#15 Down East Circle; Cape Breton with Bra d'Or Lake, Cabot trail Fort Louisbourg

I left Pictou and had an uneventful journey to St Georges Bay the Canso Strait and the Canso Canal. From there pressing on to Port Hawkesbury,  I transited the Canso Canal, which was a huge lock.  I was the only boat to enter and I was given the option of free float or tie up. Since no other vessels were in the lock it was an easy choice.

Port Hawkesbury marina is a small well run marina.  The members run the marina, there is a great club house and shower facility.  Close by is a new bakery which has tasty breads and such.

Leaving Port Hawkesbury

All along my travels on the Canadian coast I see electric generating windmills, it is hard for me to understand the opposition to these giants that create free energy.  

From Port Hawkesbury I went to the lock controlling access to the Bras dOr Lake.  The Canadians call the lake an "in-land sea".  It is salt water and open to the ocean in north Cape Breton.  The canal I am using was built to allow southern access.  In the old days they use to haul boats over a hill to the lake with oxen.


St Peter's Lock

There is a recent occurrence at the lock, where squid are appearing in the evening at the lock gates and folks are catching them with hookless devices which the squid grab and the quick pulling action by the fishermen cause them to stick to the lure until on land and they just shake off the squid.

I went into the St Peter's marina close to the lock for fuel as they had the cheapest in the area and after spending a day doing laundry and odd tasks headed up the lake to Baddeck.  

 Baddeck

There is an island just opposite Baddeck where the locals swim.  A courtesy shuttle boat brings folks back and forth all day long.  Her you see it in the morning fog.

The Amoeba is a cement built schooner built by the current owners' dad, it is said that it took him 8 years to complete.  The Amoeba takes groups around the small island and over to the Alexander Bell estate.  He is fed customers from Sydney where cruise ships disembark passengers for a coach ride to Baddeck and the Cabot trail.

Alexander Graham Bell Museum
Just a short walk in town is the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. It holds many exhibits covering all of Alexanders interests and experiments.  It is interesting to note that he was derides by fellow inventors at the time because they claimed he only had the one achievement (Telephone) so Alex was driven to show his genius in many other areas such as manned flight, hydrofoils, hearing impediments, propeller designs , etc.  His family mansion lies across the harbor but no visitors are allowed.  I could just see it peaking thru the trees.

Cabot Trail

Stopped for lunch on the Cabot trail at the Glenora distillery. Lunch was great and he tour of the distillery was also, ending up with a "wee dram".

On the trail

Fortress of Louisbourg

From Wikipedia: "The Fortress of Louisbourg was the capital for the colony of Île-Royale, and was located on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Island near its southeastern point. The location for the fortress was chosen because it was easy to defend against British ships attempting to either block or attack the St. Lawrence River, at the time the only way to get goods to Canada and its cities of Quebec and Montreal. South of the fort, a reef provided a natural barrier, while a large island provided a good location for a battery. These defenses forced British ships to enter the harbour via a 500-foot (150 m) channel. The fort was built to protect and provide a base for France's lucrative North American fishery and to protect Quebec City from British invasions. For this reason it has been given the nicknames ‘Gibraltar of the North’ or the ‘Dunkirk of America.’ The fort was also built to protect France’s hold on one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, the Grand Banks. One hundred and sixteen men, ten women, and twenty-three children originally settled in Louisbourg."

What is strange about this building?  The timbers are vertical with mortar in the seams.

The Governors quarters.

When the British destroyed the fort so it would never be a threat to the crown again the only thing left standing was the door to the right.  Everything else was leveled to the ground.  So you can get a good idea of the effort put into restoring this fortress.

The fortress was a town also, with expected commerce from the sea.  The huge natural harbor facing the fortress would be where trade would come and where the principal defenses were concentrated.  The French didn't believe they were threatened from land so that side was neglected.  Oddly enough that is the reason the fortress fell to colonial troops from Massachusetts under the command of the English.

Back on Bra dOr lake, this spot is listed as the best anchorage by the Cruising Club of America.

We were able to wade in fairly warm water and pick up oysters from their beds. they were plentiful.