june/july 2016cruisingworld.com53were hunted to extinction. Just past the
surf line, 18 types of sharks lurk, waiting for
a lone seal to swim out; the predators tend
to avoid larger groups. During our visit we
found three seals on the beach with huge
chunks of their bodies missing. It was
awful to see them in pain from the shark
attacks, but there was nothing we could
do to help them. We were reminded by the
Canadians that this was part of the cycle
of life. In the winter the seals move all over
the island. We found many seal skeletons
well inland. There was considerable plant
growth around these areas. Sheppard said
that this kind of ecological activity helps
keep Sable Island stable.
We spotted many birds. One of the
more prevalent species is the Ipswich
sparrow, which lives on the Eastern U.S.
Seaboard during the winter. Sable Island
is the birds’ sole nesting place, and they
must fly over 400 miles to reach it each
breeding season. Bill Barton told us that
there are 16 species of birds that nest on
Sable, along with many transient visitors.
With our crew on the island, the
population soared to 18. In addition
to us, there were four Parks Canada
personnel, several researchers, and four
college students who were spending their
summer studying the genetics of the
horses through their dung.
On the third day of our visit, we learned
that a strong cold front was coming in
from the northwest. “Oh boy,” I thought,
“another upwind blow for the sail back to
Halifax.” At sunset we loaded Tazzarin for
our voyage to the mainland. David Martz
took on the job of hoisting the anchor,
which was well dug in after three days. It
was windy, but we made it back on one
tack. Finamore spent considerable time
at the helm. I enjoyed watching him im-
prove his steering technique. The secret,
he told me, was to anticipate the waves
two to three swells ahead of the boat.
It’s hard to know if the ocean will
someday swallow Sable Island, or if the
wind will blow it off the continental
shelf. Sheppard said Parks Canada is
working on a management plan to find
ways to preserve the island, which
may allow more visitors (with a light
footprint) in the future.
On my next transatlantic flight, I
expect that I will once again search for
Sable Island. When I see it, I will surely
smile, knowing that, at least once, I got
to explore the mysterious, magical spit
of sand.
Gary Jobson is a winning America’s Cup tac-
tician, writer, filmmaker and CW editor-
at-large. To see a trailer of his documentary,
The Magic and Mystery of Sable Island,
go to cruisingworld.com/1606sable.