 We left Glasgow Harbour at 7:30am to try once again to get to Issacs Harbour but the wind and the waves continued to be too high. In addition, we could see fog forming and we were concerned about getting caught in thick fog—along with the rough water. We check our charts and headed in to Marshall Cove and then over to the community of White Head which was quite a distance inland but totally sheltered from the ocean. |
 We tied up to fishing wharf in White Head at the far end of the bay. This was a completely different world weather-wise in this large bay. There was no wind or waves. We talked to a couple of local fishermen and residents. They said we could stay tied to the wharf for a day or two if we wanted. This was to be our first experience in tying up to a wharf that was subject to tidal influences. Up until now we had always tied to floating docks so we did not have to worry about our docking lines going slack or tight with the tides. |
| The forecast for the rest of the day and in to the next day was not encouraging—more heavy fog, strong winds and high waves. As a result, no chance of getting any further for at least two days. We were all getting concerned about making it to Halifax in time for Chris and Joan to catch their train on the 21st. |
 Chris found a local fisherman who was willing to drive them to the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal the next day, so we settled in for the evening. After dinner we set up the computer and watched the “Captain Ron” movie. Ooops! Wine spilled on computer keyboard—end of that operation! You’d think that the computer would have a better appreciation for fine wine! |
Category Archives: 2010 – Down East Cruise
Tuesday, August 17
| Departed Canso at 7:00am and headed to Issacs Harbour. Strong wind and high waves caused us to turn back. We had lunch in a small cove near Three Islets, checked out the passage to Issacs Harbour and found that the wind and the waves had not subsided. By this time it was after 2:00pm and we did not have sufficient time to reach our desired destination—even if the wind and the waves immediately died down so we started searching for a location to spend the night. Glasgow Harbour is a well sheltered area on the other side of the hill from the town of Canso. There was a lot of strong wind out beyond the barrier islands but we were in a very sheltered cove and quite comfortable. |
 Joan showed me how to rig up a bridle line from the anchor chain to the forward deck cleats and that arrangement took the strain off the windlass. We settled in for the night and Joan cooked us another great supper. By the time it was dark the wind was blowing very strong and Ananda was constantly straining on her anchor—but we had not moved a foot in several hours so we were confident that the anchor would not drag even through the night.There were many small islands surrounding the harbour. They all had lots of seals hanging out on them and were “moaning” constantly. It was an erie sound, especially at night mixed in with strong winds in the rigging! |
 The seals were still out there “moaning” even though we could not see them. I got our spotlight out and shone it on the islands. Every time the light swept by one of the islands the seals would stop moaning and then start up again as soon as the light was gone. Through the night we had a terrific thunder and lightning storm that circled around the area 2 or 3 times. We were all awake at the peak of the storm and watched the anemometer peak over 25 knots several times. Finally the storm died down a bit and we all went back to bed for the remainder of the night. |
Monday, August 16
 We departed Ballentyne’s Bay around 7:00am. Chapter II left just a few minutes before us, bound for her home port of Charlottetown–where we had come from just the day before. We had a great time the night before telling sailing stories and comparing adventures. John Dennis built Chapter II himself and he has sailed her all over the world–including crossing the Atlantic Ocean six times. Ananda has a bit of catching up to do! |
 We arrived at the Canso Canal at 10:00am and were allowed to pass through right away. The canal has only one lock and the “rise or fall” is about 4 feet or less—depending upon the tide. This lock is designed to the same specifications as all of the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway because many freighters use this passage instead of going around Cape Breton Island. |
 The lock also serves to slow down the flow between Cape Breton and the Nova Scotia mainland because the velocity of water passing through the channel that was left open after the causeway was built is very strong and it would be hard for vessels to navigate without fear of running aground. The passage on the “ocean” side of the canal is fairly heavily industrialized with a major fuel terminal and a paper mill. |
 We continued our trip past Port Hawksbury and then anchored in the harbour in front of a church in Canso at 3:30pm. By the time we had our anchor set it was beginning to rain so we settled in for an early supper and early to bed. |
Sunday, August 15
 We departed Charlottetown around 8:00am and had a relatively lobster-pot-free trip to Ballantyne’s Bay, Nova Scotia. There were a few pots along the way but nowhere near as many as we had encountered to and from Shediac. The day was very calm with no wind so I decided to try switching fuel tanks again to see if the fuel supply from the port-side tank would work. We stopped the engine, switched feed lines and started the engine up again. The engine only ran about 20 minutes and quit. Same as before—the fuel line became air-blocked. I switched back to the starboard tank, bled the fuel line, and started the engine. It runs without difficulty on this tank. I need to figure out once and for all what is going on with the port tank. |
| We were about 2 hours from our destination when we spotted a small fishing boat headed out towards the point of land in front of Ballantyne’s Bay. Looking through the binoculars, we saw that the boat was stopped and observing a school of about a dozen black dolphins swimming in a tight circle. |
| We adjusted our course slightly to come closer and it soon became obvious that the dolphins were feeding on something and their circular motion was to keep their prey trapped. This went on for about 30 minutes more and then the circle broke up and the dolphins swam north up the Northumberland Strait. |
 We arrived in Ballantyne’s Bay late in the afternoon. The community has a small marina and is also home to numerous fishing boats. |
 The townspeople have built a small museum that is attached to the marina office. It has an interesting display about tuna fishing in the region and about other aspects of the local fishery. |
 Shortly after we arrived another sailboat came in to the marina and tied up to the dock beside us. John Dennis is the owner/captain of Chapter II. He and two friends were on their way back from Saint-Pierre & Miquelon, two islands close to Newfoundland that are still associated with France.
