It was a wonderfully warm and bright morning when we glided out into the Atlantic Ocean from Three Fathoms Harbour. We were anxious about the day; we knew it was to be definitive; we were expecting to cruise past the Halifax Harbour. Once that waypoint was reached we knew we would be approaching the outer perimeter of a new point of reference for our whole trip. We would be heading into the area known as the South Shore of Nova Scotia. We learned to sail in the South Shore of Nova Scotia, we had spent countless hours roaming up and down its shores in search of a suitable marina that was to become Bridlewilde`s home port and we were about to reach it , Mahone Bay, one of best sailing grounds in the Northern Hemisphere.
The swell was gentle as we sailed past Shut In Island at the mouth of the Three Fathom Harbour.
We expected a light wind of 10 -15 knots for duration of the day and that is what we were awarded as we made our way along the shore past Half Island Point where the peninsula slides inward toward Terminal Beach Bay and on to Lawrencetown. We had spent a couple of hours just a few days prior sitting in our car, pulled over to the side of the road on top of a knoll overlooking the long beautiful expanse of the Lawrencetown Beach, watching, in awe, the extreme kite surfers on the water there, take on the heavy swell and wind of the day. We recounted how pleased we were that we were not experiencing those conditions today as we sailed past the area ourselves. The conditions remained stable as we cruised past Devil`s Island and Thrumcap Shoal that mark the turning point into the commercial port of Halifax. The sky was clear and the sun warmed the mid October day.
We could clearly see the outline of the sister cities of Dartmouth and Halifax across the harbor from one another. I saw the captain take a second breath as he looked inward toward the harbour entrance. He called his mom, whose house is located just a few short nautical miles in, on the Halifax waterfront, to let her know that he was home.
As we passed across the mouth of the Halifax Harbour we crossed Anchorage Areas A and B where huge container ships anchor awaiting piloted access into the harbour. As we sailed through the shipping lane into Halifax, we passed across the bow of one large vessel anchored out there.
We were surprised that we did not see much vessel traffic – we thought that we would see more action about here. Save the one container ship, the only other vessel we saw was a small aluminum power boat with one fellow aboard trolling along – it seemed that he was fishing for mackeral. He waved as we went by, we waved back and then slipped swiftly past Herring Cove and Chebucto Head in line to follow the well buoyed route through the Sambro Channel. By mid afternoon the wind had shifted to our nose again and we had to douse the sail. The captain was so disappointed because the day was so nice. We were hoping that we would be able to sail through the day but we motored across Pennant Bay, sneaked in behind Betty Island and made our way into Prospect Bay and the community wharf in the stunning little village of Prospect.
We were met on the wharf by local mariners who took our lines and assisted with the securing of our boat. They were fine people who owned the beautiful 44 foot sloop at moorage that we passed as we came up to dock.
It was 4.30 in the afternoon. We were thrilled to be here because our daughter Susannah and her partner, Jeff were coming to see us here later that evening. But even more importantly, Susannah was going to be spending the night on board and sailing with us on the final piece to Gold River the following day. While we waited for them to arrive, I chatted with local sailors. The people with the 44 footer were getting prepared to set sail in 2012 to take their vessel offshore and had committed to at least a one year journey. They had not yet decided where but were thinking the Caribbean or possibly across the Atlantic. We met another single fellow who had just finished installing wind and solar powered generation systems on his 46 foot steel trawler in effort to make it as self-sufficient as possible. He was planning to move his vessel from the wharf to a mooring ball in the harbour where he planned to live aboard her for the winter. After exchanging contact information so that we could keep in touch, the captain and I strolled into the village while we waited for Susie and Jeff to arrive.
Both the village and harbour of Prospect were breathtaking…..way beyond our prospect! They both face out to the Atlantic. The shoreline of the bay is rocky, almost bald. There are many small islands spattered about which create narrow little channels through them that wind out to the sea. This makes for some wonderful anchorages in the coves of the area. The shoreline is dotted with lovely homes characteristic of the east coast flavour so evident in coastal communities of the south shore.
One will see sailboats, fishing boats, dories, kayaks, trawlers and cape islanders secured on moors or private wharves spilled throughout the waterways, inlets and back bays of this beautiful little hamlet. The rocky edges toward the shore are encrusted with wild roses, many of which were fragrant and in bloom. We walked along a one lane road that wound around tidy, brightly painted cottages and homes on the water`s edge where I noticed a lady seated on a rock at the shore. As I moved toward her to greet her I was overcome by the aroma of the sweet grass that blew across my face in the light breeze. Clarissa, the lady on the rock, told me that she too was overtaken by the beauty of the place and hated to have to head indoors as the evening cooled. She pointed out her pretty little home not 300 feet away on the rocky beach that she told me was the place of her birth just 72 short years before. We had never been to Prospect before but Bridlewilde had brought us here. But for her we may never have taken in this wonderful place and this wonderful day.
As we walked back the windy road to the harbour Jeff and Susie drove in. We spent the rest of the evening passing time with them, chatting about the boat and our travels. Another childhood friend, Burton, showed up to say hello. Yes, it was a good day! The captain and I sunk into bed that evening, very happy, feeling that we had much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend, knowing that the following day`s sail would bring even more.
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