entrance to the inlet was filled in with tailings by the Canadian Western Fuel and Electric Company. Nanaimo Central Sports Field was built on the newly filled in area. The city of Nanaimo bought the sports field in 1948 for $1.00 and a portion was sold in 1951 for commercial uses while the rest became Piper Park in 1952. Currently Port Place Shopping Centre occupies most of the original land while Piper Park, which is the location of the Nanaimo Museum, has been reduced to a 1.1-acre green knoll above Front St and adjacent to Vancouver Island Conference Centre. [4]

Filling in of the harbour continued late into the 20th century with the additions of Swy-A-Lana Park in 1984 and the waterfront promenades beginning in 1988. [5]

Nanaimo Port Authority

Harmac Pacific, Duke Point, and Nanaimo Harbour viewed from Brickyard Beach on Gabriola Island Duke Point Harmac.jpg
Harmac Pacific, Duke Point, and Nanaimo Harbour viewed from Brickyard Beach on Gabriola Island

The Nanaimo Port Authority was created in 1998 by the Canada Marine Act. The act created port authorities across Canada to manage the operation of 19 of Canada's 20 most economically important seaports. The Nanaimo Port Authority is located in the Inner Harbour at the Commercial Inlet Basin and Marina in downtown Nanaimo. [6]

The Nanaimo Port Authority, also known as the Port of Nanaimo, administers, controls, and manages the harbour, waters and foreshore adjacent to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. [7]

In August 2013 the Nanaimo Port Authority hosted a North American conference of port authorities. Then Canada's Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, was one of the keynote speakers.

The Port of Nanaimo features two seaports, one downtown Nanaimo called Nanaimo Assembly Wharf and the other at the south-east corner of the harbour at Duke Point. The Nanaimo Assembly Wharf has two deep sea berths, "B" and "C", each 200 metres in length. "B" is 12.4 m deep while "C" is 11.7 m deep. The Duke Point Wharf has one berth that is 170 m long and an alongside depth of 13.5 m. Two line dolphins add 54 additional metres north and south for a total of 278 m. [8] There is also a roll on/roll off (RORO) barge ramp that can handle barges up to 51 m long. [9]

Geography

The Port of Nanaimo includes Departure Bay, the Inner Harbour, and Northumberland Channel, which is the body of water between Gabriola Island and Duke Point. The defined limits of the port run from Horsewell Bluffs at Stephenson Point, on the north-east shore of Departure Bay, to Malaspina Point on Gabriola Island. On the south end of Northumberland Channel, the harbour limits are Dodd Narrows and False Narrows at Mudge Island. [10] The bay of Nanaimo Harbour itself, often called the Inner Harbour, is contained within the body of water between downtown Nanaimo, Newcastle Island, Protection Island, Gabriola Island, Duke Point, and the Nanaimo River estuary.

Geographical features

The following is a list of named rivers and creeks that flow into Nanaimo Harbour:

  • Nanaimo River starts in the Vancouver Island Ranges of central Vancouver Island and flows east and into the harbour at the south end at the Nanaimo River estuary.
  • Chase River starts south-west of Mount Benson and flows into the harbour at the Nanaimo River estuary. [11]
  • Millstone River starts at Brannen Lake in north-western Nanaimo and flows through the city emptying into the harbour on the northside of downtown by the Queen Elizabeth II Promenade. Several lakes in the city, including Long Lake, Westwood Lake, Cathers Lake, and Buttertubs Marsh are all in the river's drainage basin. [12]
  • Beck Creek is a short river that flows into the Nanaimo River estuary between the Nanaimo and Chase Rivers. It starts at Beck Lake near the community of South Wellington. [13]
  • Cottle Creek is a short river that starts in northern Nanaimo in a marsh on the south side of Cottle Hill in Linley Valley. [14] From there it heads east into Cottle Lake and then into Departure Bay on the east side of the Pacific Biological Station. North Cottle Creek starts on the north side of Cottle Hill at Lost Lake [15] and flows south where it meets Cottle Creek at Cottle Lake. Much of the river's basin is in the Linley Valley Cottle Lake Park. [16]
  • Departure Bay Creek is a short river that starts in the Departure Bay neighbourhood and flows through Woodstream [17] and Wardropper [18] Parks and into Departure Bay at Departure Bay Beach.
  • Northfield Creek is a short river that flows though Beach Estates Park [19] and into Departure Bay just west of the Departure Bay ferry terminal.

Transportation

Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome and marina Nanaimo harbour airport.jpg
Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome and marina

Nanaimo Harbour is serviced by several ferry terminals, two main highways, a Seaplane terminal, and a freight railway.

