really big tides

I may have mentioned that tides are a really big deal in St Martin and the Bay of Fundy in general- and that they have the highest tides in the world... this is due to a geological formation and the funnel shape of the bay itself along with the location being so far north of the equator.  But what I haven't mentioned is exactly how high the tides are- seriously impressive...

this from wikipedia says it quite succinctly-

The Bay of Fundy is known for having the highest tidal range in the world. Rivaled by Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, King Sound in Western Australia, Gulf of Khambhat in India, and the Severn Estuary in the UK, it has one of the highest vertical tidal ranges in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records (1975) declared that Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world:
“The Natural World, Greatest Tides: The greatest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy.... Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, has the greatest mean spring range with 47.5 feet and an extreme range of 53.5 feet.”

On morning two of our class we had an excellent lecture from a local lobster and scallop fisherman who discussed all kinds of things related to the trade... then we walked through the town of St Martin - guided by local historian Eric Bartlett, who discussed architecture and history along the way, and the lives of lobster fisherman when we were in the area of the local harbor. 

just a tinge of fall colors starting here-

on the way down to the harbor- 

do you think they are all LOL inside the Orange Hall? LOL

we saw several of these in St Martin - apparently a program started to get the kids involved with reading and sharing and staying away from vandalism (the kids build them and take care of them)

down in the harbor all the lobster pots/traps are ready for the fall season which begins in November and runs until mid January... I found it interesting how each lobster man's traps differed - both on the exterior and what was held inside awaiting the work months-

a small park in the harbor honored the local fishermen-

you may recall the earlier photos being at much lower tide level -

still not full high tide- but the boats are getting some water under the keels (see I learned ship terms yesterday at the museum! LOL)

a picturesque spot where tourists stop for photos will always engender a place for them to also leave their money and so it goes with the harbor in St. Martins...

there are (as I think I mentioned in a prior post) two covered bridges in the Harbor area-

and even near the touristy gift shops the working port is still evident-

we bid farewell (for this morning) to the local lighthouse and head back to the Inn for lunch and a lecture on cooking scallops and lobster along with information about local favorites fiddlehead ferns (which we get on rare occasions in the Chicago area and always buy when we see them!) 

these ferns are so treasured locally that they appear on the bottom of the provincial crest- (being trounced by local elk?)

later that night - our lobster dinner- the bib and then the big guy (or gal) --- LOL

then the evening's music- a Celtic singer named Keith Facey who was thoroughly entertaining- 

tomorrow we are off to the Fundy Trail and will visit the St Martins lighthouse (which is for sale in case you had an interest in making a purchase of real estate in New Brunswick...) so plenty of reason to return to semifreelife...