NS Eastern Shore boats and buoys

I grew up in a small fishing village along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. There where four fishermen in the bay, Guy Boutilier, Jackie Borgel, Guy Power and Peter Connors. Just as the buds on the trees are a sign of spring, so was the launching of the fishing boats in the bay. Men from our community as well from the neighbouring bay were called to help launch the boats from their winter berths to slide down the wooden ramps into the water. Another season had begun.

As kids, we'd set the alarm for 4:30 a.m., head down to the government wharf to meet the fishing crew. My first time was when I was 12. It would also be my last time. I was never so sick in my life. An appreciation for the life of a fisherman was gained that morning as I thought to myself "this must be what it's like to be near death". Guy Power was a kind man who thought if he stopped the boat and let me jig mackerel awhile, that I might feel better. Nope.

Driving along the gravel road to Taylor Head Beach lobster buoys dotted the rocky coastline. Locals could tell which buoys belonged to whom by their colour and number.

Two fisherman have since passed away (the two Guys) and younger men have taken on the livelihood. Now there are only two boats and they exclusively lobster fish.

The Right Coast Nova Scotia

The Right Coast is Nova Scotia. "You must mean east coast", someone once said to me. That too but not exactly. Because I like to make lists, I'll explain to you what I mean.

1. Geographically speaking, on the North American continent, there's Canada. Nova Scotia is on the right hand side. You know, the eye naturally falls to the right.

2. I lived on the west coast for eleven years. My husband and I did what thousands of other new graduates do, we moved there to work. British Columbia was beautiful in many ways. Our children were born there, we made lifelong friends who made us part of the family at Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special occasions. My husband and I knew that there was something missing, even with a nice house and really good jobs, our lives were not complete. We realized that we wanted our children to not only see their grandparents and aunt and uncles every two years for a week or two at a time. It's tough to form a relationship that way, yet alone maintain one. While it was a painful decision to uproot ourselves to move east, we made the plunge. And plunge we did. With no guarantee of a job in Nova Scotia, we quit our secure ones, sold our house and everything we owned. We made a right hand turn and kept going until be bumped our noses on the Atlantic.

3. This is home. I grew up in a small fishing community on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. I was envious of those who could watch cable television, hang out at an arcade and do all those cool things that a teenager could do. While my city slicker friends were mastering Pacman, I was jigging mackerel from the wharf. While none of these things are not necessarily better than the other, they are different and years later I realize that cleaning a fish is a good skill to have. My childhood experiences were humble yet rich.

4. The people are "some" nice. On Twitter I asked the following question: What makes Nova Scotia the "right coast" for you to live? Basically all of the responses made reference to the people. Words like "authenticity", "warm, kind and fun to be with" came up. Of course, people are nice wherever you go but it's Nova Scotians who capture tourists hearts and uphold our reputation.

For these reasons, Nova Scotia truly is the right coast for me. What are yours?

Peggy's Cove in 15 minutes

Today I had the chance to go to Peggy's Cove for work-related business. Once I finished my tasks, and before jumping in the car for a 25 minute drive back to Halifax, I wanted to spend a couple minutes with "Peggy".

This small fishing village is a photographer's paradise. Every where you turn there's a photo op. Today's blue sky made it perfect but, then again, fog would have added mystique and drama. Even the local fisherman working on their boats while tourists watched were photogenic.

Everything in Peggy's Cove is a stones throw away. You can walk anywhere and everywhere there isn't a "private road" sign. There is a mix of cars and people along the windy paved road leading up the hill and eventually to the rocks.

A fisherman's glove caught my eye, doesn't it look like it's reaching for something? The tide was low during my brief visit and the water in the small cove was calm but just around the corner, it was a different story with wind and surf. So interesting to see how just a few feet away from this protected cove there were white caps.

My 15 minute break is up. I'll start walking back to the car now.

Mackerel Fishing

No technical fishing knowledge or gear required. All you need is a wharf that you’ll share with the locals. Sometimes, if they are “running” you can catch 10 mackerel in 10 minutes. One time my sister tied a ring on the end of her line and a bunch of mackerel tried to bite it! They'll bite at anything flashy. That's because they are after huge schools of minnows.

Mackerel fishing is one of best childhood memories growing up along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It's a social gathering for the locals. They welcome any newcomers, they might even give you some of their catch because their freezer at home is already full.


In this photo, my brother and daughter are showing off their big catch. No exaggerated fish stories here!