Day 166 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Ferry Ride From Saint John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia Aboard the Princess Of Acadia

This way to the Ferry…

The Princess of Acadia has a Starbucks in the Rising Tide Cafe, a Little Mates Quarters for kids, the Fundy Grill restaurant if you’re hungry and the Sea Breeze lounge if you’re thirsty. You can watch a movie onboard, play in the arcade, or try your luck on the VLTs. You can even hook up your own laptop to the internet, or surf free-of-charge on the Ferry’s computers. It’s a pretty cushy three-hour trip, but it can be a bit rocky, so you may want to bring some Gravol if you get nauseous.

The Princess of Acadia leaves the Saint John Harbour at 9:00 a.m., bound for Digby.

The van is loaded, and we are ready to go!

Phyllis passes the time with a crossword puzzle.

2nd Officer Kevin Arsenault

Steward (1) Brian Cousins

QM (1) Carven Chamberlain

Captain Oral Hamilton

The captain watches the ferry pull up along the 60 foot high pier. The tide at the Bay of Fundy can rise as much as 30 feet.

Two Longshoremen wait for the ferry to dock.

Flags are stored on the bridge, and each flag has a meaning.

Tying up the ferry.

Departing the ferry from the vehicle deck.

Canadian Flag on a Fish Farm, Digby, Nova Scotia.

Day 165 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Tugboats in The Historic Town of Saint John, New Brunswick

The Atlantic Beaver is the newest boat down at the pier as it is about a year old. Note the orange paint on the top of the boat to increase its visibility.

The Crew of the Atlantic Beaver

Allan has been the engineer of the Atlantic Spruce for two year, a Saint John-based tug boat. Crew members often live on board for months at a time depending where the tug boat is working.

In the quiet months the crew paints and does maintenance on the boats. The Atlantic Beech celebrated its 40th birthday this year and is still considered to be a viable work horse.

Rope Detail – This stuff is strong! 

Tim has been working on big boats for 26 years, 13 years in St John and before that 13 years in the Philipines. Tim is the engineer of the Hazelnut tug boat.

Canadian Flags adorn two of the four tug boats moored in Saint John.

Welding crew works on the Atlantic Beaver.

Curtis is the Captain of the Atlantic Beaver. He uses joysticks to steer, and the boat can manoever in any direction. 

The crews have many maintenance-type tasks to keep them busy during the slower season. 

Colin works on the Atlantic Beaver. 

The escape hatch doubles as a round window in the kitchen, right above the sink. 

Day 164 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Saint Patrick’s Day in The Historic Town of Saint John, New Brunswick

A huge SAINT JOHN sign hovers over the city reminding everyone of how unique and special Saint John is.

Saint John Harbour  

Downtown Saint John

Market Square

An aging mural depicting Saint John is worn and weathered, much like the 100’s of historical warehouses and residental buildings in the downtown core. Many of which date back 200 years. Saint John is saturated in history, character and characters.

The Saint John Harbour boardwalk was busy with pedestrian traffic with temperatures of plus 6!.

Fort Howe sits atop a hill just North of the downtown core.  

Cairn by Fort Howe

Details of artwork in Market Square park.

Francoise-Marie Jacquelin and Sieur Charles de Menou d’Aulnay are two French historical figures that play a key role in Saint John’s history. They are carved in wood and stand down by the waterfront beside Market Square.  

Market Square Interior / The Marco Polo was built in Saint John.

Coast Guard Lighthouse by the Water’s Edge

Scallop fishing boat returning to Saint John harbour.

Some of the only houses to survive the 1877 fire which gutted most of downtown Saint John.

North Side Neighborhood

Shopping Centre

Scultures and historical monuments are throughout Kings Square, which takes up an entire city block in downtown Saint John.

Outside of the City Market

 The original Saint John City Market (named Country Market and held in the open air) was located at the foot of King Street at Market Square. It is open year-round Monday through Saturday. 

Vendors at the City Market in the heart of Saint John.

Helena sells her paintings at the City Market. 

Cinemas, like the Drive In’s, are becoming fewer and fewer with the population renting movies and using the internet.

The Kings Square Cinema is across the street from Kings Square Park.

Flags of the Day

Is it Ground Hog day today or is it St. Patrick’s day?

We spotted this furry friend on a visit to Fort Howe Park in Saint John, which is situated on a hill top overlooking downtown.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Saint John!!! This musican was on the way to play the Irish drum at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

A group of 20 Saint John businessmen showed up in a Hummer limo to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a local pub.

Even the butcher at the Market Square got in on the St. Patties fever.

Friends meet at O’Leary’s for some St. Paddy’s Day fun.

Waitin’ For Some Friends

Working on St. Patrick’s Day

Cheers! Welcome to Saint John! 

A worthwhile message to heed at any time of the year!