Halifax

We arrived in Halifax during the Halifax International Busker Festival. What is a Busker?? Busking is the art of performing in public places for tips and gratuities, says Google. So there were street performers everywhere. Lots of fun that no doubt goes on unto the wee hours. We were all glad that we were moored at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron rather than at the downtown wharf! Though Halifax is a large city, it seems clean and relatively free of the less desirable big city elements. We enjoyed strolling the waterfront, the historic area and the Public Garden. The flowers in the Garden were spectacular!

The Yacht Squadron hosted sailing camps for all ages of children. We really enjoyed watching the little ones learning to sail.

Liscombe Lodge

After a bumpy ride from Cape Breton, we pulled into Liscomb and docked at Liscombe Lodge ready for some calm water and we found that and more -- delightful people, laid back atmosphere, walking trails for all levels of experience, rental cottages, a heated swimming pool, nice restaurant; sort of a throw back in time. No town of any sort nearby so we made the most of the walking trails and down time. The dock at Liscombe Lodge is small, only large enough to hold our boat, so several sail boats anchored in the tiny harbor. Since the weather was predicted to be windy for several days, we made ourselves at home. The harbor was beautifully eerie in the fog.

Random Observations

During our travels in Canada, we've made the following observations:

Sweet N Low is unavailable in Canada. So are grits and Rose's Lime Juice, essential for making a gimlet. A pound of butter, unquartered, is $2 less than butter that is cut into quarters. Also, milk is not sold in gallon jugs. It is sold in a 4 liter "bladder" that needs to be put into a special pitcher, sold separately of course. Milk is sold in either a 1/2 gallon wax carton or plastic jug. The plastic jug is $1 more! On the plus side, the bakery selections have been outstanding.

Be careful in the meat aisle: ground beef is right next to the ground bison and ground HORSE and it all looks the same and the descriptions are in French (in Quebec)!

Water temperature varies greatly. In the St. Lawrence River, at Quebec City, 63 degrees; only 110 miles away, near Tadoussac (whale feeding grounds), it was 39 degrees; in Bras d'Or, 70 degrees; at Halifax Nova Scotia, 54 degrees. Since we are traveling on the water, we really feel the difference in water temps. In town, off of the water, it is warm (72 degrees) but on the water, not so. Hard to know how to dress.

Fuel is very expensive here. Gas is about $1.03 per liter for regular. Diesel, our fuel of choice, is about the same. We burn 40 gallon an hour at cruising speed ( 20 knts )

A 65 ft boat is about the largest that could do this trip, if you expect to stay at any marinas. Docks are pretty small here and marinas are few and far between.

American country music is BIG here. We hear it all the time!

Main observation: you could not ask for nicer people on the face of the planet. We have not met a rude person on our travels. Even when unable to satisfy our needs or to speak our language, each person has been polite beyond measure and wishing to help. What a delight!

Bras d'Or Lake, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Between PEI and Cape Breton, we cleared two more locks. The first in Canso Strait was huge - 820 ft long and 80 ft wide. We didn't even have to tie up; just hover in the middle. The second, St. Peter's Lock, built in 1869, was similar to those in the Champlain Canal. Prior to the opening of the canal and lock, small vessels were placed on skids and pulled by oxen over the 1/2 mile strip of land.

St Peter's lock marks the beginning of the Bras d'Or Lake, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world. It is a beautiful cruising area, with lots of coves and islands. The town of Baddeck, on the northern end of the lake, is home to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Bell and his family loved Cape Breton and spent their summers in Baddeck at their home overlooking the lake. In fact, the family still uses the house every summer.

In Baddeck, there was a quilt show at one of the churches. We couldn't resist taking a picture of the unique car cover we saw.

Prince Edward Island

Docked at the Silver Fox Yacht & Curling Club, we made Summerside, PEI our base for touring the island. PEI, named for the father of Queen Victoria, is famous for its potatoes and mussels and we agree that they have the best of both. The soil on PEI is a rich, red color, perfect for agriculture, and the islanders have made the most of it by planting acres of potato fields, covering the rolling hills with lush vegetation. The author of the novel "Anne of Greene Gables" lived on PEI and we toured the home and farm made famous by the book.

Charlottetown, the capital of the province, is considered to be the birthplace of Canada because the Fathers of the Confederation convened there in 1864 to consider the details of a union that resulted in the formation of Canada 3 years later. Charlottetown is a pretty town. We walked the streets, visited the Provincial House and tried their famous "Cows" ice cream and chocolate covered PEI potato chips -- YUM! Margaret was feeling a little under the weather that day. At lunch she decided to have just a little something; maybe just a hamburger with some vegetables...

Mussels are farmed in the bays and rivers of Prince Edward Island. We were able to see the harvesting operation in action near Montague, PEI where we stopped on our way to Cape Breton. Sheila and Darryl manage Montague Marina and they brought us a HUGE bowl of freshly dug and cooked mussels. Another culinary delight! They were the best mussels we have ever eaten and they cooked them right on the dock in a big turkey fryer!

The third most popular product of PEI is oysters. The oysters from the town of Malpeque were chosen "the tastiest oyster in the world" at the 1900 Paris exhibition. Yes, 1900.

Prince Edward Island is connected to New Brunswick by the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge. Built in 1997, it is designed like a Roman aqueduct. It is free to cross the bridge from NB to PEI but the toll to leave the island is $47 !! Why so much? Because that is what the ferry charged when it used to cross the Strait.

Canadian Coast Guard

While in Trois Rivieres, we met 3 members of the Search and Rescue division of the Canadian Coast Guard. Etienne, Miriam and Thomas were very enthusiastic about their jobs and were a delight to meet. They enjoyed the tour of our boat and remarked on how cool that it was so "old school". The CCG provides a wonderful service for cruising yachtsmen -- the ability to file and follow-up on a Sail Plan. Here's how it works: we contacted the Canandian Coast Guard and gave them pertinent information about our boat, crew, safety equipment on board, emergency contact information, etc. Then when we leave a port, we call them and tell them where we are headed and our ETA. When we arrive at our destination, we call them again and report our arrival. If they don't hear from us, they start searching, first by phone and radio, then with assets. This service has given us an added sense of comfort while we traveled in remote areas or when the seas kicked up. Surprisingly, there are very few cruising yachts up here. In fact, we've gone for days without seeing another boat, other than the occasional local fishing vessel.

Gaspe' Peninsula

The coast of the Gaspe' Peninsula is reputed to be the third most beautiful coastline in the WORLD. Well, we don't know which locales are rated first and second but we believe that the Gaspe' coast should be number one. It is magnificent! We spent several days there, both on the boat and in a rental car, exploring the area. In the Gaspe' National Park, we hiked the last few kilometers of the International Appalachian Trial -- such a thrill! We hiked down to the rocky beaches and studied the unusual rock formation, we witnessed the nesting of various sea bird species, including Gannets. We viewed the Roche de Perce' (pierced rock), one of the most famous landmarks in Canada; we learned all about salting codfish and the fishing life of yesteryear; we enjoyed the slower pace and met wonderful people. The staff at Marina Gaspe' could not have been nicer nor more helpful. Jean Francois and Doris were the best! Luckily for us, both gentlemen speak English beautifully, as our French is very limited (except for Margaret, who's French classes have come in handy quite often).