Bras D'Or Lake - Boating

Boating

A renowned summer vacation destination, the area around the Bras d'Or Lake has become popular with recreational boaters (see cruising). St. Peter's Lion's Club Marina in St. Peter's, Nova Scotia is the largest marina and has the most boating services, Baddeck has two marinas, two boatyards and the Bras D'Or yacht Club, Ben Eoin has an 83-slip marina scheduled to open in May 2013 and the Barra Strait Marina in Grand Narrows was reopened in 2012.

Launch ramps for trailered boats are scarce outside the Lake villages.

The heavily indented shoreline of the Lake system, bold shores and numerous protected coves and harbours with snug anchorages provide shelter and keep wave action small, resulting in the Lake being known as one of the best sailing waters in North America, and are often used for major competitions, including the Race the Cape Sailboat Regatta slated for July 17-22 2013.

Ocean-going ships presently enter the Lake at the Great Bras d'Or and via the St. Patricks Channel to a gypsum quarry at Little Narrows.

Before construction of the Trans Canada Highway and other roadways, ships and boats plied the Bras d'Or Lake carrying coal, gypsum, marble, agricultural and forestry products from Cape Breton to the outside world, via barge through the St. Peters Canal to destinations along the Atlantic coast of North America. In addition, some products - like marble quarried into the early 20th century at Marble Mountain, were shipped by Lake barges through both lakes to Sydney, NS for transshipment. Mail boats also ran on scheduled service across the lakes until the 1960s, providing connecting passenger service to the train at Iona, Nova Scotia.