2025 SDSA Maritime Rally

In Shelburne, crew may stretch legs and explore the village, which is now maintained as a living museum of how life used to be in a typical Canadian fishing village. The journey continues on with additional stops planned for the colorful old fishing and swift schooner building village of Lunenburg (remember the Blue Nose), and the capital and largest municipality of Nova Scotia, Halifax.   While in Halifax, participants can stay at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.   The fleet then begins another passage, including one overnight sail, arriving in St. Peter's and passing through the St. Peters Canal on the following day.  St. Peter's is the southern entrance to Lake Bras d'Or, where a reception and briefing is planned at the St Peter’s Marina.  Then on to a three day mini-cruise up to Baddeck.   The Lakes and surroundings present an unforgettable mix of history, dramatic coastal scenery, music, and fun. In Baddeck, The Alexander Graham Bell Museum is fascinating.  And the north portion of Cape Breton offers the spectacular 298-kilometer-long Cabot Trail, a winding mix of roadway, paths, stairs, and stunning beauty that takes you from unreal ocean vistas to quaint fishing villages.  Self guided or group tours are available.  

Summer is the perfect time to explore and enjoy all that Cape Breton has to offer, and even though the Baddeck arrival marks the official endpoint of the flotilla, participants are encouraged to explore an unlimited number of beautiful and isolated anchorages and harbors of the Bras d'Or Lake, before starting the return voyage.  Bras d'Or Lake is an inland sea-- "A basin ringed by indigo hills laced with marble.  Islands within a sea inside an island."  The south end of the lake is connected to the North Atlantic by the Strait of Canso by means of a lock canal completed in 1869—the St. Peters Canal. at the southern tip of the island. In addition, two channels connect the northern Lake to the Atlantic, serving as gateways to the Laurentian Channel and Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Covering an area of approximately 424 sq mi, Bras d'Or Lake measures roughly 62 mi in length and 31 mi width. Although there is some deep water, (the maximum depth is 942 ft in the St. Andrews Channel), there are innumerable shallow water anchorages.  Surrounded almost entirely by high hills and low mountains, the lake is dominated by the Washabuck Peninsula in the center-west, Boularderie Island in the northeast, and a large peninsula extending from the center-east dominated by the Boisdale Hills. The Washabuck Peninsula and Boisdale Hills divide the lake into northern and southern basins, linked by the Barra Strait.  The most adventurous may even wish to explore further north and east, to Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French archipelago south of Newfoundland, or Newfoundland itself.  Wherever you choose to explore, participants are advised to plan wisely for their return trips south, before the early autumn conditions begin.

To participate, working VHF radio communications equipment is required, and reliable radar and AIS is highly encouraged, since foggy conditions can be the norm. Offshore communications equipment are not required, but are highly encouraged, especially if you have plans to participate in the Caribbean Rally or other offshore adventures in the future.  While offshore, vessels may travel in company, maintaining VHF radio contact where possible..  Participants can also be kept in contact with each other by using the SDSA App's messaging system which can be used whenever cell coverage is adequate, or via Starlink.  Since this is not a formal SDSA Rally, the Salty Dawg Shoreside Coordinators are not involved. 

Sailing CBI from Cape Breton Island is partnering with the SDSA to bring the hospitality and Maritime Magic of Nova Scotia to our rally participants.  While in Lake Bras D’Or, there are many good marine services to serve you.  St. Peters Marina is one of the largest marinas in the Bras d'Or and has full boating services. Baddeck is home to two marinas, two full service boatyards and the Bras d'Or Yacht Club.

Visit The Ultimate Cruising Destination: The Bras d'Or Lakes and download a free Cruising Guide.