Family Holiday in Cape Breton

Apologies for some very truncated entries below due to me hitting Blogger's  "Discard" icon rather than its adjacent "Save" icon when the car went over a bump! Bloody stupid design coupled with no recycle bin (that's "Blogger", not me).

Thursday 17th; Vince, Gary and I are collected from St Peter's by Charles and Despina and meet up with the others at the house around 9 p.m..

Friday 18th; A lazy start to the holiday. After a late cooked breakfast we enjoy a local Meadow walk and check out the local beaches in Port Hood that evening.

Saturday 19th - We spent the day at Port Hood's Lawrence's Beach followed by dinner at Big Stop (a sort of upmarket service station).

Sunday 20th We took a 2.5 hour drive up the coast on the Cabot Trail to the Cape Breton Highland National Park. Our destination is the Skyline trail head but on arrival we found the car park full and had to continue on and find another trail. I walked (hobbled) the first part and then returned to the car (in addition to my broken foot I was out of sorts with a tummy bug that ran through the rest of the family over subsequent days). The walkers had a picnic lunch on the trail and afterwards we visited the Whale Interpretive Centre in Pleasant Bay and then returned to the Skyline trail that everyone except me, Sharon and Mabel tackled.

That evening we enjoyed another campfire thanks to Charles.

Monday 21st was Rachel's Birthday but the weather wasn't great and so after a birthday breakfast we lounged around the house for most of the day and then went out for a meal at the Bistro in Port Hood to celebrate.

On Tuesday 22nd we all hired e-bikes from Mikes Bikes and explored one of the many off-road trails that had replaced the old railway network that had been abandoned on cost grounds. There is no rail network left anywhere on Cape Breton today.

Wednesday 23rd. We drove to the trailhead at Egypt Falls and then (me included on my crutches) hiked the 2.5K to the falls along what turned out to be an increasingly steep trail down a wooded gully. By the time we realised it was no place for a man on crutches we all felt committed to getting me to the falls. Concerns about how I'm going to get back up the gully are pushed to the back of our minds and with Charles, Stephen and Vince acting as pullers, pushers and backstops as required, we pressed on sometimes hanging on to ropes strung along the more tricky patches of the trail.

The falls were beautiful and everyone except me and Sharon were soon bathing in the large pools at their base. The kids loved it! After a while Charles climbed up to the pools at the upper level and soon all but the three youngest kids joined them.

After a picnic lunch it was time to face the inevitable and probably the ultimate challenge I would face whilst on crutches - the climb back up the gully. It turned out not to be as challenging as we had all imagined it would be. With the help of the three boys pulling/pushing /holding/ catching me as the situation required we made our way back up to the car park. The journey down probably took an hour and the journey back an hour and a half. We were rewarded with a round of clapping from the ladies and kids as we staggered across the ridge and into the carpark

On Thursday 24th  the rest of the party minus me, Sharon and the three youngest went "Tubing" on the Margaree River.

Sharon and I drove into Port Hawkesbury with the kids to shop and on our return Sharon prepared a spag bol for the evening meal. It was very gratefully received!

Friday was (for the most part) a warm and sunny day and so we went to Inverness beach for the day. [Nearly every village and small town (there are no large ones except for the capital, Sydney on the east coast) in Cape Breton is named after a Scottish town; the exceptions are named after French places.]

Tom and Nina flew in from Maryland that evening but stayed overnight in Halifax due to their very late arrival (Tom is my American friend whom I met in 1985 when I picked him up hitchhiking on my return from my abortive  first post university job at a sailing school in Brighton).

On Saturday we drove to Baddeck and visited the very impressive Alexander Graham Bell Museum. I have written about my first visit there earlier in the summer in a previous post. The family were just as impressed as I was then.

Then we met up with Tom and Nina for lunch at the Freight Shed on the pretty water front. 

By fortunate coincidence, SV Chelsea with Iain and Susan on board was moored up on the quay and we therefore invaded Chelsea and her crew on mass after lunch. It was great to catch up with them again and Sharon and the family were delighted to meet some of my super friendly Canadian sailing buddies. Iain was waiting for a suitable weather window to get to Newfoundland.

