New Brunswick - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island - page 241

Chance' and 'Spite,' evoking the heartbreak of relying on an indifferent sea for a living.
A tear made by a marauding seal in a net can free an entire catch of herring in a single
night.
Grand Manan Historical Museum MUSEUM
( www.grandmananmuseum.ca ; 1141 Rte 776, Grand Harbour; adult/student & senior $5/3;
9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) This museum makes a good destination on a foggy day. Its diverse
collection of local artifacts provides a quick primer on island history. Here you can see a
display on shipwreck lore and the original kerosene lamp from nearby Gannet Rock
lighthouse (1904). There is also a room stuffed with 200-plus taxidermied birds (includ-
ing the now-extinct passenger pigeon). The museum hosts a number of evening lectures
and community classes and activities.
Seal Cove HISTORIC SITE
Seal Cove is the island's prettiest village. Much of its charm comes from the fishing
boats, wharves and herring-smoking sheds clustered around the tidal creek mouth. For a
century, smoked herring was king on Grand Manan. A thousand men and women worked
splitting, stringing and drying fish in 300 smokehouses up and down the island. The last
smokehouse shut down in 1996. Although herrings are still big business around here,
they're now processed at a modern cannery. Today, the sheds house an informal Sardine
Museum (admission by donation; 11am-4pm Tue-Sat) . On display are the world's largest
sardine can (alleged) and an authentically smelly exhibit on the smoking process.
Activities
Sea Watch Tours BIRDWATCHING
( 506-662-8552, 877-662-8552; www.seawatchtours.com ; Seal Cove fisherman's wharf; adult/
child $86/48; Mon-Sat Jul & Aug) Make the pilgrimage out to isolated Machias Seal Is-
land to see the Atlantic puffins waddle and play on their home turf. Access is limited to
15 visitors a day, so reserve well in advance. Getting onto the island can be tricky, as the
waves are high and the rocks slippery. Wear sturdy shoes.
Whales-n-Sails Adventures BOAT TOUR
( 506-662-1999, 888-994-4044; www.whales-n-sails.com ; North Head fisherman's wharf; adult/
child $66/46; Jul-Sep) A marine biologist narrates these exhilarating whale-watching
tours aboard the sailboat Elsie Menota . You'll often see puffins, razorbills, murre and
other seabirds.