To Haliax we go!

Chester, the Marina Manager at the Liscombe Lodge, loaned his car to us so we could go into nearby Sherbrooke to the grocery store and visit the historical village there.  The Sherbrooke Historical village is actually a museum town from 1876 – 150 years old, and each building sits on its original foundation.  The village was complete with church, court house, jail, school, doctor’s office, pharmacy, boat builder, wood turner…. Staff were dressed in period clothing and were prepared to explain details of what happened in each building. Fascinating!

We left Liscombe Harbour and sailed southwesterly toward Halifax, and made it nearly half-way, to Taylor’s Head, which was our next anchorage.  We made good time, and anchored in a protected bay, surrounded by a wide white sand beach.  We wanted to go to shore, and were close enough that we rowed in. We learned from people enjoying the beach that it was Taylor Head Provincial Park.

The next day we continued, and cut the distance to Halifax in half again, and anchored in Jeddore Harbour, where close by, the German tall ship “Alexander von Humboldt II” was anchored.

In Jeddore Harbour fishing is a big deal

We are very exited about the Tall Ship Festival in Halifax this weekend, which is part of the Rendezvous 2017, and the Canada 150 celebration! 30 tall ships are expected!  The radio is abuzz with excitement too, and huge crowds are being predicted to see the spectacle, eat local food dishes, and take in free concerts on the city’s waterfront. 

So on July 28, 2017, we sailed into Halifax, and entered one of the world’s best natural harbours!  Some tall ships had already arrived, and others were on their way, several following us in! We made our way into Halifax’s Northwest Arm, which was thick with boats; docked, moored and anchored. 

One of the huge homes on Halifax's Northwest Arm

We anchored at the northwest end across from the Armdale Yacht Club, and dinghied over to go shopping at the nearby Binnacle Marine store, a brief five-minute walk away.

On Saturday, July 29, 2017, we and the rest of Halifax went to the harbour front to look at the tall ships!  We toured the Bluenose II, but just looked at the other boats from the dock.  All the tall ships packed into such a small area was an amazing sight. And here are a few pictures…

First of the Bluenose II:

and then the other tall ships...

Nova Scotia

One last word before we move on from Summerside, P.E.I.: After we returned the rental car, they were kind enough to drive us back to the marina. On our return, I realized that I had plugged in my phone at the rental place, and forgot it there. We entered the marina, and on learning what had happened, one of the restaurant waitresses offered use of her car to retrieve the phone, saving me a 5 kilometre walk in 26ºC. So, kudos to the waitress at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside, P.E.I.!

We left Summerside in the morning with the primary goal of moving east and getting under the Confederation Bridge that spans the Northumberland Straight and links P.E.I. with New Brunswick.  The wind was a bit on the nose so we tacked several times and finally passed under around noon.

Approaching the Confederation Bridge

We maintained our course southeasterly with the wind favouring us, and made good time under one of the best sails so far! We made our way towards Pugwash, Nova Scotia, which looked to be a suitable anchorage for the night, considering forecasted winds. We did not go to shore, but it looked like a wonderful cottaging area, with a number of people swimming, playing on the beach and rock areas.

In the morning, we set sail for the east, with the aim to see how far the wind would take us. It was another hot day, so we are lucky to be out on the water!  We saw a dolphin cross our bow! Winds were light, but we made it to Tatamagouche Bay where we anchored again, without going to shore. A few boaters came by to say hi. Tomorrow’s forecast is even lighter winds.

Monday, July 17, 2017, we moved on again toward Pictou, but hoping we would get further.  We sailed along the coast, enjoying the beautiful scenery that was going by… slowly… appreciating everything, and doing our best to keep cool in the heatwave.  Fog set in at noon.  Not a thin veil, but a true East Coast “thick as pea soup” kind of fog, that makes us thankful that we were prepared with AIS and radar, and our chart plotter! We finally ended our day at the outside of Merigomish Harbour at Calhoun Point, just as the fog was lifting.

