Established in 1874, the 105 acre estate is home to the fully operational “Clam Bay Farm” sustainable organic farm. This historic sanctuary includes the farm, a vineyard, acres of untouched old-growth forest, a sawmill, a water treatment plant, and a powerful generator. The farm’s buildings include the original farm house, a gazebo, a guest/farmworker accommodation building, a sizable barn, a caretaker’s cabin, and a beach house. The property is capable of operating completely self-sufficiently from the island’s services.
The centerpiece of the farm section of the property is the pond and gazebo. Full of water lilies and encircling a grand fountain, the pond provides a haven for quiet enjoyment on the property. Seasonally, Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks make the pond their home. A pleasant cedar Gazebo, currently set up as an exercise room, overlooks the pond.
The 5.5 acre vineyard is leased to Sea Star Winery and planted with Ortega, Pinot Noir, and Siegerrebe. The remainder of the planted farm produces Haskap berries, plums, apples, and pears, with the Haskap berries sold to Twin Islands Cider. The farm features ample open pasture land that is suitable for expanded planting or as grazing pastures for animals.
Notable BC winery Sea Star Vineyards leases the 5.5 acre vineyard to produce their spectacular, characteristically Gulf Islands, wine. Sea Star’s goal is to produce exquisite wines that express the terroir of the Gulf Island home. A vital component of this involves their commitment to preserving local ecological integrity and to actively give back to the coastal environment that gives our wines their unique character. They are excellent stewards of Clam Bay Farm's biodynamic vineyard.
Haskap berries, also known as Honeyberries, are delicious and have a depth of flavour that some say resembles a blend of raspberry, blueberry and blackberry. They are extremely healthy with an antioxidant level 3 times higher than blueberries. Haskap has long been known by the ancient Japanese as, “The fruit of Life longevity and Fruit of vision”. Haskap berries can be eaten right off the bush or processed into jam, wine, juice, ice cream, baked goods, etc. The possibilities are endless. The fruits as well as the leaves are high in antioxidants, can be used in the treatment of fever, abdominal pains, and many other ailments.
Clam Bay Farm was first surveyed in 1874. Previous owners include Spencer Percival and Neptune Grimmer, also referred to as Nep. Sometime after it was enjoyed by a Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who were remembered because of a story about the well; she pulled the ladder up and forgot he was in there. Then there was a retired mathematics teacher who called the farm “AfterMath”. The retired teacher sold the property to Bob Fearn. Mr. Fearn was an Air Canada pilot who kept a small aircraft on the island and commuted to work at Vancouver International Airport. When he bought the property the fields were overgrown with small alders. Mr. Fearn and his helper cleared the fields by hand, he said it was an enormous job. He is the one that built the first pond and cleared Observatory Point (North West point of the property). He had the property for about ten years.
Peter Speck bought the property in 1981 and built a biodynamic farm. Clam Bay had been all organic as long as he could determine and he enhanced that aspect. He used a deep litter system for animals over-wintering in the barn that provided lots of compost and no chemical sprays and pesticides. There were few pests. He built the water system in stages. He built the barn, remodeled the Craft House, the Farm House, and built the Captain's House; he subsequently did many renovations. Mr. Speck had the property for about 25 years and sold it to Jed Wood. Mr. Wood was an Alberta businessman. He operated the property as an agro-tourism location and had rental accommodations. There were many group events and weddings held during his ownership. He built the 5.5 acre vineyard. He was also in the process of developing a golf course and had large mounds built in the fields for this reason. Clam Bay Holding Ltd, a privately held company, then purchased the property near the end of 2011 intending that it be a private farm. The interest is in organic farming practices and the potential for growing at Clam Bay. The vision again is to see Clam Bay Farm become a fully operational self-sustainable organic farm."
Suite 210 - 858 Beatty Street Vancouver, BC V6B 1C1 Phone: (604) 328-7760 Email: [email protected]