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Although we had been made to feel very at home in Purcell’s Cove, by the time the winds appeared to suitable for an eastern passage, we were keen to explore more of Nova Scotia, particularly the island of Cape Breton. We left the cove bright and early on Tuesday August 5th with the intent to sail overnight to St Peter’s in southern Cape Breton. However, after a bit of sailing away from the shore it was evident that with the off-shore winds meeting the large residual swell from the days of on-shore winds, it was going to be choppy and uncomfortable. So we motored in-shore and anchored in the sparsely populated Owl Head Harbour. The next day we enjoyed motoring in sunny weather between the many small islands close to shore in an area known as "Bay of Islands" east of Tangier, and in the afternoon sailed a bit more offshore. That night we motored in rather unpleasantly rolling seas around Cape Canso and across Chedabucto Bay to the island of Cape Breton.

Calm was restored in St. Peters Bay and we arrived at the lock on St. Peters Canal just before its first opening of the day at 8 am. Prior to the construction of this lock in 1869, small boats were pulled on skids by oxen over the narrow "Haulover Isthmus". Depending upon the state of the tide, the modest rise going into the lake varies from 2 to 5 ft. The lock is the only southern entrance to the huge system of Bras d’Or Lakes which has two navigable outlets to the ocean to the north. The lake system has relatively warm, brackish water, little tidal fluctuation, and is sheltered from the wind and waves of the open sea, so it is a popular cruising area. About twice the size of Lake Champlain in upstate New York (450 sq miles or 1100 sq km), the lake has many islands, long peninsulas, and dramatic tree-covered shorelines that drop steeply into the water.

Having passed through the lock into the southern basin and on reading that there are over 20 species of marine fish including healthy populations of cod, mackerel, herring, and lobster, the lads jigged (unsuccessfully) for cod for a short while. We then headed to Barra Strait, the narrow opening to the northern lake where Roger navigated us through the bascule bridge. Although the sky was cloudy all day, there was a suitable wind for Thomas to sail us past Baddeck (where the annual Regatta was in full swing) and south to Little Narrows. On approaching Baddeck, we saw at least a dozen bald eagles of various maturities sitting on one small island and others were seen perched on trees elsewhere along our route. The Bras d’Or Lakes are home to about 200 nesting pairs of bald eagles and there are several nests around Baddeck. At Little Narrows we had to make sure that we didn’t get caught on the cable that crosses the channel for the small car ferry (it drops to 12 ft when the ferry is ashore but it is near the surface when the ferry is crossing). We spent Thursday night at anchor in Whycocomagh Bay (which Google maps doesn’t seem to know is water!) We dined at Vi’s Restaurant by the Trans Canada Highway (which runs from Sydney NS to Vancouver, BC) and got soaked in the rain walking back to the dinghy.

Friday was a bit brighter and we assaulted Salt Mountain (787 ft – 240 m) overlooking Whycocomagh. It proved to be an excellent woodland hill-climb with more trail markers (kindly provided by the Boy Scouts) than one might have thought possible. Views of Whycocomagh Bay, including the First Nations reservation across the bay from where we had anchored, and out across the Bras d’Or Lakes were absolutely spectacular and much enhanced by the sunny intervals. It was good to get some aerobic exercise and very satisfying to see the landscape from a perspective other than water level. In the afternoon we cruised back to Baddeck and tied up at the public wharf. As had been noted in our cruising guide, this is a focal point of the town and even our boat (which is little compared to some of the large motor cruisers that pass through) attracted quite a bit of attention. People are particularly interested in the solar panels and wind generator and within 20 minutes we had a couple from Saskatchewan (a non-coastal province) aboard to see how spacious it is below. That night we were treated to the sounds of the Regatta participants having a rollicking party at the neighboring Bras d’Or Yacht Club including some bands of varying talent and the splashes of several people deciding that 1 am was an ideal time to go swimming!