After having a great time hosting an event in Windsor last year, I decided to continue my tradition of hosting an international geocaching event on International Geocaching Day! This will be a bring-your-own-picnic on Saturday, August 18th, 2018.
This event is significantly different from last year, as it's on an island! Peche Island is a Windsor city park, but for a long time has only been accessible by private craft or the occasional organizational trek. The city has recently begun a ferry service three days a week- the island is now accessible to people of all ages! For getting to the island, see Ferry or Kayak below.
Event Schedule: By no means do you have to be there for the whole event. There will be a optional logbook during the picnic portion of the event.
- 10 am- Depart for the island, either by ferry or kayak (see below).
- 10:15am-12pm: Explore Peche Island
- 12pm-1pm: Picnic Lunch!
- 1pm: Photo
- 1pm-3:30pm: More exploring the Island
- 3:30pm: The last ferry leaves Peche Island
Visiting Peche Island
As mentioned above, you can get do the island by ferry or kayak. To visit the island, you'll need to sign a waiver- Adult and Child waivers, respectively. There are restroom facilities on the island. This is a rural park, so please pack necessary supplies/food/medication/etc. accordingly. In terms of caches, there are presently 5 caches on the island, all T5- if you're looking to work on your D/T grid, now is an excellent opportunity to get 4 different T5 combinations (counting the event).
Ferry
The new ferry runs on the hour, provided by the City of Windsor. The ferry is $5 round trip, and photo ID is needed to take the ferry to and from the island. Seating is limited to 12 per hour, so I recommend booking ahead of time. The ferry leaves from Lakeview Park Marina at 10a, 11a, 12p, 1p, and 2p. The last ferry departs the island at 3:30pm. The booking number is 519-948-3383.
Kayak
If you're looking for a more adventurous route the island, consider taking a kayak or canoe! There are no permits required to kayak or canoe to Peche Island, and no fees to launch unless you have a trailer. Launches can be done from the Lakeview Park Marina, or from other nearby riverside parks. The city does not have kayak/canoe rentals, but there are nearby businesses that do rent. If you canoe or kayak, be sure to steer clear of the international border:
As long as you stay south of Peche Island, this should not be an issue.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- For more information, please see The City of Windsor's page about Peche Island.
- For a more specific primer to the island's dos and dont's, please read this.
- As mentioned above, to visit the island, you'll need to sign a waiver- Adult and Child waivers, respectively.
- As with any International Geocaching Day, there is a souvenir to be earned!