The Ada C.Lore is a 118 foot Chesapeake Bay Oyster
Schooner. She was originally built in 1923 in Dorchester, New Jersey and her
purpose was to dredge for oysters under sail on the Delaware River. She has
been completely restored to her former glory. These boats were very
maneuverable and because of their shallow draft they were very well adapted to
work the waters and inlets of the Maryland coast. The Ada C. Lore is one of
only three remaining historic Chesapeake Bay oyster schooners in the United
States.
Like many of the fishing vessels of today she is now
engaged in tourism. You can charter her for a private function or you can take
a romantic sunset cruise or you can go whale watching which is what we did.
We have been whale watching before but this trip would
take us past the East Quoddy Lighthouse and at least 2 other small lights and
that was motivation enough to sign up.
The cruise left Eastport Pier at 1:30 and the day was
bright and sunny. It was warm on the land but because we knew it would be
different on the water we took fleeces and windbreakers with us. It was a wise
move.
As we pull away the sailors begin to raise the main
sail and we are offered the chance to take part. I jump at their offer and soon
I am pulling on the rope as hard as I can. I last until the sail is about ¾ of
the way to the top of the mast, then someone else jumps in and I sit and pant
for the next few minutes. This was so much fun and was a new experience for me.
This area of the coast is dotted with many small
islands and almost immediately we are in Canadian waters. The first lighthouse
we see is the small marker on Cherry Island. It is a while column and is on the
end of this small island.
At first it appears as if the whales have decided to
hide but soon we see a Minke whale. It swims around near the boat to the
delight of all.
Soon the Deer Island light comes into view. It is also
a small white column but we are able to get some good pictures. Deer Island has
a full time population of about 800 people, most of whom work in the fishing
industry. This island and Cherry Island and Campobello are all part of New
Brunswick.
Soon we are treated to another whale appearance as well
as porpoise and seals and many seabirds. The sun is shining, the sea is calm
and the day is glorious. My anti-nausea medicine stays in my purse.
Now comes our main reason for taking this cruise; the
East Quoddy Lighthouse. We sail through Head Harbour Passage and as we round
the point the lighthouse comes into view. She is beautiful!!
The paint is fresh and bright and she is beautiful.
There are several out buildings. Because it is late afternoon the light is
perfect. As we get closer our cameras get into full gear and we are busy
snapping photo after photo. Each view seems to be better than the previous one.
Between the two of us I am sure we took over 80 pictures. We see the bridge and
the ladders that we would have to use to get this close if we had gone by land
instead of sea. This light is accessible only at low tide and this week the
timing is not right so this cruise was a second choice. In fact it turned out
to be the best choice, we could never have gotten these photos from the land.
As we sail away our cameras are still clicking.
On our return one of the seamen explained the
phenomenon of Old Sow, the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. It is
truly amazing to see the waters go from perfectly flat to boiling violently.
“Tremendous
water turbulence occurs locally in the greater Old Sow area, but it does not
usually constitute a navigation hazard for motorized vessels with experienced
operators at the helm; however, small craft — especially vessels with keels
(sailboats) and human-powered vessels — are warned to avoid these waters when
the tide is running.”
Soon the pier came into sight and our adventure on the
Ada C. Lore had come to an end.
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