We really enjoyed our time in Lunenburg, and were definitely slowing down as per our new plan, but eventually it was time to move on.

We had originally planned on doing a ton of sailing and were even trying to make it to Newfoundland this summer, but after we sat down and actually mapped out our itinerary, it meant that we would be basically sailing most days with no time to enjoy the places we went to.  So, as we said, slowing down!  

However, one of our main goals this summer was to cycle on Prince Edward Island. We had been thinking about this for years, and it seemed like the perfect time to finally do it while we were up in the Maritime provinces on WildHorse.

The next morning, we left Lunenburg in light winds but pretty heavy swells and waves.  This was actually the least enjoyable and roughest day of the whole trip.  It was sunny and nice, but we were lucky to see 5-7 knots of wind, and the seas were around 6-8 feet.  However, the problem was that the seas were coming crossways to the wind, so we were sailing upwind with seas coming from the side, so very rolly and not enough wind to keep the sails reliably full.  That meant that they were slapping and slatting back and forth, which are the conditions that Lucie hates worst of all.

However, we finally made it, into Halifax Harbour, passing the Sanbro Light, which is the longest running lighthouse in North America, shown above in the header image. Once we turned the corner, the winds were more behind us and we lost most of the swell, so it was much nicer after that.

Our new Plan B for cycling on Prince Edward Island was to leave the boat in Halifax and take the bus to PEI with our bikes.  We found an inexpensive mooring at the Dartmouth Yacht Club which looked safe and secure.  Dartmouth is basically a suburb of Halifax on the other side of the harbor in an industrial area and the moorings were well maintained and cheap.  So, we put the boat to bed and took off on the bus the next morning.

In PEI we stayed a couple of nights in Charlottetown, which is a very fun, diverse and foodie city, then took off on our bike tour.  They also have an excelent bike shop, so we were able to get our new folding Tern bikes set up properly for touring.

PEI has the reputation for being relatively flat and easy to ride, but I can tell you, it’s only flat in and E-to-W direction, and all wrinkled up with lots of hills in a N-S direction. None of them are huge, around 500-1000 feet each, but it’s pretty much every mile.

Lunch stop at the top of yet another hill. We have foliding bikes with slightly bigger 26-inch wheels, which is better for riding but more of a pain to store on the boat.

We rode with minimal luggage, just a couple of changes of clothes, lunch and snacks, and our biking rain gear, and stayed at various motels, inns, and B&B’s.  Our itinerary was a bit strainge since we were pretty late in making the reservations but worked out fine in the end.  

After our 2 nights in Charlottetown we rode north to North Rustico and stayed at a pretty funky motel type place.  The owner is quite the eccentric guy and would talk your ear off!  We rode around town that evening, had a good seafood dinner, and saw that the local community theater was putting on a play, so we went.

Next day was quite short to the next place to stay bacause of our late reservations, so that morning we rode west along the coast in PEI National Park in the opposite direction, then turned around, went to the beach, picked up our stuff and rode to the next sleeping place.

PEI National Park – that used to be a natural arch but apparently it has collapsed!

That night was in a super quaint and fancy B&B, but remote so nowhere to eat. We went and got lunch at a gas station about a mile away, then for dinner, the only place even somewhat nearby was the Country Club, a ride  of maybe 6-7 miles.  We were expecting a fancy shmancy place, but it was actually a kind of a prefab building in a dirt parking lot, serving good fish & chips, PEI mussels, and burgers.  The people were super friendly and down to earth, like everywhere else in the Maritimes.

Next day was a bit longer. We rode another section of the National Park, right along the seashore on a dedicated bike path. While the traffic was never too bad, the roads there are a bit narrow so it was nice to be away from the cars and RV’s.

The beach in PEI National Park. Everyone warned that it would be crowded. I guess this is crowded for Canada!

Local kids having fun – they would jump in, and the strong current would sweep them out under the bridge, then climb out and do it over and over. Lots of them were also jumping off the bridge.

A beutiful church the we stopped in for a break, mainly since it was at the top of the steepest hill on the whole trip. It looked pretty plain on the outside. It’s made completely out of wood.

That night was at another B&B, this time in a big house with the family.  We had a nice and private room. The family is quite the entrepreneurs, with the B&B, a busy commercial and retail bakery, and the hiusband is also a chef.  Lucky for us, since it was even more out of the way than the last place, and they were able to make a very nice supper for us that evening and we had fresh-baked bread and scones the next morning for breakfast. The bakery was in what used to be their garage and the smell of the bread baking was what woke us up in the morning!

Next day was cloudy and drizzly, but by noon was pouring rain and windy. Not fun on the bikes!  We rode what was supposed to be the most scenic portion of the Confederation Trail but was more of a wet and mosquito-ridden slog,  ending up in the early afternoon in St Peter’s Bay.  By the time we arrived, the winds were really whipping up and the rain was blowing sideways. We had planned on having a long day and going out to the coast again from there and riding back to Charlottetown, but bailed and called a cab to take us back with our bikes.  One more night in Charlottetown, then we got on the bus again back to Dartmouth. Overall, it was a short but sweet trip, and a nice break from the boat.