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Saturday, August 14
 We left the marina in Shediac at sunrise because we wanted to get to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) as early in the day as possible—so we could enjoy some of the city—and to also avoid having to navigate our way through more ‘fields” of lobster pots in the dark. |
| As you come out of the marina basin, you have to turn a sharp left to immediately get in to the channel that leads out to the Northumberland Strait. I did not turn sharply enough and the boat ran aground in the soft mud—right at the entrance to the marina. Fortunately, the mud was soft and not too deep. A few back-and-forths with Ananda’s large propeller and we were free in about a minute. |
 Just as we were breaking free a lobster boat came out of the marina basin. We could see that the owner had his young son aboard to help out with the day’s work ahead. When the young fellow saw us he gave a great salute and wave. Perhaps he knew what was ahead of us and that was his way of wishing “best of luck to you in the lobster pot fields”? |
 We spent the next 2½ hours navigating our way through hundreds of lobster pot floats. At least it was day time but we soon discovered that with the sun facing us, it was difficult to spot the floats. There were many that we did not see until we were right on top of them! Interestingly enough, when we looked back at where we came from we could see all kinds of floats reflecting in the morning sunlight. That, of course explains why the fishermen would go a long ways out of the harbor before they began working their way back to port. |
 With the sun at their backs it was very easy for them to spot the floats and navigate from site to site by their eyes alone. The best way I can describe how dense these “fields” are is to have you think about walking through a very large lawn full of dandelions without stepping on any. It’s not easy! |
 Thankfully the lobster pots began to thin out as we approached the Confederation Bridge which connects Prince Edward Island (PEI) to mainland New Brunswick. |
 This bridge is an amazing structure—almost 20 kilometers long and declared to be the longest bridge of its kind in the world that crosses (winter) frozen waters. Prior to the bridge being built the island could only be reached by (ferry) boat or plane. |
 The bridge was also built as one of Canada’s biggest public private partnership initiatives. The consortium that designed and built the bridge has a 50-year concession to charge tolls for access to the bridge. |
 The tolls are competitive with the ferry charges and the bridge offers the convenience of allowing motorists and goods to cross between New Brunswick and PEI at their convenience rather than to a ferry schedule. |
 We reached Charlottetown harbour about 2:30pm and contacted the marina for docking and fuel instructions. We had to go to the neighboring marina to get fuel as the yacht club no longer sold diesel. |
 The Peakes Wharf Marina was jumping with activity—lots of boats coming and going, throngs of tourists on shore visiting stores, seeing the sights and watching the local entertainment. |
 While we were fueling up we had gospel rock and roll on one side of us and maritime jigs and reels on the other side. I asked the fuel attendant how he was enjoying his day with all of the activity around him. He replied that he was going nuts and was looking forward to the end of his shift. When we were all done fueling up I gave him a generous tip and told him that the first beer was on me! |
 Joan whipped up another great meal—seafood chowder with halibut. That and a few libations went down quite quickly. Feeling totally refreshed, I decided that it was time for more exercise so I headed out in search of some sights and a loaf of bread for Joan. |
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 The downtown area of Charlottetown is right on the waterfront so I did not have far to go to be right in the heart of the action. This is a great little city with lots of neat things to see and do. |
 The Anne of Green Gables Festival plays in the city each summer and throngs of tourists come to PEI for the theater, the lobsters, the great beaches and fabulous maritime hospitality. |
 Charlottetown is also the birthplace of Canada’s Confederation. In 1867 our founding fathers met in Charlottetown and established Canada as a country of the British Commonwealth. PEI may be our smallest province but it sure is “big” in Canadian history! |