Thursday 30 June 2016

Top 5 Summer Beaches on Vancouver Island

Summer on Vancouver Island is generally warm, sunny and dry – perfect beach weather. This top 5 list is for beaches outside of Victoria that are perfect for summer relaxing and playing.

·         Rathtrevor: This stretch of beach in Parksville is popular with tourists and locals alike, and big enough that there is room for everyone. At low tide the sandy beach stretches for miles. This is the site of one of the province’s most popular provincial parks, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, as well as home to numerous resorts. No dogs are allowed on the beach in the summer months, so don’t bring Fido.

·         Chesterman Beach: Tofino and Long Beach on the west coast of the island have many beaches to choose from, but Chesterman is a favourite with the locals and for good reason. With two beach fronts it is easy to be protected from any wind and to choose what wave action to play in. Both sides are nice and sandy, and the large space where the two beaches join gives lots of room for play.
Chesterman

·         Saratoga:  Just north of popular Miracle Beach, Saratoga Beach is home to small resorts and RV campgrounds, as well as the popular Pacific Playgrounds Resort and Campground. Another sandy stretch, Saratoga has stunning views of the mainland coastal mountains and is great for a swim when the tide is coming in over the warm sand.
Saratoga

·         San Josef Bay: At the top of the island in the Cape Scott Provincial Park, San Josef is a walk-in beach well worth the easy 40 minute walk on good trails. With an interesting forest environment through the trails leading down to the marshy tidal area of the San Josef River, the beach itself is a shock with its stretches of sand broken only by amazing rock formations. This is a remote area, so the beach is never busy (although locals from Port Hardy do like to come there on sunny days).
San Josef Bay

·         China Beach: West of Sooke at the bottom of the island, China Beach is another one that requires a short hike to reach. It is well worth it though, with a long stretch of sandy beach, amazing views, and even a waterfall at one of the beach close to the day use trail. This is also the head of the Juan de Fuca multi-day hiking trail. There is a small campground at China Beach, separate from the day use area.

These are all sandy beaches great for summer fun. Do you have a summer favourite?


It’s a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It! 

Thursday 23 June 2016

BCO Coastal Gems: Telegraph Cove

Telegraph Cove is a name that is familiar to many people, but not as many people know where it is located and what really is there. It has made a name for itself as one of the premier whale watching destinations in BC, and offers visitors whale watching tours and a whale museum.


But there is so much more at Telegraph Cove. The small community is built around a historic boardwalk that was at one time part of a fishing and cannery village in that location. Visitors can stay in small accommodations right on the boardwalk, where you will find a coffee shop and the natural museum alongside historic buildings and artifacts from bygone days.

There are two marinas and RV parks in Telegraph Cove, as well as private rentals and homes. The area is the launch point for many whale watching businesses, as it is located close to the Robson Bight ecological reserve where orca whales are frequent visitors.

Telegraph Cove is approximately 210 km north of Campbell River and just south of Port McNeill, on the east coast of Vancouver Island

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Thursday 16 June 2016

BCO Office Procedures: The Research Before Listing

When a property is listed with BC Oceanfront, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into preparing the file. When that listing is a recreational or remote property, the research can be extensive.

 Ed has an amazing memory for properties, and can remember details of walking a property even 15 and more years later. His familiarity with our coastal regions gives him an understanding of different properties and some of the issues or challenges they may face (access, topography, etc). This information forms the beginnings of a research folder.

Identifying properties by their legal address so that they can be located properly on maps is key. Hours can be spent unearthing details about a property, following government document trails until we are sure everyone is talking about the same property (there aren't a lot of street addresses on recreational properties).

Mapping requires navigating a variety of websites, including the BC Government Online Cadastre and regional mapping sites such as the Strathcona Regional District's imap. Learning the many ways to use these websites and keeping up to date with them is something that requires ongoing training in the office.

Once the property has been mapped and identified then further details are looked at. Each property can have its own history of power availability, water (well logs, water licences) and septic (permits, inspections). Knowing which district the property is in and who to contact for those documents definitely saves time, so over the years the office has amassed a database of regions on the coast and the correct parties to talk to about these different issues.

If properties have docks or moorage that becomes another avenue of research and requires working with the clients to insure they have the documents which verify this.

All of the research that goes into recreational properties is also applied to residential properties. We use this information to create our information packages and web listings.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Thursday 9 June 2016

Royal Lepage Campbell River Salmon Derby

1st annual Royal LePage Advance Campbell River Salmon Derby with over $20,000 in cash and prizes. $5,000 cash prize for the largest Salmon.


On Saturday, June 11, 2016, ROYAL LEPAGE Advance Realty will proudly put Campbell River back in the spotlight with the 1st annual Royal LePage Advance Campbell River Salmon Derby with over $20,000 in cash and prizes including a $5,000 cash prize for the largest Salmon!

The Foreshore/Robert Ostler Park in downtown Campbell River will have a day full of activities arranged for family fun. It will also be the event headquarters where awards and dozens of prizes will be distributed later in the day.

Salmon fishing is an enjoyed, cherished and necessary part of local life in our area. We want to put the salmon back in "The Salmon Capital of the World".

With local being the main theme, ALL funds raised at the ROYAL LEPAGE Advance Campbell River Salmon Derby will be donated to two great local causes: The Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation benefiting The Campbell River and North Island Transition Society (Rose Harbour and Ann Elmore House) supporting local women and children in need; and Campbell River Salmon Foundation supporting local rehabilitation and enhancement of local salmon habitat.

Royal Lepage - Advance Realty is locally owned and has Realtors living in or handling Real Estate sales for clients in Haida Gwaii, Port Hardy and area, Sointula, Sayward, Tahsis, Gold River, Quadra and Cortes Islands, Black Creek/Merville, and of course, Campbell River and area, where the company's head office is located.

Entry fee is $40 per person, online (Preferred registration) or in person, cash only please Tyee Marine, River Sportsman and Royal Lepage Advance head office.  https://www.picatic.com/royallepagederby

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Thursday 2 June 2016

BCO Coastal Gems: Texada

Texada Island is accessed by ferry from Powell River on the Sunshine Coast in the Strait of Georgia. It is a long, narrow island visible also from Vancouver Island and, like many of the islands in the region, is known for its natural beauty and sandy beaches.


Texada is also known for its mines and quarries. There are three limestone quarries currently in operation, quite visible from the water.


Population for Texada sits around 1200, and there are services and amenities on the island. There are also a number of parks and both public and private campgrounds. Gillies Bay is a very popular beach area, but there are numerous places to explore on the island. The summer vibe on the island is as laid back as the rest of the local islands, with a Farmer's Market and many local artists to discover.


As with a number of the islands in the region, Texada shows evidence of being a harvesting location and perhaps a summer residence for First Nations groups prior to settlement by Europeans in the 1800s, but there is no evidence as yet that there were any permanent villages on the island.


It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!