Starboard 2015

2015 SEASON

GOLF NOVA SCOTIA

SONG OF THE PADDLE NOVA SCOTIA’S DARK SKY SURFIN’ SCOTIA-STYLE 50-PLUS & AND MORE!

fun

Atlantic Canada’s Favorite Coffee

Atlantic Canada’s Favourite Coffee Tim Hortons premium blend coffee.

Always fresh, just the way you love it.

Based on #1 brewed coffee servings at QSR (The NPD Group/CREST® YE Feb ’13). © Tim Hortons, 2013

Find even more tasty tidbits novascotia.com/eat-drink

fresh & local is a way of life.

Ye Olde Argyler Lodge Yarmouth and Acadian Shores

Shelburne Harbour Boat Tours South Shore

Magic Winery Bus Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley

Liscombe Lodge Eastern Shore

Nova Scotians have a long-standing connection to the land and sea. And with plentiful bounty provided by both, it’s easy to see why. From award-winning restaurants to hands-on culinary experiences, we always have room at our table for more.

Cooking classes with the Kilted Chef Northumberland Shore

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Right Some Good Food Festival Halifax

Remember to stop by the Visitor Information Centre. For in-depth local info, travel advice, maps, brochures and reservations see us near the Yarmouth Ferry Terminal or visit novascotia.com/VIC for a list of Visitor Information Centres around the province.

The Beggar’s Banquet, Point of View Suites Cape Breton Island

-AUP@CS ~ "?QC !SCUPO (TM?OB

celtic-colours.com

Celtic Colours iis an experience i like no other.

For nine days in October, Cape Breton Island is alive with music, energy and excitement as people come from ffarr and wide to celebrate our rich culture. Enjoy world class musicians, dozens of concerts, hundreds of community ommunity events, rs are at their peak. workshops, community meals, spectacular scenery and our renowned hospitality when the fall colours Celtic Colours, in cooperation with Cape Breton University, is pleased to present the 2015 edition of the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention during this year’s festival.

Out of towner discounts specials available.

Traveller special: One week unlimited is $50 and two weeks unlimited is $90. These prices include a mat and two towels per class.*

1567 Grafton St, Halifax, NS (902) 444-7660 bikramyogahalifax.com

Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park

If you follow your heart, it will lead you here. ..to where epic stories are told Taste our historic rum and enjoy life at 18th-century Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. Delve into the mind of a genius at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Take in stunning coastal scenery and hiking trails of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Parks Canada – Cape Breton Island parkscanada.gc.ca/louisbourg parkscanada.gc.ca/bell parkscanada.gc.ca/capebreton

..to where history comes alive Travel underground at the Cape Breton Miners’ Museum with a retired miner guide, examine age-old fossils at the Cape Breton Fossil Centre or take a tour through Sydney’s Historic District to experience lively hands-on history.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality minersmuseum.com cbfossil.org oldsydney.com

..to where Celtic culture thrives Cape Breton Island has the only living Celtic culture in North America and we’d love to share it with you. Dance to lively fiddle tunes, learn a Gaelic milling song or trace your roots, and find the key to unlock your Celtic heart.

Celtic Heart of North America celticheart.ca

..to artisan creations Creativity, craftsmanship, beauty and function find expression in the work of local artisans. Visit our beautiful Gallery Shop in Downtown Sydney and enjoy exhibitions year-round.

Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design capebretoncraft.com | 902-270-7491

contents 23

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YOUR journey BEGINS –WELCOME FROM NOVA STAR CRUISES

31

12

Snapshots of Nova Star!

13

Loyal to the King

17

Finding Your Roots

23

Keepers of the Flame

27

Two Centuries of Treasure Seekers

31

Axe Thrower Hits the Bull’s-eye

39

Crafting Nova Scotia’s Brandscape

43

Seeing Double

49

Old and New Wartime Ties

51

Song of the Paddle

54

Bottle Some Great Memories

58

Dark Sky Preserve

63

Leave Your Cares - And Car Behind!

78

Surfin’ Scotia-style

86

Out of the Blue Seafood

88

Snapshots on Nova Star!

90

Golf Nova Scotia

58

COVER IMAGE Nova Star Cruises is proud to support Golf Nova Scotia. For more information about including golf as part of the fun in your vacation, please visit golfnovascotia.com or novascotia.com/golf. Some of the finest crystal in the world is made in Nova Scotia. The crystal golf ball featured on the cover is mouth blown and hand-cut by NovaScotian Crystal, located on the Halifax waterfront.

6

STARBOARD 2015

STARBOARD EDITOR & PROJECT MANAGER Kim Moar - The Chronicle Herald

43

13

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Bruce Bishop VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING Owen John VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND MARKETING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Lisa Arnold SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Kim Corton PRODUCTION Brian Graham ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Joanne Cheevers, Elizabeth Gordon, Annie Langley, Shawn Patterson, Shelly Phillips, Wanda Priddle, Lindsay Robb, Tracy Skinner, Michelle Smith, Phillip Stewart, Danielle Strickland CUSTOMER RELATIONS SPECIALIST Aimee Surette

90

97

Poised for Deliciousness PUBLISHED BY

102 50-Plus & Fun

Herald Custom Media for Nova Star Cruises

106 Maps

VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Jeff Nearing

109 Tidemark Gallery Schedule

CONTRIBUTORS

110 Finding Your Way Around Nova Star

Bruce Bishop, Heather Laura Clarke, Colleen Cosgrove, Hannah Crawford, Pamela Delaney, Allan Lynch, Hilary Nangle, Tom Peters, Sandra Phinney, Sharon Robart-Johnson, Darcy Rhyno, Jon Tattrie

112 What’s Where on Which Deck?

PHOTOGRAPHERS

114 Safety Information

78

102

Ryan Taplin, CBC, The Chronicle Herald, State of Maine, History Canada, Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, Carla Allen, Christoper Green, Cabot Links, Bill Curry, Communications Nova Scotia, Sandra Phinney, Nick LaVecchia, Wally Hayes, Alison Colby-Campbell, David Bragdon, Oral O. Clarke (IT Officer, Nova Star), William Corton, Jordan KillKelley © The Chronicle Herald 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission from the publisher.

The Chronicle Herald 2717 Joseph Howe Drive PO Box 610, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2T2 902-426-2811 TheChronicleHerald.ca

PRINTED BY Dollco Printing Disclaimer Starboard magazine and Nova Star Cruises Ltd. makes no warranties of any kind, written or implied regarding the contents of this magazine and expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the accuracy or reliability of information and advertising contained herein. Starboard magazine and Nova Star Cruises Ltd. further disclaims any responsibility for injuries or death incurred by any person or persons engaging in these activities. The views contained in this magazine are those of the writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily reflect the views of Starboard magazine, Nova Star Cruises Ltd., and its publisher, The Chronicle Herald.

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

STARBOARD SUMMER 2014

7

Regional Festivals and Events 2015

Windsor

Drum ....................................... May 21-24 Agri Art& Craft Show ........... May 23-24 Apple Blossom Festival .... May 27-June 1 Avondale Art Fair.........................June 20 Mud Hero ........................................ July 4 Smokin Blues Fest ........................ July 10 British Motoring Fest .................. July 11 Acoustic Maritime Festival ....July 16-19 Avon River Days ................ July 31-Aug 2 Kempt Shore Music Gala .......Aug 14-16 RCMP Musical Ride ....................Sept 10 250th Hants Co. Exhibition ......................

September 18-20 & 25-27 Avondale Garlic Fest....................Sept 19 31st Pumpkin Weigh-off .................. Oct 3 17th Pumpkin Regatta .................. Oct 11 Windsor Waterfront Friday Night Concerts (July & August) Farmers Markets and U-picks (mid June through October)

www.town.windsor.ns.ca

Birthplace of Hockey - Windsor, Nova Scotia Ice Hockey’s Original Home Ice Come explore Windsor’s Hockey Heritage Museum* and Gift Shop!

See the beginning evolution and development of ice hockey from c.1800 to modern day.

Tour and view artifacts in: • Trophy Room • Locker Room • Hot Stove • Roots Room and the Attic Located in Historic Haliburton House 424 Clifton Ave, Windsor, NS For open dates, hours and admission visit: BirthplaceOfHockey.com

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Visitor Information Centres: Off Highway 101....

W Windsor/ West Hants, Exit 6

Directions:

Off Highway 101... via Exit 8, 7, 6, 5A, 5 or 4... less than 45 minutes from Halifax or 2 1/2 hours from Yarmouth

*Operated by Windsor Hockey Heritage Society

Memories last longer when you add a little

Whether it’s a day on the beach, an evening at the theatre, or the best seafood you’ve ever tasted, the memories you make last longer on Prince Edward Island.

!"

PrinceEdwardIsland.com | 1.877.445.4548

W E

L C O M E 1 June, 2015 Dear Guest, If you are a first time visitor, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard Nova Star in our second sailing season. For those of you who have sailed with us before, welcome back! You’ll likely recognize some familiar, smiling faces, as so many of our friendly and capable crew has returned.

With the restoration of this historic route, we’re very pleased to bring guests to their favorite destinations or to discover new vacation experiences. It’s always heartening to hear how our service is reuniting distant friends and bringing families in both regions closer together.

This year, we’re providing more vacation options with the development of Nova Star Discovery packages, which combine passage with shore-side accommodations, attractions and events, for one-stop vacation planning.

Please visit NovaStarCruises.com to see exciting ideas for your visit to Nova Scotia.

We’re also excited to provide more choices on how to spend your time on Nova Star. Our motivation was to listen to ideas and comments from last year’s guest surveys. As a result, we’ve scheduled more entertainment, expanded the regional cuisine, procured more regional products to sample or purchase, and offered artisan and ‘cultural snapshots’ with our enrichment program — all in an effort to showcase the best Nova Scotia has to offer.

I believe we’ve responded to suggestions and requests in many positive ways.

Today, as it was last year, our mission is to provide the most comfortable and entertaining travel experience ever offered on this route. If you have time, please take a few minutes to fill out the guest survey and share your own opinions.

Although we said it last year, I’ll say it again with gratitude: Nova Star Cruises’ greatest debt is to the people of Nova Scotia and the Government of the Province of Nova Scotia for your continued support.

On behalf on my entire crew, which includes my partners, our shareholders, our shore-side staff, our ship’s operator FleetPro, the Nova Star crew, as well as many supporters and marketing collaborators, including the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, Yarmouth & Acadian Shores Tourism Association, Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia (TIANS), Maine Office of Tourism, Portland’s Visitor and Convention Bureau and The Chronicle Herald, we thank you for sailing with us today.

With warmest regards, Mark Amundsen President and Chief Executive Officer Nova Star Cruises Ltd.

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

11

1

2

Snapshots of

NOVA STAR! Dylan John

Oral O. Clarke

3

4

5

Proptonics

William Corton

Oral O. Clarke

PHOTOS 1. Nova Star’s stern ramp down for operation

6

7

2. Conning tower flying Canadian colors 3. Yarmouth aerial photo of Nova Star 4. Nova Star approaching Portland, Maine 5. Nova Star’s bow ramp down for operation 6. Vehicles embark on Nova Star in Portland 7. Nova Star underway in the Gulf of Maine 8. Nova Star alongside in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia 9. Nova Star at night in Yarmouth 10. Bridge deck at dusk in Portland

Jordan Killkelley

8

9

Bill Curry

Bill Curry

12

William Corton

10

Oral O. Clarke

STARBOARD 2015

Loyal to the King -NOT GEORGE WASHINGTON

THE BLACK LOYALIST EXPERIENCE AND THE BOOK OF NEGROES

by Jon Tattrie Sailing the waters between Portland and Yarmouth, you’re following the same route taken by the Black Loyalists who fled revolutionary, slave-owning American in the late 1700s, seeking the British-promised freedom in Nova Scotia.

Visiting the powerful new Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, N.S., you’re NOVASTARCRUISES.com

following the footsteps of those same freed people as they ran into rocky land and inhospitable locals, and built their liberty anyway. By 1784, it was the largest free black settlement outside of Africa.

Outside, stone walls and a stone tower draw the eye in. The walls hold a conversation in those pilgrims’ voices. “For a chance at Freedom, Loyal we will be. LIBERTY TO SLAVES! Is our call,” reads one message.

“I see the dark ships move. And families torn. And loved ones lost,” laments another.

Circling the stairs wrapping the tower, you’ll read the names of the province’s 13

Black Loyalist communities. At its top, you’ll inhale sharply as you take in Birchtown Bay. Inside the centre, you’ll pass the names of some of the 3,000 Loyalists who preceded you to this place. Standing on a magnificent glass floor, before a sweeping glass wall, you’ll see more names and stories as you follow a river through time.

The names carry you along to archeological finds, interactive video displays taking you deeper into individual histories, slavery, the exodus of many of the Loyalists to Sierra Leone in 1791, and the inspiring story of the Loyalists who stayed, despite the odds. Toward the end, you can leaf through a virtual edition of the Book of Negroes.

This book recorded the names of those who landed here, and formed the basis for Lawrence Hill’s international best-selling novel, The Book of Negroes, and the CBC’s new mini-series of the same name (you can watch it for free online at cbc.ca/bookofnegroes). It was also broadcast on the BET network in the USA earlier this year.

Beverly Cox descended from Black Loyalists and she guided the creation of the new museum as it rose from the ashes of the fire 14

“SOME HISTORY IS DIFFICULT. WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND MOVE FORWARD” Beverly Cox

that destroyed the old centre in 2006. In the spring of 2015, the centre opens its doors.

Cox hopes it opens minds, too.

“I want people to know about our story, and I want them to be able to discuss freely the feelings they have about the story,” she says. “It’s a story with so many facets to it, and it reaches over many continents. Some history is difficult. We have to acknowledge that and move forward.”

At the end of your visit, Cox says you can add your contribution to a virtual quilt describing your experience, which will be added to the large virtual quilt displayed in the centre.

Growing up in nearby Shelburne, Beverly Cox’s daughter Haley learned little about the Loyalists at school. She learned more during the three summers she worked at the centre during high school, giving tours, meeting visitors from all over and, during quiet moments, studying the artifacts.

One summer, she met the captain of the Amistad, the replica ship that sails the world telling the story of how its “cargo” of slaves kidnapped in Sierra Leone revolted in 1839 and eventually won their freedom and a return to Sierra Leone – the same

WWW.NOVASTARCRUISES.COM

STARBOARD 2015

ART, CULTURE & SHOPPING

PHOTOS

CBC/Len Wagg/ Communications Nova Scotia Page 13 and this page

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, N.S. Opposite Scenes from the Book of Negroes mini-series

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

African country so many African Nova Scotians migrated to after leaving Birchtown.

Cox signed up for the trip. In 2008, the Amistad sailed from the U.S. to Nova Scotia and on to England; from England to Sierra Leone; and from Sierra Leone back to the U.S. Cox sailed that middle passage to Sierra Leone.

The floating museum taught people all along the West African coast about the ship’s rebels. She stayed on the Amistad for several months, and later returned for an eight-month trip. “I did love it.”

It was a powerful experience to do what the rebels wanted: bring the ship home to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. The hard work, slow passage and sense of danger gave Cox a hint of what they must have experienced. “It was amazing. It was very overwhelming. All of the crew and students aboard cried when we arrived. And we were so welcomed.”

The people of Freetown opened hearts and doors to them, “even though the country itself is so run down, so beaten up.”

Many people were surprised to learn there are black communities in Nova Scotia. “People are shocked that there are still

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Blacks in Yarmouth Town

and County by Sharon Robart-Johnson

PHOTO

CBC Above The Book of Negroes DVD cover

Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia today; or blacks at all, really,” Cox says.

But not everyone had forgotten Nova Scotia’s old blood ties to Sierra Leone. Inside a humble Freetown museum, she came across a beautiful photo of home. “They actually had images from Birchtown. I wasn’t expecting it at all. They had pictures of the pit house, of the school, and a map of Nova Scotia,” she says.

“It was just a little exhibit in a little shack, but it was amazing that they tell the story as well. You could feel that connection.”

Cox hopes that people in Nova Scotia will visit the new centre to learn about this part of the land’s human history. “It’s such a big story that they’re talking about it in another country on the other side of the world. It makes you sad, a little bit, that some of these histories are forgotten,” Cox says.

She hopes that is changing with the new centre, the hit Book of Negroes novel and mini-series, and changing ideas about the past. She hopes one day Black Loyalist history will sit alongside histories like that of the Acadians, the original French settlers of Nova Scotia.

“These people were real. It’s my identity, so it’s different,” Cox says. “I want it to be not a chapter, but a part [of history]. These people, they didn’t just leave. We’re all still here.”

16

To date, a comprehensive history of the black settlers in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, has not been written. I wanted to remedy that situation.

From 2003 to 2008, after spending five years sorting through historical documents, funeral ledgers, and church records, a treasure trove of information was unearthed.

