Malagawatch Harbour and Baddeck, Cape Breton

On the evening of Monday, July 14, Peter paddled the SUP around near Mantra with me as a passenger and we explored the shoreline. It was so very peaceful there. The few houses seemed to be unoccupied, and no other boats were in the cove. In some places, usually behind dense, spring green borders of grass, there are ponds with reeds and algae. In the deeper water, tall, waving fronds of algae rise to just below the surface. Close to the shore, rock and sand-colored gravel cover the bottom, reflecting the sunlight.

Algae rising ten meters to the surface

View of Mantra and Sherri's feet

Clear water with grasses and trees on the shore

Grasses, Eastern White Pines and other lush vegetation on the shore (There is a pond behind the grass.)

Back on Mantra, Peter took a swim in the warm water of Bras d'Or Lake, and we all took warm shows in the sunshine. As the light grew more faint, various types of clouds reflected and scattered the longer red wavelengths into pale colors in the western sky. 

Peter diving into the water

Pale pink, yellow, gray and baby blue sunset

On Tuesday morning (July 15) we pulled up anchor just before 11 a.m., After we got started, we were able to sail at around 4.5 knots with south winds at 7-10 knots on a starboard tack, broad reach, except when we furled the jib and turned on the engine to pass through the Barra Strait bascule bridge, which was opened on demand by the easy-going, friendly bridge keeper. (Honestly, everyone here in Canada is easy-going, welcoming and ready for conversation.)  

Passing under the Barra Strait Bridge

After a few hours of pleasant slow sailing, we anchored in Baddeck Bay at 3 p.m. The weather was sunny and warm, almost hot, and I announced that we had reached our final destination! We loved being able to wear shorts and t-shirts in Bras'd'Or Lake and opening the hatches to the balmy breezes. 

Enis ready to drop the anchor in Baddeck Bay

Kidston Island Lighthouse

Enis had to work, but Peter and I took the dinghy to the village on shore. Our first stop was at the marine store, or course, but then we found the ice cream store for a treat. As we walked along the main street, we saw a sign for a cèilidh that evening at St. Mary's Parish Hall. Of course, we went in the town's quite large and well-stocked hardware store, where Peter bought more stuff and I purchased additional clothespins because our supply was running low, which I had noticed when I pegged our sheets and pillowcases on the lines in the early afternoon. Occasionally, they go overboard in brisk winds or are accidentally dropped,

Baddeck from the water

Sherri with a pirate sculpture on the wharf

The old Post Office and Customs House, built in 1885

Our next stop was the visitor center, where the woman working there was incredibly friendly and advised to go across the street to the parish hall to reserve seats for the cèilidh, as it was a quite popular event. A centuries old Gaelic event, a cèilidh is a gathering or party at a home or community center featuring music, dancing and storytelling. At the hall, John, yet another welcoming person, sold us three seats and asked where we would like to sit. Of course, I chose the front row as close to the center as possible.

We returned to Mantra for late afternoon tea for Peter and Enis and skipped dinner, planning to eat on shore after the gathering. With over 100 seats, the house was packed with a mixture of local people and tourists from around the world. (We could certainly understand why people would travel to Cape Breton and particularly for lovely Baddeck for vacation.) There was an older man and a woman in her early thirties who took turns on the fiddle and piano, playing a variety of music. Except for the slow, melodic and somewhat melancholic aires, the music was lively and allegro, including jigs, polkas, reels and strathspeys. In Cape Breton, there is a fusion of Scottish, Irish, French and other cultures which is not just history but found in everyday modern life.

Sign at the parish hall

Howie MacDonald and Beverly MacLean

After the music, we went to the popular Tom's Pizza, where we enjoyed a late meal and Peter sampled a Nova Scotia-style pizza with donair and donair sauce, which originated in Halifax. The meat is spiced beef shaved from a rotating spit and the sauce is composed of sweetened condensed milk, vinegar and garlic. Donair, which is usually wrapped, along with chopped onions and tomatoes, in white pita, was created in the 1970s by a Greek immigrant, Peter Gamoulakos. He modified the recipe for Turkish gyros to suit local tastes, replacing lamb with beef and developing the distinctive sweet sauce.

We have passed out of Bras d'Or Lake and are cruising past the northeastern part of Cape Breton, heading to St. Pierre and Miquelon. Soon we will be on the open seas again. It is time for me to prepare lunch, so I will write more about Baddeck later.