How sailing can help with the ocean data collection
On the second day of our docking in Ingonish Harbour, we again devoted ourselves to hiking, this time exploring the Middle Head Trial. A wonderful trail took us to a completely wild stormy ocean, crashing huge waves onto black rocks – I hope I was able to convey the power of the ocean. Across the South Ingonish Bay, Cape Smokey was visible, which in fact was constantly hidden in the smoke, but we were lucky to see it in a small window of weather conditions.
There was also a pleasant meeting on the Cabot Trail, when, after photographing the garage window with the boat, the owner appeared at the door and invited us to his place. Carl Donovan, a former fisherman, spends his free time as a retiree making various crafts from wood and giving them to his friends and neighbours – we saw some of them at houses along the Cabot Trail. We got to talking, we told him who we are and where we are from, about our plans, he showed us his crafts, an old photo of a giant swordfish that he caught in local waters many years ago, shared memories of the past (his wife died 5 years ago), and also showed us the ashes of his two beloved dogs, which he planned to take with him to another world… well, as a farewell gift he gave us an anchor, which we hung in the main cabin, attaching our ship’s bell to it. Thank you, Carl, and long life to you!
Docking in Ingonish Harbour brought us the discovery that we were in a wonderful place – next to our dock is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park with 26 trails! Despite the rainy and foggy weather, we decided to stay here longer and explore the surrounding areas. In addition, Hurricane Lee heading towards Southern Nova Scotia required us to change our plans with our arrival in Halifax and stay longer in Cape Breton. Well, our folding bicycles again were in use in our movement on land, together with hiking. Unfortunately, the photos are not of very good quality due to the constant formation of drops on the lens, but I think that they were able to convey the atmosphere of our stay on the Cabot Trail.
