Enetai - Northumberland Strait, Part 1:
Enetai started her voyage, as usual, on her trailer, traveling down the road. July 10, 2009 we headed on the highway, north and east into the late-morning sun. It took us all day to get to Calais.
It was dark by the time we checked in for our overnight stay at the International Motel (subtitled "Congratulations Blue Devils"). Enetai was parked practically in the room with us. Calais is pronounced "callas" in the American tradition of mispronouncing names taken from foreign places.
In the morning, we crossed the bridge into New Brunswick Canada at St. Stephens. Going through customs into Canada with a boat on a trailer is somewhat unusual. And things had changed since the last time we'd gone sailing in Canadian waters. We needed to stop and go inside to get a form for our "property", Enetai. Since we would be mainly on the water when IN Canada, and most boats arrive by water, we needed the paperwork to be able to show we'd brought Enetai through customs.
We headed for Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, where we had decided to launch at the Sunrise Shore Marina on the recommendation of Steve Abbey. Steve is a local sailor who has been promoting Northumberland Strait over the "interweb" as he likes to call it. Sunrise Shore Marina is a snug hole-in-the-wall at the entrance to the Barrichois River.
Mid-afternoon we launched at the Marina. As predicted, the winds were quite high, and Northumberland Strait gets quite choppy in those conditions. We knew we might end up staying in the marina for a day or so while the weather went by.
But we couldn't resist the bright day with its shining water and the perfect wind, so the "crew" took the dinghy out for a sail. It seemed a perfect wind anyway, but at about half tide, the marina basin was protected from some of the wind. And although the "captain" had a pretty good idea of 'harbor' conditions, the crew gleefully set off on the ebbing tide, around the corner out of the little marina basin, and the wind was then at our back. Within a very short time, the crew, sailing the little Louise (a Granny Pram) realized that the tide was running remarkably fast in a remarkably narrow channel, the bouys were over on their sides, just about underwater with the current, their pointed tops pointing out to the Strait. Time to turn around!
Tacking back toward the safety of the marina, into a strong wind, with the dagger board hitting the edges of the narrow channel within a few feet of each tack, kept us even with the buoy that we were near. The crew made adjustments, tacked back and forth quicker and quicker and began to lose ground. (A fleeting thought of just holding on to the buoy went through our minds!) The bay stretched for what seemed like miles out toward the Strait as we looked downwind, downstream, on each tack of Louise.
Eventually the crew noticed the captain running along the shore and waving his arms. At about the same time, the crew realized we were not going to be able to sail our way out of this, and thank heavens for those awkward oars that seem so in the way when sailing the dinghy. We doused the sail and got out of the channel and began to row toward the shore through the shallows. It was still a slog with the choppy water and the wind and the tide, but we eventually got in close enough to wade and pull Louise along and back to the harbor.
So that was our introduction to the Northumberland Strait - beautiful, windy, shallow in many places, with tides that can pick you up and carry you away in a heartbeat! The adventure had begun.
In fact, it was so windy and squally that we realized that we might not be able to sail over to Pictou. So we unhitched the trailer and drove to our next port, Pictou, to visit the festival, see the Hector, and eat delicious seafood. We really enjoyed the great displays of the maritime resources!
Pictou had a wonderful array of distractions and made for a great break on a windy, gusty, day. Not only were there waterfront restaurants to choose from, there is a fisheries museum that describes the sea heritage and culture of Nova Scotia and the Northumberland Strait. With creative displays explaining the life of the lobster, to maps of the area and fishing regulations, the museum has much to offer. Because there was a festival going on, there was also a fantastic display of vintage automobiles.
Leaving Tatamagouche
We headed to Caribou River inlet Harbor Monday at 7 AM, easing by the series of now well-behaved buoys in a calm harbor channel as the tide was just beginning to turn.
Leaving the marina basin, we looked back toward the bridge over the end of the inlet, and saw two masts to the right of the bridge belonging to a beautiful locally built schooner, a tancook whaler (?)
With a thick cast of clouds but a wonderful wind we made our way out of the long harbor, keeping to the narrow channel well-marked with buoys. It was a grand windy day for a sail with our reefs tied in, along the coast of Nova Scotia. The clouds and threat of rain had the crew in the cabin looking out and the captain steering the Enetai through some occasional drizzle.
