Another local knowledge question for Canada:

Can a sailboat with a 45 foot mast go inside Cape Breton Island through Port
Hawksbury? I see that it is listed as a causway which isn't encouraging.

My new navigation limits open up much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the
tip of the Gaspe to the northern tip of Cape Breton. There is a gap,
probably intentional, that prevents me from going around through the Cabot
Strait.

BTW I won't be navigating up there by newsgroup, I just haven't gotten
charts and cruising guides yet but I want to start planning. Most of this
kind of information is available on the web for the U.S. but I haven't been
able to find much for Canada. Does anyone know some links?

--
Roger Long

On Mar 20, 7:50 am, "Roger Long" wrote:
Another local knowledge question for Canada:

SNIP

Roger

If I'm not mistaken you aretalking about the Canso Causeway. if so,
there is a lock there of the same dimesnsions as the St. Lawrence
eeaway locks.

Whiel you;re in the neighbourhood, you should check out the Bras d'Or
lakes as well in Cape Breton as well. While I have never sailed them,
they are spactacular by all accounts.

Matt

Roger,
We have been through there in a CS33 with about 45' mast. Can't recall any
height restriction anywhere.

Cape Breton is connected to the Nova Scotia mainland by a causeway that
blocks the Straights of Canso. But, the Canso Canal provides passage out
into the Atlantic from Northumberland Straights for ships and boats and is
quite large. There is a lock, but it has very little height difference, I
suppose dependant on the state of the tides.

A bridge provides a road and rail link across the Canso Canal. It is a swing
bridge, so no height problems.

You should have no problem. You might also look at going into the Bra d'or
Lakes - a great cruising area. I have not done it, but I think you enter at
St. Peters, near Port Hawkesbury probably via a smaller lock.

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Another local knowledge question for Canada:

Can a sailboat with a 45 foot mast go inside Cape Breton Island through
Port
Hawksbury? I see that it is listed as a causway which isn't encouraging.

My new navigation limits open up much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the
tip of the Gaspe to the northern tip of Cape Breton. There is a gap,
probably intentional, that prevents me from going around through the Cabot
Strait.

BTW I won't be navigating up there by newsgroup, I just haven't gotten
charts and cruising guides yet but I want to start planning. Most of this
kind of information is available on the web for the U.S. but I haven't
been
able to find much for Canada. Does anyone know some links?

--
Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Another local knowledge question for Canada:

Can a sailboat with a 45 foot mast go inside Cape Breton Island through
Port Hawksbury? I see that it is listed as a causway which isn't
encouraging.

My new navigation limits open up much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the
tip of the Gaspe to the northern tip of Cape Breton. There is a gap,
probably intentional, that prevents me from going around through the Cabot
Strait.

BTW I won't be navigating up there by newsgroup, I just haven't gotten
charts and cruising guides yet but I want to start planning. Most of this
kind of information is available on the web for the U.S. but I haven't
been able to find much for Canada. Does anyone know some links?

--
Roger Long

Here's a picture or two you can look at.
Yes, the Canso Causeway has a lock to allow ships to enter the Gulf from the
Atlantic Ocean.
If you do decide to go a bit farther north and visit the Bras d'Or lakes
tell my cousin on the St Peter's Canal that I sent you. :-)
http://marinas.com/browse/lock/CA/NS/
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/stpeters/index_e.asp

"Don White" wrote in message
...
snip...

I bet a phone call to this place will provide all the info you need....if
anyone's around this time of year.

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/kanders/

Roger Long wrote:
Another local knowledge question for Canada:

Can a sailboat with a 45 foot mast go inside Cape Breton Island through Port
Hawksbury? I see that it is listed as a causway which isn't encouraging.

My new navigation limits open up much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the
tip of the Gaspe to the northern tip of Cape Breton. There is a gap,
probably intentional, that prevents me from going around through the Cabot
Strait.

BTW I won't be navigating up there by newsgroup, I just haven't gotten
charts and cruising guides yet but I want to start planning. Most of this
kind of information is available on the web for the U.S. but I haven't been
able to find much for Canada. Does anyone know some links?

--
Roger Long



Roger,

Further to the above advice.....
Canso Causeway navigable as noted
St. Peter's canal into the Bra d'Or is interesting and neat. You lock
in and the two canal/bridge tenders take a truck up to the bridge and
then hand crank it open. There is a nice marina just inside. The Bra
D'Or are very nice. There is another bridge at Barra Straight adjacent
to the village of Iona. Bi-lingual up there ya know. Street signs in
English and Celtic. There is a public dock in Iona; nasty bit of steel.
Bring fenders. Baddeck is very nice and has a marina and chanderly.
There is an allied facility near St. Peters. I can't find jack in
Sydney, where my boat is.

No known links to any free charts as in the USA. The Canadian's have
just terminated there agreement with NDI (and I mean just) and it will
probably take a couple of months for that mess to straighten out.
Hopefully the Canadian charts will then be more affordable. Cross
posting from can.rec.boating.

I found a guy on ebay that was selling some scanned charts that you
could use with Fugawi. Caveat emptor. Then again, even the Newfie
charts are not to be trusted. They don't know what geoid was used int
eh survey. Last summer I sailed straight through a couple of 800 foot
cliffs at Fracouis and again at Grey River. I'm considering a Google
Earth option.

From the NDI website and the CHS website:

DFO is buying backing NDI rights.

Check out:

http://www.digitalocean.ca/digitaloc...wsfeb19_07.asp

and

http://www.digitalocean.ca/digitaloc...feb19_07QA.asp

The terms and conditions of the buy out are confidential.

I am not sure what it all means. March 30 is the closing date. More info
will be on the CHS site then