And what a beautiful sight! A 2-kilometre-long sand beach, and we anchored around a protective rocky point. The beach, we later learned, is part of Melmerby Beach Provincial Park, and is one of the warmest beaches north of Virginia on the North American Atlantic coast!  We rowed into shore and picked a spot with few people to pull ashore.  The water was shallow, and very warm. 

Melmerby Beach, NS with Vata anchored nearby

We had one of the most peaceful anchorages so far at this spot, with no waves, no wind, and no noise – no halyards slapping or ropes clanging inside the mast, and no waves lapping on the hull. Wonderful!

Dawn at Melmerby Beach

The next stretch of coastline toward the Straights of Canso has no harbours; no anchorages; no places to hide in the event of bad weather, so after we checked the forecast, we decided to motor to the next anchorage 41 nautical miles distant.  We saw a surprisingly high number of dolphins as we passed Georgeville. Later that day, on July, 18, 2017, (day 67 after leaving the North Channel Yacht Club), we made it to Havre Boucher, at the top of the Straight of Canso, where we tucked in for the night.

Houses and buildings onshore at Harvre Boucher, NS

We had placed an order for charts and Sailing Directions with Binnacle Marine a few weeks ago, and the parcel was waiting for us in Port Hawkesbury!

 

The Canso Canal

Highway/railway bridge opens to let us pass toward Port Hawkesbury

Port Hawkesbury Marina

We went into Port Hawkesbury and topped up with diesel and water. The dockmaster at the marina was very kind and allowed us to stay there while we went into town. He was looking for a ride for us, when a man just sitting in his car at the dock offered us a ride. It is always a surprise when people do nice things for others! We will have much to pay forward.  We left the marina and anchored around the corner, but it was a noisy night… train tracks along each shore of the bay, a busy street nearby, and of course the port.

Trains moving around on both shores beside our anchorage at Port Hawkesbury

In the morning, we moved on through the Straights of Canso and into Chedabucto Bay on the way to Canso. 

Canso, NS

It was a pretty town, but we could not find a suitable anchorage, so we went into the next bay, Glasgow Harbour, and found a very safe anchorage.  The windmills of Canso towered over us, while seals bobbed their heads around us.

Canso Windmills seen from Glasgow Harbour

The following night we spent in Yankee Cove in Whitehead Harbour, slightly further south. There was an aquaculture site there, but otherwise very desolate. Trees are stunted and bud-wormed or over-mature and dying. This is a largely undeveloped wild coast, and it is thrilling to be discovering this area the way explorers always have - by sea! Fortunately we have modern technology, charts and Sailing Directions to assist us.

Shoreline at Yankee Cove

The following night we spent in Fisherman’s Harbour in Never Fail Cove. It was a nice protected cove with a fishing fleet and dock.  One of the boats went out to take the grandchildren fishing and stopped by to chat. The boat was called “I’se The Bye” (I’m not making this up) registered in Halifax, and the grandkids were visiting from Waterloo, Ontario!

I'se the Bye from Fisherman's Harbour

Fishing warf in Never Fail Cove, Fisherman's Harbour, NS

From Fisherman’s Harbour, we had a beautiful sail all day to Liscombe Harbour, where we made our way up the river to Liscombe Resort and Conference Centre. We dinghied in and met Chester, the head of the resort’s marine department.  He has worked there for 40 years, and has never been past Halifax.  When we anchored in the narrow river earlier, unbeknownst to us, he gave us advice on where to anchor, and it turns out he is a licensed sea captain, tour guide and drives tourists on a river tour to the Atlantic and knows this area like the back of his hand. We held and our keel never touched bottom.  The resort is very nice, and has an excellent restaurant, pool, whirlpool, sauna, and the main lobby is reminiscent of Bob Newhart’s Vermont lodge in his old TV show!

Planked salmon being smoked for the Liscombe Lodge dinner

The Reception at Liscombe Lodge

Atlantic Canada begins

After Canada Day in Sainte Anne des Monts, we continued easterly to Mont Louis, the next potential anchorage. It was fairly open, despite our effort to tuck in behind the break wall, but it would do. The hills (mountains) on shore helped create some very interesting clouds as the moist air pushed against them and rose to higher elevations.

