1-6 August 2011 Cruising the province of New Brunswick

A perspective on where we've been and where we are going....
L'Anse-a-Beaufils, our last stop in the province of Quebec is just south of Perce.  From there we cruised down to Shippagan and then down to Escuminac where there should be a green arrow.  From Escuminac we traveled down to Shediac and then crossed over to Prince Edward Island on the lower right.  We saw very little of New Brunswick in reality.

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When we crossed into New Brunswick we advanced the clocks an hour for Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT).  This turned out to be a good thing since our male cat starts to howl (for attention more than anything) at daybreak.  We all get an hour of extra sleep now!

We transited the Gulf Of St Lawrence and are headed for Northumberland Strait.

2-5 August 2001  0640-1311  Shippagan to Escuminac, New Brunswick  42 nm
Escuminac's (s-coo-min-ac) harbor is home to the largest inshore fishing fleet in the Gulf of St Lawrence region and probably the most remote.  We found a lobster processing plant, small canteen, dockage and fuel.  This time of year the fleet has moved to other fishing grounds so space on the wall in the basin is usually available.  The harbor is owned and operated by the fisherman; they set the dockage rates.  We paid $9.00/night.  I also had my first lobster roll here.  We bought lobster and shrimp at the plant store.  The Port Authority had wifi and the staff allowed me to sit indoors to use it. 

Approach into Escuminac Harbor

Escuminac Harbor - not busy this time of year

On the wall - there was a ladder amidships to get off the boat

Lobster Shop

Lobster pots - getting ready for the next season

1959 Escuminac Disaster Memorial

 On 19 June 1959, a rare June hurricane sunk 22 boats (at sea) and 35 were drowned in the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The boats were from the port of Escuminac.  Wharves and breakwaters were damaged in the port as were vessels and fishing gear (trawls and lobster traps). It was a disaster for the town of 600.

Fishing vessels

The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located in the Canadian Maritime provinces – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island – as well as part of Quebec, and in the U.S. state of Maine).

Acadian Flag

The Tricolour represents the Motherland of the Acadians. The yellow star, the Stella Maris, is the symbol of Mary, Acadian national symbol and patron of the mariners. It is set on the blue stripe, because blue is the colour of Mary. The yellow colour of the star represents the Papacy

Escuminac Beach

Canadian visitors

We spent several days in Escuminac waiting for the wind on the Northumberland Strait to fall off.  Every day people would drive around the harbor to see what was going on.  They'd drive right up next to the boat and chat with you.  Everyone was friendly and curious about where we'd come from and how we'd gotten there.  The group above are long time friends and were missionaries in Thailand for most of their adult lives.  The 4th lady in the group was a professor and was reluctant to climb down the ladder onto the boat.

We learned that diesel fuel was least expensive in the commercial marinas - too late for us!


5 August 2011 0647-1429  Escuminac to Shediac, New Brunswick  60nm

The most exciting part of this run was the entry into the marina.  The channel gets very narrow as you approach a 180 degree turn.  The breakwater is on your right.  We had a bit of wind making the entry that much more exciting.  Take a look at the three green navigation aids.

Approach into Point du Chene marina - Shediac, N.B.

Aloha Friday moored - Point du Chene marina

Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canadian Coast Guard ship Louis M. Lauzier

CCGS Louis M. Lauzier

The CCG ship was having an open house so we took advantage of the opportunity to go aboard.  The Coast Guard runs the ship.  The vessel is used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Sûreté du Québec (Quebec Provincial Police) to patrol the St. Lawrence Gulf and Seaway.  The CCGS Louis M. Lauzier is a component of the RCMP Marine Security Enforcement Team (MSET). The MSET was created in 2005 to assist in the identification of persons and vessels that may constitute a threat to the security of Canada and its communities. This threat includes terrorism, drug importation, the smuggling of weapons, cigarettes and alcohol, persons illegally entering the country as well as illegal waste discharge.  This initiative was made necessary due to the immense territory of the province of Québec and its geographic situation which makes it a gateway for criminal organizations.

Sunset - Point du Chene marina

They had free laundry at the marina so I took advantage of the opportunity to get some laundry done.


6 August 2011  0639-1135  Shediac, NB to Summerside, Prince Edward Island  33 nm

When we departed the next morning, it was under much calmer conditions.

You can see the edge of the breakwater on the port side of the boat.

Beautiful sunrise

We cross over to Prince Edward Island and moor at the Silver Fox Yacht Club, Summerside, PEI.

We spent the afternoon checking out Summerside.