Crammond Islands Bras d’Or Lakes NS Canada

We left St Peter’s at 1230 on Monday 20 August, headed for the Crammond Islands, towards the bottom end of West Bay, about 20nm from St Peter’s.  Actually, as the crow flies they’re only about 11nm northwest of St Peter’s but to reach them we needed to wend our way up 6nm northeast up the St Peter’s Inlet, go 7nm along the northeastern face of Pringle Mountain (not really a mountain, more a slight bump) and then head 6nm southwest down West Bay to the islands.

Approaching the anchorage in the Crammond Islands – there’s someone else in our anchorage!

I have no pictures of the St Peter’s Inlet though it is a very pretty area – lots of islands and winding waterways and little human habitation.  It’s quite difficult to get good photos up here; the scenery is so expansive that the pictures have a habit of turning into a thin dark green line of trees between an expanse of blue sky above and blue water below unless there is something specific (and close) to focus in on.

Once in clear enough air at the top end of St Peter’s Inlet, we shut down the engine and gently sailed the final mile or so clear of the winding inlet before heading towards and then down West Bay.  Our pilot book says that few yachts visit the Crammond Islands because they are 6nm in the direction of the prevailing wind and most boaters can’t seem to be bothered to beat up to them.  But today we had the wind behind us as we ghosted down West Bay towards them, so it should have come as no surprise that we weren’t the only ones to have the great idea of visiting the islands but it was a bit of a disappointment nonetheless.

Unless your boat draws less than 1.7m (BV draws 2m) the only way into the anchorage is via a shallow (about 3m) winding, unbuoyed channel from the north.  We lowered the sails outside and then Nicky cautiously felt our way in. The other yacht was in, perhaps, the best spot but quite close into the shore and so potentially a sitting target for the mosquitoes.

A nice view from our spot – and no-one else in sight (if you look the right way!)

We anchored towards the other end of the anchorage in about 9m of water with a view across the protecting bar out over the southern entrance.  A light wind day turned into a glassy calm night and, inevitably at bug o’clock all the mosquitoes came out in swarms, driving us into the cabin.  Despite that, we thought that the Crammond Islands are a lovely anchorage – the first of many up in the Lakes we’re sure.

Crammond Islands, Bras d’Or Lakes, NS, Canada