STRANDED IN BADDECK

We had revelled in this wonderful cruising ground with its numerous perfect anchorages, made some wonderful new yachting friends and met up with another Aussie couple Keith and Ann, cruising the world on their yacht Ketchup II. We were about to leave the Bras D'Or to return to Halifax to undertake some minor repairs on our motor before heading down the coast to the USA. The smell of diesel was very strong so we decided to check what had previously been a minor leak from the injector pump. The minor leak had turned into a fast drip and by hanging a container under the drip to collect the leaking fuel we were able to estimate we were losing about 1 litre an hour into the bilge. We really had no choice. Ketchup II towed us half way to Baddeck and we sailed the rest of the way. Baddeck Marine had the motor promptly removed and sent to Halifax. The diagnosis indicated expensive repairs and a waiting time for parts to arrive from England. We have now been back in Baddeck for 2 weeks but have been promised the motor will be back early next week. Baddeck is a wonderful place to be stranded for three weeks. The town has a permanent population of less than 1000 and everything, including supermarket, restaurants and churches are only a few minutes walk away from the dock. On a foggy rainy morning we set off in a rented car to visit Louisbourg a reconstruction of about a quarter of what was once one of the largest and busiest ports on the eastern seaboard of America. It was French until conquered and destroyed by the British. The reconstruction is so well done and the French speaking period dressed characters so believable we had to keep reminding ourselves that it was only a replica and not the real thing. What a wonderful way to learn some of your history. We have also made good use of our time with other boat maintenance tasks. Unfortunately the loss of time means that it is getting colder, the hurricane season is more advanced and we will be under greater pressure to move south as soon as we can. The first of the autumnal hues are beginning to appear in the surrounding forests.