Baddeck, Cape Breton

Nova Scotia & Newfoundland

Nova Scotia – The crossing was approximately 225 mi, 30 hours, to Shelburne, a pleasant small town founded by British Loyalists at the end of the Revolutionary War. We tied up to the public wharf at midnight with the help of the crew of a Russian factory trawler tied up nearby. We loved Nova Scotia when we visited 10 years ago and we love it now. We’ve found the people pleasant and helpful and the towns display a real sense of their place in history. We celebrated Canada Day, July 1st, in Lockeport, a small fishing town just north of Shelburne – parade, soapbox derby, music, dancing and fireworks. Then on to Halifax where we stayed at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Marina (it sounds more la de da then it is), rented a car and did a mega-shop at Costco in preparation for Labrador. And we saw the film “The Patriot” at an 18 screen cinema. One would have figured it would have been banned here in the land of expatriates. After 2 days we continued north along the east coast, anchoring in Ship Harbor, Little Liscomb Harbor, Canso Harbor, Corbett’s Cove just inside Bras D’Or Lake (Cape Breton), Baddeck, final home of Alexander Graham Bell, and finally Big Bras  D’Or, just outside Sidney on the north coast of Cape Breton.  

Lark Harbor, Newfoundland

Newfoundland - July 13th was a beautiful sunny day, light winds, with a full moon that night as we crossed Cabot Straits to Labrador.  After 30 hours and approx. 225 miles we anchored in Lark Harbor, Bay of Islands, about 1/3 way up the west coast. Our first impression of Newfoundland was that, notwithstanding the collapse of the cod fishery, the people seem very upbeat, houses kept very neat and tidy, and the appearance of not wanting for much. This was where we first heard of the “Newfoundland Flotilla 2000”, a group of Canadian and American sailboats circumnavigating Newfoundland that were just ahead of us. The entire time we were in Newfoundland everyone wanted to know if we were part of the flotilla. Mark made it very clear we were not part of any group. We heard that there was a new marina in Corner Brook, 10 miles up the fjord, so we spent the next 2 nights there (such a deal, $10 CA per night) getting showers, doing laundry, checking e-mail at the library and getting in a movie (The Perfect Storm – how perfect!). Corner Brook is a very pleasant mill town, just outside Gros Morne National Park and Marble Mountain, a downhill ski area.

L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

Our route took us north along the coast to Norris Point, inside Gros Morne Park, Port au Choix, a bustling fishing town, Black Duck Cove where the local fishermen gave us a large bag of shrimp and finally, L’Anse aux Meadows on the very northern tip of Newfoundland where the 1000th anniversary of Leif Erickson’s arrival in North America was taking place. Other than the few flotilla stragglers we encountered along the way, we did not see any other sailboats.  The coast of Labrador had been visible since we departed Port au Choix. As we rounded Cape Norman we saw lots of Minke and Humpback Whales, our first icebergs and puffins. The area around L’Anse aux Meadows is slowly recovering from the collapse of the cod fishery, yet the people are very upbeat. On July 28th, the big Viking Feast day, the area of normally a couple hundred people was inundated with thousands of people. We were told before our arrival that the people of Newfoundland were very friendly and hospitable and so far they haven’t let us down. We’ll be back. After 2 beautiful days in L’Anse aux Meadows, we left for Labrador.