In the late 1800s, locals built a canal between Malagawatch Harbour to Denys Basin. Via a portage from Little Harbour into Malagawatch Harbour and then through the canal into Denys Basin this safer route took 20 miles off the trip between Marble Mountain and Orangedale. The canal was 1,000 ft long, 17 ft wide and…
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Through Barra Strait
From the Washabuck River we travelled south through the Barra Strait to spend a couple of days in and around Denys Basin. The current can reach several knots in the Barra Strait narrows, so we left the anchorage at Washabuck River to time our arrival for slack water mid-tide. The Grand Narrows Railway bridge in…
Washabuck River
We’d never seen flocks of eagles before, but that was practically the scene at Indian Island at the head of Wyhcocomagh Bay. We anchored in the pristine Washabuck River and ran the tender twenty-five miles up Wyhcocomagh Bay. As we rounded the southwest point of Indian Island, we saw an eagle in a tree, then…
Sydney
Despite 1) falling rain, 2) a forecast for thunderstorms, 3) an exposed run through the edge of the North Atlantic 4) uncertainty about anywhere to land the tender, and 5) a potentially difficult re-entry to Little Bras d’Or channel into a strong ebb current against a freshening northerly wind, the shorter and admittedly slightly more…
Baddeck
Baddeck is the largest town on the Bras d’Or Lakes and is famous for once being home to inventor Alexander Graham Bell. We very much enjoyed this traditional maritime town with its strong Scottish heritage and the excellent Alexander Graham Bell museum. Trip highlights from August 30th and 31st follow. Click any image for a…
Newfoundland to Nova Scotia
From Newfoundland we made a 150-nm, 24-hour passage to Bras d’Or Lake in Nova Scotia. In addition to looking for a good weather forecast for the run across Laurentian Channel between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, we also needed to time our arrival at the entrance channel, Great Bras d’Or. The current at the narrow north…
Last Day in Newfoundland
Newfoundland is a world-class cruising destination and we’ll certainly be back for more. Our initial plan for cruising the province was to circumnavigate the island, hitting the highlights. But after our first taste of the beautiful fiords and amazing view hikes along the south coast, we were hooked. We decided instead to spend our time…
Bay de Vieux
Bay de Vieux was a microcosm of our Newfoundland trip and a fitting final anchorage. There we enjoyed fabulous scenery, dramatic waterfalls, an excellent view hike and chatted with some friendly locals from nearby Ramea. Trip highlights from August 27th follow. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the…
Maretron N2KView on Dirona
When we go to sea in Dirona there are usually only two people on the boat. That means automation and reliability are super important to us, and we want early warning of problems or unusual conditions. Maretron N2kView is a good-value display system that has worked very well for us and allowed us to incrementally expand what…
Grey River
The narrow entrance channel to Grey River is a gap in the cliffs only 450-ft wide and hardly is visible until you are right up to it. We’d timed our entrance for low-water slack as an ebb current against wind and swell can generate steep and rough seas outside the entrance. Even without any opposing…