Just after Vince settled the lunch bill, the restaurant suffered a power cut, which it transpired took out about one third of Cape Breton. As a consequence Tom and Nina's visit to the Museum couldn't go ahead. A great shame because he would have loved it.

Instead we headed for the nearby Iona museum village - the site of the first settlement in Cape Breton founded by Scottish emigrants in the 18th Century. We knew the exhibits would be closed by the time we got there but I assumed we would be able to walk around the village like I was able to walk around the similar museum village at Sherbrook last summer. However, we found it cordoned off and so had to make do with admiring the view while the kids played in the sunshine.

Back at the house that evening Charles lit another campfire and we had hot dogs for supper!

Sunday was another lovely summer day and we drove to an old gypsum mine now flooded to create a pleasant fresh water swim spot. The trail from the carpark along a disused railway track that originally connected the mine with Inverness Harbour a few miles away, was about 3k and fairly flat so I was able to traverse it (slowly) without difficulty. Charles had also brought the three Kayaks (his own inflatable and two plastic ones that were provided as part of the house rental). 

Charles and Co. carried these along the trail and soon great fun was being had in them. There was no risk of a capsize from wave action on what was now a small and very sheltered lake and so after a while I decided to join in the fun and with Charles' help clambered into one of the Kayaks and paddled around.

After a while the more daring members of the group headed across the lake to the cliffs on the opposite side where a couple of ledges at about 10 and 15 feet up had clearly been in use as jump-off spots. Eventually even Ines and Despina were launching themselves off the cliff into the water below. I confess to being rather anxious whilst the girls were jumping because it was necessary for the jumpers to launch themselves outwards a fair distance from the rock face in order to avoid a submerged ledge at the foot of the cliff. 

The gung-ho boys had no trouble clearing it but I was worried that the more hesitant girls might not propel themselves far enough out. In the event everyone got through their jumps without mishap and I was able to relax.

Monday was a fairly lazy day. Tom and Nina managed to get out reasonably early to undertake a guided Celtic Music walk along the nearby coastal trail. They turned out to be the only participants and so received 100% of their guide's attention who also serenaded them along the way.

A little later the rest of the party minus me, Sharon and George set out to undertake a 6k walk to the Celtic Music Centre. Later still, Sharon and I drove to the Centre to meet the others for lunch and live music.

The music, was "old Scottish" so named because the Scottish Catholics who emigrated to Cape Breton during the reformation rather than face persecution at home, took their music with them. Over  subsequent years Scotland's music style evolved into the Square Dancing music still played widely today. The Scots descendants in Cape Breton however continued to play the tunes of 'Old Scotland' and this style of music thrived until the new wave of popular music flooded through North America and the UK in the 1960s. As a consequence Old Scottish music in Cape Breton almost disappeared from Cape Breton culture. Fortunately, however, a few die-hard enthusiasts engineered a renaissance and old Scottish music is now as popular as ever in Cape Breton. Indeed, musicians here are now playing an important role in reintroducing the music to Scotland. Our lunch venue - 'The Judique Celtic Music Interpretive Centre' was packed out with locals and tourists alike and it was only a Monday!

That evening we watched the sunset on Port Hood's Sunset Beach.

Our last full day, Tuesday was one of the highlights of the holiday - a whale watching boat trip from Pleasant Bay Harbour on the extreme north west coast of Cape Breton. It was a 2.5 hour drive but worth every mile (not that I had to drive). It turns out that the coast in those parts is a breeding ground for north Atlantic long finned Pilot Whales and as a consequence we saw scores of them including some babies. 

It was a great way to sign off the holiday especially for the first timers and the kids. It was quite a windy day and the sea was fairly choppy as a result which ensured a lively boat movement with plenty of spray.

The kids thought it all great fun with the "Oohs" and "Aahs" of whale sightings interspersed with shrieks of laughter as they were doused with another dose of spray as the boat rolled and plunged into the waves!