My journey began with a walk through three cemeteries in the one time allblack community of Greenville, Yarmouth County, about 10 miles from the center of town.

I was initially determined to identify the deceased in the unmarked graves; now more than 200 have been named.

Research has been tedious, as very little is known about the early history of this community with its segregated one-room school.

Recorded history has Greenville first settled circa 1820 by a man of African descent: David Dize of Kingston, Jamaica.

Black Loyalists and the descendants of other freed slaves soon followed.

It became apparent to me how slavery played a pivotal role in shaping Yarmouth’s history, so it was important to find as many stories as possible. I also knew that it was as equally important to record Yarmouth’s black success stories, showing how the past helped to shape their futures.

In the Town of Yarmouth there were no black families until 1821 when a family named VanNostrant moved into the then 60-year old community. While interviewing seniors in Yarmouth’s black communities, I also learned that they had to confront the legacy of local slavery and

to cope with racial discrimination. They recalled having to sit in the balcony of the local movie theatre because they were not permitted in the main-floor area.

Despite the obstacles of the past, today, many blacks have overcome the adversity and have succeeded in their chosen fields.

Yarmouth’s blacks – also referred to as African Nova Scotians -- have played an important role in shaping the history of our town. For example, the older teen males and men who joined World War One’s Black Battalion hoped to make a difference, and they did, despite the opposition to them enlisting.

Yarmouth can be proud of those blacks who have attained their goals: Bruce Johnson, the first African Nova Scotian to graduate from the Dalhousie University School of Pharmacy, is today co-owner of a local drugstore.

Clarence Bodden, now retired, was the first black Nova Scotian and the second in Canada to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He was also the first black instructor at the training academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. Donna Smith, also now retired, was Nova Scotia’s first black nurse practitioner.

Sports are not without its success stories. Calvin Lawrence, while a Halifax city police officer and a boxer, won a silver medal at the Canada Winter Games, the Canadian Heavyweight Amateur Boxing Championship of Nova Scotia (including Ontario and Quebec), and the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. He eventually joined the RCMP, and he is now retired, as well.

Other notable African Nova Scotians from Yarmouth who gained sports prominence over the years included Walter Wesley (winner, ‘Golden Gloves’ against René Mercier in 1957); Wilfred Gene “KO” Fowler, the Maritime Light Heavyweight Champion, in the 1940s; and Gerald “Cassius” Smith, who won the Maritime Golden Gloves Bantamweight title in 1965.

All of these stories and more led to my first book Africa’s Children: a History of Blacks in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, published in 2009 by Natural Heritage Books, Toronto, Ontario.

STARBOARD 2015

FINDING YOUR

roots

TRACING YOUR ANCESTORS IS NOW AN EASIER TASK THAN IT USED TO BE

by Colleen Cosgrove

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

A lifelong academic, Allan Marble doesn’t believe in leaving questions unanswered or projects half finished.

The physiology doctor spent 40 years of his career at Dalhousie University writing more than 150 research papers and journals. And in retirement, Marble hasn’t stopped researching and writing, although his focus has changed from the human body to the human condition, specifically that of his ancestors.

“It’s almost like writing a mystery or a drama but you don’t know what’s happening next,” Marble, the founder and president of the Genealogical Institute of the Maritimes, said on a recent grey Halifax morning. “You’re always surprised and you never know where you’re going to find the next thing.”

Marble got hooked on genealogy in the 1960s. He published his first family history 17

PHOTOS

Ryan Taplin/ Pier 21/The Chronicle Herald Previous page

Jamie Serran inspecting documents at Council of Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax Left Rendering of what one of the exhibits in the Canadian Immigration Story Gallery will look like when the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 reopens in May 2015 Opposite A guide

shows a visitor around one of the exhibits

book in 1966 and 20 years later, he wrote another, this time about his great-grandmother’s family who were among the first settlers in Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 1767.

But it wasn’t until 2001 that Marble received his toughest assignment. It came from his 100-year-old grandmother who asked, on her birthday, if her talented grandson would please write a book about her family, the Archibalds of Truro, Nova Scotia.

Seven years later, Marble, then retired, had completed a journey he never thought possible.

He had traced the Archibald story back 11 generations to its beginnings in North America with the arrival of John and Margaret Archibald. The Archibalds were a pair of devout Protestants who left Northern Ireland in religious protest, landed in New Hampshire in 1720 and later homesteaded in Truro.

More than 1,000 pages deep, Marble’s tenth book tells the story of John and Margaret’s 22,000 descendants. As he uncovered the layers of the family story, Marble honed his focus on those who were born with the last name Archibald. He traced the male lineage as far as he could and followed female Archibalds until they married and took another surname.

18

“At heart I’m really a scientist, but a lot of scientists and engineers get involved in genealogy because it requires a lot of logic to dig into the various sources and understand how all of these family members get put together,” Marble, himself a native of Truro, said.

“This was no easy task and it can be a difficult thing tracing where they came from, how and why they came and where they settled.”

But the challenges he faced in his seven years of research had some interesting payoffs. Marble discovered a bounty of compelling characters, spread all over the world, in his family tree.

Julia Archibald and her family were living in Kansas when in 1858, Julia, a 20-year-old newlywed, left home for the Colorado mountains. Wearing bloomers under her skirt, a pair of moccasins and a hat, Archibald became the first woman to climb to the 14,115-foot summit of Pike’s Peak, the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Another woman wouldn’t climb a peak of that altitude for another 23 years.

Then there was George Archibald, the young jockey from Truro who won the 1911 Kentucky Derby. He later worked for the King of Spain, was a German prisoner of war who escaped captivity and eventually

became employed as King George IV’s royal jockey. All of this Marble learned from a six-line article published in the Truro Daily News and a conversation with George’s grandson, who Marble tracked down in Virginia.

“It took me two or three years to track George Archibald’s story down. You keep looking and eventually these things pop up.

You hope they will, anyway, and they usually do,” Marble said.

For Cara MacDonald and Kristine Kovacevic, fascinating family tales like Marble’s come about nearly every time someone walks through the doors of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

As the museum’s visitor experience and interpretation manager, Kovacevic says she’s reminded daily of the emotional energy the historic building possesses.

During her first month on the job, Kovacevic came across a woman who was shaking and crying, touching the doors that lead to the World War Two deck, the spot where all immigrants to Canada first stepped down. The woman had been an infant when she and her mother, a war bride, emigrated from England and her mother died shortly after the pair made the journey across the Atlantic.

“She told me she never really knew her mom and that she never felt closer to her STARBOARD 2015

mother than when she was in that spot, touching those doors,” Kovacevic said.

“That was the day I realized the power of the place I was working at.”

MacDonald, who works as reference service manager at the museum’s Scotiabank History Centre fields questions daily, often from points worldwide, from people looking for help in their quest to learn more about their ancestors.

The centre offers free research assistance for anyone who asks, and the genealogists’ reach extends worldwide, well beyond Pier 21 and immigrants who landed in Canada.

Although the majority of Canada’s first immigrants arrived via ports in Quebec, MacDonald said the national museum is a touchstone for all who share that profound experience.

“Its become a symbol of coming to Canada; I love to see that because it means that anyone who immigrated can come to the museum and experience those emotions and have those same feelings,” she said.

“I don’t think you can understand Canada without understanding the impact immigration has had on Canada,” Kovacevic added. “This is what our culture is.”

Janis Pelletier traced her family’s jour-

ney from the Ukraine to Alberta with the help of MacDonald and the Family History Centre.

Pelletier found the names of the founding members of the St. Onuphrius Ukrainian Catholic Church in Smoky Lake, Alberta.

Pelletier’s grandparents were among the 40 founding families who arrived in Alberta via the Ukraine and Galatia in the early 1900s.

Today, the names of the founding families adorn a town monument and the church, which was in regular use 1915 to 1963 is now housed inside the Canadian Museum of Civilization Canada Hall in Hull, Quebec.

Pelletier used ship passenger lists to update her family story, but what she came away with was a gift she could pass on for generations.

“Once I had refreshed my family’s history, I decided to do the same for their fellow parishioners of the era as a gesture of thanks and as a gift to the descendants of these early families so that they might know and share the stories of their ancestors’ arrival in the New World,” Pelletier said in a phone interview from Quebec.

Pelletier spent about two years researching and compiling information about the founding parishioners and like most genealogy enthusiasts, she’s hooked.

“Eventually you get to this surreal moment when you find the source documents and they’re clear and easy to read. It’s like reaching back through your computer to 100 to 150 years ago. You can’t beat that feeling.”

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19

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS:

Building your family tree

by Colleen Cosgrove

Digging into ancient records to craft a family history is much like a new gym regimen – just getting started is often the toughest part.

Between the vast stores of online records, anecdotes passed down through generations and the myriad directions a search can take you, the bounty of information available can be daunting.

Archivist Jamie Serran says having a strategy and key names, dates and places is more than enough to get a novice genealogy enthusiast on their way to building a family history.

Serran, who spent five years as an archivist at the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives, now works as an archive advisor for the Council of Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax. Her experience in Yarmouth and her current role as a part-time college instructor teaching a class in genealogy has shown Serran just how popular tracing family roots has become.

“I think things like Ancestry.com and TV shows like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ have definitely helped,” Serran told Starboard magazine. “It’s easy to go online and start searching and then when you find something, you get excited about it and you want to know where you can go from there. It’s a bug, and people catch it, and it doesn’t leave.”

But getting hooked and making meaningful progress takes planning.

“The wisdom is to start with yourself and start branching out to get as many connections as you possibly can, and to get as much information at each level that you possibly can,” Serran said.

“Names are great, but if you have some ideas of dates like births, deaths, marriage certificates and names of spouses and locations – those are really important details.”

One historical detail in particular – the location of where your ancestors once set20

PHOTO

Ryan Taplin Jamie Serran at the Council of Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax

tled – can lead to a host of promising leads.

In small communities, especially, Serran says, you never know what kinds of records have been kept and preserved.

“Sometimes you have to focus specifically in on an area and that’s where the records will be the most helpful,” she said. “It could be a country doctor who kept a day journal, family letters and diaries or even newspaper clippings and municipal minutes.”

Scouring records like marriage certificates, wills, land records, newspaper clippings, military and census records and family bibles all offer a wealth of compelling information. And although there’s plenty to be found online, Serran warns that at some point, researchers will still have to pick up the phone and go visit museums or community archives in person.

Because each community has dedicated records, Serran says asking for help from local historians and archivists can yield great results.

“In many cases the records are available and often, indexes have been made already,” she said. “For the most part, people just need to visit the local museum or archives and start asking questions.”

Although you’ll eventually have to leave your computer behind, starting your hunt online is still a great place to begin.

As your research develops, an organized approach to record keeping is prudent. If, for example, you come across information that may or may not be relevant, Serran says it’s good to just set it aside and make a note of it. It may not pertain to your search that day, but you never know where that information could lead you in the future.

“Staying organized can definitely be tough, but find a system that works best for you and never discard any information that you once thought was connected to your family’s story. It’s all unfolding as your research progresses and that can be part of the fun.”

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BLIND HOPE AND PASSION FUEL LIGHTHOUSE RESTORATIONS

by Hilary Nangle

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

23

Thanks to the Maine Lights Program, launched in 1996, and the National Historical Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, more than 40 of Maine’s 64 historical beacons have been saved from destruction and neglect. The programs allow transfer of lighthouses to nonprofits or, when none step forward, private parties. Those entrusted with a lighthouse’s care must preserve it with no funding supplied and, if restoring it, must do so accurately. Not an easy task.

“It’s a labor of love,” says Elaine Jones, education director for the Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. When she first learned that Burnt Island Lighthouse (www.maine.gov/dmr/burntisland/index. htm), off Boothbay Harbor, was available, it sparked her interest. She needed a place to house teachers during the summer and she envisioned a living history program. While she had the support of the department, there was no money available. The house had been abandoned for 10 years. “The bones were there, but a lot of work had to be done,” she says. A lighthouse is like a boat, she says, “it’s a hole in the water that you throw money into, only it’s on a rock.”

She wrote grants and tugged at heartstrings, approaching locals and summer people. She travelled widely to research the light’s history, making friends in Washington D.C., Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

“Every once in a while I’d get a package from the Coast Guard – they found this or that in their files,” she says. Jones chose to portray the year 1950, found 14 keepers who were still alive, and interviewed them and their families.

“Once people see you’re enthusiastic and passionate, they jump on the team.” She cobbled together a tremendous support team. “I opened my files as wide as I could and got a lot of free help,” she says, ticking off AmeriCorps, Landmark Volunteers, Master Gardeners, Maine Conservation Corps, teachers, students, and even prisoners. The sons of light keeper James McCullough donated their weekends to help to restore their childhood home.

Jones has handed the living history program’s operation to the not-for-profit Keepers of the Burnt Island Light, but she’s launching a $200,000 fundraising campaign for further restorations. Although ninth-oldest overall, Burnt is the state’s oldest original lighthouse and the first built after Maine became a state. “If I stretch [that truth], in six years, Maine’s oldest 24

PHOTOS

Tomas Rebro/ Elaine Jones Previous page

Marshall Point Lighthouse at sunset, Maine Right Elaine Jones painting the lighthouse on Burnt Island, Maine

lighthouse will be 200 years old.”

One of Maine’s earliest lighthouse adaptive reuse projects dates from 1959, when the Coast Guard automated Monhegan Island Light (http://monheganmuseum.org) and declared the keeper’s house and outbuildings as surplus. Monhegan Associates, a local conservation nonprofit, envisioned a museum. Island residents responded by donating photographs, documents, furniture, equipment, Indian artifacts, memorabilia, and artwork. When the museum’s collections outgrew the space, the assistant keeper’s house was reconstructed as an art museum, opening in 1998.

The Maine-based American Lighthouse Foundation (www.lighthousefoundation. org) is steward for nine Maine lights, including Rockland Breakwater and Owls Head, which wink at each other across Rockland’s harbor. “From the challenge perspective, [Rockland Breakwater] may as well be an offshore lighthouse,” says ALF president Bob Trapani, noting that volunteers and workers must footslog the nearly mile-long breakwater’s uneven granite slabs. “A couple of years ago, the wood floors were restored – that was a huge project; now we can furnish it,” Trapani says.

Volunteers endeavor to staff the Rockland Harbor lighthouses throughout the summer season and open the towers to visitors at no charge. “One of the advantages with our volunteer Friends group is that by opening the lighthouses and sharing their stories with the public, we get some donations that we put right back into the project,” Trapani says. “If we do our job, the public actually helps us raise money.”

No two restorations are alike, Trapani says, as each provides different challenges.

Guests can now overnight for a fee at Cutler’s restored Little River Light. “Its beauty is its remoteness, but that’s also its biggest challenge,” Trapani says. Over the last five years, its Friends chapter raised roughly $350,000; no small feat in economically-strapped and sparsely-populated down east Maine.

“We own the Perkins Island tower,” Trapani says, referring to the lighthouse on an island in the Kennebec River. Local private residents came forward and donated $50,000 to restore the exterior of the keeper’s house, which is owned by the state.

“This couple was just interested in helping and found a creative way and they were able to fund the work,” Trapani says. “Here we STARBOARD 2015

Maine Invites You! and we provide the warm welcome.

PHOTOS

Town of Clark’s Harbour Above The Cape Sable Island

Lighthouse before and after restoration

were on the verge of potentially losing the house over the next few years, and it looks awesome now. There’s always hope.”

Blind hope fueled restoring Head Harbour Lightstation (www.campobello.com/lighthouse), the 1829 all-wood tower, with its distinctive red-cross pattern, sited on Campobello, a New Brunswick (Canada) island tethered by bridge to Lubec, Maine. In 2000, a group of senior citizens, primarily women, formed a friends group. Six years later, they took possession of the province’s oldest surviving tower, along with the keeper’s house and outbuildings. “It was a falling down set of five leaking buildings,” volunteer Joyce Morrell says. “We had no clue of what we were getting into. We auctioned off paintings for paint.

We scraped, painted, shingled, and kept at it, and it started to look better and better.”

The tower, keeper’s house, and ancillary buildings topped on an offshore rockbound islet. Reaching it required descending and climbing ladders and navigating slippery seaweed- and rock-covered sections of the ocean floor during low tides. On most days, tides limited the treacherous access to a four-hour window. Almost all supplies were carried by hand. Despite the difficulties, they painted the tower twice, wallpapered the interior, hauled over the period furnishings, and even managed to get a refrigerator onto the island and into the house.

As they made progress, more and more visitors ventured over to the island. “They wanted to get inside,” volunteer Deanna Baldwin says. “They peered in the windows, knocked on the door, so we started giving tours to raise funds.” Now the plan is to offer nightly rental. “It’s the most magical place in the world to stay overnight,” she says. “You can sit here and watch the whales, minke, finbacks, humpbacks, sometimes even right whales.”

It’s that kind of excitement that fuels continued interest.

“As long as there’s a community heartbeat, an organized effort, people who are energetic and passionate about saving lighthouses, there’s hope,” Trapani says.

