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Charbonneau Cruises
Nova Scotia
2/7/04
Blaine Parks
 We
didn't see a single iceberg on our cruise along Nova Scotia's east coast.
Nor did we find the inhabitants of this seemingly distant land living in
igloos or staring back at us through hooded parkas made from animal skins.
And though there was an occasional aroma of fresh fish set out to dry, it
was not the overwhelming scent that we had expected based on rumored
fables of this land. Instead, what we found was a distinctly rugged
shoreline accented by brightly painted houses, steep cliffs or lush
rolling hills, a proud maritime community and one of the best cruising
locations we've explored in our three and a half years aboard Charbonneau.
This was our first trip to Canada's
Maritime Provinces and we weren't sure what to expect. Cruising friends
who had gone before us would reminisce about their previous visits in an
almost trance-like state of euphoria. But this was a new place for us and
like anything else you do for the first time, there was some apprehension
because it was an unknown. There were also the widely held perceptions of
our land-based friends that Nova Scotia is just barely south of the North
Pole.
We had planned our departure from
Southwest Harbor, Maine with a keen awareness of the Bay of Fundy tides -
exceeding sixty feet at times -- and their affect on small boats making
this particular passage. For our purposes, we left Maine a few hours
before the Bay of Fundy's low tide hoping to get pulled northeast towards
the Bay for the first leg of our trip. We estimated that ten hours into
the trip the tide would begin its ebb, which would propel us around the
southernmost tip of Nova Scotia like a slingshot. With the sails reefed to
match the thirty knots blowing across her beam, Charbonneau's GPS
speed-over-ground readings were consistently above ten knots as we rounded
Yarmouth. Our plan had worked flawlessly.
Blaine on the crossing from Maine; just a little foggy and
cold. |
Chester Village, Mahone Bay |
Clark Cove, Bras d'Or Lakes |
Beach browsing |
Majestic whales, curious seals, and
playful dolphins welcomed us to Nova Scotia long before we arrived in
Shelburne Harbour, our first stop after the short twenty-seven hour
passage from Southwest Harbor. Bold rock outcroppings, many with ancient
lighthouses, rose from the sea in a colorful contrast of black rock and
green foliage against the deep blue water. With nary a cloud in the sky
and temperatures in the low 70's, we hoisted our yellow 'Q' flag and
sailed into the interior of Shelburne Harbour to take care of the
administrative details of clearing in.
Clearing into Nova Scotia was very
straightforward. We simply placed a call to Canadian Immigration upon our
arrival. They asked routine questions about our vessel, crew, pets, fresh
foods, alcohol, and firearms. The vessel and crew information was fairly
standard. They were very interested in the immunization records for our
two large Golden Retrievers, especially rabies. Fortunately, we carry a
comprehensive file that contains health records for each pet. The
importation of alcohol into Canada is strictly monitored. Before arriving,
we made a complete inventory of the alcohol we had aboard and were
prepared to defend those quantities as ship's stores when asked. Some
boats have had issues with importing alcohol because the officials they
talked with are used to working with visitors arriving by car or plane,
not by boat. The official we worked with had no problem declaring our
alcohol supplies as ship's stores, but I think it helped that we had an
inventory prepared in advance - down to the last ounce. On the topic of
firearms, the best choice is to leave them at home. They will be
confiscated during your visit if you do bring and declare them, or you may
be heavily fined and arrested if you are caught with them aboard later
during your visit. Having weapons aboard also guarantees a boarding party
will be coming to greet you at the dock. In most cases, like ours,
cruisers are cleared over the phone and given a clearance number to use
during their stay. With our administrative issues behind us, we replaced
the 'Q' flag with a Canadian courtesy flag and began our exploration of
Nova Scotia.
Shelburne Harbour is touted as the
second-best harbor in all of Nova Scotia; Halifax is considered the best.
It is well protected and runs several miles in from the ocean before you
come to the town of Shelburne and the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club. Janet
and I had expected to anchor, as we normally do while cruising, just
beyond the Yacht Club. But when we approached the anchorage area, we saw
five smiling faces standing at the Yacht Club's docks waving us in. We
were tired, a little cold, and couldn't help but be drawn towards the dock
with such a friendly reception. It was a wonderful decision and we'd
highly recommend you take advantage of their hospitality if your travels
bring you to Shelburne. The costs were minimal when compared to U.S.
marina prices.
Shelburne is known for their boat
building industry, historically. Because of that, there is a very nice
waterfront area with museums, shops, and restaurants that celebrate that
history. Fresh fish and scallops are the local delicacies; don't miss the
chance to sample them during your stay. If you absolutely must have a
fast-food meal, there are a few located just west of the main town area.
Fuel and water are available at the docks, but electricity was not offered
at the Yacht Club slips. Having no electricity at the docks was to become
the norm, rather than the exception, throughout our Nova Scotia cruise.
Come prepared to be electrically independent.
Cape George Harbour, Bras d'Or Lakes |
Gaff Point near the LaHave River |
Entrance to the Citadel, Halifax |
A view from Little Tancook Island |
After a few days rest in Shelburne,
we set our cruising spinnaker and headed east to the Liverpool and
Brooklyn harbor. Liverpool occupies the western shore and Brooklyn the
east. We chose to stay at the community-run Brooklyn marina. You are
welcome to tie to their transient docks in return for a donation - you
choose the amount of the donation. There isn't a lot to see in Brooklyn,
but the residents are outwardly curious about your travels and willing to
give you a glimpse into their own lives. A sign on a nearby church hinted
about the community's sense of humor. It declared, "Pastor's Parking.
U Park-U Preach." We felt right at home.
