The always-adventurous George Burden details his exciting adventure along the coast of Nova Scotia aboard a three masted barquentine, the Caledonia.
By an interesting coincidence the hour and date slated for the departure of our cruise ship, Caledonia, coincided with the precise time of arrival of Hurricane Hannah. Fortunately by the time Hannah reached the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia the cooler north Atlantic waters had pacified her into what was barely a tropical storm. Nevertheless, Captain Kim Smith, paced the bridge of his sailing vessel, a three-masted barquentine, like a jungle cat. He told us that it irked him to delay leaving port, but he nonetheless re-scheduled sailing until the next morning.
When cruising in a sailing vessel, even a 60 meter one sporting a 1500 HP diesel engine, flexibility is the key word maintains Captain Smith. Happily, while this flexibility is necessary to avoid weather that a large cruise-ship can ignore, it also allows Caledonia to anchor or dock at tiny coves and fishing villages, Caribbean islands and Pacific atolls that the bigger vessels could never dream of approaching.
This was precisely the reason my wife Krista and I had booked a one week cruise around our home province of Nova Scotia’s scenic and historic South Shore. Newly and luxuriously refitted, the Caledonia allowed us an exotic venue departing a mere 45 minute drive from our home.
Our delay was put to good use when our ship’s purser issued everyone complimentary tickets to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Documenting Nova Scotia’s nautical history, it is renowned as the home of a variety of artifacts from the Titanic, most found when Nova Scotia based vessels participated in the rescue of the doomed vessel’s survivors. By an interesting coincidence Caledonia’s designer, Bill Graham, was sailing with us, just as Bruce Ismay, the designer of Titanic, was aboard his vessel.
The parallels ended, however, as Hurricane Hannah fizzled out into a splendid sunny afternoon, leaving us clear sailing for the rest of the week. Departing Monday morning we commenced a ten hour voyage to Port Mouton (locally pronounced “ma-toon”) in a heaving swell left over from Hannah. Caledonia proved to be stable and seaworthy and by late afternoon we’d anchored in sun-dappled blue waters off a white sandy beach near Port Mouton.
During the cruise I’d come to make the acquaintance of a number of fellow passengers, easy enough to do when the vessel’s passenger capacity was a cozy 77. Jason and Julia, honeymooning graduates of the famed American naval academy at Annapolis were trying to experience something different from the nuclear submarines and massive aircraft carriers to which they were accustomed. Mark, a Honolulu based anesthetist and his wife Sarah, were seeking a change of scenery, while Rob, a Toronto pharmaceutical marketing executive was accompanying his lady love back to her home province for a first visit.
At our first stop we had the option of touring the historic ship-building town of Liverpool and visiting the Thomas Raddall Provincial Park with its seal colonies and remains of native Mi’kmaq settlements. Krista and I decided to spend the afternoon combing the long, pristine beach in search of sand dollars.
At six o’clock we returned for drinks and hors-d’oeuvres on the stern deck mixed with spirited conversation with other passengers. By 7:30 we were ready for supper, a choice of either pan-fried trout with green salad or pork medallions seared with lemon butter and fresh basil. I chose the trout, washed down with a glass of excellent and reasonably priced French Sancerre. Well fed and pleasantly fatigued from the days activities Krista and I retired to our suite. Some say the gentle rocking of an anchored sailing vessel has aphrodisiac properties.
Next morning, after breakfasting on fresh fruit, yogurt, home-baked muffins and prodigious cups of coffee, Captain Smith announced that we were going to weigh anchor and head north to the town of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of the famed Nova Scotia racing schooner, Bluenose.
Caledonia has an open bridge policy so I stuck my head into the pilot house and asked Captain Smith if I could climb the 60 meter foremast of his vessel. He said sure, and before I knew it I was wearing a safety harness and was climbing the rat lines skyward under the coaching of Erica, a member of Caledonia’s sailing crew. I was soon staring 60 meters down to the deck and wondering at what point during the trip I’d taken leave of my senses. Erica expertly coached me downward and, adrenaline flushed, I finally reached the deck, where Mark congratulated me on having more guts than brains.
We were able to dock in Lunenburg and Krista and I grabbed two of the bicycles provided by CSE on a complimentary basis to passengers. Lunenburg is a town of fine old buildings. Many churches and homes date back to the mid 1700s when the town was settled by 2,000 “foreign Protestants”, hardworking German, Swiss and French settlers who turned a patch of woods into one of the world’s major ship building towns within less than a hundred years.
Lunenburg’s Fishery Museum is a must for any visitor who wants to develop an understanding of the town’s history and the role the fishery played. Several kilometers out of town the little fishing village of Blue Rock rivals the far more known Peggy’s Cove.
Departing Lunenburg the next morning we headed towards the town of Chester. The wind conditions en route were perfect and Captain Smith took this opportunity to set every sail that Caledonia possessed, for the first time in the vessel’s history. The ship quivered like a living thing as her sails billowed and she heeled over about fifteen degrees making walking down the vessel’s inner passageways both awkward and humorous. Arriving at Chester, we anchored off shore, relying on Caledonia’s Zodiacs to ferry us back and forth to town. The shady streets are ideal for a leisurely walk and it has long been a favorite place for wealthy Americans looking for a more temperate place to pass their summers and sail their yachts.
We left Chester later that afternoon and set course back to Halifax. Here we would first spend a night anchored in the city’s mansion-studded back harbor, the Northwest Arm. As we sailed down “the Arm”, sipping French wine and enjoying smoked salmon I reflected that I could certainly get used to this lifestyle. Alas, the next day Caledonia returned to her berth on the Halifax waterfront to allow her passengers to disembark. While my vacation was ending, Caledonia was about to have a six week holiday of her own, going for a refit before heading south for a winter in the Caribbean.
Photo Credits
All photos © George Burden. All Rights Reserved.
The Cruise Ship Caledonia at Risser’s Beach
George Burden (in red) at the top of the Caledonia’s main mast
Deck chair from the Titanic at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax
Two sailors, with the Caledonia in the background
The Caledonia Docks in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Dory Shop, Lunenburg
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