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CARRYING THE

Canadian torch Barry MacDonald, president of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, considers Bob Trapani, president of the American Lighthouse Foundation a good friend.

“We go back a few years, Bob and I, so we’ve compared notes and we’ve looked at some of the issues faced in Maine and what we’ve done in Nova Scotia and across Canada,” he says.

NSLPS (www.nslps.com), formed in 1993, predates the ALF by one year. While there have been other lighthouse preservation groups formed in Canada, MacDonald says, “we’ve outlasted pretty much everybody across the country.” Although the effort began on the provincial level, in late 1999, the Society formed a committee to work on the country’s Lighthouse Protection Act,

introduced in 2000 and enacted in 2008.

“Through a lot of work and no small effort by many people, we were successful in convincing the federal government to enact a heritage protection act,” he says. Lighthouses protected under it became a class of their own, and community groups had to meet specific criteria in order for their lighthouse to be considered for designation. Once transferred, the new owner is financially responsible for maintenance.

Only 150 of Nova Scotia’s 350 lighthouses still exist.

“As the petitioning process began the final stages, our Society identified 72 as good candidates for inclusion under the Act, and of that 72, we have 35 with business plans that are in the midst of the evaluation

process,” he says. “It’s an ongoing process, and we’re still in the throes of it. So far only one has been designated. It’s a very slow process.”

Southwest Light on St. Paul Island, Canada’s first iron lighthouse, is the only one designated, and that, MacDonald says, was a unique situation. Built in 1916 on an island in the hostile waters of the Cabot Strait, off the tip of Cape Breton, it was relocated to the Coast Guard station in Dartmouth in 1983. In 2010, the St. Paul Island Historical Society launched a successful effort to have it taken apart piece-by-piece, sandblasted, repainted, and re-erected in Dingwall. Now, the short squat light with a rare Fresnel lens is open daily in season.

“One of our priorities is getting lighthouses open to the public,” MacDonald says. “These lighthouses are such a symbol of Atlantic Canada, and the tourists who come here like to see the marine heritage of the province, and these are great symbols of that,” he says. They’re a great place to display both marine history and local history.

The biggest challenges is raising the money necessary to get a lighthouse in shape once it’s turned over to the community and then maintaining it. “We’ve sold the idea on how important lighthouses are to tourism, but tourism dollars are scarce and a lot of organizations are vying for these scarce dollars,” he says.

Equally challenging is recruiting volunteers and getting a new generation involved in preservation.

“My kids look upon what I do as – dad’s an old fogey and he’s into history, but I think the seed has been planted. I hear second-hand info that they sometimes brag about me to their friends,” MacDonald says.

As in Maine and in Nova Scotia, hope springs eternal.

PHOTO

Ryan Taplin Barry MacDonald with a restored lighthouse beacon at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

26

STARBOARD 2015

TWO CENTURIES OF

treasure seekers

PHOTO

HISTORY Canada Above Nick and Marty Lagina

THE OAK ISLAND ENIGMA

by Darcy Rhyno

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

Is there a pit full of pirate treasure buried down a deep shaft on a tiny, nondescript island in Nova Scotia?

Nick and Marty Lagina are banking on it. They’re spending millions to solve a two century old mystery and hopefully find the legendary treasure. Viewers of The History Channel’s reality TV show The Curse of Oak Island have been following the Michigan brothers’ treasure-seeking adventures for two seasons.

Nick is the older brother dedicated to the search; Marty the practical, even skeptical bankrolling younger brother. Nick is a retired postal worker. Marty made millions in

the energy sector as an engineer. Ever since they came across a Readers’ Digest article in 1965 on the subject, Oak Island has been a passion with the brothers.

While the brothers Lagina are the stars of the show, they’ve invited some heavyweight treasure hunting veterans to help with the search. Marty’s business partner and former college roomy, Craig Tester, is also an engineer and an expert in drilling and Earth scans. The father and son team of Dan and David Blankenship have been on the case since Dan read the same 1965 article. Shortly after, he quit his job and uprooted his family and his life in Flori27

PHOTO

The Chronicle Herald Archive Right This vintage photo shows visitors pose in front of the ‘Money Pit’ on Oak Island

da to dig into the mystery of Oak Island.

They live there still. Now in his 90s, Dan is hopeful that half a century of searching will finally pay off.

The Laginas aren’t the first to have their imaginations hijacked by this 220-year-old mystery. It all started in 1795 with Daniel McGinnis, an imaginative and inquisitive 18-year-old who grew up listening to tales of pirates, privateers and buried treasure.

One day, he made the short paddle to uninhabited Oak Island for a little hunting.

While roaming the small 140-acre island, he discovered an odd depression in the ground and a ship’s block and tackle on an overhanging tree limb. All those stories of buried treasure must have fueled Daniel’s imagination for he returned the next day with digging tools and a couple of friends – Anthony Vaughan and John Smith – to help with the work and share in the spoils.

It wasn’t long before things got exciting for the boys. At three, six and nine meters, they broke through layers of oak logs, the timber that gave the island its name.

Mysteriously, it was the only island of the 360 in Mahone Bay forested with oak. The boys could dig no further on their own, and for many years no one would help them because many believed the island was haunted.

Eight years after the boys discovered what became known as “the money pit,” a wealthy Nova Scotian named Simeon Lynds set his considerable resources to the task of digging deeper. At various levels, he unearthed charcoal, bits of metal, coconut fiber and ship’s putty. He reached some 30 meters before the shaft flooded and excavations ceased.

In 1849, another company excavated to the previous level before the shaft again flooded. This time, the treasure hunters drilled deeper, bringing up chunks of a spruce platform at 30 meters followed by bits of metal, oak and finally two meters of clay. The dozen or so attempts in the intervening century and a half have come up empty, taking with them the lives of six men and millions of dollars.

“The dream of finding vast riches, cou28

pled with the thrill of the unknown makes treasure hunting very addictive,” says professional treasure hunter David Spencer.

He’s a retired U.S. naval officer with over 35 years experience as a treasure hunter who works as a consulting engineer and project development officer with Kellyco Metal Detectors in Florida. “What draws people specifically to Oak Island,” says Spencer, is “the mystique and significant environmental and man-made challenges.”

Mystique indeed. Oak Island treasure hunters are not even sure what they’re looking for. Pirate treasure is the most common explanation for the elaborately and carefully constructed shaft and the other apparent engineering feats like flood tunnels and secret chambers designed to protect a very valuable secret. But many through the centuries have puzzled over the who, what and why to come up with an astonishing array of possible answers.

One Oak Island enthusiast theorizes that the shaft is actually the remains of a Viking ship buried on its head. Another claims it’s an Aztec mine and the burial place of 15th century Central American emperor Montezuma. Others suggest that the treasurers of the Masons, Marie Antoinette, Shakespeare or even the Knights Templar hiding nothing less than the Holy Grail will one day be unearthed at the site. The killjoys say the money pit and its adjoining underground waterways are natural phenomena created by limestone washouts and storm-felled timber.

In season one of The Curse of Oak Island, the Lagina team toyed with the Shakespeare theory, discovered coconut fiber on the beach that dated to between 700 and 800 years old and drained a swamp on the island where they discovered a Spanish copper coin. In season two, the coin was dated to 1652 and the brothers travelled to STARBOARD 2015

Scotland in search of clues to the nature of the treasure. Back on the island, they explored an alternative way into “the money pit” that ended in a dangerous dive and the mapping by sonar of the entrance to a hidden chamber beneath the island.

Spencer believes the Lagina team has a good chance of finally solving the mystery of Oak Island. “The chemistry amongst the key participants offers the best opportunities for success. Without any one of these guys, the likelihood of success is significantly reduced.”

Specifically, he believes the Lagina brothers have the right combination of strengths to see their search through. “Nick’s determination is the driving force behind the modern day treasure hunt,” says Spencer.

“Marty is the realist who consistently keeps everyone on the team grounded in reality and understands the real costs associated with failure.”

But it’s not going to be easy. “There is no quick or simple solution to reveal the mysteries surrounding the treasures potentially hidden on Oak Island,” says Spencer.

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A NOVA SCOTIAN LUMBERJACK KEEPING OLD FAMILY TRADITIONS ALIVE

by Sandra Phinney

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

Darren Hudson is a fifth generation Canadian lumberjack. He’s also a seven-time World and 12-time Canadian Log Rolling Champion who’s on a mission to keep the lumberjack tradition alive. Darren is passion personified. He is also funny, driven, and – one might say – a tad nutty.

When he’s not engaged felling troublesome trees through his tree removal service, he’s teaching others how to do things

31

like throw an axe, chop a log, or how to keep from going into the drink while standing on a rolling log in the water. He does this as part of a company he created called the Lumberjack AXEperience situated on the beautiful Barrington River in southwest Nova Scotia.

Darren got his first taste of log rolling when his family did a film for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation back in 1983 titled The Last Log Drive. The six year-old couldn’t resist the urge to get on the logs in the water. “There I was on top of those spinning, sinking logs, trying to be light-footed and fast-moving to avoid sinking below.”

He was smitten. “I knew that was me, and decided then and there I would be a lumberjack.”

Darren comes from a long line of sawmill operators, guides, and lumberjacks. His great grandfather, Uriah Scott, was a licensed guide in Nova Scotia. In 1932, Nova Scotia guides were invited to be part of a show at Madison Square Garden in New York to promote hunting, fishing, and guiding. Fellow guides Watson and Eddie Peck made the trip as Uriah was too busy guiding to go, but he was amused by the hoopla associated with the event, which included movie stars like Roy Rogers, and native Americans wearing full headdresses.

Closer to home, Darren’s uncle – Phil Scot – paddled in a 3,300-mile centennial canoe race from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Montréal in 1967. He arrived just in time to take part in the log rolling trials, securing him a place to compete in the World Championships – which he went on to win nine times.

Another uncle, Stanley Scott, was famous on the river drives all around the country.

“He was in demand for hooking up the booms, setting up bumper logs and tearing logs away from jam sites,” Darren explains.

“Although fleet footed, he didn’t compete competitively past the age of 20 on the international scene, as he was too busy raising a family and working at the sawmill.”

In 1994, when Darren was 17 years old, 32

PHOTOS

Contributed Previous page and above Darren Hudson

practices his log rolling at his camp on the Barrington River, NS

he signed on as a lumberjack with Hank Peters. “Hank was in his 80s at the time but I traveled around the states with him and nine-time world champ Dan McDonough.

These two men made a huge impact in my life. I also rolled with Dan. He was a big guy and didn’t take it easy on me. That’s how I started.”

His journey as a professional lumberjack has taken the Barrington native on repeat trips to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, and across the U.S. and Canada to perform. These shows are historical and humorous re-enactments of “old time” lumberjack competitions which include log rolling, axe throwing, tree climbing, log sawing and other skills. It’s all about

proving ones prowess in a quest to be “Bull of the Woods” and, of course, to win some prize money.

In the olden days, the prize would often be a rifle or skinning knife. Today, the top prize for a world championship is usually $1,500 (per skilled activity). Sounds like a lot of money, but factoring in the amount of training time (three hours a day, six days a week for three to six months), you can see it’s all about love, not money.

Darren has also appeared on the David Letterman Show, and did stunt work as a double for actor Steve Martin in the movie Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

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PHOTOS

Darren Hudson Above Visitors to Darren Hudson’s

lumberjack camp enjoy the hot weather.

wicked underhand chop. He let go of the axe, turned around, and met the flying axe smack in the face. Although he required plastic surgery to save his nose and fix his lower lip, that didn’t stop him from competing full bore the next day, albeit he was sporting 50 stitches and looked like Frankenstein.

Three years ago, Darren decided it was time to come home, build a lumberjack park on Barrington River, and provide experiences to visitors and local of all ages. It didn’t take long to garner some attention. In fact, the star of the CBC Rick Mercer Show saw a clip of Darren on the national news one night and thought “Hey, I would like to do that!” Then he said, “Hey, I have my own show. I can do that!” The filming was hilarious and was a big boost to the business.

Coming into his fourth season, people can come to the park to learn about (and do) various activities related to being a 34

lumberjack. Kids can sign up for weekly camps where they also canoe, kayak and learn camp skills. Darren and his partner Suzy Atwood run a men’s and women’s axe-throwing league as well as a Monday drop-in “keeners” night.

In his spare time the outdoorsman is setting up the Canadian Axe Throwing Association, which he hopes will streamline the sport and create more opportunities.

Ultimately, his goal is to see this sport as part of the Olympics.

“Why not?” muses the 38 year-old. “Targets can now be reproduced, axes standardized, and distances can be regulated. There is potential to grow this sport to the highest level,” he says with a grin. “Everything’s in motion.”

If you look deep into his eyes, you know he’s not kidding. That look is the same determined look his uncle Phil had, who said before going into a world competition: “I’d

rather die out there than lose.”

Darren also has plans to stage events to make (or break) Guinness World Records in the realm of lumberjack events. And don’t be surprised if he shows up log rolling on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa – or throwing his axe on Parliament Hill!

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CRAFTING

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BRANDSCAPE

by Heather Laura Clarke

AUTHENTICITY MEETS QUALITY Glynn Williams is not from Nova Scotia, but he’s the man behind one of the province’s most iconic brands.

The Toronto investor has transformed an 1837 home into the romantic DesBarres Manor Inn, turned an 1829 general store into the Rare Bird Pub & Eatery – which is now one of Canada’s Top 10 craft beer destinations – and his Osprey Shores Golf Resort is home to his new rum distillery.

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

All are under the umbrella of the Authentic Seacoast Company.

But it all started with coffee – certified fair-trade organic coffee, in fact. Williams started Authentic Seacoast because he wanted to help bring Guysborough back to its glory days of being a thriving trading center on the Eastern Shore.

Every package of Full Steam Coffee bears the image of the S.S. Malcolm Cann, which delivered goods to Nova Scotians long before the Trans Canada Highway.

“When you’re a small company, you’re not able to mass-produce anything, so you have to create an especially high-quality product,” says Williams. “On the shelf, our coffee may be a little more expensive, but we believe it to be the best there is.”

Nicholas Denys opened the first commercial brewery in Atlantic Canada on the shores of Guysborough in 1659. Williams got into the brew business 10 years ago, with Rare Bird Craft Beer. They pay homage to Denys’ work by handcrafting their brew in small batches with premium ingredients. Their Spruce Ale is made with hand-picked local spruce buds, the Pumpkin Ale contains spiced and roasted pumpkins and squash – fresh from a local patch – and Williams himself has helped

39

PHOTOS

The Chronicle Herald Archive/ Chris Gallow Previous page Glynn Williams in Guysborough Below left Fox Harb’r Golf

Resort & Spa Right Pete Luckett

of Luckett Vineyards Below Right Glynn Williams

marking one of his rum barrels before storage

collect sap for the Maple Ale. His latest venture is creating the Sea Fever line of specialty distilled rums, because he says there’s “rum in the DNA of Nova Scotia.” When Sea Fever launched just before Christmas, liquor stores struggled to keep it on the shelves as shoppers snatched up the bottles for holiday gifting and entertaining.

“It’s the authenticity that people are connecting with, because these are rums that speak to the heritage and tradition of a community,” says Williams. “There are some well-known global rum brands on the shelves, too, but no one knows who makes them, and they don’t have a connection to Nova Scotia.”

With the word “authentic” ingrained in the brand name, Williams says everything Authentic Seacoast does must be honest, high-quality, and speak to the heritage and traditions of Nova Scotia. His products, Williams says, can become “ambassadors for the province” – as well as create jobs here at home.

“Even in the dead of winter, the streets of Guysborough are a lot busier than they would otherwise be – and in a little 40

community, that makes a big difference,” says Williams. “The challenge is if we can continue to bring life back to the streets of our rural communities, and inspire other cities in Canada to do the same.”

HARD WORK BEARS FRUIT Pete Luckett knows a thing or two about inspiration. Armed with his gregarious personality and experience running a successful food stall in England, he came to Canada in 1979 and opened his first retail market in Saint John.

The brand hit Nova Scotia when he opened Pete’s Frootique in Bedford in 1992, and customers fell in love with the colourful, friendly, marketplace-style shop — where Luckett himself would be cheerfully unpacking crates of produce, or slicing open an exotic fruit and urging you to taste it.

Pete’s CEO, Dianne Hamilton, has been working side-by-side with Luckett since she helped him open the Bedford location.

She says the last 23 years have been an “adventurous, fast-paced journey” as they built new brands and grew the Pete’s empire.

“The key to our success has been Pete’s

passion for what he does, and his desire to serve people an experience they can’t get anywhere else,” says Hamilton. “His passion is like a paintbrush through the whole operation, and that’s what makes the difference.”

Although they dropped “Frootique” from the name over five years ago, Hamilton says the Pete’s brand was already firmly established. They currently have three retail locations (Bedford, Halifax, and Wolfville) as well as two Pete’s ToGoGo locations in downtown Halifax (Hollis Street and Dalhousie University).

