Historic Pictou August 27

Left Ballantyne's Cove at 7:00 am. Exiting the well protected  harbor, we were saluted by the skipper of a German catamaran. We waved back and wondered where are they off to next. If not fully alert by now, we were briskly woken up by the 15 knots of Southeasterly causing violent chop just to make the hoisting of the sails more interesting.

Once set, we made for the Cape George. This was very enjoyable as the waves were only about two feet high which was less than expected comparing to our experience over the last week in the Northumberland Strait. This can probably be explained by somewhat shorter fetch and deeper ocean around the Cape (30-40' vs. 20-30'). Hugging the coast at safe distance of a mile or two we tried our fishing skills without success.

Arriving at the entrance to the natural Pictou harbour we found the approach to be narrow but well buoyed in the fashion typical of the harbours in the area. Entering the marina was a different story. Our attempts to contact the Pictou town marina office by VHF or cellphone went unanswered, so we entered the marina and tied on to an empty finger dock until we sorted out the formalities. This was a bit stressful as we were unfamiliar with the marina and were being pushed towards the docks by the Southeasterly. All was fine ounce tied in. The registration was completed without having to move to another berth. The water and power are available on the dock, and the marina facilities were comparable to other marinas in the area. 

During our stay in Pictou there was not much traffic in town, however according to the locals the town is regularly frequented by tourist and this was indeed unusual. Most tourist arrive by land in RVs and trailers and a few smaller cruise ships make Pictou their port of call each season.  As it is fitting for a tourist community, Pictou has a number or restaurants some right on the waterfront and some just a couple of blocks in. 

The town started as a centre of Scottish settlement of the Maritime provinces of Canada, to became a mining town now succeeded by a pulp mill and a small shipyard. The Main Street features many gift and craft stores, one tartan and a commercial fishing supply store. There are many impressive old buildings, some designated as a historic buildings, echoing more prosperous times and hopes for a greater future. Especially interesting are the old WMCA building from 1879 and the Canada Post building now in a great disrepair.

Anyone with an interest in boats and things of maritime nature should visit the Ship Hector Museum commemorating the start of the settlement of New Scottland with the arrival of Scottish on the three masted tall ship Hector in 1773. The museum has a 
replica of the ship Hector and shops used by various craftsmen working on it's restoration.