M/V MAERIN

The following morning (Saturday) we headed for Little Harbor, about an hour away. Little Harbor is an almost round harbor with a narrow opening. The opening is less than 200 ft, and entering the inlet reveals a harbor about 3/4 mile across. Several homes dot the shore, and one is the home of Cape Breton Smokehouse, a local restaurant, established by a couple of retired German doctors. They’re known for their German cooking, and in particular the smoked salmon, which was delicious! The wife died a few years back, and the restaurant is now run by the widower and his daughter. There were 10 diners present on Saturday evening when we had dinner. Not fancy, but the food was very good. The dining area overlooks the harbor, a stunning view! There were 2 other sailboats anchored in the harbor, both of which were at dinner. We were visited earlier in the afternoon by Dave and his lab for a chat over the taffrail, then he and wife Eileen joined us for dinner. They’re originally from Newfoundland, and now live in Nova Scotia, and have been boating in the area for quite some time. We had a very enjoyable dinner, and learned a lot about the local area. The Smokehouse is a frequent cruising destination for them, as well as many other cruisers.

We headed out of Little Harbor Saturday morning, destination Baddeck. As we cleared the inlet, we heard a bird that sounded to me like an eagle, and sure enough, there was one perched high in a pine tree on shore. Not close enough for a photo, but we got a good look through the binoculars. Bras d’Or is reknowned for its eagle population. We can put one on our sighting list!

We had a beautiful cruise to Baddeck, the lake was mill pond smooth, light winds and warm breezes. Our weather has been spectacular. We may be in for a few days of cloudiness, but we’ll have plenty to do. Baddeck is the home of the Alexander Graham Bell museum. Bell built a summer residence across the harbor from Baddeck, summered here and was considered a member of the community. We plan to visit the museum, and plan to rent a car to extend our range and visit more of the Cape Breton areas. Bell remarked that he traveled the world over, but chose Cape Breton to summer because he was so taken with its beauty. Our cruise to Baddeck today gave us some insight into that statement as we witnessed some of the most spectacular scenery of our trip.