The journey 'home' was interrupted by a stop for fried chicken and ice cream and then it was back to the house to clear up and pack for the following day's journeys.

George and I will get a lift to Halifax with Tom and Nina whose first stage flight leaves there an hour after our 1230 flight to St Pierre. The rest of the gang don't fly out until the evening but they have to be out of the house by 10 a.m.. At least that means they will be able to look around Halifax town before they fly home.

"Whaddayat" - Baddeck and back to St Peter's

L-R standing - Vince, Susan, Iain, Don, Garry; seated - me and Sheryl.

Shortly after we dropped the hook in Baddeck, Iain and Susan dropped by in their dinghy with another dinghy, 'hovering' nearby. That turned out to contain their friends Don and Sheryl also from Toronto and from the same yacht club. A couple of hours after that we were all at the Bras D'or Yacht Club enjoying a beer or three on the Veranda. 

Like all Canadians we had met so far, Don and Sheryl were super friendly. Don was and is one of those larger than life personalities. A retired Cop he had a bottomless reptortoir of jokes and stories of his time in the force. A collector of idiosyncratic phrases he asked us "Whatayatt" - the traditional Nuffie (Newfoundland) greeting. Needless to say, as a natural raconteur he kept us entertained all evening with his near stream of consciousness delivery.

The following morning after yet another late leisurely breakfast Gary and Vince went ashore to visit the Alexander Bell museum and to shop for provisions. They were just as impressed with the museum as I was.

That evening we met up with the Canadians again and went for a Pizza at the appropriately named, 'Tom's Pizza' joint. Then it was back to 'Huntress' for yet another round of Canadian hospitality, booze and humour. The English contingent eventually departed around 2 a.m..

On Wednesday, nursing slightly sore heads, Huntress and a few hours later, Symphony, weighed their anchors, said goodbye to Chelsea and headed back south down the lake. Symphony arrived in Johnstown Harbour around 1700 to find Huntress already in residence. Symphony anchored a little more than a respectable distance from her. Shortly afterwards the phone rang - it was Don - "Whatayatt, Sheryl wants to know what did we say?" After much hilarity, international relations were restored by Gary inviting Don and Sheryl over for drinks. Of course another hilarious night followed!

On Thursday we waved goodbye to Huntress and headed for St Peter's just a few hours away. By the time we had fuelled up Symphony and moored her up to a buoy Huntress arrived and shortly afterwards Tonks too (whom we had last seen in Spanish Ship Harbour a week or so ago). That afternoon Symphony's cockpit was crowded with all three crews for lunch and beers until it was time for Vince, Gary and me to go ashore to meet up with Charles and Co for our ride up to Judique to link up with the rest of the family. Gary was going to stay with us for a few days.

Spanish Bay to Beddeck

Well we did indeed motor all the way to St Peter's Canal and it was a completely uneventful trip of about 12 hours.

On arrival we moored up alongside the canal wall for the night and Gary cooked a splendid meal - chicken stuffed with a green pasto cream/butter paste and covered with breadcrums, roasted in the oven with potatoes. Gorgeous and we had just enough red wine left to wash it down.

The next morning Vince and Gary inevitably made friends with Trevor a Canadian special forces vetran who drove them into town to do the shopping, waited for them, drove them back and gave us a large pack of bottles drinking water.

We went through the canal around midday

wended our way through the various narrow channels that connected the canal to the Bras D'or proper under power and then enjoyed a pleasant sail to Maskells harbour about 25 miles away.

We passed under the Barret Straight Bridge which I almost ran into a few weeks ago on Bonny...

The weather deteriorated on our approach and by the time we arrived in Maskells Harbour it was windy and wet. My friends Iain and Susan were there on Chelsea but the conditions didn't encourage us to go a visiting. Instead we settled down to watch a film on Gary's large screen monitor. Vince performed his magic and downloaded "Sinners" without busting Gary's Starlink bill. I made "dinner" not up to Gary's standard but the sausage and bacon rolls were enjoyed by the ship's company as was the very off-beat film. I won't spoil it but suffice to say that Blues, Irish Folk music and vampires and "Thriller" type dance seems were all in the mix!

