August 15, 2025 Heading out of Bras d'Or Lake and along the Nova Scotia Coast

Friday August 15, 2025 Big Harbour Anchorage to St. Peters Lock Wall 41 miles and 5 hours

After that awesome storm passed overnight it turned into a pretty nice day. Sun came out, wind shifted to a less humid northerly direction, but still kept up the 5-10 winds with gusts to 20 and temperatures moderated back down into the mid 70's. Headed down the lake passing under the Barra Strait bridges again. Open water was pretty easy with a light chop directly on the stern.

Passing back by more of those unique gypsum cliffs

Life would be fantastic if every day on the water looked this calm

Grass growing on the Barra Strait RR bridge confirms - no longer in use.

Back to St. Peters Marina for fuel and water. Best price we've had in all of Canada!! JUST $1.55 CAN per litre which equates to $5.87 CAN/gallon, or about $4.25 USD/gallon. Loaded up the water tank and then we were off. Hailed the St. Peters lock tender for passage and they quickly got the lock ready. Then headed down to open the swing bridge to let us through. No problems in the lock and then settled in for the night against the lock wall making for a quick and easy morning departure.

Swing bridge open and then the meandering entrance to the lock

Met up with our buddy Tom on Sky Blue at the lock wall. He's also heading out in the morning. We're both keeping careful eyes on the weather. Long day tomorrow and it will likely be a bit sporty.

As You Wish and Sky Blue tied to the lock wall for the evening
awaiting an early morning departure

Journey for August 15, 2025

Saturday August 16, 2025 St. Peters Wall to Beaver Harbour Anchorage 107 miles and 10.3 hours

Early morning departure as it's going to be a long day. Off the lock wall just after 6 AM. Forecast remains the same - doable but likely not enjoyable with seas running 2-3'. At least they will be at our stern. With potential for it being a bit rougher we double check securing everything movable in the cabin and opt to run from the pilothouse. Lower center of gravity so less momentum being tossed side to side. Waves are from the NE, so we'll have them at our stern. Winds will change direction over the course of the day which just adds a bit more confusion to the waves.

Nice start to our cruise as we make way down Lennox Passage

Out Lennox Passage and across Chedabucto Bay things are fairly pleasant. Still just light morning breezes as the sun rises. Nice not having it directly in our eyes. More exposed waters coming around the Canso Point gets a little messier as waves are coming abeam our port side. They're more rollers than waves with a decent period between each and with the stabilizers activated things smooth out to a tolerable level.

Lighthouses protecting the rocky shores around Cape Canso

Once around the Cape we set a SW course and enjoy a bit of a push from the winds and waves all day. We're running about 5 miles offshore so land is visible. As we're passing the entrance to Liscomb a target shows up on AIS heading in from the ocean at 17 knots. Spot it on the horizon and it is moving fast and crashing head on through the waves throwing out a huge spray. Aquanova passes behind us with her big tender in tow. She's a 150' Palmer Johnson, you can charter for a mere $180,000 per week. Get ready for the fuel bill as it burns 120 gallons per hour! We edge in closer to shore take the inside passage.

Making our own waves. Nice clean but salty water.

Things settle a bit due to the many islands we pass but navigating is requiring a careful lookout. We pass the entrances to Marie Joseph, Ecum Secum, Necum Teuch, and Hartling. All potential anchorages but we continue on to Beaver Harbour which will put us half-way to our next destination of either Halifax or Lunenburg. Tucked about 3 miles inland waves aren't an issue and we find a spot behind Macleod Island that offers protection from wind. A sailboat has already anchored in the prime spot tucked closer to the island but plenty of room for us to drop the hook too. Long ten hour day of bobbing around. Better than beating head on into waves, but we're both still feeling the motion of the ocean while sitting perfectly still.

The anchorage behind Macleod Island via Martha's drone

Sunset at the anchorage

We'll stay here on Sunday as seas are still building outside our comfort level. Makes for a relaxing day. With Starlink for internet and Fubo on the TV we're set for watching a Jaguars preseason game and an IndyCar race. That and we're keeping an eye on a colony of seals that were basking on a mud bank at low tide this morning. Apparently, a bad fire out by Halifax sent a smoke screen our way when the breeze first picked up. Thankfully it passed after half an hour or so.