Canatara Beach Earns One of Sarnia-Lambton Blue Flag Designations.

From Stephanie Schaves.

Four Lambton waterfront beaches are once again flying the prestigious Blue Flag.

Canatara Beach will fly the Blue Flag again this summer, for the fifth year in a row.

Grand Bend Beach, Grand Bend Marina and Port Franks Marina in Lambton Shores also made the list again this year.

Tourism Sarnia-Lambton spokesperson Kyle Morrison says the Blue Flag status has led to an increase in the number of visitors.

“It’s really a marker that this beach is clean, it meets a certain set of safety criteria and there’s also amenities that it offers as well,” says Morrison.

Link to the rest here.

Images: Zach Neal. Google maps.

Notes. After hearing about this on local radio, roving Wit Ventures photographer Zach Neal went down and had a look. While the whole of Canatara beach is only a kilometre long, there is a certain feeling there, deserted as it is, in the slanting light of a sparkling spring morning. That feeling is one of serenity, or zen.

It is the sort of place that a person can breathe, and to know that one is alive—and to be alive is good.

Zach smashed this with PAINT and Pixlr.

The water’s a bit cold yet, but it’s a nice place to have a coffee and count the boats on the horizon—this morning, there were thirteen at one point, including one laker coming in from the north, one cabin-cruiser coming up out of the St. Clair River, and the rest were all local sport-fishermen hunting the big salmon, trout, pickerel and other tasty game fish.

In the Google maps image, the wreck of an old ship can be seen, (centre-left). At one time there were at least three down there, perhaps the others have been obliterated by time and the waves, ice and storms. Back in the sixties, the big wooden beam of the fore-peak of one such vessel stuck up out of the water, and people used to swim out, climb it, and then dive off again.

It’s just the sort of thing you remember.

Thank you for reading.

Centennial Boat Ramps Finally Done, and It's Beautiful.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.        

Boaters rejoice.

As of next week, Sarnia will have public boat ramps again.

The City of Sarnia announced Friday the prolonged task of replacing the old Centennial Park four-ramp launch is near its end. The new version opens to the public April 26.

“We’re all excited about it,” said John Cowan with Needham’s Marine Limited in Sarnia.

Getting the 180-200 boats Needham’s stores on London Line into the water was a challenge last year with just the single ramp at Bridgeview Marina available, he said, also crediting Bridgeview for going above and beyond to fill the void left when the old launch was demolished in 2017 and efforts to build a new one were repeatedly stalled.

“The new ramps look great and we’re excited to start the new chapter,” Cowan said.

The old ramps were destroyed in January 2017 as part of the now-$13.5-million Centennial Park remediation and revamp project.

The plan had been to build the new ramps first, but that was abandoned when senior government and conservation authority officials required the seawall at Centennial Park's south be moved in 10 metres, city officials have said.

To get the rest of park remediation and redesign work done, the call was made to demolish first.

Link to the rest here.

Images. Zach Neal.

Thank you for reading.

Sydenham River Canoe and Kayak Race Sunday Morning.

From Jake Jeffrey, Blackburn News.


About 80 canoes and kayaks will be out on the Sydenham River Sunday morning.

St. Clair Region Conservation Authority is once again hosting its annual Sydenham River Canoe and Kayak Race.

Education Coordinator Sharon Nethercott says they expect about 160 people on the water Sunday morning, with registration set for 10am and the race getting underway at 11am.

She says it’s a great opportunity for people to get outdoors and take in some local scenery.

“The Sydenham is a beautiful river, it’s the only river that’s entirely (in the) Carolinian zone.
It’s a great spot to do some bird watching and check out all the wildlife.”

Link to the rest here.

Image credit.

Thank you for reading.