New Year's Day - Sony Cybershot DSC-S650 - 4/4 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Bowen Park - Pentax PC35AF-M Compact with 35 mm f:2.8 fixed lens using Ilford 400 ISO B&W Film - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Vancouver Island University Library - 3 (of 3) - Sony A200 with Vivitar 70-150 mm 1:3.8 Zoom - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Z10 Magic - 1/8 - Blackberry Z10 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer

The Pause in Time - Pentax MZ-5 with Tamron 28-200 mm F:3.8-5.6 zoom & FujiFilm 400 Superia - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

North End - Pentax ME Super with SMC Pentax-A 1:1.7 50 mm Prime - 13/16 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

New Year's Day 2013 - Canon ELPH LT260 24 mm 26-52mm Compact Zoom with ISO 400 Expired (2005) Kodak Advantix Film in Panorama Mode - 8/13 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Easter Sunday 2013 - 2/2 - Canon PowerShot SX30 IS - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

View of Nanaimo from Vancouver Island University - SONY A200 with Vivitar 70-150 mm f/3.8 ISO 400 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

I missed the ferry today by six cars, so while waiting for the next one I watched this Sanvannah Sparrow showing off at the Duke Point Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo BC Canada.

Neck Point - Pentax ME Super with Pentax-M f/4 200 mm lens - 3/5 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

December Buds - Konica Z-up 80 RC Compact Film - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Caught last night's premiere of Paul Manly's 'Voices of the River', an excellent 45 minute documentary film about the Nanaimo River watershed. It was good to see both showings were sold out for this moving film about how development pressures and the push for economic growth trumps the needs of wildlife, First Nations treaty rights, public access and enjoyment of this part of our natural heritage, and even protecting the watershed that supplies our drinking water. Let's hold our political leaders accountable and make Island Timberlands and its owner Brookfield Asset Mgmt know that we are no longer going to let our future be sold down the river for subdivisions and logging that benefits shareholders who have no ties our community.

Light Leaks #8/8 - Pentax ME Super Film - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Blackberry - Canon Powershot SX30 IS - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Nanaimo Courthouse. The structure was recognized as a national historical site on Oct. 7, 2002.

Since 1895, the Nanaimo court house has been the premier symbol of the provincial government's presence in this city. Designed by Sir Francis Mawson Rattenbury, the same architect who designed the B.C. Legislative buildings, the building at 35 Front St. represents a Richardsonian Romanesque-style building that was popular at the time the two storey structure was built.

The sandstone which the distinctive mammoth bricks of the heritage building was built from was mined on Protection Island.

For the historic site information go to:

www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1352&...

Vancouver Island University Library 2/3 - SONY A200 with Vivitar 70-150 mm f/3.8 ISO 400 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Probably the largest sailboat to visit Nanaimo since the days of the square riggers stopping in to take on loads of coal.

The rails may be rusty, but this is Vancouver Island's rail connection with mainland Canada.

Bowen Park Nanaimo 2/5 - Nikon F90x Film - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Nanaimo at Dusk - looking south across Departure Bay from Hammond Bay Road - Newcastle Channel leads the eye toward the distant horizon marked by a tall high rise apartment building at the edge of the city core - Kodak DX7590 Zoom at 117 mm (2.3X magnification) f/3.2 t = 1/36 sec ISO 400 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Elegance c. 1930 - Contax T2 Carl Zeiss 2.8/38 mm T* Compact with Expired ISO 800 Kodak Max - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Mountain 2 - Pentax ME Super with SMC Pentax-A 1:1.7 50 mm Prime - 2/16 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Still carrying Montana Rail Link livery, but now lettered for the Southern Railway of British Columbia, these two GP9's rest in the yard at Nanaimo that serves the train ferry connecting Vancouver Island with the mainland at Delta.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so a collage of two related photos must be worth at least 4,000 words. Heck, maybe even 6,000 if you have the right accountant.

Here, for the first time, and in graphic detail, you can see the fearless skipper of Salvation II as he simultaneously illustrates the difference between high and low tide at Cameron Island Marina in Nanaimo Harbour. In each photo, the skipper was standing on "S" dock at the marina by the same piling. The difference? The water level in the harbour!

If you're concerned that I might have made the skipper pose by the pilings for however many hours it took for the tide to go out, fear not. I didn't. The two photos weren't even taken on the same day.

In fact, I expressly disclaim any representation that either photo was taken exactly at low tide (left) or high tide (right). But you get the general idea.