As food trends change, the Pete’s brand has been quick to adapt – or even lead the pack. Luckett was touting the benefits of fresh, local produce years before the slow food movement began, and their Halifax location boasts a successful gluten-free eatery.

But Luckett’s latest project is a departure from the Pete’s brand that’s made him one of Nova Scotia’s most beloved entrepreneurs. Located in Gaspereau Valley, Luckett Vineyards has been so popular that the winery needed to be expanded after just one year in business. Guests are enamored with the open-air Crush Pad Bistro, and the private Barrel Cellar with three-, five-, or seven-course tasting menus.

Although Luckett is now focusing on the vineyard, Hamilton says she and a group of senior leaders have been carrying on his “Pete’s” brand in fine style.

“We protect the brand very carefully, because it’s all about the experience – about wowing our customers,” says Hamilton.

“The focus is on innovative products, food trends, and maintaining a very high quality standard.”

EXCLUSIVELY DRIVES DESIRE Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa is undoubtedly one of Nova Scotia’s top luxury brands, with a private deep-sea marina, landing strip, shooting range, 27-hole golf course, two restaurants, a clubhouse, and a full-service spa.

Ron Joyce, the co-founder of the iconic Canadian coffee and donut empire, had a vision for the five-star, four-diamond resort after selling his restaurant business in the mid ’90s, and the resort opened officially at the end of 2001. The 11,000-acre Northumberland Shore property is just a few hours from Halifax, but many guests arrive via jet on the private airstrip.

“There’s really no other resort in all of STARBOARD 2015

Canada that has this level of exclusivity – this private getaway feel,” explains resort general manager Jim Miller.

Although anyone can stay as a guest at the resort, the facilities are not open for day use – so don’t show up for an impromptu lunch or round of golf. Miller says their business model is certainly different, but it works well to protect the investments of those who have purchased Fox Harb’r memberships and homes.

Since many Fox Harb’r homeowners reside in warmer climates during the winter months, Miller says their homes are carefully monitored at all times. Driveways are shoveled, lawns are mowed, and gardens are landscaped by professionals – whether you’re home or not.

“If you’re coming home after being away, we’ll pop in and turn on the heat – or if you need bread or milk, we can provide all of that, too,” says Miller. “You can order room service to your home, or catering for a private party. We’re here to provide any conceivable amenity a homeowner or guest may need.”

“It’s almost like coming to a luxury private club for a night or two, and getting to experience all of those amenities,” says Miller.

“I’m always pleased when people compare Fox Harb’r to resorts like Pebble Beach, and that they’re so impressed with the quality of our facilities.”

“It means a lot that we’re able to provide a level of service that people feel comfortable comparing to the top resorts around the world.”

Summarizing what the these three brands have in common, Williams says it best, “Authentic Seacoast isn’t solely focused on creating products— it’s about designing experiences. This summer, for example, thousands of visitors will come through the Fortress of Louisbourg to see and sample Authentic Seacoast’s Fortress rum – where it’s aging in the historic Magazin du Roi. “It’s one thing to buy a product on a shelf, but it’s another to see how it’s made, and meet the person making it,” says Williams.

“We’re creating attractions which we believe will be marquee experiences for the province, because – in an age of global travel – it’s all about experiences.”

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SEEING DOUBLE in Annapolis Royal

IF ANNAPOLIS ROYAL IS ON YOUR ITINERARY, DON’T WORRY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO RUB YOUR EYES OR CHECK YOUR GLASSES, YOU ARE SEEING DOUBLE AND HEARING IN STEREO

by Allan Lynch Meet identical twins Alan and Wayne Melanson, who for over 30 years have been guiding visitors through the community’s national historic sites.

Twins are not very rare, but in a community of 481 people having two men working in the same industry, who look alike, sound alike and occasionally dress in the same period costume is cause for humor and confusion.

Each brother says he fell into the work.

What began as summer jobs with Parks Canada crept into full-time careers. Alan worked at the Fort Anne National Historic Site, an English fortification in the centre of the community, while Wayne manned the stockade at the French-built Port Royal National Historic Site, also known as The Habitation, across the bay. Both forts are within sight of each other.

Visitors would see one brother at one fort and see the other at their next stop.

Alan laughs, “I worked at Fort Anne for 25 years and my brother was at Port Royal all those years. It was a rare day that somebody didn’t comment ‘Didn’t I see you at the other place? How did you get here so fast?’”

One summer Alan worked at the Grand Pré National Historic Site outside of Wolfville. Wayne recalls a female visitor to Port Royal looked him up and down and NOVASTARCRUISES.com

said, “‘Are you an Acadian?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘I thought so. I saw one in Grand Pré.’” The brothers laugh at the notion that all Acadians look alike.

While Alan has retired from his Parks Canada position, he is still involved in tourism.

Seven nights a week from June to October he dresses as Victorian gentleman mourner to lead a Candlelight Graveyard Tour. During the day, five days a week, he can be found leading walking tours of Annapolis Royal’s historic district. For these he dresses in 17th century Acadian garb: a white chemise, pantaloons, woolen socks and wooden shoes. This happens to be the costume Wayne wears for his work at The Habitation.

Alan estimates that 70,000 people have taken his graveyard tour. “I ask everybody who comes on how they hear about it. I’m getting people who say ‘my hairdresser in Calgary told me about this.’ ‘My dentist in Vancouver told me if I get to Nova Scotia I have to do this.’”

Last summer, a couple who took it on their honeymoon 20 years ago brought their teenaged children to experience it. And a local woman told him of being stopped in Texas by someone who saw the Nova Scotia plates on her car. The Texan asked, “’Is 43

PHOTOS

Ryan Taplin/ Wally Hayes Previous page Alan

(left) and Wayne Melanson in their period costumes Left Port Royal National Historic Site

that the place with the graveyard tours? I did that with my son 15 years ago and still talk about it.’ It’s creating a memorable experience that gives me a lot of pleasure,” says Alan.

The graveyard tours are so popular they have earned a five-star TripAdvisor rating.

And both brothers were honored with a Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for their work in promoting the history and heritage of the area.

While both brothers have multiple degrees – Alan in French and commerce, Wayne for French and education – they do what they do out of a deep pride and passion.

As tenth generation Nova Scotians, they are both immensely proud of their Acadian roots. Their family was part of the Deportation of the Acadians which took place in 1755. The British expelled the Acadians to far-flung places, including Louisiana where they became known as Cajuns. Some, like the Melansons, managed to return to Nova Scotia, but by then their lands had all been seized by the Crown and given to New England Planters.

Interestingly, the original family homestead, Melanson Settlement, is on the road 44

between Annapolis Royal and the Habitation. So each day Wayne drives to work, he passes the place his family has been connected to since 1657.

Wayne says, “It’s not everyone who has gone such a full circle and nine generations later who can be standing two kilometers from where one first started, still speaking French, still talking of the culture of our ancestors. There’s a certain pride in that and there’s a certain sense of place and a sense of belonging, and that’s one of the reasons I’m still around here. I really enjoy my work. I enjoy meeting people, I enjoy the area and I feel a connection to it.”

It is this connection to the place and the events and history that fuels their passion and provides a unique level of authenticity other places can never hope to duplicate.

Wayne’s mission is to make sure as many people as possible know of the significance of Port Royal.

“People might not be aware of the significance of Port Royal until they come to our area. It is the oldest European settlement north of St. Augustine, Florida. It’s a couple of years before Jamestown. It was three years before Quebec (was founded). This was 15 years before the Pilgrims came to

Plymouth Rock, so it’s quite significant in early Canadian history. They don’t know what to expect when they come here but certainly someone who visits our site will get a good appreciation of the early French exploration and settlement in North America.

Also, they would get a good knowledge of the French –Mi’kmaq alliance that was formed between the two peoples, and the sharing of the two cultures and the friendship that formed between the people. It’s also so significant because Port Royal is the beginning of the movement to recreate the heritage of our country through the national parks system.”

Outside the two national historic sites, Annapolis Royal has several other museums; historic gardens; tours of a tidal power plant; walking, hiking and canoe trails; lots of good restaurants and elegant inns housed in Georgian and Victorian mansions; a vibrant arts community, and on summer Saturdays, a thriving Traders’ Market, which is a cross between a farmer’s market and village fête.

Annapolis Royal is not a drive-by destination. And the brothers Melanson will do their best to make it worth seeing double.

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The AnnapolisValley … an Extraordinary Road Trip

ONE NATURAL WONDER AFTER ANOTHER A Bay of Fundy Experience…

Digby Neck & Islands

The AnnapolisValley … an Extraordinary Road Trip

WALK THROUGH TIME WITH A GHOST AND EXPLORE THE INTRIGUE OF ANNAPOLIS ROYAL. Fort Anne - Annapolis Royal

The AnnapolisValley … an Extraordinary Road Trip

AWARD-WINNING WINE MADE HERE. Surrounding Farmland – Wolfville

The AnnapolisValley … an Extraordinary Road Trip BIKE THROUGH BACK ROADS AND BREATHTAKING SCENERY FROM WINDSOR TO DIGBY… SIMPLY EXTRAORDINARY!

Windsor - Avon Region

For more information on the Annapolis Valley, NS Call: 1-902-678-4634 or visit: www.valleytourism.ca

PHOTO

Nova Scotia Tourism Agency Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

OLD AND NEW

wartime ties

Nova Scotia is such a beautiful, calm province, it’s surprising to think of it as a battle-worn place, but in the 400 years since European colonization began it has been a battleground or participant in everything but the Spanish American War. With the French and English battling on land and sea in the old and new worlds, their colonies, like Nova Scotia, were drawn into the fight.

One of the significant sieges occurred in 1745 when a force from the 13 Colonies twice took the French fortress at Louisbourg. Later returned to the French as part of a peace treaty, the Colonists took it a second time in 1758. The capture of Louisbourg was the first time a colonial force defeated a major European power. According to historians, this success emboldened colonists to take arms against the British in 1776. So the course of world history was changed because of what happened on a Cape Breton outcropping.

But old adversaries have become great allies. In both world wars Nova Scotia was on the front lines.

Halifax and Sydney were staging grounds for convoys sending men, munitions and food to keep the allied fight alive. Packs of German U-Boats hunted Nova Scotia’s shores, hoping to disrupt this vital sea link.

They attacked fishing fleets, merchant shipping, sank a Newfoundland-bound NOVASTARCRUISES.com

passenger ferry killing 137 and engaged in pitched battles with Allied warships off Yarmouth, Shelburne and Halifax.

Because Canada went to war earlier than America, Halifax became a tourist destination. In his book Wartime Halifax, author William Naftel writes that tourists from a still-neutral United States, “were fascinated by the sight of a nation at war, of convoys heading out to sea, of battleships that meant business, of blackouts and recruiting posters…” .

Nova Scotia is littered with museums and monuments, but as we commemorate the First World War and the Second World War, the greatest concentration of war exhibits is centered in five Halifax locations.

The city’s hilltop Citadel, which is the model for all British defenses around the world, is home to the Army Museum. The Museum traces 400 years of military presence in Nova Scotia. Among its exhibits is an honors display that includes the highest award given for valor in the British Empire, the Victoria Cross. The Museum is currently placing a significant focus on Canada’s role in the First World War, while the Citadel is presenting a series of war-themed events between June and October.

Moored on the harbor front is Canada’s naval memorial, HMCS Sackville. The last of the claustrophobic, lightly-armed Second World War Corvette-class cruiser,

by Allan Lynch the Sackville provided transatlantic convoy escort service.

Next to Sackville, the collections in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic range from the Halifax Explosion, a First World War event whose destruction was unrivalled until the dropping of the atomic bomb, to the world’s best Titanic exhibit, to a display on Cunard Steamships.

Cunard was founded in Halifax 175 years ago. During the wars, its legendary liners were converted to troop transports. The Maritime Museum’s naval exhibit illustrates how unprepared Canada was for war and how quickly it grew from a 13-ship force to the world’s fourth largest navy comprised of 450 combat ships.

Further along the waterfront boardwalk is the Canadian Museum to Immigration, Pier 21. The Canadian equivalent of Ellis Island, it is where every soldier leaving for the Second World War last set foot on Canadian soil. Over 450,000 men left from here; 44,000 didn’t return.

On the Dartmouth side of the harbor is CFB Shearwater. The Shearwater Aviation Museum traces its founding as the United States Naval Air Station Halifax under the command of Lieutenant – later Admiral - Byrd.

For a small province, Nova Scotia certainly has large stories to tell.

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SONG OF THE

paddle

VISITORS DON’T NEED TO TRAVEL FAR WHEN LOOKING FOR EXCITING PLACES TO PADDLE

by Bruce Bishop

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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PHOTOS

Carla Allen Previous page Left to

right - Josh Cottreau, Ann Durkee, Curt Goudey, Becky Cottreau and Kelly Kempton Goudey greet the M/V Nova Star Above Left to right Linda Poole, Colin Dempsey, Kimberly Cameron, Krystle Doucette and Kelly Kempton Goudey explore Yarmouth Harbour Top Right Rebecca

(Becky) Cottreau, owner/operator of “The Song of the Paddle”

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“Whether you are a seasoned paddler, or someone just thinking about getting involved in the sport, we have the equipment and the expertise to make your experience a safer and more enjoyable one.”

“Our goal is to enrich your life with the wonderful experience of paddling and we’ll do everything we can to help you reach your own paddling goals as well. Join us on one of our paddling excursions and see some of the best scenery that Nova Scotia has to offer.”

That is pretty much the mission of The Song of the Paddle kayaking adventures, which had a very successful year in 2014, partly due to the influx of interested and eager passengers who arrived in Yarmouth on the M/V Nova Star.

Created and owned by Becky Cottreau and operated by her and son Josh, this soft adventure small business is a first for Yarmouth and helps serve the baby boomer (or younger, or older) tourist who is either a novice, somewhere-in-the-middle, or an experienced paddler. One’s experience is not relevant, as Becky and Josh will explain the nuances and directions of kayak paddling’s best practices.

Becky says she is just one of a new breed of energetic entrepreneurs who are helping establish the Yarmouth area as a tourist destination. “We want people to stop, and

STARBOARD 2015

once they do, they see there’s a lot here,” she explains.

“They used to think the ferry [from Maine] docked, and the people got off and fell into a little black hole until they emerged in Halifax,” she says. “We’re trying to let people see otherwise.”

Visit thesongofthepaddle.com for information on schedules, events, what to bring on a paddling excursion, a photo gallery, and all kinds of helpful information in preparation of your water-based tour of Yarmouth’s harbor, rivers or lakes in 2015!

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WHARF RAT RALLY® Digby, Nova Scotia September 2 – 6, 2015

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BOTTLE SOME great memories

YOU’RE ON VACATION: WHEN IS A BETTER TIME TO TAKE THE PLUNGE, AND TASTE?

by Bruce Bishop The wine seminars held on board Nova Star in 2014 could be considered an unqualified success for both the tasters and the sommeliers. The latter had a ‘captive’ and attentive audience, and the former were in no rush to get to their destination!

Winemaking in Nova Scotia can be traced as far back as 1611, around the time of the arrival of the first European (French) settlers in what are now Digby and Annapolis Counties. Today, the Annapolis Valley is the fastest growing wine region in North America.

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According to figures released by the Canadian Vintners Association two years ago, the wine industry in the province now contributes a minimum of CAD $196 million to the local economy every year. It’s a big deal in Canada’s second smallest province, and the industry continues to expand as the number of amateur and professional oenophiles and vintners grows. (And the amount of international awards and accolades does not hurt sales, either!)

Last year, Nova Star Cruises featured some of the finest, award-winning wines

Nova Scotia has to offer, including wines from Domaine de Grand Pré, Gaspereau Vineyards, Jost Vineyards and Luckett Vineyards, in thirteen special “Wine Education and Experience” seminars; commonly known as ‘tastings’. According to the company’s guest experience coordinator, Jordan KillKelley, the program ranked in the highest guest survey category (#4) as ‘Exceeded Expectations’ throughout the season. Bill Foster will continue to facilitate these events featuring two wines from Nova Scotia and four worldwide wines each

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GO BIG... or stay inside

Smack in the heart of Kentville are some of the best mountain bike trails in Nova Scotia.

Riders flock to The Gorge to experience rides like those who came before them to see Nova Scotia mountain biking at its best.

Experience the Gorge Named as one of the top 10 gems across Canada by Canadian Cycle Magazine, “The Gorge” sits on 65 acres of wooded land. The Gorge has something for every level of rider. Gentle, banked cruisers through sloped forest, twisty single track more suited to intermediate riders, and steep sections including both manmade and natural features, drop offs, elevated boardwalks and more.

The Gorge also features a skills park, one of only a few of its kind in Atlantic Canada. Visit Kentville’s 10 km of other groomed trails for more leisurely rides.

www.kentville.ca

Sponsored in part by Kentville Development Corporation Ltd.

event. In 2015, our expanding wine program will host 36 wine seminars in Currents restaurant, and 54 informal wine tastings in Keys piano lounge.