BC Ferries operates three routes from in the harbour. The Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal has service from downtown Nanaimo in the Inner Harbour across over to Descando Bay on Gabriola Island. Duke Point ferry terminal services a route across the Strait of Georgia to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal on the Lower Mainland. The third BC Ferries route leaves from the Departure Bay ferry terminal and goes to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver. Besides the BC Ferries, two other passenger ferries operate in the harbour, both of which are foot passenger only. From the marina downtown Nanaimo, a small ferry travels a regularly scheduled route to Dinghy Dock Pub on Protection Island. [20] [21] The other is one that travels from Maffeo Sutton Park in downtown Nanaimo to Newcastle Island. [22] Seaspan operates a ferry terminal at Duke Point that transports cargo to and from the Lower Mainland. [23]

Out of the harbour, right downtown Nanaimo, Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome operates seaplanes that have regularly scheduled routes to the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast as well as charters to Tofino. [24]

Two main highways service various parts of the port. Highway 19 services the terminals at Duke Point, including the BC Ferries terminal, and Highway 1 services the downtown terminals and the Departure Bay Ferry terminal.

Southern Railway of Vancouver Island provides freight rail service to the downtown Nanaimo Assembly Wharf. Rail service is not provided to Duke Point. [25]

The Pacific Biological Station

The Pacific Biological Station, located on the north shore of Departure Bay, was established in 1908. [26] It is the oldest fisheries research centre on the Pacific coast. Operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the station forms a network with eight other scientific facilities. [27]

Parks and recreation

Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Fishing Pier as viewed from the Harbourfront Walkway in downtown Nanaimo. The channel that separates Newcastle and Protection Islands is visible with the mountains of mainland British Columbia in the far background. Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Fishing Peir.jpg
Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Fishing Pier as viewed from the Harbourfront Walkway in downtown Nanaimo. The channel that separates Newcastle and Protection Islands is visible with the mountains of mainland British Columbia in the far background.

In 1967 the first annual bathtub race took place in Nanaimo. The race originally went from downtown Nanaimo across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver. From the mid-1990s onward, the course was changed to a route that travelled just around the Nanaimo Harbour. [28] [29]

Three ships have been sunk around Nanaimo Harbour to create artificial reefs. [30] [31] HMCS Saskatchewan was a 366-foot Canadian destroyer that was scuttled in 1997. HMCS Cape Breton was a 442-foot World War II Victory Class ship that was scuttled in October 2001. The 150-foot tugboat Rivtow Lion, originally Christened HMRT Prudent, was sunk in 2005 and was a World War II ship from the British Navy. [32] [33]

There are several parks around the harbour, with the largest being Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park. Some of the other notable parks around the harbour include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Island</span> Largest island in British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is 456 km (283 mi) in length, 100 km (62 mi) in width at its widest point, and 32,100 km2 (12,400 sq mi) in total area, while 31,285 km2 (12,079 sq mi) are of land. The island is the largest by area and the most populous along the west coasts of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tofino Air</span> Canadian airline

Tofino Air is a small Canadian airline offering floatplane service from Tofino, British Columbia. It offers scheduled services, scenic tours, and specialized charters.

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Set up in 1960 to provide a similar service to that provided by the Black Ball Line and the Canadian Pacific Railway, which were affected by job action at the time, BC Ferries has become the largest passenger ferry line in North America, operating a fleet of 41 vessels with a total passenger and crew capacity of over 27,000, serving 47 locations on the B.C. coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanaimo</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Nanaimo is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating from the shoreline like the spokes of a wagon wheel, and to its relatively central location on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Park</span> Canadian provincial park

Saysutshun Provincial Park, formally known as Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, is a provincial park located on a small island off the coast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

Highway 1 is a provincial highway in British Columbia, Canada, that carries the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The highway is 1,047 kilometres (651 mi) long and connects Vancouver Island, the Greater Vancouver region in the Lower Mainland, and the Interior. It is the westernmost portion of the main TCH to be numbered "Highway 1", which continues through Western Canada and extends to the Manitoba–Ontario boundary. The section of Highway 1 in the Lower Mainland is the second-busiest freeway in Canada, after Ontario Highway 401 in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Victoria</span> Metropolitan area in British Columbia, Canada

Greater Victoria is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on Vancouver Island as well as some adjacent areas and nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snuneymuxw First Nation</span> Aboriginal people from Vancouver Island

The Snuneymuxw First Nation is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriola Island</span> Island in British Columbia, Canada

Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of about 57.6 square kilometres (22.2 sq mi) and a resident population of 4,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of British Columbia–related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Canadian province of British Columbia.

