11 August - 6 September 2011 Nova Scotia Cruising Part 1

Nova Scotia

From PEI we headed  down Northumberland Strait, east to Cape Breton Island and then south along the Nova Scotia coast as far as Yarmouth.



11 Aug 2011  0705-1601  Charlottetown, PEI to Ballantyne's Cove, Nova Scotia  67 nm

Did I mention that the ice machine broke around 5 August?  It sits up on the deck above our stateroom.   I can hear it dump ice and fill.  One night it seemed to me that I heard it filling more than dumping.  The next morning I looked and the bin was a frozen block of ice with cubes inside it and the bin was frozen to the bottom of the ice machine.  It is difficult to find parts in Canada so we figured we'd just fix it when we got home.

Ballantyne's Cove is situated in a rural setting and is home to a small fishing community.  When its bluefin tuna season, this place becomes a beehive of activity and a principal trading point for Japanese merchants looking for sushi-grade tuna.  If you're a fisherman, this is where the world record Blue fin tuna was caught via rod and reel. It weighed something like 1485 lbs and was caught on a 133 lb test line!

Entering Ballantyne's Cove

Power in the marina

Jim & Mary Fitzgerald, Nancy & Ted

 The young man in the photo above was the brother of the young man working in the marina office.

Ballantyne Cove Marina

Overhead photo of Ballantyne's Cove harbor

12 Aug 2011  0705-1514  Ballantyne's Cove to St Peter's, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia  46nm

Enroute to Cape Breton Island, we saw a couple interesting sights.  Canso Lock separates the Northumberland Strait from the Atlantic ocean.

Mulgrave Quarry - adjacent to the Canso Lock

Canso Lock

What is being towed here?

Oberon class submarine

Enroute from Halifax to Port Maitland

The tops of the submarines, including the conning towers, will be taken to Derek Point Memorial Gardens in Port Colborne, where they will be on display.

St Peter's Historic Lock - entrance to Cape Breton Island

The colorful fishing boats in front of us have been converted to pleasure craft.  The lock connects the south end of Bras d'Or Lake with the Atlantic ocean.  The lock is double gated due to the different tidal regimes for the 2 bodies of waters of water connected by the lock.  The lock was completed in 1869.

Jim & Mary Fitzgerald - St Peter's Historic Lock

St Peter's Historic Canal

The floating boards on the right hand side keep one off the rocks under the surface of the water.

Battery Provincial Park Lighthouse

13-16 Aug 2011  1004-1445  St Peter's to Baddeck Harbor, Nova Scotia  30 nm

Here's an overview of Cape Breton Island - one of the highlights of the trip!  We stayed in St Peter's the first night and cruised up to Baddeck the second day.  From there we rented a car to explore the Cape Breton Highlands, the Alexander Graham Bell museum and Fort Louisbourg.



View Larger Map

A few of the sights:

St Peter's Marina

 The marina is owned by the Lions Club.  It is quite a nice facility.

Colorful converted fishing boats at Baddeck Gov't wharf

 

"Moosing" around....

You can't beat those transient rates

Little River Harbor marina

Ted, Jim Fitzgerald along the Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail is a highway and scenic roadway.  The northern section of the Cabot Trail passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  It makes a 185 mile loop passing through Cape Breton National Highlands at its northern most point.

Beautiful view along the Cabot Trail

Ingonish Beach neat the Keltic Lodge

White Point Harbor - (l-r) Jim & Mary Fitzgerald, Nancy

Above White Point Harbor

White Point vista

Cabot Trail view - west side

The Fortress of Louisbourg is North America's largest historical reconstruction.  It represents a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th century French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Its two sieges, especially that of 1758, were turning points in the Anglo-French imperial struggle for what today is Canada.

Governor's Apartments and the King's Bastion Barracks.

Gaining entrance to the fort

Town residents

Chapelle St Louis - garrison chapel

Townspeople

Airing the mattress

This gadget turns a rotisserie in the fireplace below

The visiting Padre & I

Dining in the Fortress

Costumed staff in three period restaurants prepare and serve delicious food and beverages based on 18th-century tradition and recipes.  At the Hôtel de la Marine and the Grandchamps Inn we enjoyed a full meal.