Nova Scotia - Day 6

September 30, 2022

Today, we had a bit of a drive and only one thing planned, but the result was Marcie’s favorite part of the trip.

Digby Neck is a peninsula that begins in Digby and runs south down to Brier Island. It is similar in shape to Baja off California, but not nearly as long. St. Mary’s Bay lies between Digby Neck and the mainland of Nova Scotia, and the Bay of Fundy lies on the other side between Nova Scotia and the United States and Canada.

Our day began after breakfast when we stopped and filled up our tanks, grabbed sandwiches for lunch at the local grocery store, then waited for Balser’s PhaaChoice to open. We were told to get some Meclizine to prevent any sea sickness for our upcoming adventure. We were instructed to take these 30 minutes before boarding, so we hopped in the car and headed down route 217 towards our first ferry crossing. About 30 minutes later, we arrived at the Tiverton East Ferry, where we waited in line for only a few minutes before boarding. The ferry runs at the bottom of every hour and takes about 20 minutes to cross. It is timed so that you can drive south to the next ferry and catch it. After unloading from the ferry, we continued down the winding two-lane road until again we waited in line to catch the Grand Passage Ferry, Brier Island. Unloaded again from the ferry, turn left, drove a block and checked in for our whale watching charter.

We had about 45 minutes to kill, so we drove down and parked in our designated spot, ate our sandwiches, then I got out of the car, walked to the pier, and took pictures. The water was crystal clear, and the tide had gone out, leaving many feet of exposed rock and seaweed. I saw a man working on his fishing shack, some gulls sitting on lampposts and a few ships in the Grand Passage.

Soon we were boarding, and Marcie and I grabbed the seats closest to the side of the boat. Our Captain, and two guides introduced themselves, thanked us for being there, showed us where the head was, and explained the safety procedures. We then left the shore and headed out to sea. We maneuvered through the Grand Passage and then soon were out in the Bay of Fundy. Many of you may or may not know, but I have an extreme fear of being out on open water, yet here I was. The water was calm, which helped, but my mind began thinking of the fact we were on a 50ft vessel looking for humpback whales. If you know nothing about these creatures, let me point out a few things floating through my head. They weigh on average 44 tons and grow up to 56feet in length. Remember, we are on a 50-foot vessel. I calmed my mind and watched the water. It helped. I soon struck up a conversation with the two ladies next to me, who were both British. One lived in Nova Scotia, the other was visiting her cousin. With their help, we have decided on our destination for our 25^th anniversary in 2024. More on that another time.

Soon whales were spotted on the opposite side of the boat. 40+ passengers leaped from their seats and rushed to that side of the boat. Then a few more popped up on ‘my side’ of the boat. The crowd quickly shifted to the over side. Some, in fact, stood right in front and on top of me. Mainly the kids who were quickly snapped at by their mothers. I told all the mom’s it was okay. Marcie was the only reason I took this adventure. I really had no interest in the whales and didn’t even bring my camera on the boat. I just tried to enjoy the expensive boat ride and seeing the joy on Marcie’s face.

Things were going well when a kid asked the guide a question about sharks. She explained how when whales die; they are made of 80% blubber and float to the surface, where large sharks feast on them until they are gorged. Fear #1 open ocean and sharks. She continued to show the kids pictures of a whale that died “in this very area”. Next, she pointed the tv scene on the boat and explained to the kids (all this conversation happened right behind me) that the white areas on the screen are like deep ravens in the bottom of mountains, and the dark part is like a mountain peak on land. “Right now, we are over a portion that is around 650 feet deep.” I heard a child ask how cold the water was. “10 degrees. If you fell in within 90 seconds, your body would stiffen up so much you could not swim or even move.” I quickly Googled 10 degree Celsius. We are talking about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Sharks, cold water, 600 feet below us. Thoughts! Watch the waves, take deep breaths, look at the barely visible shore you could not swim to focus on the whitecaps, listen to the waves hitting the boat, breathe, look for Marcie’s smile.

I calmed myself down and tried my best to relax the rest of the cruise. I watched gulls fly overhead, land in that water, and even gazed at the striations of clouds overhead. The bright blue skies above and the dark blue water below were what I focused on. Obviously, we made it back. I am not sure until Marcie reads this, if she will know what it took to get me on that boat and the anxiety I felt during the cruise.

The tour lasted around 3.5 hours and eventually we were back at the pier. One of the first on the boat, but one of the last off. We drove back to wait for the ferry. I was amazed that this ferry held 20 cars (I counted) and still could float. We repeated our previous course in reverse and drove back to Digby and our bed-and-breakfast. Once ‘home’, we walked down and grabbed a pizza (Friday tradition for us) and took it back to our room. Tomorrow we were headed back close to Halifax and would be on a flight the next morning.

I am glad Marcie got to experience her whale watching, and that I semi-conquered a fear. It was an interesting experience, but honestly not sure I would do it again.

Until next time.

Tim (Kilmer)