 Have you ever heard of the Bras d’Or Lake?
Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, the Bras d’Or Lake is the warmest body of salt water north of South Carolina and an excellent cruising location for crewed yacht charter. I loved the time I spent both cruising on the lake and touring the surrounding countryside, in this beautiful area of the world.
Alexander Graham Bell discovered the Bras d’Or Lake in 1885 and built a large summer home called Beinn Bhreagh in 1886 on a point of land just outside of Baddeck, Canada. Here Bell also built a laboratory where he conducted many of his experiments.
By 1886, the Bell fortune was well established from the invention of the telephone and the Bell Telephone Company. Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel Hubbard Bell could have chosen virtually any location for this vacation home, but were so captivated by the Bras d’Or Lake on their visit in 1885 that they returned the next year to built their vacation compound and spent a good amount of each year after, even choosing at their deaths to be buried on estate grounds overlooking the lake.
The estate of Beinn Bhreagh is still privately owned by the family, however a very good museum of the life, work and inventions of Alexander Graham Bell is close by in the city of Baddeck along the shores of the Bras d’Or Lake. The Bell family enjoyed the lake waters as well, sailing on their yacht Elsie, which is in commission today and available for day charter.
The Bras d’Or Lake is a large body of salt water, covering over 360 square miles, sitting right in the middle of Cape Breton, and is still as pristine and lovely as it was when Alexander Graham Bell was drawn to these shores.
Sometimes referred to as the Bras d’Or Lake(s), this body of water is divided into a northern and southern basin, connected by the Barra Straight. With several fresh water rivers emptying into the lake, the salinity is lower than ocean salt water; however the waters still support a large population of salt water fish and shellfish including lobsters and oysters.
The surrounding hills are largely unpopulated and have become the home and nesting grounds for Egrets and Bald Eagles.
There is a small northern entrance to the lake from the Atlantic Ocean. However, the best entrance into the Bras d’Or Lake is on the southern end, through the
St. Peters Canal, built in 1868. The canal is 45 feet wide, and was designed to accommodate vessels as long as 230 feet, however due to a modern electrical line now strung across the canal, sailing vessel masts can be no taller than 100 feet to clear through this canal. Once inside, a calm oasis of water is found; completely different from the strong ocean waves on the Atlantic side of the
St. Peters Canal.
For those cruising in the ocean waves around Cape Breton, slipping into calm waters of the Bras d’Or Lake is often a welcome respite. As the lake is relatively shallow, the water temperature warms quickly under the sun resulting in far less fog within the lake region than outside this region on the Atlantic coast. These warmer lake waters invite swimming and other water sports, at normally unheard of northern latitudes for salt water swimming.
With the indented shoreline of the lake, it is not hard to find a private pristine anchorage, where oysters can be plucked from the bottom and eaten out of hand, and a refreshing swim in calm waters is just a drop over the side. The calm tranquility of the Bras d’Or Lakes made this a favorite cruising area for the early members of the Cruising Club of America, and Surprise Cove, ringed by tall mountains reflected in calm lake waters and often home to families of ducks, is said to be the founding location for this famous club.
The Bras d’Or Lake region, while named by a Frenchman, was largely settled by immigrants from Scotland, and a strongly Scottish cultural flavor remains. Several of Canada’s top golf courses can be found along the shores of the lake, and buttery Scottish Oat Cakes are on many a breakfast menu. Explore the region around the lake and take a drive along the famous Cabot Trail. Stop at the nearby Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa for a game of golf, at the Highland Links Golf Course, rated Canada’s #1 public golf course, and dine at the Purple Thistle Restaurant.
The local area around the Bras d’Or Lake is well known for the quality of the produce, milk, butter, cheeses and seafood which is evident on the restaurant menu. However, throughout the region it is easy to find quality produce, homemade jams and pickles, artisan cheeses, and an abundance and variety of fresh seafood.
"The Bras d’Or Lakes are my favorite landscape on planet Earth. Nestled into the rolling hills of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, their pristine tidal waters reflect centuries of Scottish culture, music, and friendly people."
Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board, National Geographic Society
Spend a week cruising through the many fingers of the north and south section of the lake and touring the surrounding area for a vacation not to soon be forgotten.
written by Missy Johnston
© 2009 Missy Johnston |