Yesterday I rowed over to Chelsea and arranged to rendezvous with them properly today in Beddeck. Vince and Gary went off for a hike of 5+ miles around the harbour whilst I snoozed and read on board. Vince got some great photos...

I cooked again - juicy and large and numerous pork steaks with sweet potato wedges. Much to much food for three but somehow it all went!

Another film followed; this time from Gary's DVD collection - "Touching the Void". Quite incredible what some people can put themselves through and survive!

Today, Sunday after a leisurely breakfast we motorr the 5 or so miles to Beddeck and drop the hook at around 0215.

We'll get together with Iain and Susan later.

Hopping along the Eastern Shore and an unwelcome close encounter

We got the anchor up around midday on Monday 7th July and headed out of Shelter Cove about an hour behind our new friends Sam and Kelder on board their 37 foot steel Cutter, 'Tonks'. We headed up the coast for Spanish Bay, Liscomb about 40 miles away to rendezvous with Tonks once again. The light-moderate breeze was on the starboard quarter and for the first 6 hours or so we enjoyed pleasant sailing in warm sunshine. Then the fog rolled in and visibility fell to perhaps 200 metres. We had had an AIS contact overhauling us at about 10 knots from astern for a couple of hours at that point. To our concern it showed no sign of altering course when a mile off (which one would expect any reasonable to do - the international collision regulations clearly state that the vessel being overtaken is the stand-on vessel). There was still no change to her course at half mile, nor even at a quarter of a mile. At that stage Gary started the engine should we need to take evasive action. The issue in such circumstances is which way to alter course. There's the very real possibility that whichever way one chooses the overtaking boat may when it at last realises you're there, alters course in the same direction. Gary's AIS wasn't showing a vessel name, just it's MMSI number, which meant hailing them on the VHF a less reliable course of action than it would otherwise be. The watch keeper was clearly not on the ball and so the odd's of them recognising the vessel's MMSI number were not great. Finally at around 200 metres she hove into view through the fog and turned sharply to port. At least someone was looking out of the window! As she passed us it was clear that she was a modern expedition type motor vessel of about 60 feet. Later Gary managed to identify her through her MMSI; she was and perhaps still is MV Love Machine 7. Here's a photo of her...

As you can see she bristled with Radar and other antenna, so unless she inexplicably had all her instruments turned off (perhaps due to technical difficulties) she really had no excuse for nearly running us down. Our collective nerves on board Symphony gradually subsided but shame on that skipper. Somehow the fact that she flew the red ensign made the incident even more outrageous!!

After another couple of hours the wind died and we motored the last few miles to our anchorage in Spanish Bay.

Being of no help at all on deck, I hopped into the Galley and prepared dinner so that we could eat shortly after arrival. A chilli-concarni!

After the wildness of Shelter Cove we were slightly disturbed to find the shore line around the Bay dotted with quite a few (large to very large) properties. 

The chilli was well received by the rest of the ship's company.

After a rather late breakfast the following morning we took the dinghy initially over to Tonks where we received an invite to return later for  beer and then on to explore the bay. We couldn't find anywhere obvious to land. There were a number of landing stages but they all appeared to be private. The one next to what we thought might be public slipway had a barrier across it and a plastic skeleton hanging on a gibbet. All our contact with Canadian's had hitherto been very friendly, but it seemed to us just possible that these might not be and so in the absence of any friendly waving arms, we eventually decided not to risk a landing and headed back to Symphony where Gary prepared a dish of home made humus to take over to Tonks. Inexplicably, the Purser had neglected his duties and as a consequence we only had one can of beer left on board! Gary's humus was therefore in lieu of beer. After much debate we decided to take our last can of beer, but our last bottle of red wine just refused to budge!

