July 21 - Neverfail Cove in Fisherman's Harbour

July 22 - Yankee cove in Whitehead Harbour - Idyllic spot, shared only with mussel farming buoys. Since Halifax we have only seen six sailboats, no cruising powerboats, so the opportunities for socializing are nonexistent. (We did have the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Earl Grey escort us up the coast from Halifax, but I'm sure it was just a coincidence that they we heading the same direction. They docked in Sheet Harbour.) Nevertheless, we have been fully enjoying the peaceful anchorages, realizing that very few people have enjoyed the scenery that we've been experiencing. I must say it's disconcerting realizing that there's no cell phone or internet connectivity, but we can live without it for a few days. Thank you for sharing your local knowledge, Mr. Heffler from Lunenburg! We were told just how lovely sailing and gunk-holing on the east coast of Nova Scotia could be--so glad we can experience it. It actually reminds us of cruising in the Chesapeake in October with the warm, sunny days and cool nights. Just keep facing the shoreline on port so you don't see Great Britain (about same latitude), aka expanse of North Atlantic Ocean, off the starboard side!

The last few days we've been able to sail a bit in light air and sunshine, even enjoying the downwind sailing (prevailing winds are sou'westerlies).

July 23 - We expected to wake to a misty, cloudy morning, but instead, woke to sunshine even though the Sirius weather map showed we were in the middle of precipitation. Go figure! So, we raised the anchor and headed off to the Ille Madame, a center of Acadian culture just west of St. Peter's Canal and the Bras D'Or Lakes.

After examining the charts for PEI and points north, we agreed that our determination to take Ladyhawke to PEI, Newfoundland and possibly St. Pierre et Michelon has waned dramatically. Are we getting older? Perhaps just too ambitious of an itinerary? So, what's the next best option--a land cruise! We decided that we'll work our way to Baddeck on the Bras D'Or Lakes where we'll hopefully be able to get a car and make reservations for a trip to PEI and explore the Northlumberland Coast of NS. The Northumberland Strait is very shallow, with very small harbors. The east coast of PEI has many small fishing villages with tiny harbors that we are just not adventurous enough to explore on a big boat with a 6' draft. So, we decided to see what we can from land and be able to cover more territory by car. We'll keep you posted. For now, it's off to the small fishing villages on Isle Madame to hear some Acadian.