“Because of the cooler climate and distinctive terroir, Nova Scotia’s vineyards are producing some premium quality grapes,” said Gillian Mainguy, Office Manager for the Winery Association of Nova Scotia (WANS). “As a result, our 12 member wineries are increasingly producing award-winning wines that are garnering international acclaim.”

On 36 occasions throughout the 2015 season, to further the education of international wines (with an emphasis on those from Nova Scotia), sommelier Bill Foster, who has achieved Level 3 Certification from Wine & Spirit EducationTrust (WSET), is again leading the weekly events. The ship’s upscale restaurant, Currents, acts as a location for the presentations, which offer insight about the region and the winemakers. Guests partake in tasting and critiquing sessions.

“The Nova Scotia wine region has developed an international reputation in a very short period of time” said Foster, President of Edgegraphics, Inc., a Kennebunkport-based firm that cultivates entrepreneurial opportunities by promoting and selecting wines from around the world.

“As I educate myself about the wines and the unusual varietals of grapes from which they’re produced, I also find that my audiences are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines, which include a selection of whites, reds, sparkling, dessert and ice wines.”

But the wine connoisseurs of Nova Star Cruises are working even more magic on board this year!

There is the addition of Nova Scotian wine pairing recommendations for each feature on the Currents á the la carte menu; creation of a reserve wine list; and an après dinner menu to feature dessert wines, ice wines and port.

Wine pairing will be included during the Nova Star Guest Chef Program’s cooking demonstrations; more wines will be offered at the buffet restaurant; and a special after-dinner menu of dessert wines, ports and cheeses will be featured with suggestions as to what beverage pairs well with each delectable food item.

According to information from WANS, “Nova Scotia has become well known for producing bright, crisp and aromatic white wines with pronounced acidity and prom56

PHOTO Left Bill Foster, Sommelier and Wine Education & Experience facilitator; and Nova Star’s Guest Experience Coordinator, Jordan KillKelley and Deepak Negi, Beverage Manager

inent character. Influenced by the same climatic conditions, they are the perfect complement to our world famous seafoods, such as lobster, scallops and salmon. White hybrids such as L’Acadie Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Vidal and New York Muscat have had tremendous success in Nova Scotia and growing success has also been seen with vinifera such as Chardonnay, Ortega and Riesling.”

As for the ever-popular reds, WANS explains, “…we’ve been fortunate to discover many grapes that grow incredibly well in Nova Scotia and produce well rounded, full-bodied and dry red wines with low tannins. These wines are typically earthy and smoky with berry fruit characteristics and pair well with gamey red meat and traditional hearty Nova Scotia stews.

Varietals such as Lucie Kuhlmann, Baco Noir, Marechal Foch and Leon Millot grow particularly well in Nova Scotia.”

Beppi Crosriol, wine columnist for Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, wrote in 2011 that one of the best Canadian wines he’d ever tasted was a sparkling wine from Nova Scotia.

The Wine Industry Association is in agreement: “Nova Scotia has near perfect climatic conditions for making sparkling wines. The warm summers, complemented by the temperate influence of the Atlantic Ocean, create a cool growing season that encourages flavors to develop brilliance and uncommon intensity, while still retaining the all important acidity required for balance and structure.”

Ice wines have become more and more desired as an after-dinner or dessert drink.

In Nova Scotia, the grapes are picked at night late in the year when temperatures hover around -8° C to -10° C (or 17.6°F – 14°F). The fermenting process is slow and cool, but the results are sweetly delicious.

If fruit wines made from raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, pears and other tasty bounty appeal, several Nova Scotian wineries offer a variety of choices.

When you’re travelling throughout the province, be sure to check out the information on novascotia.com under “Eat and Drink” which will provide you with plenty of information on imbibing in some of Nova Scotia’s fine wines.

A SAMPLING OF NOVA SCOTIA WINES FEATURED ON NOVA STAR WHITES

REDS

Dusey Seyval Blanc Domaine de Grand Pré, 2012

4 Skins, Jost, Vineyards, 2012

Ortega, Luckett Vineyards 2012

Vintners Reserve Castel Domaine de Grand Pré, 2013

Tidal Bay, Jost Vineyards 2013

Phone Box Red, Luckett Vineyards, 2012

Vintner’s Reserve Riesling Domaine de Grand Pré, 2013

Triumphe, Luckett Vineyards 2013

New York Muscat, Gaspereau Vineyards 2012 ROSÉ Rosetta, Luckett Vineyards 2012

Vintner’s Reserve Marechal Foch, Domaine de Grand Pré, 2010 Lucie Kuhlmann, Gaspereau Vineyards 2011

STARBOARD 2015

In the Gut (detail)

Laurie Swim 2010

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DARK SKY

Preserve

PHOTO

Christopher Green Milky Way over Western Head lighthouse outside of Liverpool Nova Scotia, in Queens County 58

STARBOARD 2015

STAR GAZERS ARE IN FOR A TREAT WHEN THEY VISIT KEJIMKUJIK NATIONAL PARK

by Jon Tattrie

People travel across the continent to see the big mountains of the Rockies, or the big hole of the Grand Canyon. Come to Nova Scotia and you’ll see the entire galaxy. The province’s rising astro-tourism sector gives you the chance to plant your feet on the ground and turn your eyes to the cosmos.

Dave Chapman of Astronomy Nova Scotia says much beauty and knowledge is washed away as our light-polluted world blocks the light of a billion stars. “There are very few places you can go these days where the view of the sky isn’t impeded by sky glow from cities,” he says.

To defend that precious darkness, Kejimkujik National Park in southern Nova Scotia recently became the province’s first Dark Sky Preserve. Regulations keep light pollution out, leaving visitors access to the heavens. Chapman says on a clear night, you’ll see the bright swath across the sky that is the rest of our galaxy – the Milky Way. “You’ll be dazzled by the number and variety of stars,” he says. “There are people who have grown up and never seen that.

When they come to the Dark Sky Preserve, they see it for the first time and are amazed.”

You can see five planets with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Well, six planets, as a glance down will show you Earth. In July and August, Astronomy Nova Scotia works with Keji to put on programming explaining what you’re seeing. An interpreter uses a laser pointer to locate the planets and constellations.

Once a summer, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada visits Keji for the Dark Sky Weekend. The Sky Circle seats 75 people on a raised platform in the forest.

Chapman and friends bring their telescopes NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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“THERE ARE VERY FEW PLACES YOU CAN GO THESE DAYS WHERE THE VIEW OF THE SKY ISN’T IMPEDED BY SKY GLOW FROM CITIES” Dave Chapman, Astronomy Nova Scotia

PHOTO

Christopher Green Left The Milky Way seen under a clear dark sky at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site

to bring you closer to the universe. “It’s like a planetarium, except it’s a real sky.”

You’ll visit constellations such as the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, find the North Star and explore the planets.

Chapman says well-known constellations such as Orion are from European culture, but at Keji you can learn about the skies of the Mi’kmaq First Nation. The legend of Muin and the Seven Hunters links the stars and the seasons to the story of a black bear waking from winter hibernation, leaving her celestial den and searching for food. The seven bird hunters pursue her through the spring and summer, killing the bear in the fall, when her blood colors the leaves red.

“They connect the dots in a different way,” Chapman says. “It opens up people’s eyes to the idea that there are different cultures around the world, and they see the same stars, but they make up different stories about them.”

Before the widespread use of electricity began 150 years ago, the big sky loomed over us nightly. And for hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived with the night sky as an intimate part of our lives.

The stories woven into the stars embed knowledge in the heavens, reminding people of when to plant, when to hunt, when to move inland. People sailed by the stars.

“Everyone did this, everywhere around the world,” Chapman says. “We’ve become disconnected from the sky.”

Chapman connects every time he steps outside. “Is there a moon? Which way is the moon going? Are there planets? Is there an aurora?”

He will even stop people on the street to point out an angelic halo embracing the sun, or a comet streaking through the sky.

Think about that: when a comet burned across the Roman sky 2,000 years ago, people knew it proved that Julius Caesar had become a god. In 1456, Pope Callixtus III

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PHOTO

Christopher Green Right David Chapman observing at the Sky Circle in Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site

excommunicated Halley’s Comet, declaring it an instrument of the devil. Inca and Aztec astrologers knew the fire in the sky showed divine disapproval and foretold the end of their empires.

Chapman fell in love with the sky as an eight-year-old boy when his father took him out on a cold Winnipeg winter night and showed him the constellations. He’d once flown as a British air force pilot, and so perhaps knew them as navigational tools.

Young Dave borrowed every astrology book in the library, got a telescope, and has been craning skyward ever since.

He’s not a professional astronomer (he’s an applied physicist by trade) and says that’s one of the glories of the field.

Amateur physicists rarely make important discoveries, but amateur astronomers often break new ground.

Remember Comet Shoemaker-Levy that crashed into Jupiter in 1994? The “Levy” refers to David Levy, a Canadian amateur who co-discovered it, along with 21 other comets and 42 asteroids.

In 2011, 10-year-old Kathryn Aurora Gray of New Brunswick became the youngest person to ever discover a supernova.

Her brother, Nathan, usurped her two years later when he found his own supernova at the Abbey Ridge Observatory in Nova Scotia (their dad, Dave Lane, runs the observatory).

“Most of the comets that are discovered are discovered by amateurs,” Chapman says. “Even if you don’t contribute in that scientific way, it’s one of the few sciences you can just enjoy. It doesn’t take much to just go out and look at the sky.”

In 2014, the Starlight Foundation certified Trout Point Lodge as the world’s first 62

Starlight Hotel. Located just 25 minutes’ driving time from the Yarmouth ferry terminal, its “astro-tourism” program combines heavenly accommodation with celestial exploration.

“We have excellent and unique conditions for appreciating the skies. Our [staff ] astronomer takes guests out, usually after dinner, for nighttime star gazing, which includes use of binoculars and telescopes.

They get a guided tour of the solar system, the universe, moon, sun, etc. and our place in it all. In addition, we offer daytime solar viewing with a solar telescope,” says owner Charles Leary.

The brightness and clarity of the skies wow urban visitors, he says. Talk often turns to the origins of the universe, the formation of the Earth and how the sun (and other stars) function.

In Maine, the Acadia National Park works hard to preserve the darkness of its skies. They go on full display in the fall Acadia Night Sky Festival.

STARBOARD 2015

Leave your cares —AND CAR —

behind!

PHOTO

Scott Munn Visitors take in the sights at Mavillette Beach on the Yarmouth and Acadian Shore

SO YOU’VE DECIDED TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL (INCLUDING YOUR CAR) FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. SMART MOVE! THERE’S SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE TERMINALS AT BOTH PORTS, YOU’LL BE SPOILED FOR CHOICE

by Sandra Phinney

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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YARMOUTH HO! In the late 1800s, Yarmouth was the largest port of registry in Canada, and the country was the fourth leading maritime nation in the world. Today, the town of Yarmouth is the regional center of southwest Nova Scotia and is inextricably tied to fishing and its related industries.

The best place to get acquainted with Yarmouth’s link to the sea is to visit the W. Laurence Sweeney Fisheries Museum, which is a leisurely stroll north on Water Street.

History buffs will be happy to know there are four more fascinating museums in town, each with unique offerings.

(The Yarmouth County Museum & Archives in the heritage neighborhood on Collins Street, is definitely worth an hour’s visit.)

One of Yarmouth’s many charms is the number of heritage homes – many of them with handsome “Widow’s Walks” – featured in a self-guided walking tour available from the Visitor Information Centre and local museums.

You’ll also find lots of information on a new app titled Heritage in Your Hand.

Antique lovers will enjoy poking around The Antique Shop on Water Street where the owner has everything from a meteorite to a mummified cat. A few blocks north is The Wooden Buoy Antiques and Collectibles, which carries antiques, bric-a-brac, and eye-popping art. Bonus: the nautical items here are originals, not imports.

For something out of the ordinary, rent a surrey from the Wheelhouse located at the Collins Street parking lot. They also have tandem and ordinary bikes.

YOUR ACADIAN ADVENTURE STARTS HERE!

PHOTO

Scott Munn Below Lobster at the Shore Club

Get your Hands in the Sand!

CLAMDIGGING EXPERIENCE Cost: $10 (adults) Equipment provided June to Sept., Belliveau Cove Info & Schedule: 902-769-2345 www.baiesaintemarie.ca

Mavillette Beach

baiesaintemarie

64

baiesaintemarietourisme

STARBOARD 2015

You can spend your life sending postcards…

…or you can live in one.

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. A warm and intimate south shore community complete with stunning ocean views and access— plus magical sunrises and gently streaming sunsets.

Yarmouth is also home to extensive shopping and services, as well as many business opportunities and incentives.

Not hard to picture yourself in this postcard!

Find out more at www.townofyarmouth.ca

There’s a bit of magic in Yarmouth and Acadian Shores. It’s where the land meets the sea. Where English and French cultures collide. It is uncrowded and open.

It’s a place where you can relax and take a deep breath, but also an adventurer’s oasis with spectacular natural beauty.

It’s where nights are made bright by a sea of stars under the darkest skies in North America. This is where everything comes together.

It’s where the stars align.

Argyler Lodge Lower Argyle

FOR MORE INFORMATION on great experiences visit yarmouthandacadianshores.com Nova Scotia

Cape Forchu Light Station

WINNER

Awarded 2012

Song of the Paddle Outfitters Town of Yarmouth Waterfront

Experience Argyle Discover the flavour of Acadian life at some of our regions most delicious eateries and step back in time and experience life as it once was.

Just 7 minutes from the Town of Yarmouth, Exit 33 off of Highway 103 is your authentic Nova Scotia vacation entry point.

Eel Lake Oyster Farm Tours

Visit munargyle.com/en/experiences Café Brioche d’Or A European style Café and Bakery serving Fair a Trade Organic Coffee, T Espresso Drinks, Tea, E Freshly Baked Pastries, F B Breakfast Sandwiches a and more in a cozy atmosphere with free a WiFi. W Located on Hwy 334 L ((corner of Nicholas Rd) iin Lower Wedgeport on the way to the Tuna Museum. Phone: 902-965-3020

Thi ffamily This il owned d working ki ffarm produces d “Consumer “C Choice” award winning juicy oysters and offers boat and plant tours including sampling. 6590 Route 3, Ste. Annedu-Ruisseau. Phone: (902) 648-3472 ruisseauoysters.com

Open weekdays until 8 PM. www.cafebrioche.ca

Le Village historique acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse.

Argyler Lodge

Sea kayak rentals and cooking classes with Chef Jon. All overlooking Lobster Bay. You’ll love the view!

(902) 643-2500 argyler.com

Chosen as the #1 historical attraction in NS. This 17 acre living history site features interpreters who trace their lineage directly to the founders of this village. 91 Old Church Rd, Lower West Pubnico (902) 762-2530 levillage.novascotia.ca

Argyle Courthouse & Archives

Is it haunted?

Come feel for yourself. The Argyle Township Courthouse & Jail is the oldest in Canada and a National Historic site. 8168 Hwy 3, Tusket.

(902) 648-2493 a argylecourthouse.com

Dennis Point Café Home of the richest fishing fleet in North America. Stroll the wharf, walk the nearby wind farm trail and savour this Acadian family owned restaurant’s award winning seafood. Open 7am 214 Dennis Point Rd. Lower West Pubnico.

(902) 762-1220 dennispointcafe.com

Speaking of food, if you wonder where to get the best clams in town, head to Mern’s.

For gourmet express food (the healthy kind) slip into Bread & Olives. Feel like splurging? The fine dining experience at MacKinnon Cann Inn is sure to please. If eating boiled lobster is on your list, you’ll find it (and great beer) at Rudders Brew Pub & Seafood Restaurant. For a small taste of Cuban or Indian fare, The Shanty Café will delight. It’s part of a social enterprise that also makes environmentally friendly soaps and candles – great souvenirs!

To unwind from a busy day, pamper yourself with a massage, facial or pedicure at Design Line, Polished & Wrapped, or Aspire Aesthetics; each have day spas and welcome walk-ins. Before you leave, visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Western Branch – the only satellite to a provincial art gallery in Canada. It’s pretty special.

There you have it—plenty to keep you smiling while walking or bicycling for two or three days in both ports.

PORTLAND BOUND Known for shipping and trade, one of the city’s many claims to fame is the Old Port district – replete with storied cobblestoned lanes and numerous Victorian-styled structures built after the great fire of 1866.

It’s easy to see why this part of the city is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

For a relaxing introduction to Portland, hop aboard a trolley for the 105-minute narrated Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tour. This is a fun way to get the lowdown on everything from architecture to history, politics and night life. Bonus: the tour includes a side trip to Portland Head Light, Maine’s oldest lighthouse. Bring your camera!