We spent a very enjoyable afternoon on board Tonks. Sam (a shipwright/welder) and Kelda had bought her as a shell in a Cornish field in 2021 and fitted her out themselves. Tonks is a most impressive craft - extremely well thought out with some really nice touches like her twin running poles that are attached to the mast at their base on swivels and via a haliyard through the pole to a block half way up the mast with the fore and aft guys permanently attached and with the headsail sheets running through deadeyes that can be pulled out to the pole ends or left loose inboard for when sailing 'normally'. This all means the poles can be deployed easily within minutes rather than the hour plus it takes me to rig Bonny's twin poles.  

Sam and Kelda then left Falmouth in 2023 around about the same time that Mick and I left in Bonny. After Biscay they sailed down the Spanish coast and then like Bonny and Symphony, crossed the Atlantic via the Canaries and Cape Verde, but landed in Tobago rather then Barbados (Bonny) or, Caricau (Symphony). Tonks visited many of places that Bonny did but were always a week or so ahead of her. Both Sam and Kelda are very hands on and practical and can undertake most boat jobs. Sam's welding skills are of course especially valuable. They both found work in Antiqua and other places during their travels. It turned out that they know many of the same boating personalities that Gary does. Their slightly different take on some of them was a source of great amusement to all of us! They spent last winter in Maine and then headed up here. Gary, noticed Tonks in Halifax before we left.

On Wednesday, 9th July Tonks and Symphony motored round the corner to the mouth of the Liscomb river where the two crew minus yours truly went ashore for a walk. I spent the day on board lazing around as only a one legged sailor is entitled to do and wrote most of this post. The lack of an internet connection here means that it probably wont be published until we get to St Peters's canal. That where we head for tomorrow - Thursday, 10th July. It's almost 80 miles and so even with an early start - which will be something of a novelty for us -  we won't arrive until the evening. The winds are forecast to be very light and so we'll probably be motoring all the way!       

Return to Shelter Bay

We got the anchor up from the muddy bottom of the NorthWest Arm at about midday and headed down the arm, into the main arm of Halifax Harbour's approach and then out to the open sea. A following wind, blue sky and warm sun gave us the perfect conditions for commencing Symphony's cruise up the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.

Vince in Symphony's cockpit

Last year when I arrived in Shelter Bay in Bonny, it was deserted and so I was lucky enough to have this wild place to myself until the following morning when an unexpected email landed in my inbox to apologise for disturbing my solitude and to invite me for coffee and homemade cake! Rather surprised I peered out through the mist and shore enough there was another boat in the bay. It was 'Zen Again' with the intrepid Australian couple on board, Mike and Nikki. Nikki's carrot cake was delicious and it and their company more than made up for the 'disturbance'. This year on Saturday 4th July it was Symphony's turn to disturb the solitude of others; Sam's and Kelda's  on board 'Tonks'. See my next post for more on them and Tonks. Brain failure means I wrote that we met them in Shelter Bay and forgetting I had written nothing about Shelter Bay....

After a while Sam and Kelda came over to say hi and of course we ended up yarning away for hours over coffee.

Later, Gary and Vince went off to explore in the Kayak.  The dinghy was still out of commission due to the glue's long curing time. I declined the opportunity to be ferried ashore in the Kayak. We had tested the practicalities of getting me in and out of it in Halifax but the thought of an accidental capsize was enough to put me off. Besides there was little I would have been able to do if ashore and I wanted Gary and Vnce to enjoy the experience without having to worry about me.

They enjoyed the outing and even spotted an American Porcupine - initially thought to be a tree climbing Beaver by Vince because of its large wide tail!

No eagles or osprey were spotted this year but the Porcupine made up for that. 

On Monday 7th July we followed, about an hour behind Tonks, out of Shelter Bay and headed for Liscomb.

  

Halifax and Symphony

Symphony

On Sunday afternoon, George from the Marina/sailing school arrived in his Rib and accompanied by his son to take Bonny out to the mooring. Pascal came out as well and with their help Bonny was soon secured to the most sheltered mooring in the harbour. 

After getting Bonny moored up Chris and Amy hosted drinks for all the crews I had got friendly with whilst at St Pierre. The photos are crap due to facing the sun but....

