Our Little Adventures

Hey it’s Gavin and Shannon, Maggie’s cousin’s kids. 

We get the privilege to add a page to their blog about how much fun it is living on their boat. We were anticipating this trip all summer and it’s finally here. I (Gavin) am in Grade 8, and I love all sports and outdoor skills, so sailing is a real treat. I love this and I wish it could go on forever. I (Shannon) am in Grade 10 and am a drama student. I love adventure, and am so excited to be sharing this once in a lifetime experience with my dad, brother, Maggie, and Branko. 

Shannon

Gavin

The beach!

Baby jellyfish 

We joined their crew in Baddeck, in the Bras d’Or Lakes. Each day after motoring/sailing to our chosen destination we anchor and go swimming. In this we encountered an adventure...Little did we know there were (insert drumroll here) jellyfish in the waters. Maggie got stung by one the first night and after that we were all alert. Thankfully, Maggie was okay. Throughout the next few days all of us (except Branko for some reason,  perhaps its him smelling like a daisy...) were stung but we also learned a lot about The Jellies as we call them from the locals. The jelly fish are not really harmful, as long as you don’t get them in your face! The little ones don’t sting, the mid-sized ones feel like stinging nettles and the big ones....You keep away from! 

The beach, a place of rest and relaxation, or most would think. After anchoring near Marble Mountain, we blew up the dingy and took it over to a rocky beach with crystalline water. We then decided to go on a walk to a fresh water spring. On the way there, we took the road and it was mainly uneventful and long trek, except when we had to cut through someone's mostly abandoned property. When we got there, we realized that they were having a weekend festival, with music and games. We found the spring water tap, which was very cold and refreshing. We also passed cold water springs coming down the mountain and running into the lake. 

Spring fed stream

On the way back to the beach, well that’s another story. We decided to walk along the beach but the waves picked up and the trees were hanging over almost into the water, so we decided to cut through the forest to the road that looked as if it were a short distance away. Of course, it was not! We had to trek through wild rose bushes, raspberry patches and long grass for several minutes before the road was in sight. We climbed up a steep hill and stumbled onto the road. We managed to escape without any life threatening injuries (mainly a few scratches) but it was a harrowing experience on this adventure. If any locals had been there we’re sure they would have thought, there go the stupid Torontonians! 

Right now we are in St. Peters Marina which is a great place for anyone to stop at in the Bras d’Or Lakes. Tomorrow we are leaving the lakes and are heading through a lock into the St. Peter’s Canal on our way to the OCEAN! We are having a great adventure in Nova Scotia with Maggie and Branko, and we’re hoping for many more exciting adventures to come on our way to Halifax.

Gavin and Shannon