For art lovers, the Portland Museum of Art has thousands of items including paintings, sculptures, prints, photography, glass and ceramics. Next door is the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, with exhibits, special programs and theater classes galore.

Literary buffs will recall that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned epic poems such as Evangeline and Hiawatha. The Longfellow House & Garden is his childhood home and the tour guides there are expert story tellers. If you like old homes, you’ll love Victoria Mansion, a.k.a. the

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PHOTOS

Nova Scotia Tourism Agency/ Maine Office of Tourism Above Yarmouth Waterfront Left Cyclists explore downtown Yarmouth Below Downtown Portland

STARBOARD 2015

1266 Barrington Street, Halifax, NS B3J 1Y5 902-423-9346 1-800-565-9346 www.waverleyinn.com

A historic retreat, with Victorian charm, where you’ll feel right at home. Book your reservations now at 1.800.565.9346 or visit www.waverleyinn.com

Old Fashioned GENERAL STORE Situated on the historic Tusket River ~ Serving Tusket since 1856

“Where the River meets the Sea” “Où la riviére recontre la mer” Two locations to serve you Exit 33, Tusket, N.S. Wedgeport, N.S.

902-648-2212

902-965-3005

We sell most everything!

• Hardware • Alcohol • Vesey Seeds • Groceries • Sporting Goods • And much more Store hours: • Mon-Sat 8am 9pm • Sunday 9am 8pm

We carry only local crafts: knitting, quilting, woodworking, embroidery, hooked rugs, sewing, crochet, jewellery, soap, candles and more. We also feature supplies for knitting, spinning, jewellery, and soap making.

Hands On Crafts 314 Main Street Yarmouth NS B5A 1E4

Phone 902-742-3515 store@handsoncrafts.ca www.handsoncrafts.ca

The Award Winning

Yarmouth County Museum and Archives

22 Collins Street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (902) 742-5539

From our forests to the Far East The Life and Times of Yarmouth County

www.yarmouthcountymuseum.ca

Good Company,

Great Food

Just a 5 minute walk from downtown & famous for its delicious seafood and deck with view overlooking Yarmouth’s waterfront

PHOTO

• Outdoor Patio, overlooking marina • Specialize in Seafood • 3 minute walk from Ferry Terminal • Live entertainment 3 times a week • Micro brewery on site with beer store.

Sandra Phinney Above Congress Street, Portland

Morse-Libby House, considered the greatest Italian villa style home in North America. The inside is garish and downright sumptuous.

Want a fresh air experience? Casco Bay Lines have a series of ferries that frequently sail from Portland to six islands.

Fares are cheap, and each island has distinct features from beaches and hiking trails to quirky places like the world’s only Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island. With over 740 umbrella covers (sleeves) from 44 countries, this museum embodies the word “unique.”

Cross Jewelers has been making jewelry since 1908 and has an impressive selection, including pieces made from Maine Tourmaline – a semi-precious gem discovered in the mountains of Western Maine in 1820. Although the price tag for a set of earrings and necklace might equal a mortgage payment, you can gawk for free.

Food lovers will especially enjoy the three-hour Old Port Culinary Walking Tour where you are likely to sample things like freshly smoked oysters and salmon paté at the Harbor Fish Market, an eye-popping selection of local cheeses at K. Horton Specialty Foods, and a positively wicked Maine potato donut at Holy Donuts. Bonus: your guide will have lots of insider information, including where to eat!

Just a short bus ride away, you can visit the Maine Mall in South Portland, a huge shopping complex with Macy’s, JC Penney, Sears, Best Buy, The Sports Authority, Bon Ton and many more stores large and small to satisfy your retail cravings.

70

Rudder’s Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub Open Daily 11am | Tel: 902-742-7311 96 Water Street, Yarmouth, NS STARBOARD 2015

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902-275-4773

Chester and Area Information Centre | 20 Smith Road, Highway

Drift in and out of unique shops, relaxing restaurants, galleries and museums.

Stay for a while at a quaint B & B or an ocean resort hotel. Enjoy beach picnics, biking adventures on the Aspotogan, a 46 km multi use trail, an 18-hole golf course or visit Ross Farm interactive museum. All only minutes off Highway 103 on exits 10, 9, 8, 7, or 6. Take the scenic route on Highway 3 that brings you on your South Shore road trip highlighted by the ocean.

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Call (800) 565-5075.

36 Treasure Drive, Western Shore, Nova Scotia B0J 3M0

Chester B0J 1J0 | 902 275 4616 | www.ChesterAreaNS.ca

SURFIN’

Scotia-style

THE PULL OF THE SURF IS TOO STRONG FOR SOME PEOPLE TO IGNORE

by Jon Tattrie

The 13-year-old Lesley Choyce experienced the first waves of surfing washing over him on his inland farm in New Jersey. It was the early 1960’s American music that swept his imagination to the sea.

“Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, surf city, two girls for every boy – who could not be attracted to that?” the Nova Scotian writer asks today.

He hatched a plan to find those two girls and saved money from his newspaper route. “I bought a nine-foot six-inch Greg Noll Slot Bottom. It was used, and it was so heavy that I didn’t have the physical strength to carry it to the beach.”

His father held one end, he the other, and they heaved it onto the roof of the family car and drove an hour to reach the beach. The easygoing image of surfing quickly crashed into the physical pain of the sport. Choyce describes a failure-filled event involving falling down, being grinded against the shore, and growing exhausted. “You don’t just throw the board into the water and figure out how to do it quickly. It takes a long time.”

Choyce often sees athletic young people, or muscle-bound weight lifters, drained 78

after 30 minutes. He reckons there are 20 steps between getting in the water and actually surfing. “The cold water doesn’t help.

The learning curve is a steep one,” he says.

“Anybody that I get in the water for the first time, I let them know it’s a humbling experience, and don’t take it personally. If the wave smacks you over and knocks the board into your nose, it’s just what happens.”

He stuck with it, despite those early setbacks, and sought his own surf city. Most of his friends headed south to Florida or west to California, but in 1969 Choyce and a buddy hopped in a Volkswagen van and drove to Nova Scotia. “We found beautiful, empty beaches. I was just enthralled with Nova Scotia,” he says.

A decade later, he moved permanently to Nova Scotia, buying a ramshackle home on a salt marsh a mile away from Lawrencetown Beach. Nova Scotia’s surf community has since grown, as has its international reputation. The province’s omni-present ocean, undiscovered beaches and sparse population make it a great spot to surf.

A similar passion drives Mike LaVecchia, co-owner of Grain Surfboards in York, Maine. He worked in the snowboarding

PHOTO

Nick LaVecchia A surfer contemplates the scene on the beach in York, Maine

industry for years, followed by stints as a boat builder, sail maker and captain. He studied boat design and construction, and wondered if he could apply those skills to surfboards.

“I spent a lot of time learning about surfing’s roots, when boards were built by hand and of wood. All of us here at Grain have been passionate about returning to those days,” he says.

At first, they built handmade, wooden boards for friends and family. Today, they sell the boards, and also offer DIY HomeGrown Surfboard Kits and four- or seven-day courses on how to build your own beautiful board.

“Wood boards offer so many benefits.

They are stronger than modern foam surfboards and can last a lifetime with little care. Under your feet, they feel lively and responsive due to the natural properties of wood,” LaVecchia says.

“Wood has memory. It can bounce and flex and absorb texture from the water without it affecting the board’s performance.”

Grain boards are built out of local, sustainably grown cedar from local mills. The STARBOARD 2015

PHOTO

WHERE TO SURF

Wally Hayes Above Surfers enjoying the waves

Lawrencetown Beach is a 40-minute drive from downtown Halifax on the eastern shore. It is Nova Scotia’s main surfing beach, and the place to go to take lessons.

One Life Surf: 902-449-9488 or onelifesurf.com East Coast Surf School: 902-4499488 or ecsurfschool.com Happy Dudes Surf Emporium: 902-827-4962 or happydudes. wordpress.com Surf Nova Scotia: surfns.com

hollow boards use less material than other wood boards and waste little material.

Leftovers are turned into skateboards and hand planes, and even the dust gets reused as bedding for cows, pigs and chickens on their farm.

Asked to divulge his favorite local surf spots, he offers the standard surfer’s answer. “There are great beginner spots and there are hidden gems that only work well on the biggest days, rocky reefs, beach breaks and river mouths. Do a little exploring; you never know what you’ll find.”

Explore your way to Nova Scotia’s Lawrencetown Beach in February and you’ll likely see Choyce’s flop of hair frozen over his head, icicles hanging from his peaceful smile. Canadian winters don’t deter the east coast’s most passionate surfers.

Choyce runs Pottersfield Press, a small publishing house, and has written more than 80 books. His 2014 young adult novel Jeremy Stone earned a Governor General’s Literary Award nomination. When strug-

gling with a piece of writing, he paddles into the Atlantic.

“I think I’ve trained myself to do that.

There have been wonderful, neon-lit moments where words almost appear in the sky. Once you clue into that, you start looking for those moments, those epiphanies, as well as the words,” he says.

Recently, surfing rescued him while writing a young adult novel called Into the Wasteland. He had the “ridiculous notion” of starting each chapter with a quote from TS Eliot’s The Wasteland. It got deep and dark, leading to a crisis of confidence. “As I got there, I wondered, ‘Why am I putting myself through this? Where is this novel going?’ It kind of stalled completely.”

Sitting on a calm wave, he heard a thought: “Take this to the bottom, and then you’re going to bring it back up. It was a visual idea: diving down under water.”

The back of his brain told him, “Learn life from surfing.”

He remembered an earlier surfing inci-

dent that nearly drowned him in Hawaii.

He wiped out on an enormous wave and a “big pile of white water on the surface” held him underwater. “There was this voice of my dead grandmother Minnie saying, ‘You can struggle and you may die, and that’ll be okay, but if you want to live, and you probably should, what you need to do is relax and sink.’”

He sank, let the rough waters pass, and surfaced. “Sometimes instead of going for the easy way out, you have to dive deeper, even when it’s bad.”

Surfing is not like golf, where you can pick a day and time and tee off. Instead, Choyce watches the weather, listens to the ocean, and when conditions align, he grabs his board.

When conditions don’t align, sometimes he lays on the beach, watching tiny waves break. His dreams of surf city are long gone, replaced by this surf serenity.

BLUENOSE II COMPANY STORE

Just up the street from the FISHERIES MUSEUM OF THE ATLANTIC Right across from the BLUENOSE II Dock

Bauer Theatre • St FX Campus

Open May to December • 9:30am to 5:00pm

121 Bluenose Dr, Lunenburg, NS 902-640-3177 or 855-640-3177 www.Bluenose2CompanyStore.ca

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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OUT OF THE BLUE seafood

by Hilary Nangle

Seafood fraud is a huge issue, warns James Benson, sustainable seafood project manager at the Portland-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

“Studies show that about one-quarter to one-third of seafood imports originate from illegal, unregulated places; you don’t know what you’re getting and you don’t know if the fishery is near collapse,” he advises.

That’s not the case with the institute’s Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested program, which is designed to raise awareness about well-managed species with populations that are doing well. “You can feel good about what you’re buying and know you’re supporting fishermen who have made the sacrifices to make sure the fish will be there for years to come.”

Species promoted as part of the program and the brand are responsibly harvested and verified.

“We look through stock assessments and management plans before we promote a fish,” he says, citing haddock as a success story. Back in the ‘90s, the haddock population was struggling and the catch quota was cut. That allowed stocks to rebuild in Georges Bank. Compare the roughly 30,000 pounds caught in the Gulf of Maine now with the 200,000 pounds landed in Europe.

86

“Our brand guarantees that the species is local and sustainable,” Benson says, which should give wary consumers the confidence to indulge.

The program works with different levels of the seafood supply chain to build consumer awareness and demand for local species. Seafood marketed under this program is guaranteed to come from the region, be well managed, and have sustainable populations, and purchasing it supports not only the fishery but also the local community. “It’s not just what’s going on in the water, but also the entire industry,” he says.

The institute works with retail partners to market the Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested brand in supermarkets and grocery stores, and it works with restaurants on Out of the Blue, a program designed to help change consumer perceptions about what’s good to eat. Participating restaurants commit to serving one species of fish, such as redfish, throughout a specified month. “People wouldn’t eat red fish because they thought it was bait fish, but it’s a really great fish to eat,” Benson says.

Rauni Kew, green programs manager at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, has been involved with Out of the Blue since its inception.

“Both the chef and I were on the steering committee. It was fascinating to witness the interaction among scientists, fishermen, and chefs. The scientists had the research telling us which fish were below and above sustainability; the fishermen would say here’s a fish we’re seeing that’s abundant; and the chef would reply, ‘it’s not delectable’ or ‘it falls apart when cooking’ and suggest another species; and the fishermen would argue that it’s too expensive to bring in or the scientists would point out that it wasn’t sustainable, and they’d move onto another species.”

Eventually, five species were selected for Out of the Blue: whiting, pollock, mackerel, redfish, and dogfish. The fishermen were excited because they were abundant and it was an opportunity to expand markets and the chefs were excited because they were delectable, Kew says. “Now we have the connection among the fishermen, the chefs, and the grocery stores. If someone enjoys mackerel or whiting in a restaurant, they can go to the market and look for the logo.”

For more information, see www.gmri.org

STARBOARD 2015

&UDIW %UHZHU\ ,ULVK &KDUP +HDUW\ (QWUHHV \

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Visit us at www.paddyspub.ca

1

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PHOTOS 1. Nova Star Make & Takes keep kids busy and creative!

2. Jordan Killkelley, Guest Experience Coordinator, Nova Star Cruises; Anthony Everett, Emmy Award-winning anchor of WCVB-TV Channel 5’s nightly news magazine, “Chronicle”; Heidi Boie, Savvy Public Relations 3. Lisa Doucette, with her brother Kyle, play regional Nova Scotian music!

4. Enjoying the view from Piper’s Pub

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5. Marcia Hartt, VP, Membership Marketing, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce; Navigation Officer Andriano Dominise Jr. and Captain Peter Thompson, Nova Star; and Chris Hall, CEO, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce 6. Guest enjoys Nova Star’s Wine Education and Experience seminar.

7. Chris and Sandra Runyon, of Yarmouth, with baby Raysun in an Owner’s-Class Cabin 8. Cross and Haylee Lunn from Mississippi

Bill Curry

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Alison Colby-Campell

STARBOARD 2015

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PHOTO

Shawn Anderson The 16th hole at Fox Harbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;r Resort on the Northumberland Strait

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STARBOARD 2015

GOLF

Nova Scotia

NOVA SCOTIA CAN OFFER THE FULL GOLFING EXPERIENCE NO MATTER YOUR SKILL LEVEL

by Tom Peters

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

91

The great American author and satirist Mark Twain reportedly said, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”

There are people who refute the fact that Mr. Twain actually did make that comment but it really doesn’t matter. In all likelihood, the person who did utter those words never played golf or obviously didn’t take the time to enjoy the company of good friends and revel in a stroll along lush fairways and be one with nature.

Golf in Nova Scotia is the epitome of a “good walk.” With clubs in hand you can trek along rivers and oceans, around lakes, over hills, through tree-lined fairways and, negotiate flat, sandy terrain, marvel at postcard vistas, be treated to a glimpse of wildlife and even enjoy a fresh apple from a tree along the course.

Nova Scotia has truly carved out its own niche in the golf world. It’s easy to see why.

Within the borders of Canada’s second smallest province you will find golf courses

“ WE OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF COURSES THAT ... FIT INTO THE MOLD OF ANYBODY WHO WANTS A TOTAL GOLF EXPERIENCE OR GOLF BEING PART OF THEIR TRAVEL PLANS.” René LeBlanc, a board member with Golf Nova Scotia

“The Friendly Club” • 18 Holes Of Challenging Golf • Pro Shop • Restaurant & Bar

Only 35 miles from Yarmouth, Off of Hwy. 101, Exit 29

423 P.F. Comeau Rd. Comeauville, NS N44°17.076’ W066°06.695’

Heavenly Golf in Paradise!

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• 18 Challenging Holes • Practice Range • Fully Stocked • Pro Shop • Full Food Service • Meeting Facilities

Eden Golf & Country Club Toll Free 1-800-782-8814 www.edengolf.ca Directions from Yarmouth: Take Highway 101 east to exit 22; Continue East on Hwy #201 past the Bridgetown exit to Eden Golf & Country Club, 5359 Hwy 201. (Eden is on the left side of the highway and very visible)

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STARBOARD 2015

ranked among the best, not just in Canada, but in the world.

Cabot Links in Inverness, Cape Breton, Canada’s only true links course, made its debut in 2012 at #42 in the world by Golf Digest. In July of this year, the Links’ new sister course, Cabot Cliffs, designed by one of the top architectural teams in the business, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is scheduled to open, and there are predictions it will debut in the world’s top 10.

Not far from Cabot Links, in Ingonish, is the venerable Highlands Links, that iconic Stanley Thompson gem that has on many occasions over its 74 years been ranked in the world’s top 100 courses by several major golf publications.

