Peggy Cove & Chester

Peggy Cove is about 50 miles from Halifax, it is one of the prettiest fishing villages on this coast and boasts the oldest lighthouse in Canada.
Tragically the Swissair flight 111 crashed only a mile from the village in 1998, killing all on board.

Overlooking the harbour

Got to say, these Canadians don't hold any punches, tell them as it is guys !!!!! :-)

Steve reckons the guy that anchored here must have been nuts or desperate !!!

More shots over the harbour

One of our earlier vessels...................prime for refurbishment .....ha ha ha

Interesting use of the harbour how they have placed the sheds / warehouses over the water. Terje noted very similar ideas in Norway, Faeroes and even Iceland. I have seen similar in the Orkneys. Note the rubble infill

Noice cottage with abundance of wild roses

Next stop Chester.........the Cathedral below !!!

A coupe for the boys !!!

Mahone Bay

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Last stop on the whistle stop tour of interesting places around Halifax.

Population of around 1000, it is (according to the Canadian Tourist board, the most pictureesque village in Canada). 

Sorry dudes, the consencus of opinion was, that Chester was far more betterer, prettier....etc etc etc.

However, still a grand spot, very attractive and is a centre for craft shops and restaurants (from the guide book !!!!). In the last week of July the town celebrates it's wooden boat festival, which signals a gathering of wooden boats from far and wide.

For those into their history................in the Revolutionary War of 1812 (with England), the town was attacked by privateers. On June 27 1813, a British warship chased an American privateer into the bay, a Brirish deserter on board the American boat, fearing the hangmans noose, threw a torch into the powder magazine. Legend has it, that on the anniversary every year an apparition of a "fireship" can be seen drifting into the bay.

Unusual aspect to the town, three churches side by side at the head of the bay.

Overlooking the harbour

Harbour side properties

Looking back at the three churches

Halifax, Nova Scotia

During our stay in Lunenburg, Steve arranged for an electronics engineer to look at the new radar system.
After 2 hours out in the bay, we still had'nt sorted it. The screen was showing a mirror image of what we actually had. The engineer spent about an hour on the mobile to Raymarine technical help line to no avail. They even said we must have put it on the wrong way round...................don't think so dudes !!!!
It was something they had never experienced before. Eventually, they agreed to replace the dome in Halifax.
So off we go to Halifax
The sail from Lunenburg to Halifax passed without any great problems. Again on a beam reach doing approx. 8 to 9 knots.
Unknown to us at the time, the engine exhaust system had again back siphoned seawater in through the exhaust valves into the oil.
Luckily, this time it was only a couple of litres.
After numerous phone calls Steve eventually arranged for a diesel fitter to meet us in Halifax.
Typical, we have to wait 4 days due to Canada Day..................aaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhh !!!!
After another 2 complete oil changes, we are good to go again, however, something is not right with the exhaust system..............yet to be resolved.

Halifax is another historic site in Nova Scotia (historical being since 1650, not quite Roman or Iron Age.....................but hey, we'll give them some slack here.)
It is has always been of immense tactical importance, even up to modern times.
In 1917 the largest man made explosion occurred when a French vessel, (carrying thousands of tons of explosives) hit a Norwegian vessel in the harbour. The damage that ensued was horrendous, it destroyed an entire district of Halifax and killed 2000 people.



The panorama from Novara at our mooring in Halifax harbour

HMCS Sackville, our neighbour, a WW2 Corvette.

Jammed in by HMCS Halifax and Sackville during Canada Day

Canada Day celebrations begin

Changing of the guard at Halifax Citadel, a fort high on the hill above Halifax, dug deep into a hollow for protection

as shown on this photo

Inside the Citadel

Not real Scots Guards.........University students on summer vacation earning some extra money during the tourist season

The main barracks

Panorama of Halifax from the Citadel

Famous clock tower, built about 1834.
One of the Citadel guns is fired at 12 noon, shame the clock tower is'nt in tune !!!!

Shots around Halifax

Lunenburg - 24 June

After a good kip at anchor in Port Mouton, we had a swift breakfast and set off for Lunenburg.

 "Lunenburg – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Historic District, winner of the Communities in Bloom most beautiful small town in Canada"...................says "Explore Lunenburg"

This is a fascinating place and home to the "Bluenose 2", a fast schooner originally designed and used in the region for fishing.
"Bluenose 2" has been restored over the last 5 years by the Covey Island Boatworks. When we were in Camden, the Harbour master (Ben) told us about Bluenose and the boatworks.
One of Ben's best friends, Al Hutchinson is the co-owner of CIB.
Ben got in touch with Al and he arranged a berth for us in Lunenburg, not long after we landed he came over to see us.
What a star guy, we had a good couple of hours with him.......lunch and a few beers.................errrrmmmmmm................well a good couple of beers !!!!!

Motoring into Lunenburg after a brilliant sail over from Port Mouton.
For the sailors.........starboard beam reach .............wind about 14 to 16 knots and the boat was doing 9 to 10 knots.............just fantastic !!!

                                      

One of our neighbours on the dock at Lunenburg :

Steve checking out the berth before we walk into town for a few sherbets !

Bluenose 2 on her berth at the CIB dockyard, a few hundred metres further up the harbour from us:

Steve weighing up Bluenose. She was just back in from her first sea trials today. Thanks to Al for letting us have a look around:

Some detail on the bow's:

Bowsprit of the Bluenose, amazing ironmongery, all made at CIB:

The baggywrinkles............check on google......ha ha ha !!!

A mural on the street in Lunenburg:

Lunenburg..............Main Street: