We had a perfectly sunny day on our relatively short cruise from Shelburne to Cape Negro on Sept. 2. As we left Shelburne we passed the Bluenoose II in full sail leaving the harbor.
Cape Negro - what a beautiful place to commemorate our last anchorage in Nova Scotia! Our setting consisted of a low-lying landscape with a very narrow spit of land that connected two islands. On the map it looked like a pair of pince-nez (the old fashioned spectacles). There were two mooring balls in the water not far from a beach. With no other boats around we grabbed one to tie onto and as we lifted the line we saw that it was covered in mussels. This has been our first opportunity to harvest our own mussels for dinner. Very exciting and no sand to contend with!
We wasted no time in taking the dinghy ashore. We wandered through a wonderfully picturesque setting of rocky beaches and softly rolling hills.
We spotted a herd of sheep grazing on the hillside. They immediately scattered preventing optimal photo opportunities.
We found a spot near a dilapidated wooden structure to sit and gaze at the view surrounding us while enjoying our cold Canadian beer.
Robbie went for a quick dip in very cold water and afterwards we walked along the beach towards the dinghy.
The beach was covered with the roundest, smoothest rocks and we struggled to select a few fine specimens to serve as paperweights on the boat.
Back on board, Robbie gathered the mussels off of the mooring line and we prepared dinner. That night we had a wonderful feast of steamed mussels, freshly caught mackerel (given to us by a fisherman in Lockeport) baked on the grill with chopped tomatoes, capers, onion and garlic), mashed cauliflower and salad. One of our most delicious meals! Dining on the aft deck in this pristine and isolated setting was a most memorable experience!