Shelburne, Nova Scotia

---

It’s hard to believe that it’s already September!  It has been almost four months that we have been on this journey and every day is an exciting new adventure!  On September 1 our journey took us further west on the south coast of Nova Scotia to the town of Shelburne. 

The previous day’s long cruise allowed us to have a shorter one as we headed out at 10 a.m. (a late start for us).  We had  beautiful weather and calm seas and arrived four hours later to be greeted at the dock of the Shelburne Yacht Harbour by Jonny’s cousin, Robbie, who was joining us for the next week or so.  Robbie lives in Maine and had taken the ferry to Yarmouth and biked on the Lighthouse Trail from Yarmouth to Shelburne (a distance of about 75 miles) to join us for the remainder of our Nova Scotia cruise and to be with us when we cross the Bay of Fundy. 

We were also greeted by customs agents checking to see if we had just crossed over from the U.S.  The Canadian customs agents have been uniformly friendly and helpful to us.

Michael, Jonny, Lynn and Robbie checked out the quaint B&B that Robbie stayed in the night before and then had lunch together at a local pub.  It  had a great view of the harbor and we sampled some of the local Canadian beer.

Shelburne is another very historic town and particularly well-preserved.  It was founded in 1783 by United Empire Loyalists.  During the American Revolution, pro-British refugees gathered in New York.  The wealthier classes went to England while others sought refuge in Nova Scotia.  In 1883, four hundred of those families founded the Town of Port Roseway which was eventually renamed Shelburne after the then English Prime Minister, Lord Shelburne.  Within a year, the population grew to 10,000.  However, the region could not support such a large settlement and most of the refugees moved back to England, or other parts of Canada while some returned to the U.S.  The population is now only around 1600.

We strolled awhile through the picturesque streets. Later on the guys rode their bikes to a nearby provincial park where there was a campground and a small beach.  They all braved the cold and went for quick swim (except for Jonny who has been spoiled by the warm Florida waters)!

It turned  out that Shelburne became  a crew change town for us.   Michael decided that he wanted to do more land-based exploration and rent a car to explore the Cabot Trail. So we would be losing Michael as our 2nd mate but gaining a new one in  Robbie.    He had always planned to join us in Shelburne to accompany us when we crossed the Bay of Fundy on our passage back to the States at the end of the week. 

That evening the four of us had dinner at a restaurant called Charlotte Lane.  It was probably the best restaurant we’ve eaten at in all of Canada.  It was a charming place with very good food and the added attraction (to Lynn anyway) of serving it all on Fiesta Ware!  A fitting send-off to Michael and a welcome aboard to Robbie!

Lockeport, Nova Scotia

---

On Monday, August 31, we left at 7 a.m. for  a very long cruising day traveling southwest from Lununberg down the Nova Scotia coast.  The first four hours were pretty nice but after that the fog came rolling in and the wind picked up.   Our original plan was to anchor in a place called Carter’s Beach but given the lousy weather, it didn’t make sense to go to to a spot where we couldn’t see the view and  have to anchor in 30 feet of water which requires about 150 feet of chain.  So the decision was made to move to a marina in  Lockeport.  It made for a longer day but the following day would be a bit shorter (more rationalization)!

Unfortunately for our guest  the seas were pretty rough and there wasn’t much to look at because of the fog.  Michael spent a good part of the day lying on our bed where it was more comfortable.  We barely ate anything for lunch because no one wanted to go below to make it!

We continued on our “merry” way until we arrived at the marina in Lockeport at 5 p.m.  Using the word marina is somewhat of a stretch.  It was merely a place to tie up at a floating dock inside a breakwater and next to a big fish processing plant.  There was no power or bathroom facilities and we had to pay an extra $10 for water (not the norm).  However, it was a safe haven in lousy weather and we were glad to be there.

Jonny and Michael explored the town after Jonny washed down the boat while Lynn made dinner. 

After stopping at the general store, we cooked dinner and ate on the aft deck.  That evening we watched a movie together and went to bed late for us these days – 11:30.

The next morning the three of us walked around the modest but fairly maintained fishing village.

 

The town is nicely situated on a peninsula and there were some very pretty views along our walk.

 

We had breakfast at a local “diner” before leaving for our next stop – Shelburne. 

Lunenberg, Nova Scotia

---

Lunenberg is a wonderfully quaint town within beautiful Mahone Bay.  It is a great example of a Nova Scotia fishing village and because of its authenticity and  well-preserved nature it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  As we entered the wonderfully picturesque harbor on August 30, it was clearly evident that this was a special place.  The waterfront was lined with barn red, teal blue and bright yellow buildings and we had three wharves from which to choose to tie up.

One of those wharves was home port to the Bluenose II, a replica of the original Bluenose which was undefeated in all its competitions with U.S. schooners.  

After examining the modest accommodations available on those wharves, we decided to anchor in the harbor and dinghy into town.  Other boaters who we had met previously had done the same.  First order of business was to find a good restaurant for lunch.  Although there are several fine restaurants in Lunenburg (unlike most of the small towns we’ve visited), many of them were closed as this was a Sunday.  We finally found a lovely place to eat where we had the best tasting seafood chowder on the entire trip.

Afterwards, Michael took a long walk to stretch his legs and get some exercise while Jonny and Lynn strolled the streets ogling the gaily painted shops and homes and popping into a few interesting places. 

One of those was a fascinating quilting shop.  This was no ordinary shop filled with patchwork quilts.  The owner was an artist whose medium was quilting.  Her “canvasses” were a combination of painting and quilting.  She was able to create all kinds of interesting effects and her subject matter was very diverse.  Even Jonny found the pieces to be quite extraordinary.

We met Michael at the local used bookstore (which had a huge section on all things nautical reading) and headed back to Zendo.  The guys took turns rowing the dinghy while Lynn prepared snacks instead of dinner. 

That night Jonny and Lynn spent extensive time on the phone with Jon’s brother Andy, having learned that their mother was not doing well.  Hopefully, Janice can hang in until the boys move her to Florida this fall.  We went to sleep that night recognizing that Lunenberg was one of those “well worth it” stops on our trip!

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

---

Traveling from Halifax to Mahone Bay on August 29 was a dream!  We had absolutely beautiful weather – sunny and mild with relatively calm seas.  Michael Bracken brought good weather karma with him as we spent the day  cruising close to the Nova Scotia coastline.  We made it to the entrance of Mahone Bay after about five hours.  This was a treat after having spent so much time avoiding the shoreline due to fog. 

Mahone Bay is a perfect cruising ground.  On the day we were there many sailboats were taking advantage of the beautiful Saturday afternoon weather.

 

  It looked  like a northern version of Biscayne Bay.    The bay was studded with tiny islands some uninhabited and some with beautiful homes. 

In the past, when pirates and privateers roamed the ocean, Mahone Bay was a favorite hideaway.  There are rumors that Captain Kidd has buried treasure on one of the islands and people have been searching for it for over 200 years!

For the next couple of hours we threaded our way through the bay to the village of Mahone Bay where we grabbed a mooring ball for the evening.  The most prominent feature of this town is the array of three church spires at the head of the inlet. 

A tender came to pick us up and take us to the dock where we spent the next few hours exploring the picturesque village. 

We had a beer at a local pub and  took the tender back to Zendo for our own private dinner on board on the aft deck.

Next stop – Lunenberg!