Cruising Guide to the Bras d'Or Lakes, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

Guide/Book Page

Cruising Guide to the Bras d'Or Lakes, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

Silver Donald Cameron, (yachtsman and author of "Wind, Whales and Whiskey", "Sniffing the Coast" and "Sailing Away from Winter"), describes Cape Breton's Bras d'Or Lakes as: "A basin ringed by indigo hills laced with marble. Islands within a sea inside an island." More spectacular use of imagery I've never read.

There is no doubt that Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and the 450-square-mile Bras d'Or Lakes is the premier destination for cruising yachts in eastern Canada. With literally hundreds of anchorages, friendly people and deep, well-marked water, the Bras d'Or Lakes are an excellent choice to get away from it all. The caveat here for US cruisers is that it's easy to lose track of time and a homeward 400-mile beat to windward under time constraints is quite an undertaking!

There are two points of entry to the Bras d'Or's, from the south, the lock at St. Peter's Canal and from the north through the Great Bras d'Or, passing beneath the Seal Island Bridge. There are height restrictions at both entrances, 100' of clearance under the high-voltage wires at Beaver Narrows, to the east of St. Peter's and 119' of clearance under the massive Seal Island Bridge.

Once in the Bras d'Or Lakes, cruising vessels can explore a vast area of salt water with virtually no fog, little tide influence, many anchorages and few navigational hazards. Those that do exist are very well-marked. Although the lakes freeze in the winter months, the water warms up quickly in the spring and is excellent for swimming. In many places the shoreline is bold and boats may put their bows on the beach with plenty of water beneath the keel!

The Lakes physically consist of two bodies of water, the "Big" lake and the "Little" lake, separated by the beautiful Barra Strait which lies between the villages of Grand Narrows and Iona. A bascule bridge here allows passage of cruising vessels between the lakes. The operators of the bridge are most friendly and will see you approaching from a distance. In our 20+ passages, we've never had to hail the operators for a bridge opening. (VHF 10)

-- WEATHER --

• Marine weather for the Bras d'Or Lakes, Nova Scotia
• (updated from April to November)

-- Marinas and Facilities --

There are several full-service marinas on the Lakes, our personal preference however, is the St. Peter's Lions' Club Marina (VHF 16/68) in St. Peter's with a large capacity, both for number of vessels that can be accommodated and the length of vessels that can be brought alongside. (135' is the largest we've seen tied up) Marina Manager Gerry, Assistant Manager Marvin and their staff are well-versed in landing even the most unwieldy craft and are extremely friendly as well as most helpful to find parts or arranging for general repairs for cruisers. Facilities here are second to none on the Lakes, with five washrooms/showers, (one with wheelchair access), kitchenette, lounge, WiFi throughout the marina and basic cruising necessities (oil, fuel, ice etc.) Resupplying your vessel is an easy chore here, with hardware store, liquor store, bank and supermarket less than 1/2 mile away. (Foodland, the grocery store, will deliver you and your supplies back to the marina, which is handy because 24 or more beer gets a little tiresome if you had to lug it!)

There is a full-service marina at Dundee in West Bay, Barra Strait Marina at Grand Narrows as well as Baddeck Marine and Cape Breton Boatyard in Baddeck. As slips are extremely limited in Baddeck, reservations are a must.

Our routine usually consists of entering the Lakes at St. Peter's, restocking the vessel and freezing our ice bottles in the marina's freezers. (As the ice melts, we use it as potable water) A bag of ice cubes usually lasts 4 to 5 days aboard "Ever After". We return after being out for a few days to restock, check email and update our cruising log online (http://www.angelfire.com/ns/BarrachoisYachtClub/cruising.html).

Leaving St. Peter's through St. Peter's Inlet (remember the 100' clearance beneath the power lines at Beaver Narrows), follow the well-marked channel which leads to the "Big" Lake. After clearing Kelly Shoal (Q35) (FlG), cruisers may choose one of three possible destinations- West Bay, East Bay or continue to Barra Strait to enter the "Little" Lake. There a several good anchorages along St. Peter's Inlet which may be handy for the rare occasion when St. Peter's Marina is filled to capacity. Corbett's Cove, south of Beaver Island and Soldier's Cove further to the east behind Chapel Island have excellent holding an protection from wave action. Our personal preference, however is Cape George Harbour just north of Q38 at Dock Point. A series of three anchorages, we prefer to double back and round up into the small basin behind the sandbar, (Careful- DON'T cut too close!) anchoring in 16' of water. Along the north shore of the small basin on a clear day, the remains of an ill-fated schooner which sank here many years ago can still be seen. Excellent holding and protection from wind is to be had here. I can't imagine any situation short of force 10 winds bothering you in here. There are two other possible anchorages further up the harbour, but we've never used them.

West Bay

A multitude of anchorages may be found in West Bay, the most spectaular
of which is Marble Mountain and Clarke Cove. Buoy DA2 (FlR) marks the
entrance to the channel and is left to starboard on entrance. Excellent
holding and protection is found behind the hooked bar/beach NNW of
MacDonald's Point (Be careful not to venture too close to the point as
the water becomes skinny fairly quickly, from 33' to 8'.) Once in this
little basin, anchorage is straightforward. An excellent spot for
swimming, this is certainly one of our favourite anchorages!

Crammond Islands

A well-protected basin lies between the two islands which compose the
Crammonds, which is about 5.6 miles WSW of Marble Mountain. Excellent
holding and protection is to be had here. Approach from the north, as
sand bars and silting has severely restricted access from the south.

Ross Pond

Two anchorages are located in the area, one is Ross Pond while the other
is North Cove, to the west of Ross Point. Ross Pond, however is the most
protected in our opinion. Entrance to this anchorage is straightforward,
follow the well-marked channel and set the hook in 8-15' of water.

Little Harbour

The name is misleading. Little Harbour is LARGE and is almost completely
land-locked. Do NOT be alarmed at the narrowness of the entrance! If the
winds are from the east, anchor on the east side and if the winds are
expected from the west, hook on the west side of the harbour. An
excellent restaurant, (The Cape Breton Smokehaus) is located here,
(excellent choice to give the cook the night off...) with a small wharf
to tie the dinghy alongside while you come ashore to dine. Excellent
meals and reasonably priced!

Pellier Harbour

Located 1.2 miles east of Little Harbour, Pellier Harbour features a
BOLD shore behind the sandspit/beach. A 6' draft vessel can easily be
nosed onto the sandbar/beach here with plenty of clearance beneath the keel, for
swimming, exploring or just to stretch your legs!

The Boom

Many possible anchorages are found here, just west of C52 (R) at
McKinnon's Point. Passage through the boom is well-marked, but in the
late afternoon you'll find yourself sailing directly into the setting
sun, which can make spotting nav aids difficult.

Alba and Estmere

Just one mile north of Cranberry Island, this basin offers good
protection and holding. Choose your anchorage with reference to the
winds at the time.

Crooked Cove/Martin's Cove

A series of three anchorages are offered here, all provide excellent
protection from the west. We hooked in the little cove to the south of
Crooked Cove, where perhaps 3 or 4 vessels could anchor for the night if
everyone knew what they were doing. A bald eagle was less than pleased
at our intrusion on his/her domain! Beautiful scenery as evidenced by the photo.

Orangedale

Further to the west from Crooked Cove and Martin's Cove, North Basin has
good holding and excellent protection from the north, south and west.

Waypoints and Location Reference Charts:

Bras d'Or Lakes Nova Scotia

Waypoints Reference Chart for Boats - St. Peters Inlet Nova Scotia