Trip Summary:
Ballantynes Cove to Port Hawkesbury
Trip distance, 29.5 NM Distance to Date, 91.5 NM
Departed at 1030 hours, arrived at 1730 hours
Sunny, winds westerly, very rolly conditions
Crew Log for August 15, 2022.
There are three things that run through my mind when planning and making the passage across George’s Bay, which we have done multiple times on our trips to the Bras d’Or Lake.
First, it is a challenging body of water, where 3 weather systems collide: the Northumberland Strait, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Labrador current. We have had some of most memorable (good and bad) sails across here. Like the time pilot whales followed us in flat calm water. Or, when we had to take emergency shelter after being greeted by massive swells that made our buddy boats disappear (temporarily). We have developed a respectful tolerance for George’s Bay and plan accordingly.
sv Elizabeth M crew in the Canso Lock
Secondly, while it in no way compares to “crossing oceans”, there is something surreal about transiting from one body of water to another. There is a certain comfort in sailing in the relatively shallow, warm, protected waters of the Northumberland Strait. Sailing in the Atlantic Ocean is a whole different experience with its vastness and long rolling swells.
However, the coolest thing about this leg of the trip has to be without a doubt, that “rockstar” feeling you get when you stop traffic on one of Nova Scotia’s busiest highways to transit through the Canso Lock. While I have a slight ping of guilt, the magnitude of the transit can be measured in the length of vehicles on either side of the lock. Given it is so disruptive, our practice has been to slow for other boats to try and create a convoy of pleasure boats and minimize the bridge openings. On this crossing we were buddy boating with sv Eventide from Cape George and were joined by another boat (another story for another day).
Traffic Backup on TCH #104 on the Canso Causeway
While the sail across was uneventful, it was rolly and uncomfortable. We tried altering our line to reduce the roll, (which didn't go unnoticed from the watchful eye of the Skipper on sv Ever After docked in St. Peter's). Eventually the winds dropped, so we motored the last third or so of the trip. We, arrived in Port Hawkesbury by early evening.
Our dock neighbour at the Strait of Canso Marina, travelling on a C&C 35 with two small kids, turned out to be a fellow “Aggie” and the wife of a guy our son went to Dalhousie University with, who arrived later in the evening. The Skipper and the kids entertained us for hours, chatting back and forth and watching the kids fish. Turns out we had worked with her uncle-in-law, which prompted a call to verify the connection. Our former colleague deigned any truth behind any story I might have shared with her. We felt very fortunate to have met this young family on the dock. Keep on sailing Eileen!
We are off to Canso tomorrow to hunker down for a major blow expected on Wednesday.
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