I believe the swing bridge at St. Peter's is now powered. I cross over it
in a car once and a while and have been there when it has opened to let a
boat through. I don't remember anyone on the bridge turning a handle. The
swing bridge at Mira Gut is still human powered. Ever been there?

The Great Bras d'Or Channel (to the east) is still entirely passable by sail
boats as long as their mast(s) fit under the Seal Island Bridge and a set of
high tension power lines about 5 miles up channel. The chart shows the
clearance under the bridge is 118' (36 Metres) and under the power lines is
115' (35 Metres) so it isn't a problem for most of us. ;-) The Bluenose
takes her top masts down to go under though. There are still large ocean
going bulk carriers that come into the lake through the Great Bras d'Or as
far as St. Patrick's Channel to load gypsum at Little Narrows. I think the
shallowest water they have to worry about is at the ocean mouth of the Great
Bras d'Or where they dredge once in a while to maintain over 25' (7.7
Metres) of depth. Again, not a problem for most of us ;-) We went out the
Great Bras d'Or this fall in a C&C 35 Mark 1 and made the entire run down
the channel under spinnaker. We left Baddeck in fog so thick we couldn't
see Kidston Island from the shore and ended up in sun so hot we had to go in
for a swim. This was sometime in September. It was a blast.

There is another outlet from the Bras d'Or Lakes to the ocean (well ,
technically the Gulf of St. Lawrence) to the east at the eastern end of St.
Andrews Channel under the highway bridge and out through the Little Bras
d'Or Channel. I don't have the chart for this passage so I don't know the
clearance but it is fairly low. A friend with a Tanzer 26 with its deck
stepped mast goes through there by partially dropping his mast to get under
and then restepping it. He's got it down to a system. I haven't been along
to witness it though.
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
Ken,
Two questions:
Is the swing bridge at St. Peter still swung by two men on a capstan?
Can a sailboat still make it through the Bras d'Or to the east and out
at St Andrew's?
It was thirty some years ago I was there, but the memory still lives.
Matt Colie

Ken Heaton wrote:
Damn spell-check, I know how to spell Baddeck, it doesn't.


Here's a couple of more links, the first to the St. Peters Canal has
some
further useful links to interesting Cape Breton sights including those
mentioned above and the A G Bell Museum in Bedeck: (Baddeck)