The weather was a bit rainy today, but it did not slow us down! We departed from St Peters early morning and headed north into the main body of the lake. The wind was blowing a bit out of the south causing a 2-3 foot chop across the open water. We passed through the “Grand Narrows” which separates the two main sections of the body of water. This required another bridge opening to make the passage. Once through the narrows we made a pit stop at Maskell’s Harbor. Here the guests we able to swim, paddle board, and take a short walk to the light house. After our stop we ended our cruise in the town Baddeck.
Warbird tied up to the town wharf in Baddeck.
“Sealegs” was on land today. We parked on the dock for a bit of maintenance.
Warbird left Port Hawkesbury this morning for our first destination of St. Peters. This town is located on the Bras D’Or Lake. This is a large lake surrounded by Cape Breton Island. In order for Warbird to enter the lake from the south we had to go through the St Peter’s lock. Once through the lock we moored for the evening at St Peters Marina.
Warbird entering St. Peters lock.
A view of the canal from the south.
The gates close and the lock raise Warbird less than a foot.
After the lock, we had to go through a swing bridge.
Captain John and Peter.
Not much room on each side. Jim did a great job of maneuvering Warbird through the canal.
St. Peter’s Marina from the air. Two other Nordhavn’s were in town.
After a long trip up the Nova Scotia Atlantic coast in heavy fog, Warbird is on her final leg. We are 10 miles from our destination of Port Hawkesbury on Cape Brenton Island. The fog has lifted and the sun is peaking out. We will anchor off the Port Hawkesbury town dock. Due to the size of Warbird they do not have a dock large enough to accommodate us!
Warbird is tied up in Halifax and has cleared Customs. Canadian Customs is easy with friendly officers. It only took a 5 min phone call and we are good for a year!
Taylor and Logan are prepping the boat with lines and fenders in preparation for Warbird’s docking in downtown Halifax.
The “Q” flag is typically flown on the starboard halyard.
When any yacht is cruising throughout the galapagos it is mandatory to have a Park approved Naturalist stay onboard the yacht for the entire trip! The naturalist is responsible for ensuring that we follow all of the rules and regulations of the park. They also serve as a cruising guide sharing all of their knowledge of the islands and wildlife. As you can imagine, bringing a stranger onboard in close quarters can have a huge impact on the trip. We lucked out with Jason on all fronts! He was a pleasure to have aboard. His enthusiasm with his job and the Galapagos Islands was a major factor in shaping our trip into what it was. He reluctantly accepted the fact that well all called the seal lions seals. He didn’t mind that we thought his name was Jeremy up the the end! He managed to stay somewhat quite when we pushed the limits on where to anchor. He madde sure to remind as countless times to stay “two meters” away from the animals! In hind sight, were not sure if he protected us from the animals, or the animals from us! Regardless, we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Thanks Jason!