Ferry To Nova Scotia

I was up at 6:30 am so that I could get the car packed and get to the Ferry in Argentia, NL. It was a 90 minute drive to the port. Although the tip was relatively short, it had its expected beautiful mixed water ways and mountains views.

Originally, the ferry was scheduled to leave at 17:00 and I needed to be at the port two hours ahead of schedule. I received a message during the day indicating the ferry would now be leaving at 14:00 due to a category 2 hurricane, Earl. It wasn’t going to be our direct path but we would encounter winds and waves off the coast.

I arrived at 10 and found my way to the waiting room. There were 15 cars in front of me. By 11:45 all the trucks and cars were loaded onboard. We were off sailing by 13:00, an hour ahead of what we were told.

I used the compass on the iPhone to semi-track where the ship was traveling. We were staying very close to shore as long as possible. Periodically, land could be seen behind the fog. Around 18:00, we headed more directly towards our destination, Sydney, NS. We were warned that the waters would get very rough, but I didn’t really notice anything alarming. The worst of the larger waves came around 20:00 and everyone carried on as normal.

I decided to take the all-you-can-eat buffet for 30 CAN. This was nothing to write home about. The salmon was the best part of the meal. The vegetables had a cardboard consistency with slightly more taste. The rest was what you would expect on most airlines. I was just happy to get something in my stomach.

As nighttime fell, the lounge cleared and passengers with cabinets left for a rockabye evening. I had tried to book a cabin but I was told they were sold-out months ago.

For us lower class passengers, we could either sleep in the sleeping lounge or in the lounge at the bow of the boat.

By night time, the seats to the left were mostly full. It felt like I was on a plane. So, I chose to stay in the bow because it was less crowded and I could spread out on a sofa. I clearly remember that this was not permitted on the previous ferry but here it was allowed.

There was a sign in a cabinet that some of the passengers took to heart. A large group of Germans kept the bar going until about 12:30. They were telling jokes, and drinking beer as we sliced though the waves. I slowly drifted off as they shutdown the bar.

We were originally scheduled to arrive at 6:15 but didn’t arrive until 9:30. I had a long drive ahead of me.