Yarmouth is only a cruise on Bluenose away

loading...

YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia — There are two things this pretty little village has in common with Bar Harbor. First are the rocks that protect the harbors. In Bar Harbor, they are Bar Island; in Yarmouth, they are the Yarmouth Bar.

The result of the Yarmouth Bar is to make the entrance to Yarmouth harbor long, narrow and possessed of an almost-90 degree turn. It is nearly a fiord.

Yarmouth, itself, is a tourist town, but a very tranquil one. One bar (with loud music). No cafes or restaurants except those in hotels. A couple of pizzarias, a Chinese place and two delis.

The second thing the two villages have in common is the MV Bluenose. When it docks in Yarmouth, a bagpiper plays on the lawn just above the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal. Often he plays “My Bonnie Lassie.” Even cynics like the sound.

The MV (motor vessel) Bluenose plies the 100-mile crossing between here and Bar Harbor in about six hours. The crossing is made daily until winter, then it slows to three trips a week. The Bluenose may technically be a vessel, but in size it is a ship. A big ship: 5,800 tons. It rides sweetly even in rough weather, but one does notice a twisting sort of vibration, in the stern areas, from the diesel-powered propellers.

The Bluenose sails from Bar Harbor at 8 a.m. We were told to be at the terminal at 7 a.m. That wasn’t necessary. Almost anytime prior to sailing would have worked.

We stayed at the BayView in Bar Harbor the night before to be ready for the 7 a.m. appearance. This was interesting. We had a townhouse. Three stories. Two bedrooms, one with a fireplace, downstairs. Two bathrooms on the first level, just away from the entrance hall.

The townhouse, set on the BayView campus, could easily fit into Georgetown, outside Washington, D.C. There were little balconies into which potted flowering plants were set.

On the second floor was a sitting area, with fireplace, a real (you could cook in it) kitchen and a large dining area. On the third floor was a sleeping loft with two beds.

Our party was but three. Two big families could have occupied the townhouse and not gotten in each others’ way. We could not try the Bayiew’s dining room. It was so popular it was fully booked for the 6 and 8 p.m. seatings.

We walked directly across the road to Jerry and Judy Allen’s Seaview Restaurant. With its pine walls and wood stoves, it was clean, warm and priced right. The food was good. Jerry closes for the winter and goes to Florida so this spot is not open now. But Jerry would sell the place to you, since he has been running it for more than 20 years and thinks of retirement.

At 8 a.m., the Bluenose sails. Its famous blue prow, behind which is the huge door cars and trucks enter to below-decks, is tipped up until almost sailing time.

We took a cabin, going as foot passengers. The price of taking a car is heavy. The price of a cabin is not. Having no car in Yarmouth is not a penalty. Cab rides, even long ones, don’t exceed $4 Canadian, about $2.80 U.S.

Having American money in Canada makes one feel, briefly, rich. Breakfast in a Yarmouth cafe was two eggs, bacon/sausage/ham, toast and tea for $2 Canadian ($1.40 U.S.). Reasonable. Very reasonable.

There are apparently three sorts of folks who ride the Bluenose. One set are the day-trippers, who board to play the slot machines and stay on board during the one-hour layover in Yarmouth. Another set takes cabins, dine in the buffet restaurant (very nice) up front. The third are truckers. They also take cabins. They party and then sleep. After their trucks come off at Bar Harbor, they drive to Boston for the fish auction. They delive Nova Scotia fish and scallops, and — later in the winter — lobster. Then they return.

The gamblers seem indifferent to the massive sea. The cabin folks walk the boat decks and fantail, wearing vacation clothes. The truckers stay inside.

The Bluenose is not the Queen Mary. Cabins are a la Holiday Inn, but spotless. Two large, square portholes are more like windows. The view of the ocean is lovely. This vessel was launched in 1971. The cabin lighting could be better, as could the ventilation in the very big snack bar/casino area. All gamblers seem to smoke cigarettes. Thankfully, pipes and cigars are prohibited. There is an outside sitting area where folks could, but did not, take their cocktails.

There is a lounge/bar on the third deck. It was not busy. Behind the snack bar and casino area was a duty-free shop, selling cigarettes, sweatshirts and hats. It was not busy either.

For children (of whatever age), there is a small room with video games. Outside there is a bank of cellular phones. Off that, there are two large areas for folks who have not taken a cabin. One is called the quiet lounge. It is. The seats are larger than airplane first class, three abreast.

A second area, with similar seating to the quiet lounge, shows movies on a big screen. This area has traditional, round portholes and is popular.

The terminal in Yarmouth is compact and clean, as is the terminal in Bar Harbor. In the Yarmouth terminal, there is a small cafe that serves hot and cold light lunches.

After the bagpiper, one strolls Yarmouth. Its little shops are interesting. Outside of one, the proprietor — in blazer and bow tie — was happily singing along with a tape he was playing. The tape was Stan Rogers, a Nova Scotian. On the Nova Scotia “Top 10” best-selling records list almost always is one in Gaelic. Rogers sings in English, but sound Celtic.

Yarmouth lays out above the harbor, on a hill. In the harbor are the fishing vessels, which go out for scallops and haddock.

Up the harbor is a small island beached upon which is a strange sailing vessel, with a Spanish castle. It is said two English caused this vessel to be put there, in a ditch cut on the shore for the purpose. It is said to have four rooms. No one lives there anymore.

There is a sense of sadness about the abandoned house/boat, and at a now-not-functioning miniature golf course on the main street of Yarmouth.

Yarmouth is a place without frenetic activity. In fact, what one can do is relax and have a simple meal. Hotels and motels are, by U.S. standards, very cheap.

One should beware of buying tangible items, however. The Canadian tax system imposes an 11 percent tax on things like shoes and aspirin. Then, on top of that number is taken a 7 percent general sales tax.

If one takes the Bluenose as a foot passenger, uses taxis, spends the night and avoids lots of buying, the feeling of a cruise is there at little cost.

It is nice in Yarmouth and aboard the Bluenose.

Jamie Lowry lives in Blue Hill.