Finally, this photo has nothing to do with my tales of the trials and tribulations of the thousands of tenacious sea creatures that live on the pilings shown here. The skipper, for example, is not a piling dweller. We are a couple of air-breathers who just happened to be passing by when Mother Nature revealed these tidal marvels.

Vancouver Island, BC.

Mountain 1 - Pentax ME Super with SMC Pentax-A 1:1.7 50 mm Prime - 1/16 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

From Neck Point Park in Nanaimo BC, Georgia Strait with view of Mount Baker in Washington State, Entrance Island with its lighthouse just visible on the Horizon. In the foreground, Shack Island with its long-established squatters shacks built mainly by fisherman in the early 1900's and still used as summer cottages.

FujiFilm ASA 200 Expired in 2004 - Canon Elan II with 22-55 mm Canon zoom - Neck Point 1/7 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Grandma's camera nearby. Leandro is our great nephew.

***Towing a large barge into the main working marina and harbour in Gibsons, BC

⚓ Gibsons Harbour is the lively waterfront hub of Gibsons Landing, a charming seaside district on BC’s Sunshine Coast. It’s home to working marinas, artisan shops, and stunning views of Howe Sound and Keats Island.

🚢 Jervis Yarder is a Canadian-registered tugboat with a rich history and active presence in the waters around Nanaimo, BC.

️ Vessel Details

• Type: Tugboat

• Built: 1982 by Sunset Coast Fabricators Ltd. in Parksville, BC

• Size: 9.2m long, 3.7m beam, steel hull

• Engine: 230 bhp Detroit Diesel engine

• Current Status: Afloat as of 2023

📜 Ownership History from Nauticapedia:

The tug has changed hands multiple times:

• Originally named Kaien Pride

• Renamed Rapid Star around 2010

• Became Jervis Yarder in 2017

• Originally built in Parksville, BC in 1982

• Operated under various names (Kaien Pride, Rapid Star)

• Owned by companies in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Port Simpson, Powell River, and Gibsons

• Most recently owned by Gibsons Marine Transport Ltd. (2020–2023)

Jervis Yarder Route History

The tugboat Jervis Yarder has a modest but active route history along the North American West Coast, primarily in British Columbia waters.

️ Route Highlights

• Towing and yarding in and around Nanaimo, Gibsons, Powell River, and Prince Rupert

• Short-haul coastal work, often between logging sites, marinas, and repair yards

• Occasional repositioning voyages for maintenance or ownership changes

Thank you for your visit and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

~Sonja

... harbourfront walkway, nanaimo bc.

One could almost call Nanaimo the Venice of Vancouver Island's central coast because of the many small boats residents use to travel between Nanaimo and several nearby islands.

As a rule, the watercraft are vintage fiberglass runabouts, much loved and much used.

It's the rare vessel that doesn't include a dog among its passengers.

With permission from Brett Carter

Floatplanes in Nanaimo Harbour, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

"The Beacon" - Tiltorama (Vertical Panorama) - Seven Image Stitch (Hugin Created) - Canon PowerShot SX30 IS - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

Nanaimo Harbour, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Newcastle Island (left) and Departure Bay Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

With permission from Brett Carter

With permission from Brett Carter

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

33 Stewart Avenue, Nanaimo. An example of Craftsman style architecture. Built in 1912, the house has many sophisticated features. The gable roof covers a bungalow form, with a corner entry, projecting bays and an unusual round projecting bay at the southwest corner. Stained glass panels and straight-leaded glass are used as decorative features. Half-timbering in the gable ends, triangular eave brackets, and exposed rafter ends are other hallmarks of the Craftsman style.

The Johnston Residence is a rare surviving example of the type of prestigious housing that predominated in NewcastleTownsite from its first development just after 1900 until the 1940s. Separated from the rest of the Nanaimo by the Millstone River, Newcastle Townsite quickly became an exclusive residential suburb for the city’s commercial and professional elite. Today, the neighbourhood is a mix of commercial buildings, apartment buildings and single-family houses but surviving early residences such as this building are important evidence of the original character of the area.

The house was built for Zillah Johnston, the widow of Angus R. Johnston, a pioneer grocer in Nanaimo. A.L. Johnston, the manager of the A.R. Johnston Co. Ltd. at the time, also lived here. (Courtesy City of Nanaimo Heritage Register)

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Nanaimo Walkway, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Passengers disembark a Floatplane in Nanaimo Harbour, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Ferry dock for Newcastle Island, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

BC Travel information at www.BritishColumbia.com

Neck Point Beach Panorama - 8 Image Stitch (Hugin Processed) - Nikon D70 - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he works also as a writer and a personal trainer.

With permission from Brett Carter