Although these layouts may be seen as the cream of the proverbial crop, they are but the tip of the province’s overall golf offering. There are approximately 70 places to play golf in Nova Scotia -- and the venues, some private, and some semi-private

-- but most accessible to the public, come in many sizes from challenging and fun nine hole layouts to championship designs that test the best.

One can golf like the pros who play the Nova Scotia Open, a Web.com Tour event at Halifax’s New Ashburn Golf Club, and the Cape Breton Celtic Classic, a stop on the PGA Canada Tour at The Lakes course in Ben Eoin [pronounced “yawn”] near Sydney.

And check out the names of the designers who have been fortunate enough to leave their mark on such a glorious landscape: Stanley Thompson, Donald Ross, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Graham Cooke, Thomas McBroom, Rod Whitman, Les Furber, Robbie Robinson, Geoffrey Cornish -- and the list goes on.

René LeBlanc, a board member with Golf Nova Scotia, a marketing body for 23 provincial courses, says his province can really cater to two types of golfer, the serious

golfer who travels to play the game and the golfer who wants to include golf in his or her overall vacation package.

The serious golfers, says LeBlanc, are “The four people that get together and golf two or three times a day and want to stay somewhere where they don’t have to pack their bags. We have that type of product especially in metro Halifax and Cape Breton. But just as important, from a Golf Nova Scotia perspective, is the traveler who plays the game. It’s the vacationer who brings his or her clubs to Nova Scotia, maybe for a week or two, and wants to play every second day or a couple times during their vacation.”

Furthermore, says LeBlanc, to accommodate a specific level of interest, “We offer a wide range of courses that geographically, price wise and degree-of-difficulty-wise, fit into the mold of anybody who wants a total golf experience or golf being part of their travel plans.”

HIGHLAND LINKS

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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He says with Cabot Links already available to play and Cabot Cliffs coming this summer, it gives Nova Scotia “a great profile in the golf world.”

But LeBlanc also pointed to the province’s wide-range of designs and layouts “that meet every playing ability and enjoyment level,” from the high-handicapper who enjoys the game and doesn’t want to pay in excess for a course, “to the other extreme which gives golfers a world-class experience,” he said.

There are many words to describe the golf product in Nova Scotia, but affordability and accessibility quickly come to mind.

Green fees can start at CAD$20 and up for nine-hole layouts and $35 and up for a full 18 holes. But above all, there is an extensive variety of terrain as you travel the length and breadth of the province.

Gerry MacMillan, general manager at Paragon Golf and Country in the heart of the Annapolis Valley, and a golfer extraordinaire who has captured 13 individual provincial championships during his illustrious playing career, says Nova Scotia courses offer tremendous diversity.

“There are so many different settings.

We have some beautiful inland courses and then courses on the ocean, so the province 94

has a lot to offer from one end to the other,” he said.

And with that diversity in mind, MacMillan advises that visitors coming to play “should try and work in as much variety as you can. The Valley courses are very scenic and comfortable to walk and very playable.

Some of the higher-end courses would be very challenging, but most of those courses have a set of tees that correspond to abilities.

Our courses are well maintained and we have pretty high standards across the board. I think there is just a lot of enjoyment to be had, not just in the playability of courses but also in what the great landscapes they offer,” he said.

With so many superior golf experiences on which to feast, it may be difficult to decide where to start. It may depend on the region you choose to visit. You can be on a golf course not long after the Nova Star arrives in Yarmouth.

Yarmouth Links, an 18-hole links style course, is one of the oldest courses in the province. A challenging open layout with small fast greens, it offers great views of the ocean and a great way to kick-start a trip.

In the western end of the province along the Lighthouse Route on old Highway 3

(off the 103), there are several excellent and very affordable designs such as West Pubnico, with its challenging inward 9; River Hills in Shelburne, that incorporates the Clyde River into its layout; and the Liverpool Golf Club, which boasts a nine-hole Donald Ross design with holes overlooking White Point Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

As well, you can find the Graham Cookedesigned Osprey Ridge in Bridgewater, a family-friendly and challenging course offering a number of elevation changes with an exceptional variety of parkland and links style holes; the hilly Bluenose course bordering Lunenburg Harbour, home of the famous Schooner Bluenose; and a bit closer to Halifax, the Chester Golf course, another oceanside design.

On the Bay of Fundy side of the province along the Acadian shore, Clare Golf Club incorporates a challenging 18-hole course with great hospitality, and The Pines course in Digby has hosted sports legends like Joe Louis and Babe Ruth. It is a great Stanley Thompson course in a park-like setting.

Through the Annapolis Valley, the province’s fruit and wine belt, you can play the Annapolis Golf Course, that is not far from historic Fort Anne. Then there is Eden, litSTARBOARD 2015

PHOTOS

Cabot Links Left The 17th and 16th

holes at Cabot Cliffs Golf Course in Cape Breton, NS

erally in Paradise, not far from Bridgetown; and Paragon in Kingston, which is test lined on some holes with apple trees. Greenwood and Berwick Heights add variety to the golf landscape and further along toward Halifax, Ken-Wo in New Minas, and Avon Valley in Falmouth, have been annual stops on golfers’ ‘to play’ lists.

Metro Halifax has a number of courses accessible to the public.

Glen Arbour is one of the best groomed challenges in the province. Granite Springs lives up to its name with lots of granite and lots of water. Grandview is a thinker’s course from start to finish, as is Lost Creek in nearby Beaver Bank. Being added to the list in Halifax this summer is The Links at Brunello, a new Tom McBroom design that promises that big course feel.

Through the pastoral central region of the province you can fill your play schedule with courses like Fox Hollow (Stewiacke), the Links at Penn Hills (Shubenacadie), Brookfield, and Truro featuring a combination of easy walking and hilly courses comprised of tree-lined fairways, lots of open spaces and water.

Along the North Shore, Amherst and Northumberland Links, with its fast greens and ocean vistas, are great value. A highNOVASTARCRUISES.com

er-end experience is Fox Harb’r, a Graham Cooke resort course on the Northumberland Strait with luxurious stay and play packages.

The Abercrombie Golf Course in New Glasgow, and the nine hole course of the Antigonish Golf & Country Club are definitely worthy stops.

Then there is Cape Breton, a golf destination unto itself.

Katherine MacDonald, director of golf marketing for Destination Cape Breton, said, “We have long been a desired golf destination with the Highlands Links, Bell Bay (Baddeck), Le Portage (Cheticamp) and The Lakes (Ben Eoin) but now with the Cabot products, The Links and The Cliffs (opening July 1), we are really being presented with an unprecedented opportunity.

I would like to see us become the best golf destination in eastern North America and I think we have the product to do that.”

MacDonald says Cape Breton has a golf concierge to book stay and play packages. It can be found at www.golfcapebreton.com.

If you’re from a golfing family who take the game a bit more seriously, and wish to indulge in not only playing but getting lessons, Nova Scotia has some excellent venues to fill that bill.

The family can spend a few days at Digby Pines Resort & Spa and build in individual lessons and a play package and enjoy the facilities and The Pines course.

To add some variety to that type of a vacation and see more of the province, Cabot Links in Inverness, Cape Breton is ready to accommodate. As mentioned earlier, it is Canada’s only true links-style golf course that offers a taste of Scottish links golf plus individual lessons for both adults and juniors.

“We also offer Tuesday night classes for beginners of all ages with a few key tips followed by a five-hole loop for new golfers,” says The Links’ Andrew Alkenbrack.

A course with premium practice facilities and known for its lessons programs, particularly for juniors, is Bell Bay in Baddeck.

“Bell Bay is fortunate to have one of the best practice facilities in Cape Breton,” said Michael Gillan, Bell Bay’s executive director of golf operations. “We cater to golfers of all abilities and offer incredible lesson packages to suit individuals, groups and families. They often include meals, golf rounds and accommodations. We assemble it together with our clients to create the ultimate golf experience!” he said.

Ron Hanna, an avid golfer and publisher of the well-known Golf News, hits the nail on the head in his summation of Nova Scotia golf.

“The ‘golf gods’ have blessed us with many different types of courses in providing natural beauty containing coastal shoreline, virgin forests, stunning panoramic views and, of course, challenging golf. We Nova Scotians are fortunate to have a golfing paradise in our own backyard,” he says.

And to Ron we say: Amen to that!

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POISED FOR

deliciousness

NOVA STAR’S SECOND ANNUAL GUEST CHEFS PROGRAM IS READY TO LAUNCH IN 2015

by Bruce Bishop In Canada, from the wilds of the north (the Yukon Culinary Festival), to foodie heaven on the west coast (Vancouver’s Edible Canada) to Quebec (the Montréal en Lumière festival), to downtown Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (the Seafood & Wine Extravaganza) – guest chefs appearing at a special festival are all the rage. Similar happenings are all over the USA, as well.

In 2014, Nova Star Cruises joined that excitement when it introduced its very own Nova Star Guest Chef Program during its sailing season, creating a welcomed cruise experience.

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

Enriching the passengers’ on-board experience is what it’s all about, said Lisa Arnold, vice president of brand marketing and product development of Nova Star Cruises Ltd. “We’d like our guests to get a little ‘flavor’ of the region before actually exploring it, which will make their vacation even more exciting and enjoyable. The Guest Chef Program during our inaugural season went phenomenally well.”

“Not only did we welcome two wellknown chefs from Nova Scotia during nine of our crossings to and from Portland, but

the feedback from our guest survey rated the Guest Chef Program as ‘exceeding expectations’,” she added.

Under Nova Star’s Executive Chef Rene Aflenzer, the Guest Chef Program proves in this instance that too many cooks definitely do not spoil the broth.

Chef Aflenzer hails from Austria, and has worked in the culinary world since 2004.

Prior to directing the cooking team on the ship last season, he was Executive Chef on the Arosa River Cruise Line for two years in Germany, and experienced a year-long exotic assignment at the Hotel

97

Shwe Pyi Thar in Myanmar. Other culinary positions had taken him to the USA, France and Switzerland.

Lisa Arnold commented, “I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Chef Aflenzer and our guest chefs. The chefs are expanding our view of what’s available in Nova Scotia, even beyond great seafood and local produce, as we continue to incorporate regional products from the province.”

The two invited chefs in 2014 were award-winning Executive Chef Jason Lynch of Le Caveau, the restaurant nestled at Domaine de Grand Pré estate winery in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia; and Jonathan Joseph of The Argyler Lodge -owner and chef of this inn and restaurant in the Municipality of Argyle, about 30 minutes’ drive from Yarmouth.

Chef Jason Lynch has also written ‘Straight from the Line’, featuring stunning photos, recipes and reflections of a chef at work. He feels that interactivity between the passengers attending the cooking demos and the chefs is the best thing about his ‘guesting’ experience.

“It was great chatting with passengers about where they were from and what they enjoyed about Nova Scotia,” Lynch said in a phone interview from Grand Pré where Le Caveau is located.

“The kitchen team and I set up the demo tables in Currents, the fine dining room aboard the ship. I chose dishes to cook that could be made in the time frame given to me, and of course, I wanted to feature product only from Nova Scotia.”

“There are so many similarities in seafood conversations between New England and Nova Scotia, but yet we can sometimes be light years apart from each other. I found that most passengers were surprised and intrigued by the quality of Nova Scotian wines, for example. They were simply blown away by the varieties,” he continued.

Chef Joseph is no slouch in dealing with the public and is entertaining during his cooking demos.

Originally from Florida, he has worked in the culinary and hospitality industry for over 20 years in various areas, including cooking instruction. He was one of the organizers of the South Beach Food and Wine Festival in Miami, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

“It was great getting to know the staff and crew on board. I remember the Captain of the ship telling me how much he enjoyed my Curried Butternut Squash Bisque – 98

PHOTOS Page 97 Jason Lynch, Executive Chef,

of Le Caveau Restaurant, Grand Pré Winery (right), located in the heart of the Annapolis Valley

Above Jonathan Joseph, Executive Chef of Argyler Lodge, located in Lower Argyle, just 10 minutes from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Left Dynamic Executive Chef, Rene Aflenzer of M/V Nova Star enjoys featuring guest-chef specialty entrees on the Currents menu

which he ate three nights in a row!” Chef Joseph said.

When asked what he thought passengers were most intrigued by when interacting with the cooking demonstrations, he replied, “Many guests were fascinated by the fact that I had personal relationships with the people who actually caught the seafood that I prepared. They were surprised to know that I go down to the wharf and see the fishermen land their lobsters, or that I go to the fish plants were the fish is cleaned and cut.”

Lisa Arnold is excited about the guest chef program for 2015. “We’ll be adding Taste of Nova Scotia recruited chefs to add many more cooking demonstrations throughout the season. A wine pairing has also been added to the event, demonstrating how certain Nova Scotian varietals pair well with chef creations or regional recipes which are shared with our guests,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity for our guests to learn more about what Nova Scotia has to offer as they enjoy this unique program on board Nova Star!”

STARBOARD 2015

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Re-Opening May 1, 2015

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xplore over 400 years of history, arts and culture in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia – the place where history meets opportunity!

A scenic 1.5 hour drive from Yarmouth on Highway 1, up the French Shore, leads you to this charming waterfront community with numerous history, arts, and cultural attractions all delivered with gracious hospitality amid a backdrop of stately Victorian homes.

Originally inhabited by the Mi’kmaq, in 1605 the area became home to some of North America’s earliest European settlers following the arrival of explorer Samuel de Champlain. Annapolis Royal is the cradle of old Acadie.

Now home to Canada’s oldest National Historic Site, Fort Anne, where you can see the Royal Charter from which Nova Scotia gets its name and flag. Some of the oldest wooden buildings in Canada are found here and the community boasts over 135 registered heritage properties. Join a walking tour of the National Historic District or bring your sense of adventure to the worldrenowned Candlelight Graveyard Tour. Discover Champlain’s settlement at Port-Royal National Historic site, admire Georgian antiques at North Hills Museum, see 300 years of construction evolution at the Sinclair Inn National Historic Site, or trace your genealogy at the O’Dell House Museum.

North American’s only Tidal Generating Power Plant lets you witness the incredible power of the Bay of Fundy’s worldrenowned tides. If outdoor activity is what you’re after, you’ll find golf, go-carts, swimming, boating, trails, and fishing. The nearby Upper Clements Amusement Park offers everything from roller coaster riding to zip-lining. Tours of local wineries and whalewatching excursions are available too!

The award-winning 17 acre Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens are recognized as a “Top 5 North American Garden Worth Traveling For”. Some would argue that the savoury delicacies of the yearround Saturday Farmers’ Market (and Wednesday during July and August) are worth travelling for too. Immerse yourself in the work of visual artists, craftspeople, and performers at the market or enjoy exhibits at ARTsPLACE and performances at King’s Theatre. Don’t miss a visit to the boat haul-up to see modern-day craftspeople at work, followed by a peaceful walk along our wharf and waterfront boardwalk.

Be pampered at luxurious historic inns or B&B’s, or relax in comfortable motels, scenic campgrounds, or cozy cottages. Local restaurants serve fresh local seafood, scrumptious desserts, and specialty dishes made from produce grown in the Annapolis Valley. Plan to stay another day in Annapolis Royal – make sure you’ve got time to enjoy all this tiny perfect town has to offer!

www.looseendstrading.com 195 St. Anthony St, Annapolis Royal, NS Phone (902) 532-7572 • Fax (902) 532-7573 OPEN: Tuesday to Saturday 10-6, Sunday 12-5, CLOSED: Monday

Where everyday things are less ordinary

50-PLUS &

fun

NOVA SCOTIA CATERS TO THE MATURE TRAVELER

by Pamela Delaney It’s been called Canada’s best secret.

Thanks to its bucolic beauty, and relatively temperate climate, Nova Scotia has become a popular destination for mature adults who seek rest and relaxation, adventure and active lifestyles, common interests and even retirement; it’s a magnet for retirees from across Canada, Europe and the U.K., and the U.S.A. Nova Scotia is accustomed to hosting the “fifty plus” traveler, and boasts varied perquisites aimed at that market sector.

Here are just 10 of the many things the 50+ traveler will find in Nova Scotia.

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• LOBSTER! Abundant, delicious, fresh.

Nova Scotia lobster is regarded as the best in the world, and the catch can be had fresh off the boat in season. Less than six miles from Yarmouth on Rte 304 on the way to the Cape Forchu Lighthouse is Stanley’s Lobster – a rustic eatery where you can pick your own crustacean right out of the tank. A bit further afield is The Argyler Lodge (www.argyler.com), in West Pubnico, where guests have the opportunity to enjoy freshly-caught lobster, boiled outdoors over an open fire. Pour a glass of Nova Scotia’s Tidal Bay white blend, saddle up to a seaside picnic table, and enjoy.

