Rainy noon departure from Antigonish as we started this journey… and we fully expected an entire day of it! First leg, when you’re sailing on the ferry, is to take the TC-104 through Cape Breton to North Sydney. Bear with me, but I’d like to article the ferry process a bit… just so next trip I’ll have a good description to work from. You’ll need a reservation, ID, and to be on-site at a specific time (i.e. we were emailed to check in before 3:30 for an 5:30 departure / 2 hrs prior). There are two options, the Port aux Basques and the Argentia Ferries. We opted for the loop, arriving via Argentia Ferry (which is close to St. John’s) and returning on the shorter, Port aux Basques route after using the opportunity to tour across the island.
First stop is the ticket booth… reservation/ID are checked and boarding passes are provided. The Argentia crossing is a 15-16 hr passage, no small trip! We opted to include a berth in our reservation (Note: make all reservations early) and secure beds in the hope of catching a few hours of sleep. We parked in the assigned lane and walked to the North Sydney terminal, where seating, TV’s and washrooms are located. Please note, if you do decide to leave the site (i.e. visit the adjacent Tim Hortons on other side of fence) you will require identification and boarding pass to return as the area is controlled.
An announcement for loading of vehicles on the Atlantic Vision occurred appr 1.5 hours before scheduled time for disembarking and we were parked on G5 Deck about an hour later. Of note, instruction emails include the requirement to take all necessary items to upper decks as passengers are not permitted to access vehicles during crossing. For us that meant a small bag for overnight items, warmer clothes and our trusty cooler for snacks / drinks.
Trip Lexicon: Yaffle; Newfoundland English which defines it as “an armful (salt cod, kindling, etc. but in this case our bags/coolers for the ferry cabin); a load”.
Our boarding pass info also held room keys, so we headed directly to cabin 8221 to get settled. Great room (there were no 2 person berths when we reserved well in advance so we enjoyed a 4 person) that included desk, power outlets (handy for our cooler), bathroom/shower and all necessary linens. Probably more room than the train bunks we’ve had occasion to overnight in!
So… the sail got me to thinking 🤔 about who pays for this service! I had an inkling / memory that this may have been part of a deal struck in 1949. Janie went to “the google” and, sure enough, one of the confederation articles notes the federal gov’t will ensure “a constitutionally-guaranteed link to mainland Canada” (see link). Not sure of today’s arrangement, but quite positive it’s a costly venture with the myriad of infrastructure, employee and business related expenses. Tix surely aren’t cheap, with our return voyage tallying nearly $1,000 bucks. Not costing us that much to visit New Brunswick, which has to be a disadvantage here for all manner of commerce.
Anyway, we toured the top few decks and came to rest in the cozy chairs of the entertainment area on Deck 7 for a while, catching a lone guitar player singing his heart out. With waning internet access (basically non-existent), a now steady roll of the vessel in mild seas, and the iPhone battery expended we hustled to our cabin and snacked / settled into the bunks. Very comfy set-up, with clean sheets and cool temp! It was early to bed ⛴️/😴.