We left Chandler at about 9:30 this morning. It was windy with waves, plus several foot high swells. Our destination was Bathurst, New Brunswick about 75 miles away. To get there we had to cross Chaleurs Bay. The bay is about 15 to 20 miles wide and about 75-80 miles long from it’s mouth to where it narrows into a river. We encountered swells that were in the 6 to 8+ foot range plus 20 mph winds. It made for a somewhat rough 3 hour ride.
Crossing from Chandler to Bathurst in rough seas.
Crossing to Bathhurst, NB in rough seas.
We entered the side channel off of the Bathurst Bay to get to the marina. The tide was very low and we had only about 4 feet of water under us. The boat draws 2 feet and with the engines it’s 2 and 1/2 so I lifted the engines up about 1/2 way. Looking at the narrow channel I wondered if we would make it. We did!
The channel buoys were almost on dry land on both sides at low tide. I crawled forward , holding my breath that we would not hit bottom.
Entering the narrow channel to the marina.
The narrow marina channel.
The iboats.com boat safely docked at the Bathurst Marina. Not many sailboats…too shallow for them at low tide to get in or out.
After 3 hours of taking lots of salty spray the boat and engines needed a good washing down with fresh water with our long-handled brush. An hour later she looks as good as new.
Sparkling clean engines with the Bathurst marina office and fun old tugboat in the background.
We took a walk to the beach and then into the city, 5 miles away.
Now this is a tree that you do NOT want to meet close up while traveling at 30 mph in the boat! You have to constantly watch for them in the bays and beyond.
We walked along the beach at the narrow mouth of the Bathurst bay. You can see the strong current running.
At the entrance to the Bathurst bay.
As we walked into town…and then got a cab back…Cari saw these wild flowers and took this great shot.
Greetings from Fredericton, New Brunswick!
I’ve been following your trip online after I saw a post from iBoats on Facebook. I’m glad you made it to Bathurst safely, it’s a lovely little town. I hope you enjoy your stay in the Maritimes, I think you’ll love the region.
On you way across the Bay of Fundy, if you want to add a few days to your trip and travel one of North Americas best kept boating secrets, take a cruise up the Saint John River – you’ll be happy you did 🙂
Safe travels.
Graham
Hi Graham. How nice of your to blog with us. We are pleased that you are enjoying following along with us on our “Down East” trip. We did not really get much of a chance to visit the city of Bathurst yesterday. We just walked to town and ate some dinner and then got a cab back to the boat. Our plan was to head out this morning and go to Caraquet, which is not too far away from BathurstB but the weather is nasty with winds reported gusting us to 40 km/h and with driving rain. More than one wise boater has told me that staying in port during such weather is never a bad idea but shows wisdom. We can always make up the time over the next few days once the wind and seas calm down. So, we will spend more time today in Bathurst…do some laundry and and look online to see what might be interesting to visit in the city.
Regarding heading up the Saint John River, I appreciate the suggestion. We will see how our time is doing when we get to western Nova Scotia. At that point if we have the time we”ll take your suggestion and check out the Saint John River. Thanks for the tip.
Safe boating to you and your family.
iboats’ Captain,
Bruno
That is crazy! How did mom do with that water? Has her sea sickness stayed at bay this trip? Sure love you guys!!!
On the days we think it will be rough water she puts on a seasickness prevention patch behind her ear the night before. They really work very well for her, and last for 3 days. She was not sea sick at all today. She didn’t have time to be…she was hanging on for dear life with white knuckles and all! I know when she is not enjoying the boat ride…it’s when she asks how deep it is where we are. 🙂
She really is a trooper.
Dad
Come visit the ICW in South Carolina. It’s a great journey about 80 miles(give or take) of beautiful waterways. You can take the connecting waterways all the way to Florida. You have to go in the ocean for a little stretch of it. I would bet it’s a great trip! Thanks for the photos!
Hi Ginger and thanks for the post. We have talked about someday making the trip from Cape Cod down the east coast to Florida, and then maybe beyond. I have heard that the South Carolina coast is great for boating.
iboats’ Captain,
Bruno