PacifiCat-class ferry Failed fast-ferry class operated by BC Ferries

The PacifiCat class of fast ferries was operated from June 1999 to March 2000 by BC Ferries in British Columbia, Canada. Three PacifiCat catamarans - Explorer, Discovery, and Voyager - were built between 1996 and 2000 as part of a major public project to improve ferry service between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The first two catamarans were briefly used for revenue service between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Departure Bay in Nanaimo from 1999 to March 2000. The third catamaran, PacifiCat Voyager, was completed in early 2000 but had yet to enter revenue service by the time the project was cancelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howe Sound</span> Sound in British Columbia, Canada

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Departure Bay</span> Bay in British Columbia, Canada

Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay" —once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Nanaimo in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protection Island (Nanaimo)</span> Place in British Columbia, Canada

Protection Island is a small island located 1.5 km north-east of downtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada in the Nanaimo Harbour. The island was originally named Douglas Island, after James Douglas the first Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. It was renamed Protection Island in 1960. The permanent year-round population is about 350 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)</span> Port in Canada

Victoria Harbour is a harbour, seaport, and seaplane airport in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. It serves as a cruise ship and ferry destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island. It is both a port of entry and an airport of entry for general aviation. Historically it was a shipbuilding and commercial fishing centre. While the Inner Harbour is fully within the City of Victoria, separating the city's downtown on its east side from the Victoria West neighbourhood, the Upper Harbour serves as the boundary between the City of Victoria and the district municipality of Esquimalt. The inner reaches are also bordered by the district of Saanich and the town of View Royal. Victoria is a federal "public harbour" as defined by Transport Canada. Several port facilities in the harbour are overseen and developed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, however the harbour master's position is with Transport Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanaimo River</span> River on Vancouver Island, Canada

Nanaimo River is a river on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located near the city of Nanaimo on the island's east coast. Its headwaters are in the Vancouver Island Ranges of central Vancouver Island and its mouth, the Nanaimo River estuary, is at the south end of Nanaimo Harbour in the Strait of Georgia. The estuary is part of the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program.

Island-class ferry Class of ferry

The Island-class ferries are ferries owned and operated by BC Ferries. Six vessels were built between 2019 and 2021 by Damen Shipyards Group, a Dutch company, in Romania. The first two ships were launched in mid-March 2019, and commenced service in June 2020. Two of an additional four vessels commenced service in April 2022, and the remaining two are due to enter service in late 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal</span> Ferry terminal in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Nanaimo Harbour, often associated with and referred to as the "Gabriola Island Ferry", is a ferry terminal owned and operated by BC Ferries in British Columbia that goes from downtown Nanaimo across the Northumberland Channel to Descanso Bay on Gabriola Island. The route is serviced by two ferries, the MV Island Gwawis and the MV Island Kwigwis, which can hold up to 47 cars and 450 passengers with a total travel time of about 20 to 25 minutes.

References

  1. ↑ "Nanaimo Harbour". BC Geographical Names. Government of BC. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Bastion". Nanaimo Museum. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Artibise, Alan F.j.; Favrholdt, Ken (17 July 2008). "Nanaimo". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Piper Park". Nanaimo.ca. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Leduc, Marie. "Nanaimo's Historical Development" (PDF). Nanaimo.ca. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Port of Nanaimo". Port of Nanaimo. Nanaimo Port Authority. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Port of Nanaimo". Port of Nanaimo. Nanaimo Port Authority. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Port of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada - Pacific Ports". 15 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Dukle Point RORO Barge Facility". Port of Nanaimo. Nanaimo Port Authority. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Harbour Limits Plan - Port of Nanaimo". Port of Nanaimo. Nanaimo Port Authority. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Chase River". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
  12. ↑ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Millstone River". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
  13. ↑ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Beck Creek". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
  14. ↑ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Cottle Creek". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
  15. ↑ "Lost Lake Trail". Nanaimo. The City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Linley Valley Cottle Lake Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Woodstream Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Wardropper Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "Beach Estates Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Protection Island". Tourism Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  21. ↑ "Ferry & Docking Information". Dinghy Dock Pub. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  22. ↑ "Experience Saysutshun Newcastle Island". Newcastle Island. Newcastle Island Ferry Service LP. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "What We Do". Seaspan. Seaspan ULC The Washington Companies. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  24. ↑ Nav Canada 's Water Aerodrome Supplement. Effective 0901 Z 26 March 2020 to 0901Z 22 April 2021.
  25. ↑ "Southern Railway of British Columbia". SRY Rail Link. Southern Railway of British Columbia. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "Pacific Biological Station (PBS)". University of Guelph. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  27. ↑ "Pacific Biological Station". Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  28. ↑ https://www.bathtubbing.com/
  29. ↑ "Bathtub Weekend". Bathtubbing. Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  30. ↑ "Scuba Diving Nanaimo, Vancouver Island". BC Diving. Buccaneer Inn. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  31. ↑ "Nanaimo Wreck Diving". Scuba diver life. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "Rivtow Lion Nanaimo BC". Vancouver Island dive sites. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  33. ↑ "HMS Prudent (W 73)". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  34. ↑ "Jack Point and Biggs Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  35. ↑ "Joan Point Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  36. ↑ "Cable Bay Trail". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  37. ↑ "Chase River Estuary Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  38. ↑ "Maffeo Sutton Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  39. ↑ "McGregor Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  40. ↑ "Harbourftont Walkway". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  41. ↑ "Beach Estates Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  42. ↑ "Kinsmen Park". Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Nanaimo Harbour at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.