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BOWEN ISLAND CONSERVANCY
P.O.BOX 301
BOWEN ISLAND, BC V0N 1G0
March 16, 2015
Sent by email: [email protected]
Navigation Protection Program
Transport Canada
Pacific Regional Office
820 – 800 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2J8
Dear Sir/Madam:
Potential hazards to shipping: private docks at Cape Roger Curtis, Bowen Island
The Board of the Bowen Island Conservancy wishes to draw your attention to the potential hazards to shipping resulting from existing private docks at Cape Roger Curtis, on Bowen Island, BC.
The Board is also concerned that new applications for Crown Land Tenures for Residential Private Moorage at Cape Roger Curtis will, if approved by the Provincial Government, see the construction of additional private docks in an exposed location with a very high potential to create a
hazard to shipping. The Board requests that the Navigation Protection Program investigate the
suitability of the proposed locations for dock placement.
The current situation at Cape Roger Curtis
Multiple private docks have been constructed at Cape Roger Curtis. These docks serve no functional purpose, since the area is prone to sudden and severe storms and offers no protection for
boat moorage (see below). None of the docks are currently used, or have ever been used, for
boat moorage, probably because no dwellings have been constructed on the adjacent properties (the owners of The Cape on Bowen Ltd. (the developers of the local residential area) built
these first three docks purely as a promotional tool to advertise their waterfront properties).
Currently there are four applications for Crown Land Tenures for Residential Private Moorage in
process with the Provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. These
applications are:
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Lot 1: ILMB File # 2410880;
Lot 3: ILMB File # 2410984;
Lot 14: ILMB File # 2410881;
Lot 17: ILMB File # 2411043.
-2Should these applications be approved, further docks will be constructed in the area: some of
these will be completely exposed to weather in the Strait of Georgia.
Unsuitability of the location for any docks
There are strong tidal currents and wave actions along the area of Cape Roger Curtis that make
the area impractical and dangerous as a location for docks.
A light storm on June 9, 2014 damaged the constructed dock at lot 13, with the potential for
drifting debris into navigational lanes, and creation of a hazard to shipping. Please refer to Appendix 1 for photographs of the damage.
Environment Canada reports that the wind speed on June 9, 2014 was between 0 and 45 km/h,
with maximum gusts of 61 km/h, at Pt. Atkinson, a short distance from the Cape Roger Curtis
lands. Weather like this, and wind of far stronger force, occurs often in this area.
Request for investigation of potential hazard to shipping caused by existing and potential docks
We request that the Navigation Protection Program investigate the existing docks, and placement of the proposed docks as described in the above-referenced applications for private
moorage, to determine their potential threat to shipping.
Yours truly,
The Board of the Bowen Island Conservancy
Ellen Coburn
Allene Drake
Andrea Kaufman
Owen Plowman
Nerys Poole
Bob Turner
Adrian van Lidth de Jeude
Everhard van Lidth de Jeude
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 604.612.6572
Cc: Bowen Island Mayor and Council
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Appendix 1: Storm damage to dock Lot 13,
Cape Roger Curtis, Bowen Island
June 9th, 2014
Environment Canada Weather Report for Pt. Atkinson
2014-06-09:
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Wind speed was between 0 and 45 km/h
Maximum gusts of 61 km/h