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Bay of Fundy - St. John River |
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A picturesque sailboat docked on the St. John River at Gagetown povides an opportunity for artist to capture this quiet setting on canvas.
Brian Atkinson/Image New Brunswick photo
The Village of Gagetown, roughly the halfway point between Saint John and Fredericton, shares only a name with Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. The base is located in Oromocto, four hours away by sail, less under power.
Gagetown, settled in 1758, is one of the oldest English settlements in the river valley, and in 1783 became a refuge for United Empire Loyalists.
The Queens County Fair is the banner event during September, which follows a full slate of summer exhibits at the Queen's County Courthouse Provincial Historic Site.
Boating east to the Jemseg River, buoy markers indicate the narrow channel, which is best traversed under power rather than sail. This leads intrepid boaters into mighty Grand Lake. Not for the feint of heart, this enormous inland body of water is a wealth of secluded coves and quiet secrets, once out of what can be wild weather.
Operators of smaller boats are known to pick and choose their days, and are careful of winds on Grand Lake.
Two or three days can be spent exploring Douglas Harbour, Flowers Cove, Northeast Arm, Hawk's Point, Salmon River and Chipman. Amenities await here at the end of the line with gas and groceries, among other things. But don't try to get under the covered bridge towering overhead — the water it spans is not deep enough for most anything with a keel.
Model town Oromocto, established in 1956, owes its livelihood to the modern military base.
It was also the site of the Fort Hughes Blockhouse, now replicated for visitors, once a vital message and transportation conduit between Quebec City and Halifax during the American Revolutionary War.
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