With even the cruising chute
sagging in the near-extinct winds, we found ourselves motoring towards the
LaHave River the following day. We had met some cruising friends through
our website who happen to live on the LaHave River. They offered us the
use of their mooring ball for several days while they showed us around by
car. In typical Nova Scotia fashion, they were much too kind and fed us
much too well. One highlight of the visit was a hike around Gaff Point,
which overlooks the entrance to the LaHave River to the west and the
Atlantic Ocean to the south. The vistas from the cliffs of Gaff Point
could supply postcard companies with an endless supply of photos.
Before sailing farther east along
the coast, we made the requisite visit to the LaHave Bakery. Known
throughout Nova Scotia for its wonderful breads and pastries, no trip to
LaHave is complete without purchasing some of the bakery's tasty treats.
We left LaHave in route to Mahone Bay with our shelves and hammocks
weighted down. The extra weight was soon transferred to my mid-section.
Mahone Bay is Nova Scotia's version
of the British Virgin Islands, but without the crowds. Made up of several
larger towns - like Lunenburg and Chester - along the mainland shore,
Mahone Bay spreads out across nearly one hundred smaller islands with deep
water for exploration, all within a few hours sail. Our first stop was
Lunenburg for their annual seafood festival. With its rich maritime
history and colorful architectures, Lunenburg quickly became one of our
favorite destinations. Of course, all the fresh seafood and lively pubs
had no influence on our enjoyment.
The rest of Mahone Bay is what most
cruisers dream of: quiet anchorages, wildlife serenades, and small islands
that seem like your personal paradise when uninhabited. And there was
plenty of paradise to go around. With names like Deep Cove and Rose Bay,
there's bound to be a place you'll fall in love with. For us, that place
was Little Tancook Island.
Normally our dogs are the first to
raise their noses at the smell of land, but Janet and I had our noses in
the air as we approached Little Tancook for the first time. The sweet
smell of wild raspberries wafted off the shore and right into our cockpit.
Our anchor had just barely settled on the rocky bottom before one of the
island's residents was at the shoreline inviting us ashore, "And
bring your dogs," he yelled. We checked the anchor and were ashore in
no time.
Little Tancook is an island lost in
time. Nearly thirty residents call the island home year-round. There is a
summertime rush of another ten, or so, residents who have summer homes on
the island. Houses are from generations past, but well kept. And the
residents still make their money the way their ancestors did before them:
fishing. They have phones and electrical power, though many things are
still done in the traditional way, by hand. The people form a close-knit,
hardy community where everyone helps with a barn raising or harvesting
vegetables from the gardens. In the middle of the community was a several
acre pasture growing wild raspberries used for jams, jellies, and wine. Oh
yes, delicious wine.
We forced ourselves to move on to
Halifax, the first real city we'd seen in Nova Scotia. While we enjoyed
sightseeing in the city and having the opportunity to re-provision the
boat with grocery store selections, we were ready to move on fairly
quickly. The fast, city life seemed eons away from the Nova Scotia we'd
come to love. Others might find Halifax a great waypoint to re-energize
after the slower pace; we felt drained by all the commotion.
Because of our late arrival to Nova
Scotia and the short sailing season, we pushed hard between Halifax and
our ultimate destination: Cape Breton's Bras d'Or Lakes. We entered the
locks at St Peters, the gateway to the Bras d'Or Lakes, after very short
stops in Sheet Harbour, Issacs Harbour and Canso. We'd recommend Canso and
highly recommend Webbs Cove in Issacs Harbour, but we might pass on Sheet
Harbour with not much to see and people who weren't all that friendly
during our visit.
We had heard fable-like accounts of
the great cruising to be found in the Bras d'Or Lakes from all our
cruising friends who'd gone before us. We were afraid that our
expectations would be greater than the experience because of all the hype.
Not so. Their descriptions and emotional exclamations were right on
target. With a tide measured in inches rather than fathoms, water
temperatures in the seventies, and protection from the overlooking hills,
the Lakes were an astounding place to sail. Bald eagles soared overhead
while pine and cypress trees provided a crisp backdrop to the blue water
and rock-lined shores. It was like camping in the middle of an untamed
wilderness. Although, I admit that living aboard Charbonneau isn't really
like camping at all.
Because it was already near the
first of September, our time in the Bras d'Or Lakes was limited. But in
ten days, we made a good run at seeing some of the most popular
destinations in the Lakes like St. Peters, Marble Mountain, Cape George
Harbour, River Cove and Maskells Harbour. All, with the exception of St.
Peters and Baddeck, were remote, tree-lined coves. St. Peters has a
wonderful new marina with fair prices, a great staff and all the amenities
a cruiser could want: floating docks, electricity, water, laundry,
clubhouse and Internet access. If you go, give our regards to Gerry, the
marina manager. Baddeck is another must-see town with interesting shops,
good restaurants and the home of the Alexander Graham-Bell Museum. Given
more time, we would have enjoyed renting a car to drive around Cape
Breton's Cabot Trail. Unfortunately, with winter on our doorstep and
approximately 1200 miles to sail home to North Carolina, time wasn't a
luxury we had.
So, around the middle of September
and with more than a little sadness, we turned Charbonneau's bow west and
began the long journey back to the U.S. Our logbooks were filled with
notes for future trips and our digital camera held the memories for
reflecting later; like now as I write this article for the Island Packet
Newsletter. That's the beauty of cruising: with a chart, a logbook, and a
few pictures, you can return to the many places you've been before, even
if only in your mind.
If you hadn't considered Nova
Scotia as a cruising destination, reconsider. The sailing is wonderful
with warm summer days, cool nights perfect for sleeping, and memories
worth reflecting on for a lifetime.
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