That's Rorik and Jenny from Amsterdam who are now on their way to the Azores. I met them a couple of weeks ago in Baddek - Rorik gave me a knee pad ....

.....that has proved invaluable for getting up and down docks and ladders etc) 

Above (left to right) are Ali (with Andrez out of shot) from The Falklands whom I met last year in Shelter Cove, East Shore Nova Scotia). Then Pascal (his partner Loranne not there) then our hosts Amy and Chris. Out of shot were Michael and Sabina.

I stayed on board Bluaberre on Sunday night as the guest of Michael and Sabina and the following morning - Monday 30th June - Katy who manages the Marina/Yacht club kindly took me to the airport - it was 12 C. 

The view from the plane above St Pierre

The 1.5 hour flight to Halifax went without a hitch and the very helpful flight attendant arranged for a wheelchair attendant to get me through the airport at Halifax. I almost declined the offer but was very glad I didn't because it would have been an extremely slow trek on crutches.

View from the Armdale Yacht Club

After killing a couple of hours I got the Maritime bus to Halifax  town - about 40 minutes - it was 25 C - and then a taxi to the Armdale Yacht Club where I arrived just before Symphony hove into view. An hour and a half later Gary joined me in the Yacht Club bar for a beer and a very good fish and chips dinner after which we retired to Symphony for the night.

Symphony at the fuel dock

The following day, the 1st July was Canada Day (there version of the USA's 4th July) and so after rising rather late we took a local bus into town. On the bus a friendly local got chatting to us and it turned out that he was the drummer in a Blues Band and was on his way into town to play a gig. "Why not come along?" Subsequently that's exactly what we did. Before then however we explored the waterfront which was extremely busy. We had Canada's national dish, Puchine, for lunch. Chips 'n' Gravy with chunks of cheese.  Vince and I had it last year when we visited the waterfront. I found it rather more pleasant this time!

After lunch we split up for a couple of hours so that Gary could cover more ground. We both independently went to the excellent maritime museum. Then at about 6.30 we headed for the Blues Bar and enjoyed a great set by "The Relics". The evening set was by an extremely talented guitarist but despite his undoubted technical prowess he was not nearly so entertaining as his support act - 'The Relics'. The small crowd reveled in their ability to knock out classic Blues and Rock songs. The highlight of the set was Canadian, Neil Young's, 'Rockin in the Free World'. The crowd were clearly very proud Canadian's but there was non of the jingoism that one can imagine coming across elsewhere.

I'm not quite sure what happened to 2nd July - but Gary and I passed through it with very little effort certainly on my part. Gary must have tackled some of the inevitable boat jobs that are always hanging around.

On Thursday afternoon Vince arrived and Gary and I took Symphony across the inlet to the Yacht Club to pick him up and to fuel and water the boat. Well, I watched as Gary and then Vince busied themselves with all that. I did make a useful contribution on the way back by pointing out we were about to go the wrong way round a buoy and possibly run aground!

Later in the evening we took the dinghy to the Yacht Club for a couple of Beers and had a chat with locals who I met last year when knocking around with fellow OCC member Rhys. On that visit Rob arranged for Rhys and I to crew on his son's boat in the evening race. Well actually we didn't do much more than help the rest of the crew drink beer. Rob and Becky made us feel quite at home once again and later other locals came by and chatted with us.

Today (Friday) has been hectic. I managed to crash Gary's laptop and Vince spent a good couple of hours fixing it - good job he was here because it's highly unlikely that either Gary or I would have been able to fix it. Gary spent most of the day on repairing the dinghy - a job that will take a few more days to complete. The protective rubber strip around the outside is coming unstuck. The dinghy is now out of action for a few days whilst the new glue cures. Gary and Vince have therefore gone ashore to do the shopping in Gary's inflatable two person Kayak. Getting a week's worth of shopping back on board is going to be fun!!

Garry arriving back with the first of three Kayak loads of shopping

Tomorrow (Saturday 5th July) we head for Shelter Bay