Day 5 - Thursday, September 10: Ferry from North Sydney to Port-aux-Basques
We were warned in advance that although our ferry would be on time and we needed to be there 2 hours in advance for loading, we should be prepared to be on board longer than the usual 7 hour trip. We heard from others that this had nothing to do with the storm damage in Cape Breton Island from last Friday, but instead was due to anticipated high winds on the crossing. We had bought some Gravol for the trip just in case.
We got to the ferry just before 10 am and were loaded onto the Marine Atlantic Highlanders fairly soon since we were designated to be close to the elevator. A friendly crew member Cora (a head steward) came to help us and retrieved a wheelchair for Barry. Since we expected a rough crossing she suggested a wheelchair would be better than trying to use his rollator (walker). She quickly became our best friend during the crossing as she checked in with us every hour and helped move Barry from stern to bow, from lounge to restaurant. Having her help was a real blessing as it would have been a challenge for me to wheel Barry around and manage our backpacks on the boat. We departed a half hour early as everyone was on board. The ferry was only about a third full.
We had snacks and then rested for a bit watching the water. Getting hungry, we risked nausea and had a nice lunch. Mine was a fresh cod au gratin with rice and veg. Barry had a nice chicken and veggie stir fry on noodles which looked quite tasty. It was tempting to get the apple pie but we didn’t want to overdo it.
All the while Barry was charming ferry crew and staff. A couple we had run into in North Sydney the day before spotted us and stopped to chat. Everybody heard about our road trip to date, and how Barry was taking a “last trip” home.
The boat was a little bit rocky during the crossing but not too bad. I went outside on the deck. It was windy but not raining and still fairly warm.
But as we got in to our destination, Port-aux-Basques, the Captain told us they were going to change course as the waters in the port were rough. He instructed everyone to stay seated. Thankfully we listened! As the ferry turned, we tipped dramatically to the side and all our things went flying. We heard plates crashing. We waited a bit and they tried bringing the ship in again, this time successfully.
I couldn’t look outside since the severe rocking made me dizzy. But happy to report neither of us became nauseated.
As Cora went off duty, she got her colleague Sasha up to speed on where we were and where our car was located. He took us by elevator down to the car well before they let others go to their cars so we had time to get settled and ready. Marine Atlantic crew treated us very well, with lots of patience and good cheer, which we really appreciated.
Despite leaving a half hour early, we were still an hour late landing. I was grateful Barry had thought to book a place close by so we didn’t have to drive far at dusk. I got a tiny bit lost driving in the little Port-aux-Basques streets but we found our spot quickly.
Our AirBnB was the charming Emily’s Place, named after our host’s mother who used to live in the home. We had a comfy stay.
We were excited to be on The Rock and on our way to St. John’s.
