BRAS D'OR LAKES

NEXT DOOR TO HEAVEN
An elderly story teller told us the other day about the people of Cape Breton Island who are now scattered all over the world. Every one of them says he or she would go back..if only they could find work there etc. Well according to this story teller a man died and went to heaven and walking around saw a huge concrete wall. "What is that for?" he asked. "All the Cape Bretoners are behind that wall. If we didn't have that they'd all go back", came the reply. So according to Cape Bretoners this is next door to heaven.

For a cruising sailor it certainly comes close to perfection. As usual getting here was not easy. On Monday August 6 we were ready to leave Halifax and planned to sail about 10 miles offshore direct to St Peter's canal, a journey of approximately 160 nautical miles. Bruce was still suffering from jet lag and the forecast for the next day included strong winds, rain and fog. The forecast for later in the week looked even worse so we decided to take the risk. We started early in the morning in calm, misty conditions. The mist lifted and the breeze filled in . It was a perfect day and we were romping along at about 7 knots. At that speed we calculated we would arrive in the dark and fog too early on Tuesday for the lock operation at the canal. We did not relish the idea of winding through the narrow channels into the canal without good visibility. We slowed down. Tuesday morning was overcast with a few light showers but without the fog and strong winds that had been forecast. We had no problems navigating into the lock and being lifted about 3 feet to the level of the Bras D'Or lakes. The lakes are huge salt water lakes open to the sea on the north but the difference in tides means there is nearly always a difference in levels at St Peters where a canal was cut through the isthmus and opened in 1869.

By the time we had picked up a mooring at St Peters marina which is kept in immaculate condition and run by the local Lions club we had been travelling for 28 hours. One night to recover and we were off to explore the lakes. It seemed strange to be in salt water in huge lakes surrounded by magnificent mountains clad in dense forest of deciduous and evergreen trees. The anchorages are beyond compare. A gale warning was out for the next day so we headed for a tight protected anchorage called Cape George Harbour. The entrance was so narrow that we found it hard to believe that an ocean going yacht the size of ours could enter. The water was deep and led to a totally protected anchorage with just enough swinging room but surrounded by forest. This surely is a cruisers dream. It was the first of many wonderful anchorages, all pristine wilderness spots offering great protection. Although the lakes are large the water is warm and even in strong winds only seems to build to a tolerable chop. After 5 days of heavenly wilderness we headed through the Barra Strait through an opening road bridge to the town of Baddeck (population 1000). It is a picturesque little town hugging the edge of the Great Bras D'Or and offers many delights to the visitor. We attended our first Ceilidh with blazing fiddles, jigs, Gaelic songs, poetry, stories and step dancing. Bonnie and I sat in the front row and were volunteered to learn some of the dance steps. What great fun! As we sailed into Baddeck we spotted a magnificent mansion built on a high point. "Wow" said Bruce, "How would you like the views from there". We later discovered that what we were looking at was Beinn Breagh the home built by Alexander Graham Bell the inventor of the telephone and still used by his descendants. Bell and his wife Mabel were both buried on Beinn Breagh. Every visitor to Baddeck must visit the Bell museum. It is a beautiful monument to a man who not only invented the telephone but pioneered human flight, hydroplanes and light transmitted sound. He is still spoken about with great reverence by the people in the town.
More wonderful protected anchorages inspired conversation like, "Let's sell the boat and buy or build a cottage on one of these bays. Six months a year in Australia and six months a year in the summer in Cape Breton seem like a good way to wind down in life." The thought of leaving and beating back along the coast into the prevailing wind does not have a lot of appeal after this heaven.