• What could be more fun than a WINERY

TOUR IN THE ANNAPOLIS VALLEY? Hop-on, hop-off winery bus

tours! No need to limit your sampling when someone else is driving. A doubledecker bus leaves from the tourist information centre in Wolfville, and stops at four local wineries for a day of tripping and sipping. The bus visits Domaine de Grand Pré (www.grandprewines.ca); Luckett Vineyards, where you can call anywhere in North America, free, from a classic British red phone box (www. luckettvineyards.com); organic, sparking specialists L’Acadie Vineyards (www. lacadievineyards.ca); and Gaspereau Vineyards (www.gaspereauwine.com).

Visit www.wolfvillemagicwinerybus.com for details.

STARBOARD 2015

• Fore! GET YOUR GOLF GAME GOING at one of Nova Scotia’s many gorgeous public golf clubs and resorts.

Thanks to our Scottish heritage, Nova Scotia is home to a litany of golf courses.

The Nova Scotia Golf Association has a list of courses on its website at www. nsga.ns.ca. Looking for a complete golf vacation? Fox Harb’r on the Northumberland shore has been rated #16 among all the courses in North America and the Caribbean by Golf Digest magazine, and you don’t have to be a member to play. Fox Harb’r offers spa services, accommodations, fine dining, sport shooting, and even a private airport! Visit www.foxharbr.com for more information.

• It is SOLVED BY WALKING is more than the title of a play by Sambro’s Catherine Banks. Hiking and walking are a way of life in Nova Scotia. This activity is healthy, accessible, and the best way to clear out the cobwebs and get focused. If you’re in great shape, then tackle the Cape Split hiking trail. If a more leisurely stroll is your style, try the harbor front and Public Gardens in Halifax, or a brisk walk along the picturesque dykelands that run approximately from Kentville to Grand Pré.

• Nova Scotia should come with a warning label: Be Prepared to Fall in Love. A big swath of our population is comprised of people who came here to visit and stayed!

Realtor Kathy Whitewood has found

SUMMER RETREATS AND RETIREMENT RESIDENCES for countless “lovers” of the province. Most of the summer homes people buy are situated on the coveted South Shore, but Kathy warns, “While Nova Scotia real estate is less expensive than most major urban areas, it’s not cheap in the more desirable locations.” She adds, “Most of the South Shore shuts down in the fall and winter, so if you plan to live there in the summer, don’t expect to be able to rent out your home for hefty fees during the other months. Still, it’s a great lifestyle.”

Nova Scotia is surrounded by water, a big draw, and there’s waterfront properties by the score. By most standards, it is priced reasonably. Kathy is finding a plethora of mature adults looking to move to Wolfville, an hour from Halifax in the Annapolis Valley, to enjoy retirement in the “smallest big city in the world.”

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

PHOTOS

Nova Scotia Tourism Agency Opposite Enjoying the sights in Lunenburg Right Celtic Shores

Coastal Trail, Cape Breton

Wolfville has everything you need, and is very walkable, but there is a shortage of newer bungalows and condos available.

Kathy suggests: “If you don’t mind buying an older home and putting a little capital into this ‘mini-Halifax’, you’ll have a fabulous retirement home in a great community.” Kathy can be reached at www.novascotiavalley.com .

• Fun and free. BEACHCOMBING IS A FINE ART, requiring a lot of equipment: two feet and a good pair of eyes! Beaches on the South Shore tend to be sandy, but also buffeted by winds, so you’ll find interesting driftwood there. If you’re a rock hound, stick to the north shore, the Bay of Fundy, and be sure to check out beaches at Scott’s Bay, Hall’s Harbour and Harbourville for funky, colorful rocks and seashells. Some may even contain semi-precious gems such as amethysts!

• Nova Scotia boasts the OLDEST RECORDED HISTORY in Canada, and Annapolis Royal is the only entire town in Canada to be a designated historic site.

But almost every town has a museum or historic site, including old lighthouses (check out Gilbert’s Cove Lighthouse in Digby County, open in the summer and maintained by a community society).

While in Yarmouth, visit the Firefighter’s Museum, the Sweeney Fisheries Museum or the Yarmouth County Museum. And don’t miss the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island (www.pc.gc.ca).

A must-see is one of our UNESCO sites: the fossils at Joggins or the Acadians of Grand Pré.

• Arts abound in Nova Scotia, and there is no need to be producing anything for sale, just please yourself. VISIT GALLERIES AND TOUR ART STUDIOS, or take lessons from the pros. Music, visual arts, and even literary arts. There’s no time like now to develop that talent you’ve had to put on the back burner.

• Be well. We all know that aging has its challenges, but taking care of you has never been easier. Nova Scotia is dotted with retreats that specialize in caring for self, and MAXIMIZING YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. One of the best is Namaste Nova Scotia, located near Windsor at the eastern end of the Annapolis Valley off Highway 101. An integrated wellness retreat, Namaste Nova Scotia offers yoga and what they call Body Talk, a holistic therapy that stimulates balance and healing in the body. The 100-year-old renovated farmhouse serves as accommodations and the menagerie of horses, dogs and cats adds to the Zen of the peaceful grounds. Visit www.namastenova for more information.

• BIRDERS AND NATURE-LOVERS will find flora and fauna throughout Nova Scotia, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in Canada. Visit the website for the Blomidon Naturalists Society at www.blomidonnaturalists. ca for places to explore, from whales to orchids to mushrooms.

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH…

take a hike or grab a paddle!

1. DINE ON LOBSTER

8. PADDLE OUR COAST

• Lobster Dinner Sunset Cruise with Peggy’s Cove Boat Tours (www.peggyscoveboattours.com)

• Explore Yarmouth’s working waterfront on the Yarmouth’s “a la kayak” Harbour Tour with the Song of the Paddle (www.thesongofthepaddle.com)

• Fresh Lobster Supper Cruise with Shelburne Harbour Boat Tours (www.shelburneharbourboattours.com) • Beach side lobster boil with Lobster Bay Culinary Adventures at Ye Olde Argyler Lodge (www.argyler.com)

• See cliffs of multi-coloured sandstone with towering stone pinnacles and sea caves on a kayak tour of Cape Chignecto and the Three Sisters (www.novascotia.com/explore/top-25/kayaking)

• Wolfville Magic Winery Bus (www.wolfvillemagicwinerybus.ca)

• Explore the narrow waterways of Blue Rocks and learn about the edible shellfish along the shores with Pleasant Paddling (www.pleasantpaddling.com)

• Between the Vines Wine Tour with Go North Tours (www.winetoursns.com)

• Take a guided tour of the island-speckled Tangier Harbour with turquoise waters and white sand beaches (www.coastaladventures.com)

• Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours (www.novascotiawinetours.com)

9. TAKE A GUIDED WALKING TOUR

3. GO WHALE WATCHING

• Old Town Lunenburg UNESCO World Heritage Site with Lunenburg Walking Tours (www.lunenburgwalkingtours.com)

2. TAKE A TOUR OF OUR WINERIES

• Some of the best tours depart from Digby Neck, Pleasant Bay and Northern Cape Breton (www.novascotia.com/see-do/outdoor-activities/whale-watching) 4. RIDE THE WORLD’S HIGHEST TIDES

• Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site (www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net) • Candlelight Graveyard Tours (www.tourannapolisroyal.com/graveyard.html)

• Take a ride on a Tidal Bore Rafting Tour of the Shubenacadie River (www.raftingcanada.ca)

• Get a taste of some of Halifax’s finest restaurants on the Downtown SoMo Tasting Tour with Local Tasting Tours (www.localtastingtours.com)

5. HANDS ON SEAFOOD EXPERIENCES

10. DINE AT AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANTS

• Oyster Lovers’ Afternoon Escape at Eel Lake Oyster Farm (www.ruisseauoysters.com)

• Brooklyn Warehouse (www.brooklynwarehouse.ca)

• Land the Lobster Experience with Fundy Adventures (www.fundyadventures.com)

• Wild Caraway (www.wildcaraway.com)

• Plankton, Periwinkles & Predators Experience with GAEL Tours (www.gaeltours.ca)

• EDNA (www.ednarestaurant.com)

• Fleur de Sel (www.fleurdesel.net) • Flavor 19 (www.cbflavor.com)

6. STEP INTO OUR HERITAGE

11. CYCLE THE CELTIC SHORES COASTAL TRAIL IN CAPE BRETON

• Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (www.fisheriesmuseum.novascotia.ca)

• Be sure to stop at Glenora Distillery for a tour—producer of North America’s first single malt whiskey (www.glenoradistillery.com)

• Discover Mi’kmaq Traditions in Eskasoni (www.eskasoniculturaljourneys.ca) • Time Travel Experience at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site (www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/activ/ activ9/travers-travel.aspx)

• Visit the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre for music, step-dancing and chowder during one of their daily lunch ceilidhs (www.celticmusiccentre.com) 12. GOLF TOP RANKING COURSES

• Soldier for a Day at Halifax Citadel National Historic Site (www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/activ/visit9/visit9d.aspx)

• Cabot Links Resort, Inverness (www.cabotlinks.com)

• Celebrate Celtic music throughout Cape Breton during the Celtic Colours International Festival (www.celtic-colours.com)

• Fox Harb’r Golf Resort, Wallace (www.foxharbr.com)

• White Glove Tour at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site (www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/grahambell/activ.aspx)

13. HIKE THE SKYLINE TRAIL AT SUNSET

• Visit ‘Living Wharves’ to chat with a fisherman and learn about their trade (www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/living-wharves)

14. GO CAMPING WITHOUT THE WORK

• Take the Acadian Adventure Tour to learn about the history and culture of our French Acadians at Rendez-vous de la Baie (www.rendezvousdelabaie.ca/acadian-adventure-tour/?lang=en) 7. EXPERIENCE OUR COAST BY BOAT

• Highlands Links, Cape Breton (www.highlandslinksgolf.com)

(www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/cbreton/index.aspx)

• Stay in an oTENTik—a cross between a tent and a rustic cabin—for a relaxing, easier way to experience camping at Kejimkujik National Park and Cape Breton Highlands National Park (www.pc.gc.ca)

For more information, please visit www.novascotia.com

• See the towering cliffs of Cape Split with Advocate Boat Tours (www.advocateboattours.com) • Sail on the Bras d’Or Lake with Amoeba Sailing Tours (www.amoebasailingtours.com) or Cape Breton Sailing Charters (www.capebretonsailing.com)

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Ferry Information Cruise Ferry between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia novastarcruises.com

Ferries to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island ferries.ca

Ferries to Newfoundland & Labrador marine-atlantic.ca

Discover Saint John discoversaintjohn.com

Tourism New Brunswick tourismnewbrunswick.ca

Discover Charlottetown discovercharlottetown.com

Tourism Prince Edward Island tourismpei.com/index.php3

Destination St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s destinationstjohns.com

Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism newfoundlandlabrador.com

Saint-Pierre & Miquelon Tourism tourisme-saint-pierre-et-miquelon.com/en

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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NEW ENGLAND

HOW FAR IS IT FROM PORTLAND … … to Boston?

107 miles (172km) or about a 1.5 hour drive … to New York?

314 miles (505km) or about a 5 hour drive … to Concord?

109 miles (175km) or about a 1.5 hour drive … to Bangor?

129 miles (207km) or just under a 2 hour drive … to Providence?

163 miles (262km) or about a 2.5 hour drive

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ATLANTIC CANADA

NEWFOUNDLAND

HOW FAR IS IT FROM YARMOUTH … … to Halifax?

303km (188 miles) or about a 3 hour drive … to Sydney?

697km (433 miles) or just over a 7 hour drive … to Kentville?

225km (139 miles) or about a 2.5 hour drive … to Charlottetown?

624km (387 miles) or just over a 6 hour drive … to Moncton?

334km (207 miles) or about a 5.5 hour drive

NOVASTARCRUISES.com

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2015 EXHIBITING NOVA SCOTIAN ARTISTS

Bill Curry Photography

JUNE 1 — 30 Bill Curry (Photography) Nora Gross (Watercolor) Christopher Gorey (Watercolor)

JULY 1 — 31 Paul Hannon (Oil) Malcolm Callaway (Oil) William Rogers (Watercolor)

Paul Hannon

NOVA STAR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP JUNE 19TH: Award-wining master photographer, Bill Curry will conduct a guided workshop on the three things you need to focus on in order to take better photos.

AUGUST 1 — 30 To be announced

SEPTEMBER 1 — OCTOBER 14

Nora Gross

To be announced

Please check our website NovaStarCruises.com for the latest updates!

Christopher Gorey NOVASTARCRUISES.com

109

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND

Nova Star

Throughout the ship, you’ll see signs to help you find restaurants, entertainment and other amenities and facilities on board Nova Star. Below is a guide that explains what each of the commonly used symbols mean. On the following pages are diagrams showing the layout of each deck so you can see where everything is located and easily find anything you’re looking for.

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NOVASTARCRUISES.com

111

Nova Star

N AV I G ATO R

WHAT’S WHERE ON

which deck?

Use this deck-by-deck guide to find your way around Nova Star.

112

STARBOARD 2015

CHARLES’ RAPPIE PIE

INGREDIENTS

20 lbs. Potatoes 2- 5 lb. Whole Chickens 1/2 c. Salted Green Onions 3 Chopped Yellow Onions Salt and Pepper 40 c. Water Chicken Boullion

YASTA’s tourism development officer, Charles Robicheau

DIRECTIONS

1. Add bouillon cubes, chickens and onions to the water.

2. Cook for two hours until the chicken is tender. Cool, debone and cube chicken.

3. Peel and grate the potatoes, then remove the juice. Place in a large bowl.

4. Continually wisk 30 cups of the chicken broth to the potato pulp.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Pour half of the mixture into a buttered large pan.

7. Layer the chicken pieces to the top of the potato mixture.

8. Pour the remaining potato mixture onto the top of the chicken.

9. Bake the pie in the oven for three hours at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

For more detailed instructions visit: http://www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/blog/how-to-make-rappie-pie/ 113

FOR YOUR

safety KNOW WHERE TO GO When you board the ship, please familiarize yourself with the letter of your Assembly Station — and the fastest route to get there — so you know where to go in case of an emergency.

In the event of a fire or other emergency, the emergency signal – 7 short blasts followed by one long blast – will sound throughout the ship. This alarm is the signal for all passengers to go to their designated Assembly Station so everyone can be accounted for and, if necessary, prepare to safely evacuate the ship.

There are 8 Assembly Stations (also known as Life Boat Stations or Muster Stations) on board Nova Star. Each Assembly Station has a letter “A” through “H.” Every passenger will be assigned to a specific Assembly Station. If you book a cabin, the letter of your Assembly Station is shown on the sign on the inside of your cabin door. For passengers who book a recliner seat, the letter of your Assembly Station is posted in your seating area.

GUIDE TO ONBOARD SECURITY Nova Star Cruises is dedicated to providing an enjoyable and safe cruise experience for every guest. As required by the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, the following information is provided as part our commitment to your safety and security.

According to United States federal law, on international voyages that embark or debark in the United States, Nova Star Cruises is required to report onboard felonies and missing United States nationals to federal agencies. For a missing United States national and all serious felonies (homicide, suspicious death, kidnapping, assault with serious bodily injury, sexual assaults as defined by federal laws, firing or tampering with the vessel, or theft of money or property in excess of $10,000) the incident must be reported to the F.B.I. by telephone as soon as possible, to the United States Department of Homeland 114

Security electronically and to the U.S. Coast Guard in writing. These requirements apply to onboard incidents that occur while the ship is in United States territorial waters, or on the high seas or in foreign waters if the victim or perpetrator is a United States national.

The F.B.I. can assert criminal jurisdiction in all of these circumstances. Canada, as well as The Bahamas, the vessel’s nation of registry, may also assert jurisdiction and/or impose additional reporting requirements.

Should you become aware of someone being injured or of unsafe or possibly illegal behavior during your voyage, it is very important that you immediately report this to the ship’s management, by going to the Guest Services Desk or Head Purser’s Office. If you do not immediately report an injury or unsafe/ illegal behavior this delay may cause ship’s personnel to be unable to effectively respond to the situation and unable to properly preserve information or evidence that could assist law

enforcement’s investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

For missing persons or felonies arising at any time during the voyage, you may independently contact the F.B.I. or U.S. Coast Guard. For incidents within state or foreign waters or ports, you may in addition, contact local law enforcement authorities.

Contact information for these entities is listed below.

U.S. COAST GUARD

Washington, DC (202) 267-2100 F.B.I.

Boston, MA (617) 742-5533 ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE

Yarmouth, NS (902) 742-8777 STARBOARD 2015

NEW FERRY. NEW MEMORIES. SAME GREAT JOURNEY.

TRAVEL BY SEA. SAVE TIME. DRIVE LESS. NOVA SCOTIA

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NEW BRUNSWICK

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PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

1-877-283-7334 FERRIES.CA

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A star gazing region of beaches, lighthouses, pristine wilderness & authentic culture recommended by National Geographic Traveller, The Globe & Mail, and the Guardian www.acadianskies.com