Next stop was Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here the ship disembarked some passengers and then embarked some new guests for the short leg to Boston. While this was happening, those of us that were simply staying on the ship got sent off on a bus excursion. This proved to be one of the least exciting excursions we have ever done. First, we went to Peggy’s Cove. There is an old lighthouse here. Mostly however, it appears to be a tourist destination. I am not sure why. There was a guy playing bagpipes rather badly. A couple of coffee shops, a souvenir shop and masses of parking for all the coaches. Leaving there we were taken to a cemetery containing the graves of bodies recovered from the Titanic. This was a remarkable only for its extreme dullness. Last place on the agenda was the Maritime Museum. As I have mentioned many times before, we are not museum people. We gave it a go though. There were a few interesting ship replicas and details of a massive explosion that happened in Halifax in 1917. Reckoned to be the largest non-nuclear explosion ever when two ships, both carrying explosives, collided in the harbour. The walk back to the ship was the most interesting part of day. The absolute highlight being vegetarian poutine on the quayside. This traditional Canadian dish is an unholy mix of French fries, cheese curd and gravy. Comfort food at its best. The shop advertised itself with the byline “Poutine so good, you will think you have died and gone to Canada”.
We left Halifax in the evening and by the following morning were at Sabel Island. This is a long, thin sandy island that is a national park and bird reserve. Three permanent staff live there. Two of them cam aboard first thing to brief us on the visit. Sable Island is famous for its enormous number of shipwrecks. An estimated 350 vessels are believed to have fallen victim to the island’s sand bars. Thick fogs, treacherous currents, and the island’s location in the middle of a major transatlantic shipping route and rich fishing grounds account for the considerable number of wrecks. These days, vessels are far less at the mercy of winds and currents. With improvements in electronic navigation, nothing has gone aground since 1974.
We were lucky. The Amundsen has called here twice before and this was the first time the weather was good enough to get ashore. Even so, the breakers on the beach meant that at least four people were needed on the beach to manhandle the RHIBs onto the sand. Diane was still confined to the ship but I went ashore. We were met by a park ranger. He took us a short walk up to the highest point on the island and explained some of what were looking at. There are about 500 wild horses roaming free. The first horses arrived in 1760 when they were used by a rescue station established there to aid ships. When the station closed, the horses were let free and have been doing fine ever since. Certainly to my untrained eye, they all looked fit and healthy. Later, horses were rounded up and sold for use in the coal mines of Cape Breton Island. Since 1960 they have been protected.
Although the island is little more than a long spit of sand, there is fresh water there. It was explained to me that because fresh water is less dense than sea water it forms a lens shaped under the island which rises up close to the surface. The horses can be seen digging shallow holes to drink from. The permanent base on the island is supplied by a well.
Along the beach there were many seals. Mostly grey seals. In the breeding season, several hundreds of thousands arrive at the island. The majority of seals were far down the beach, well away from us. But there were a few bobbing around just beyond the breakers. It appeared as if a handful of seals had been dispatched to keep and eye on us. There are plenty of birds on Sabel Island including Arctic Tern and Savannah Sparrow. The only ones I saw were Sanderlings running around at the waters edge picking worms and other small treats out from the sand.
