South Coast of Nova Scotia

Saturday, August 5^th, 2017, we woke in Lunenburg Harbour, again shrouded in thick fog. The weather forecast indicated that it would lift, so around 10 a.m. we raised the anchor and motored into Lunenburg Bay toward the “Ovens”, a couple of huge sea caves on the south shore, conveniently on our way. 

Foggy morning in Lunenburg as we prepare to leave port.

The wind picked up and we sailed around the corner and continued southwesterly to the LaHave River, where we anchored off the Kraut Point fishing wharf and a nearby shore offering protection from the wind and waves.

Fishing boats at the wharf at Kraut Point

The next morning we continued, but the winds had created quite a swell, and the wind direction required us to be close hauled, something the autopilot doesn’t deal with very well, so we hand-steered almost the whole day.  The wind averaged 15-20 knots (30-40km/hr) and the waves were building on an ever-increasing swell, then breaking, when dense fog rolled in! Back home fog was usually associated with calm winds, but here it comes in anything!  Never a dull moment! With the radar on, straining our eyes and ears, we navigated into Port Medway, and just as the trickiest part was done, the fog lifted.  We anchored an relatively calm waters close to the town of Port Medway, but stayed on the boat.

Monday morning the forecast was for westerlies in the morning, a suitable wind direction to move down the coast, so we hurried up and made coffee and breakfast while we were underway. Close-hauled again, the wind increased as the day went on, reaching 27 knots, and the waves increased in size in an angle to yesterday’s swell.  Tired of the pounding we were taking, we cut into Port Motoun (pronounced “Matoon”), as the Down East Circle Route Cruising Guide stated a beach here, Carter Beach, is likely Nova Scotia’s most idyllic beach.  We had to check it out!  We were very surprised, arriving near low tide, that the beach was amazing, long and wide. White sand (see the pictures!) for 3 coves, with sand dunes, and no development. In the Caribbean, it would have been lined with resort hotels.  After we were comfortable that the anchor was holding, we dinghied into shore for a long walk on the beach. There were granite boulders on the fringes similar to the Baths in the Virgin Islands or the Maldives. Beautiful!  Apparently, this beautiful beach wasn’t a secret, because there were a lot of people on it.

Carter Beach on Port Motoun

Fresh mackerel! Yum!

When we returned to the boat, 3 locals that had been out mackerel fishing stopped by to offer us part of their catch! We gratefully accepted 2, and we quickly had them cleaned and on the grill!

Tuesday’s forecast called for high winds overnight so we had to look for a well protected spot. We found it at Lockeport, where their harbour is fully enclosed and safe in all winds. We stayed a rare night at a dock at the White Gull Restaurant and Marina, but found, contrary to the cruising guide, it had no diesel, no water and no power. We later noticed that a neighbouring Wharf, part of the marina, had power outlets, and moved over there, tying spring lines to deal with the 5 foot tidal range.

Historic residences in Lockeport

Wednesday, August 5^th, we made our way to Shelburne, Nova Scotia. We anchored south of the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club’s mooring field, in front of historic Dock Street.  Tied to moorings, and crowding the docks were a number of schooners, which we later found out gathered in Shelburne this year for their annual schooner race week.  After anchoring, we went to the yacht club and for a walk.

Schooners taking part in the daily races!

The buildings on the waterfront were very well maintained, courtesy of Hollywood who provided a facelift for a number of them with Shelburne was used in the 1994 movie,” The Scarlet Letter”.

A few examples of the old, but often well preserved buildings on Dock Street

The boat shed

Thursday was grocery day in the morning, and laundry day in the afternoon. I spoke to sailors at the club to learn of issues and advice in crossing the Gulf of Maine, where the Bay of Fundy tidal range, the highest in the world, also creates strong currents that must be considered when navigating these waters.

Friday, we investigated our failing alternator, which didn’t seem to be charging the batteries when the engine was running.  A replacement was eventually found in Bridgwater at Rob’s Starter Repair, and he would courier it to us right away. Thanks, Rob!  That evening we learned that the Lobster Shack was catering for the yacht club’s Friday night dinner, and for $14 each we received a heaping lobster roll with a large serving of pasta salad. Delicious!

 

We have taken a liking to lobster rolls here in Nova Scotia!

The schooner Columbia in one of the races

Saturday, our 3^rd month after leaving the North Channel Yacht Club in Spragge, Ontario, we visited the Shelburne farmer’s market, and drove Vata to the fuel dock for diesel and water. It rained here all afternoon, and most of Sunday, so we took care of a few chores on the boat, and we came over to the yacht club to charge our computer and update the blog.

Part of the historic waterfront on Dock Street as seen from our place in the anchorage.

The Mist of Avalon from Liverpool NS in Shelburne