Float Towing and Hauling procedure (including Mussel Scraping)

Complete In October each year

1. Check Tides 

• for a HIGH
  • to enable easy ramp removal and to put floats on beach in Gibsons Harbour
  • daytime on weekdays, include Sunday if needed
  • volunteer work party required – to prep floats and pull ramp onto wharf
• followed by a LOW – likely on the next day
  • to remove floats from beach at Harbour
  • during weekday work hours for truck
  • volunteer work party required – for Mussel Scraping!
• This is more challenging in the fall than the spring because the days are significantly shorter… and both towing and hauling/scraping need to be done in daylight !
• Example: I scanned six weeks from late Sep to early November and found two possible windows (click each to display tide graph in new tab) 
  • Sun Oct 6 – 2pm – 14′ tide & Mon Oct 7 – 9am – 6′ tide
  • Thu Oct 24 – 3pm – 15′ tide & Fri Oct 25 – 10am – 6′ tide
• Updated Site URL = https://www.tide-forecast.com/locations/Gibsons-British-Columbia/tides/latest
  • can only view next week or next four weeks – see example on Float Replacement page – no further flexibility for dates

2. Arrange Hauling: Gibsons Harbour –> Elphinstone

• At LOW Tide, weekday work hours
• Txt Lonnie Allen: 604-740-1012
• Example Text: 
  • Hi Lonnie. Tony here. Would you be available to haul our floats from the Harbour on Friday Oct 25 about 9:30am? Low tide at 9:37. We will arrange to unlock pillar on Headlands. Need to stage floats at park so we can scrape mussels off before dropping. Thanks.   
    

3. Arrange Towing: Wharf –>  Gibsons Harbour

• AT HIGH Tide, weekday work hours preferred but may be available otherwise (in daylight)
• Once Lonnie is confirmed, Call/Txt Erik Hammond: 604-741-5493
• In future, we could look at GWA member with an adequate boat to tow the floats instead for greater flexibility and lower cost?

4. Organize TWO Work Parties

• Promote Float Removal and Mussel Scraping Party via GWA email list
• see previous emails for content
• 1. Arrange Towing
  • provide day and time (an hour before Erik’s float towing time) 
  • need 5 or 6 able-bodied people to:
    • remove swim ladder on floats
    • remove big ladder from dolphin
    • pull ramp up onto wharf
    • detach floats (keep ropes on chains to haul up in spring)
• 2. Mussel Scraping
  • provide day and time (around same time as Lonnie’s float hauling time)
  • need around 5 people with work gloves, big scrappers or square shovels
  • Adrian Young and Kevin & Ben (C-Tow) have large scrapers that they lend us each year

5. Arrange Access to Harbour

• Check pillar at end of Headlands Rd to see if it is unlocked
• If locked, call  Town of Gibsons (Engineering Dept) – 604- 886-2274 or 2210
• Backup: Wendy (Parks Dept) – 604-886-8587
• She will unlock at specified time (one hour before Lonnie arrives) or lend us the key
• Note: lock chain broken at present (Oct 2021) – Tyler says they will eventually weld it back – but happy to unlock whenever needed

6. Project Lead

• make arrangements above
• meet Erik at Wharf
• meet Lonnie at Harbour
• get supplies down to dock: shackles, locks/keys, tools, come-a-long
• lead work party – need firm clear leadership to avoid confusion and accidents

AB 12 Mar 2023