Another lovely clear day. Our plan for the day was to leave Port Hawkesbury marina after a pleasant night and head southeast on the Canso Strait and then head due east through the Lennox Passage between Cape Breton Island and Ile Madame. We then headed NE and then north to the town of St. Peter’s and the St. Peter’s Canal with one lock that leads into the famous Bras d’Or Lake, an amazing boaters paradise.
Leaving Hawkesbury Marina
Another view of Port Hawkesbury, NS.
These were a couple of the less conventional boats in the harbor.
As we left the harbor these tugs were still docked at the wharf.
Heading southeast in the Canso Strait with a power plant and oil tankers to the port side (left).
We were told this power plant is fueled by coal brought here from mines in the USA.
Just past the power plant was a large area with many very large fuel storage tanks and a dock area for super fuel tankers. There were two tankers docked with one getting ready to leave.
Across the Canso Strait from the tankers about a mile or two was this lovely wooded hillside with what looked like a ski run.
About half way through the Lennex Passage is a bridge that connects Cape Breton Island to the smaller island of Ile Madame. The bridge raises up for boats higher than 20 feet. With our outriggers we are about 22 feet high. We called the bridge attendant on VHF channel 68 and asked him to lift the bridge. He did and we went through without a problem.
Closer look at the bridge as it was raising.
View of the waters around lle Madame.
Secluded light house on Ile Madame warning of a shallow point of land that jets out into the Lennox Passage.
More calm waters.
This is the road bridge at the north end of the St. Peter’s lock that opens onto the Bras d’Or Lake. We cleared it by about 6 inches. They can raise the bridge for taller vessels.
Now the bad news. As Cari was on the bow helping secure the boat in the St. Peter’s Lock she was also taking pictures of the lock with her cell phone camera. She went to put the phone down and it slipped out of her hand, bounced twice on the boat and then bounced right off the boat and into the 35 foot deep water in the lock. It sank like a rock! All her pictures and so much more was bone in an instant. She was just sick! We will have dear friends bring another phone to Cari but the damage was done.
First view of the St. Peter’s Marina. It is lovely.
St. Peter’s Marina on Bras d’Or Lake.
The marina has all the facilities and is very well kept.
The marina from up the hill as we walked to town. The area around the marina had very nice homes and lots of green woods and grassy hillsides.
It’s a 7-10 minute easy walk to town. St. Peter’s sits on a hill overlooking the bay by the same name. We saw several lovely homes as we walked.
The United Church in St. Peter’s.
This home looks down on St. Peter’s Bay. What a view!
Another lovely home with amazing view in the town of St. Peter’s.
As we got back to the marina they were having live music with local talent.
that is so awsome a dream i have one day to just take a boat and go one day. have a wounderfull time and enjoy
Thank you Jack. It really has been a dream come true for us to be able to do this. Once we started it became clear that we needed to focus on one day at a time. It is happening, piece by piece. I guess that’s the way to do big things, one piece at a time. Hope you you can get that boat and follow that dream.
iboats.com Captain,
Bruno