Pictou, an historic seaside town, has long been a boating centre. It is easy to enter in all weather conditions and is situated only 40 nautical miles from Charlottetown and 60 nm from the Canso Causeway—an easy day’s journey for most vessels. This full-service port has two marinas, a private yacht club and a marine wharf so there is never a shortage of dock space.

Visitors to the Strait would be remiss if they did not stop in Charlottetown, the cultural capitol of Prince Edward Island. One can easily while away several days enjoying the summer-long festival of performing arts and touring the museums, art centres, bookstores and theatres.

The approach to Charlottetown’s natural landlocked harbour is through scenic Hillsborough Bay. Though water depths outside the buoyed channel are shallow, in calm conditions one can leave the channel to find a protected anchorage behind St. Peters Island.

The Charlottetown Yacht Club is highly recommended because of its extensive dockage, friendly atmosphere and its location in the heart of the historic district. Dockage can also be found at Quartermaster Marine or alongside the large marine wharf just to the east. Everything is available to cruising boaters in Charlottetown. There are marine mechanics, a marine supply, pump-out stations, fuel and grocery stores. For a meal ashore try The Gahan House on Sidney Street. It has a delightful menu and good micro-brewed beer. Boaters have also been known to hang out at the street cafés on Victoria Row, especially those with Internet access.

Another favourite harbour on Northumberland Strait is in the heartland of French Acadia. Buctouche is a small, quaint harbour tucked behind the extensive Buctouche Dunes and accessed through a privately maintained channel with low water depths of 5 feet (1.5 m). Visitors are always made welcome at the Sawmill Point Boat Basin. Here the setting is rural and the main shore activity is walking. There are forest walks, beach walks and boardwalks through the dunes. The elevated boardwalk over the grassy shallows at the head of the harbour leads to Le Pays de la Sangouine. This is a replica Acadian village where one can feel the essence of old French culture. Buctouche, on the New Brunswick shore, is roughly 90 nm from Charlottetown but one can break the journey with a stopover in Summerside, the second largest centre on Prince Edward Island. If possible, make your stopover on Saturday in order to visit the weekly farmers’ market.

Northumberland Strait is a delightful sailing region and one which will surely attract more cruising boaters in years to come. Visit now before the secret gets out.