Mont Louis clouds

Riviere au Renard is a major fishing harbour on the northern Gaspe peninsula. On July 2^nd we found a great place to anchor within this community’s completely enclosed harbour in 15 feet of water, without significant tidal influences (less than 6 feet). Although the wind picked up overnight, we felt safe in this spot.

Riviere Au Renaud houses by the harbour.

In the morning, we set sail for Gaspe.  And it was a beautiful downwind sail in 20 knots of wind and an ebb tide!  We passed the amazing lighthouse at Cap Rosieres, the tallest in the Canadian east coast, and marking the end of the St. Lawrence River (according to a Royal Proclamation in 1763).

Cap Rosieres Lighthouse with the Gaspe Cliffs in the distance

So, we were officially in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Next, we rounded Cap Gaspe, an extraordinary sight after miles of high sheer cliffs, and were greeted into Gaspe Bay by two whales! 

Cap Gaspe

What a sight: like fools, we were scrambling around to find our cameras, not to get a single decent picture – we should have just looked and appreciated the moment!

And we made our way to Gaspe, the birthplace of “Canada”: it was here, that in 1534, Jacques Cartier raised a wooden cross with the local Indigenous Peoples present and claimed this land for the King of France, and called it Canada! He returned to this region several more times, but he never returned to Gaspe.

The granite cross in the historical site in Gaspe

Our dinner one night in Gaspe

Sailing along the shores of this amazing land for the last 50-something days, we are in bewilderment of the events that have happened here, and trying to fathom the significance of these places so rich in our nation’s history. Wow!

Mal Baie is a little (tiny) fishing harbour about half a day’s sail from Gaspe. When we arrived, we found it pretty tight for space, but anchored in deep enough water, and well away from the fishing fleet at the docks behind the breakwater. No sooner did we anchor, and one of the fishing boats raced over and suggested we move in closer behind the breakwater, and cautioned us of a shoal in the area. So we moved. 

The fishing fleet in Mal Baie, wrapping up Lobster season

The next day was the last day of lobster season in this area and all the boats got out in the middle of the night (chop-chop on the water) and they all returned in the wee hours of the morning to preserve their catch (more chop-chop), so we got out of bed early and set off for the Magdalen Islands, with Percé as a little side trip (not to be missed).

Percé rock was very cool!

And we corrected our course toward the Magdalen Islands. The wind picked up, and exceeded the forecasted 20 knots, and approached gale force, and after considering how we would carry on through the night to make our landfall at the Magdalens on 5-metre high waves, that were still building and starting to break, we turned around. (Sorry, no pictures, we were too busy). Late that evening we anchored beside Percé rock, in complete shelter from the storm at sea.

We decided that the better route may be via the Northumberland Straight, so made our way coast-wise to Chandler, Quebec, where we found an abandoned harbour with no boats, and a ferry dock in obvious dis-use.  In the morning, we made our way to Miscou Island, New Brunswick.  This is the heart of Acadian culture in New Brunswick, in fact, Pictou Island forms the tip of the Acadian Peninsula, located between Bathurst and Mirimachi. We had all sorts of visitors after anchoring, asking if we were going into town, etc. then leaving us waiving their beers! Fishing boats were all decked out with flags… maybe something good was going on in town?

Acadian fishing boat in Miscou

From Miscou we moved to Mirimachi.  It was a long way to go, and the wind wasn’t helping us get there soon enough.  When we were navigating through the myriad of shallows and shoals entering Mirimachi Bay, we passed three tall ships leaving, under sail!

We then sailed to Richibucto, where we spent two nights anchored in the river; and another night at the south tend of the Bouctouche Dunes.  We dinghied in to the beach there, where the only human footprints were ours.

Light at south end of Bouctouche Dunes

On July 13^th, we crossed the Northumberland Straight and anchored in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. They are having their Lobster Carnival here, complete with food sampling, midway and entertainment. The main reason we came here, though, was to visit the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place near Cavendish.  No tours were available, so we rented a car. On Friday July 14^th, we drove off to see the Green Gables site, and saw a lot of picturesque scenery all along the way.

Summerside PEI Wharf

Anne of Green Gables Museum

Anne of Green Gables Heritage Site