It's our last day with Jan and Al and we’re trying to fit everything in, so today are going whale watching! It’s not the best day for it by any stretch of the imagination as it’s raining and overcast here in Canning, and when we call the company down in the south it turns out that it’s foggy there too! They are still going to sail and so we head off early for the drive that will take us to the opposite end of NS from Evolve in Antigonish, and further as we take two ferries to the Island.
We skip breakfast at the house as we plan to stop at "Tim Hortons" which we are assured is a classic Canadian place for coffee. We all grab a drink to keep us warm and awake on the drive and Scotty and I go for the Breakfast BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato) which is a great idea. We can’t help ourselves and also buy two “Canadian donuts” which are covered in white icing and then red sprinkles in the shapes of maple leaves!!
We arrive at the first ferry of two we need to get out to the distant island where the whale watching company is based. However, it's just pulling away and so we pull up and get out to stretch our legs. The weather hasn’t improved; it’s still foggy, rainy and generally a bit miserable so we head into the gift/coffee shop overlooking the road. Scotty picks up everyone’s spirits when he suggests an ice cream (he points out we're at the seaside on a summer holiday, and it would be ridiculous to turn down ice cream). Soon we're on our way again and make it to the tour centre with plenty of time to spare.
Despite the weather they’re still taking the boat out, although once we’re all on the boat they announce that another boat that is out is returning to land because of the bad weather. Apparently it’s pretty choppy out there and we have a rough ride in store, but can pull out now if we want. We’re determined and so grab a blanket and some sarnies for lunch and sit tight.
The fog means we can see less than 50m but we can see the coast line at first as we follow it round, but then once we venture out into the ocean properly we lose all orientation and can suddenly see even less. It is a rocky ride with about as much wind and rain as you can handle on holiday.
The visibility means that it’s hard for us to see any whales because they have to be pretty close to our boat for us to spot them. We resort to stopping the boat and turning all the engines off. In the silence (apart from the wind and rain) we then all strain to listen for a whale clearing its blowhole or diving (i.e. doing the tail splash). Luckily the crew claim to know what to listen out for and after about four stops and starts and three hours on the water we find a whale.
At first it is on one side of the boat swimming along and then it dives under the boat and appears on the other side to clear its blow hole and finally dive again. We are all following its every move and dash from one side of the boat to the other with cameras at the ready.
It’s great to have seen a whale as although the boat offers you a second trip at any time if you don’t manage to see one (a hell of a guarantee!) this is our only chance here. It’s also quite amazing simply to have found one in this terrible weather and to have had quite an entertaining boat ride too (a mum in one family on board was sick for the whole journey from the cold chicken they’d brought with them for lunch; when we finally saw the whale one of her kids went to where she was lying down to tell her and she responded, “I don’t care anymore”!!)
Back on dry land we decide to grab a meal before the drive back, and we go to what seems to be the only restaurant on the island. They claim to serve the “famous” Grand Passage burger and we order one each. The name gives much hilarity when we see the size of the burger and patty we have to eat! Scott and I also have the chance to again try NS's famous poutine. This time it is served with the classic cheese curd and we’re not disappointed. Amazing!
We skip breakfast at the house as we plan to stop at "Tim Hortons" which we are assured is a classic Canadian place for coffee. We all grab a drink to keep us warm and awake on the drive and Scotty and I go for the Breakfast BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato) which is a great idea. We can’t help ourselves and also buy two “Canadian donuts” which are covered in white icing and then red sprinkles in the shapes of maple leaves!!
We arrive at the first ferry of two we need to get out to the distant island where the whale watching company is based. However, it's just pulling away and so we pull up and get out to stretch our legs. The weather hasn’t improved; it’s still foggy, rainy and generally a bit miserable so we head into the gift/coffee shop overlooking the road. Scotty picks up everyone’s spirits when he suggests an ice cream (he points out we're at the seaside on a summer holiday, and it would be ridiculous to turn down ice cream). Soon we're on our way again and make it to the tour centre with plenty of time to spare.
Despite the weather they’re still taking the boat out, although once we’re all on the boat they announce that another boat that is out is returning to land because of the bad weather. Apparently it’s pretty choppy out there and we have a rough ride in store, but can pull out now if we want. We’re determined and so grab a blanket and some sarnies for lunch and sit tight.
The fog means we can see less than 50m but we can see the coast line at first as we follow it round, but then once we venture out into the ocean properly we lose all orientation and can suddenly see even less. It is a rocky ride with about as much wind and rain as you can handle on holiday.
The visibility means that it’s hard for us to see any whales because they have to be pretty close to our boat for us to spot them. We resort to stopping the boat and turning all the engines off. In the silence (apart from the wind and rain) we then all strain to listen for a whale clearing its blowhole or diving (i.e. doing the tail splash). Luckily the crew claim to know what to listen out for and after about four stops and starts and three hours on the water we find a whale.
It’s great to have seen a whale as although the boat offers you a second trip at any time if you don’t manage to see one (a hell of a guarantee!) this is our only chance here. It’s also quite amazing simply to have found one in this terrible weather and to have had quite an entertaining boat ride too (a mum in one family on board was sick for the whole journey from the cold chicken they’d brought with them for lunch; when we finally saw the whale one of her kids went to where she was lying down to tell her and she responded, “I don’t care anymore”!!)
Back on dry land we decide to grab a meal before the drive back, and we go to what seems to be the only restaurant on the island. They claim to serve the “famous” Grand Passage burger and we order one each. The name gives much hilarity when we see the size of the burger and patty we have to eat! Scott and I also have the chance to again try NS's famous poutine. This time it is served with the classic cheese curd and we’re not disappointed. Amazing!
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