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As we navigated across Chedabucto Bay, we finally reached the ‘mainland’ of Nova Scotia and pulled into the bustling fishing wharf of Canso. As we explored the intricacies of this fishing port and meandered through the charming streets, we couldn’t help but notice an intriguing sight – posters plastered in the windows of many houses declaring, ‘We say NO to the Canso spaceport!’

Our curiosity piqued, we sought to unravel the story behind this fervent movement. It wasn’t long before we had the opportunity to chat with Jim Geddes, a passionate activist leading the charge against the Canadian-Ukrainian spaceport project. We listened as he articulated their perspective, and it became apparent that more than 400 local residents had joined forces to voice their dissent against having a spaceport right in their backyard.

The crux of their concerns? The proposed spaceport sat a mere 3 km from their homes and a scant 3.2 km from the local hospital and nursing home. Not to mention, it was nestled just 4 km from the Barrens Protected Wilderness Area, a haven for wildlife, and a crucial migratory bird stopover. The potential risks of rocket launches, especially ones with questionable reliability, weighed heavily on their minds. The prospect of rocket fragments raining down from the sky was enough to give anyone pause.

For us, as Canadian-Ukrainians, it was vital to empathize with their anxieties about the future of life in Canso. We imagined the unsettling scenario of rockets with uncertain fates launching just a stone’s throw from their homes and vital social structures. In solidarity with the residents of Canso, we wholeheartedly support their quest for a peaceful and secure future.

Amidst this thought-provoking encounter, we also stumbled upon a local hero, Nelson, the skilled mechanic who took on the Herculean task of troubleshooting and repairing the persistent fuel leak in our engine. It was a problem that had been gnawing at our nerves, but with Nelson’s expertise, we held out hope for a smoother journey ahead.

Well, the time has come to leave such a different and such beautiful lake Bras d’Or – now our path lay through the St. Peter’s Canal, which we had already explored from land.

We were taken aback when we arrived in St. Peter’s and were greeted by a crew of biking pirate sceletons, with flags and banners adorning the village. Initially, we thought it might be an early start to Halloween festivities, but as it turned out, we were fashionably late for the Pirate Festival, which coincidentally coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Lee.

Now, you might be wondering, why pirates? Well, it appears that pirates had quite a lucrative career in these waters, pillaging Nova Scotia until the mid-19th century. They struck terror into the hearts of both the maritime fleet and local fishermen.

The “Golden Age of Piracy” occurred from 1690 to 1730 when Nova Scotia, was largely unsettled by Europeans, making it a possible location for pirates to hide-out or refit. The governor of Fortress Louisbourg in the mid -1720s was so afraid of pirate attacks in Cape Breton that he asked for extra naval protection. One of the nastiest pirates of the “Golden Age”, Ned Low, raided fishing fleets who used Nova Scotian harbours as shelters and fishing stations. Low terrorized a New England fleet in Shelburne in 1720. Some have suggested that he hid treasure in Nova Scotia.

It seems the pirate spirit still lingers in the air, even without the Jolly Roger fluttering above.