On National Acadian Day, we were in Arichat on Cape Breton Island and the Acadian Flag was flying from the Starboard forward spreader. Celebrating days like National Acadian Day helps develop a sense of community and foster pride in heritage. I have seen in the past where crew were embarrassed of their Acadian heritage, and they would refuse to speak French. In the last number of years I see young Acadians willingly speaking French and discussing their heritage. Now my sample size is very, very small but it does speak to the idea of representation and seeing yourself positively reflected in a larger population. It’s important for young people to see adults like themselves in successful positions and their culture and heritage celebrated. Heavy thoughts for a first paragraph, but young Nova Scotians are an amazing group and they should be supported and celebrated!

Bluenose II left Lunenburg last week and headed for Halifax for a port visit. Docking at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic next to the famed HMCS Sackville Bluenose II fits in as a representation of an important part of Canadian history. We dearly miss our old friend CSS Acadia who is having a summer retreat at The Cove. While Acadia’s dock is being refit and a new small boat building centre is being constructed at the Maritime Museum, Acadia is having a “spa day” under the care of her ship keeping staff, both of whom have Bluenose roots!

From Halifax we bobbed down the coast to St. Peter’s which is the small vessel entrance to the Bras d’Or lakes. With a Parks Canada lock system to make the passage into the lake easier, we saw many yachts coming and going. We are often asked why Bluenose II doesn’t use this route into the lakes, and although the depth of water and narrow channels would make pilotage tricky, it’s the electrical transmission lines with an eighty foot clearance that seals the deal. Bluenose II with a height of 125 feet would not make it through!

From St. Peter’s we moved onto Arichat. Mooring alongside the Premium Seafoods facility, we enjoyed meeting the locals and especially the kids of the area. Open again today, we hope to see more tourists and locals alike. This evening, the community, through the local yacht club is hosting the crew for supper. This is such a generous offer and an incredible chance for our crew to meet new people and to represent the ship in a relaxed setting.

As hurricane Ernesto approaches, we have decided to modify our schedule and return to Lunenburg early. This will put us on the safe side of the storm and hopefully help avoid a longer schedule interruption. Although wind and rain are expected, they are not our major concern. The sea state will be high with 3- to 4-metre waves expected along the eastern shore and not conditions to have a young crew experience.