|
Page 3 of 5
This hiker admires the picturesque coastal scenery of Cape Breton as he looks upon the Cap Auguet Lighthouse at Isle Madame.
Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture & Heritage photo
The Alexander Graham Bell Museum, located in Baddeck, is dedicated to the famous inventor of the telephone and the HD-4, a hydrofoil craft, which set a world speed record on the Bras d’Or Lakes in 1919. The record stood until 1963.
Bell, an avid boater, was among the founding members of the Cruising Club of America, which traces its roots partly to the Washabuck River, just southwest of Baddeck. The Washabuck River has three little coves to explore.
The development of an airport near Baddeck is new feature of the area which has benefitted some boaters.
From Baddeck many boaters head north through Saint Andrews Channel to explore the coast of Cape Breton or head across the Atlantic to Newfoundland.
The Cape Breton coast has two sides, the western and eastern coastlines, which are flatter at the south end, near the Strait of Canso, and mountainous at the north, where Cape Breton Highlands are found.
The western coast of the island runs from the Causeway in the Strait of Canso, around past the quaint fishing villages of Judique and Port Hood. There are no commercial marinas in this area, but there are wharves and local fishermen are known to be friendly and helpful.
Heading north from Port Hood, boaters will find communities and villages, such as Mabou, Inverness and Margaree Harbour.
This is a part of Cape Breton known for its Scottish culture, dancers and fiddlers. Interpretative and cultural centres are located in both Mabou and Judique.
Beautiful sand beaches, suitable for swimming, dot the coastline in Port Hood, West Mabou and Margaree Harbour.
Further north, boaters can visit the Acadian fishing community of Cheticamp, settled in 1785, 30 years after the French were deported from Nova Scotia for refusing to swear allegiance to the British Crown. There is a government wharf in the harbour, which is home to fishing and whale-watching vessels.
Here, Acadian culture and tradition are alive and thriving, and mixing musically with their Scottish neighbours has created a remarkably unique sound, popular at Acadian and Celtic festivals during the summer months.
|