The weather was still determined to keep us guessing. We anchored just in time to hang on tight for the most ferocious micro-storm we have ever been in on Enetai! The dinghy was sailing off at right angles as the wind slewed Enetai port and starboard. We were happy to know that there was a soft, grassy shoreline to leeward of us. Thankful for the good, muddy bottom, and our anchor, we did not drag. The rain came in such a deluge, it filled Louise half full in about a half an hour. Several severe micro-bursts were followed by hail hitting the deck, striking staccato style, as the storm finished up.
And then the sky cleared and we saw what a beautiful spot we found ourselves in. And this time, we had a nice open yet protected harbor area to sail Louise in, with a ferry landing for entertainment.
The thing about the ferry service, besides being entertaining, rocking the boat, and making it clear where the harbor is, you can also follow the ferry buoys in to the harbor and back out to the Strait.
Winds are well-predicted by the weather service, although the timing isn't exact, but we were lucky with this harbor. There's an island/spit that protects the east end, and small, shallow draft boats can anchor close behind and get in the lee.
Sunset was beautiful; spectacular. The skyscapes of Northumberland Strait are unparalleled. Sunsets, storms, clouds, stars, sunrises. We were getting our first taste of the sweep of the weather on our very first sail out of our launching point.
Caribou to Montague
The next morning we left our little anchorage in Caribou Harbor inlet and skirted Pictou Island on our way north across Northumberland Strait to the East End of Prince Edward Island. Our goal was Montague, which is just about the head of navigation on the Montague River. We didn't have much wind but we pressed on with Enetai's outboard because we were a little apprehensive about the tide rips that form off of Cape Bear. We made the slack tide we were aiming for, so what tide rips we encountered were easily negotiated. As we entered the Montague River via Cardigan Bay we waved to a sailor going the other way on a Freedom 25.
The Montague River is very pretty but is filled with aquaculture operations except for a lane up the center. Mussels, or maybe oysters. There didn't seem to be any anchorages to be seen in the river that were not taken up by buoys and cordage. While there wasn't much wind out in the Strait, as often happens when sailing in a river, there was a strong head wind against us. It seemed that the closer we got to Montague the stronger the wind blew.
As we neared the town, the head of navigation on the river, the winds lessened and the scenery became somewhat bucolic as we rounded the final bend before Montague.
The Montague waterfront is not only pretty, but it's very accommodating to mariners. A series of floating docks have plenty of room for visitors.
We spent the rest of the day on land, exploring Montague, walking up and down doing some shopping and sightseeing. We met the town poet/baker/historian when we walked into the bakery. Or, rather, he met us. He came bursting out from the back when he heard there were visitors from the US in the store. He had worked in the Boston area for a few years many years ago, and so we spent some time reminiscing. He also shared with us some local historical poetry.
The bakery had some tables outdoors, and we took advantage of the opportunity to relax with our pastries and coffee. While we were sitting there along the main drag, a large fishing boat came down the hill on a trailer. This was about a 40-footer and it took up most of the road. It was being towed to the launch ramp at the harbor. There was a young teenage boy behind the wheel (the wheel of the boat that is). It looked like he was having a great time pretending to drive the boat down Main Street and waving to the girls.
It seems to be common in this region to store fishing boats in backyards, some distance from the water, rather than in boat yards on the coast. It is a great comfort to have your boat nearby where you can keep an eye on it in bad weather.
After a day of exploring, and walking up hill (the town is always uphill from the harbor;-)), we had dinner at a nice restaurant that looked over the marina with a dining area on a screened in porch. The food was really good, with excellent fresh vegetables (and that was much better than when we had last visited an island of Canada in the late 1980's)!
From the marina, running along the riverside, there is a walking path along the North Shore of the Montague River. This is the beginning of the Confederation trail, great for walking or biking, which follows an old railroad bed. There's a convenient ice cream shack along the path, which made for a perfect dessert to end a perfect vacation day. We walked down about a mile and back as the evening approached. At dusk we watched a heron fish along the shallows, but then the mosquitoes came out, hurrying us back to the boat.