Innkeeper News, Autumn 2011
Autumn on the ocean at Silva Bay Inn...
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- The perfect place to slow down, unwind, and enjoy the spectacular views
- Book your fall and winter retreat now: October 15th to April 14th, receive any two nights for the price of one at our lower winter rates.
The trees are beginning to change colour, the morning air is getting crisp. Enjoy a cup of coffee on the Inn's deck and watch the morning unfold on the bay. Ask us about local hiking trails, and sign out a set of binocculars and guide-books from the office.
Autumn at the Inn is the perfect place to slow down and enjoy the scenery. The view across the Flattop Islands to the North Shore Mountains is truly spectacular. If you're feeling motivated, you can go kayaking, fishing, sailing, rowing, all right from the Inn dock.
Local fisherman are having a great fall fishing, and pods of transient orcas have been spotted along with the resident seabirds, otters, seals, and shorebirds.
It's all in walking distance of the Inn...
Besides relaxing and enjoying the stunning views of Silva Bay, visit the on-site, upstairs shop, gift gallery Madd Art #9. The artist cooperative, The Henhouse Studio, is now open in the cabin on the Inn property; it offers working artisans, a gallery, handcrafted jewelry and silversmithing lessons in a unique setting. Both shops are funky and fun.
May through September, there are kayak, paddleboard and sailing rentals and tours as well as fishing charters right from the Inn docks. Inquire about kayak eco-tours and barefoot sailing adventures in beautiful wooden sail and oar boats.
The South End has some of Gabriola's most prized jewels: petroglyphs, hiking and bike trails, and Drumbeg Provincial Park which offers fine beach walks, wood trails, picnic spots, and inter-tidal naturalising. Gabriola Pass boasts world-class suba-diving. Fishing hotspots off the Flat Tops and nearby reefs lure fisherman to Silva Bay year round. If you enjoy golfing, the scenic Gabriola Golf Club is nearby.
The Island of the Arts
Gabriola is celebrated as the Island of the Arts. During the year there are well-known summer, fall, and winter artist studio tours; theater, poetry, music and maritime festivals go on from April to November. May to September, Gabriola artisans sell their wares every Sunday at the Silva Bay open-air market.
Ask our Innkeepers
Our friendly Innkeepers can answer your questions about accommodations or event-planning, weddings and celebrations, and advise you about local activities like the ones on the Innkeeper's Calendar. Give us a call to help plan your getaway--we're here to help make your stay more enjoyable.
Silva Bay Inn monitors VHF channel 68 during office hours for those who need transient moorage or for Inn guests arriving by boat. The slip is 25' with 3' draft.
Innkeeper's Blog
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Activities & Events
Autumn 2011. The artist cooperative, The Henhouse Studio, is now open in the cabin on the Inn property; it offers working artisans, a gallery, and handcrafted jewelry and silversmithing lessons in a unique setting.
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Innkeeper's Calendar
Our Favourite Events on Gabriola Date Event April 8th-10th Gabriola Island’s Isle of The Arts Festival April 16-17th Silva Bay Boat Launch Festival June 26th Gabriola Island Home and Garden Tour August 4th Annual Gabriola Concert on the Green August 14th Annual Gabriola Salmon BBQ August 19th-21st Gabriola Theatre Festival October 8-10th Gabriola Island’s 16th Annual Studio Tour 50 artists October-March Silva Bay Maritime Seminars November 2011 8th Annual Poetry Gabriola Festival December 3rd Gabriola Elementary Christmas Craft Fair
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Nature Notes
Autumn 2011
- Red-footed Pigeon Guillemots can be seen in Silva Bay. From the Friends of Silva Bay Waterbird Identification Guide: "Identification: Breeding plumage is black body with white strips on wings. In winter the birds are more mottled black and white all over. Look for their red feet. "
- Orcas and sea lions can be sighted from the Inn deck: Last April during the Silva Bay BoatLaunch Festival weekend Inn guests were treated to a pod of orcas travelling through Silva Bay and Commodore Pass; later in the month a (noisy) pair of sea lions spent a week right in Silva Bay.
Join in the monthly Silva Bay Waterbird Survey from the Inn grounds
Inn guests can join in the Silva Bay Waterbird Survey that starts from the Inn lower deck about 11:00am the second Sunday of the month.
