Farewell to Nova Scotia

It's amazing how fast time passes when you're having fun! Seems like just the other day that I was landing on a rainy runway in Nova Scotia. Now a month has passed and I am once again westward bound. The time I spent in Pleasant Bay was all too short, but I guess that's the beauty of life. 

My last post ended with the Fishing Cove adventure. Above is a picture of the cove itself from the end of the trail. After seeing it from the boat so many times, it was nice to finally stand on the shore and glance seawards.

I'm going to miss the fishing boats all lined up in the harbour that always greeted us as we returned from our trips to sea. Their brilliant colours made Pleasant Bay that much more inviting. 

During the last week there were quite a few days that were rainy or too windy to go out. We didn't do any more long hikes, but walked along the MacIntosh Brook and visited the Lone Shielding. There were many beautiful sunsets and even some thunder storms.

Looking through my photos, it brings me back to the days of motoring along Cape Breton's cliffs. This is a photo of the rock faces just south of Otter Brook, where we would often find grey seals hanging out. The rugged coastline of this part of the country has a beauty like none other. Sometimes you almost feel as though you've been transported to a different world entirely.

The geology is also a part of Cape Breton that has been wonderful to explore throughout my time here. From beaches glittering with mica, to the sedimentary layering visible from the sides of rocks that flank the ocean, there is so much to learn about this part of Canada. It truly is a scientist's dream!

If you look closely among these rocky cliffs, there are numerous waterfalls and sea caves just waiting to be explored.

The whales themselves were wonderful the last few days. I woke up yesterday to flat seas and pilot whales spread across them as far as the eye could see. You might be observing a single pod, but there would be as many as nine distant groups visible on the horizon surrounding you. Hundreds of whales! One fella was even playing next to our boat, the resulting splashes being shown in the photo below.

My summer in Cape Breton has come to an end, but there will be next year to look forward to again. Now I'll be off to sail the tall ships around Vancouver Island for a while before coming back out east to begin school for the next two years. Farewell to Nova Scotia!

Fair Winds!