Crew Change
We left the Bras D’Or Lake through the Great Bras D’Or channel, two knots of current on our tail, and sailed 25 nm to North Sydney and the Newfoundland ferry. Here, we tied up to the wharf at the Northern Yacht Club. The next day we took a cab two miles to the ferry terminal and saw John and Kelly off for their continuing Maritime vacation. Special thanks go out to them for their camaraderie during five days aboard in Baddeck & some great Bras D’Or anchorages.
Jocelyn & I took a day and rented a car to tour the Cabot Trail. We doubled back to Baddeck and picked up Kath and Barrie Stott and enjoyed a bonus day with them. The loop took us 200 miles counterclockwise around the top of the island, along the coast and up and over the highlands, in and out of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
We stopped at the Chowder House in Neil Harbour for a fish meal, and again at the Skyline Trail for a five mile hike to a dramatic overlook of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
We moved the boat five miles from North Sydney to Sydney and tied up alongside a floating dock adjacent to where the Sydney Yacht Club used to be. Alas, it burned down in 2013 and only the docks remain. Despite admonitions in the pilot book against visiting Sydney — the book clearly states not to bother coming here — we found the town quite pleasant, full of friendly natives and with quite a few good restaurants and shops. It even warrants a cruise ship stop! Holland America Lines put in for a day while we were tied to the dock and we became a tourist attraction!
The next day, Jocelyn boarded a bus bound for Halifax airport and a flight home to Colorado. Without my first and only mate, the boat feels empty and isn’t quite right. But the adventure won’t stop. Next, Andrew Werner skies in from Europe. The weather looks good for a weekend crossing to Newfoundland. Stand by for updates.
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