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Coastal Nova Scotia Columnist |
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Our eastward passage continues for the best part of a day along the mostly uninhabited shores of Shelburne County. As this article concentrates on the places not easily accessible by car, Shelburne (a very good place to visit by boat) and Lockeport will wait for another day.
We pass the remains of the concrete lighthouse on Little Hope Island. We now turn to the north round Mouton Head, to anchor off Carter’s Beach. The turquoise water off the beach looks exactly like the Caribbean, though the water is cold enough to keep beer and wine chilled. Every night in the summer there are now yachts anchored here, though 20 years ago it was virtually unknown. My little book may have had something to do with this increase in popularity, as it is one of my favourite places.
Lunenburg is a day’s sail from Carter’s Beach. It is now a very popular tourist area but wasn’t always so. In the early 70’s, the only place you could get a drink was a dingy bar named the “Dolphin Tavern.” There was a prominent sign stating “gentlemen, please leave your knives at the bar.”
The view after you round Rose Head and the red buildings start appearing over the breakwater is unique. I don’t feel any cruise of the province to be complete unless you visit Lunenburg.
We continue eastward and cross the large bight of Mahone and St. Margaret’s Bay. On any but the clearest day you are out of sight of land for hours. On a clear night the glow from the lights of Halifax is visible for 70 miles.
When the last tower block in Halifax sinks below the horizon, you enter a different world. Not a house is visible, the main road is far inland, and the mainland is fringed with countless reefs and islands. Sometime late in the day, we close the land, pass a rock called “Drunken Dick,”and somewhere near Tangier, enter a little cove not big enough to be shown on the newer charts. Shelter Cove is one of Nova Scotia’s finest anchorages. There are small sandy beaches, rock pools with warm water, and you can stay a week without seeing another human.
Our next passage is through what I consider to be one of the finest cruising grounds in North America, Nova Scotia’s own inside passage. For 60 miles the track goes through passes between islands and reefs, you can anchor almost anywhere, and it is an almost unknown area of outstanding natural beauty. The navigation is demanding, but modern instruments and GPS make it a lot easier. Towards the end of the day, we pass through the “Bay of Islands,” of which the better known one in New Zealand is a pale imitation. Then enter the Liscombe River, the end of this voyage.
The upper reaches of the river consist of a narrow passage between high hills covered with big trees. It is the termination of this voyage and the perfect place to ride out a hurricane, which we and a dozen other boats did in 2006 with tropical storm Beryl. The head of the river is the site of a provincial resort. It is now a popular place for visiting boaters, a wonderful place to chill out and have someone else do the cooking.
Nova Scotia is undoubtedly the most unspoiled boating area on this side of the continent. You could sail for a lifetime and never run out of new places. One can only hope it stays that way.
Peter Loveridge is the author of “A Cruising Guide to Nova Scotia,” McGraw-Hill, 1996.
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