Barra Strait
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barra Strait | |
|---|---|
| Grand Narrows | |
| Taawitk (Mi'kmaq) | |
 Barra Strait and Bridges from the North | |
  Barra Strait Barra Strait in Nova Scotia  Barra Strait Barra Strait (Canada) | |
| Location | Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia |
| Coordinates | 45°57′09″N 60°48′15″W / 45.95250°N 60.80417°W |
| Type | Channel |
| Part of | Bras d'Or Lake |
| Ocean/sea sources | Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Atlantic Ocean |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 1.2 nautical miles (2.2 km; 1.4 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.66 nautical miles (1.22 km; 0.76 mi) |
| Max. depth | 50 metres (160 ft) |
| Settlements | Grand Narrows & Iona |
| References | Geographical Names of Canada - Barra Strait |
The Barra Strait[1] is a 1.22 km (0.76 mi) wide channel located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It connects the northern and southern basins of Bras d'Or Lake, an inland saltwater body that dominates the centre of Cape Breton Island. The border between two of Cape Breton Island's counties runs through the strait; the community of Grand Narrows, in Cape Breton County, is situated on the eastern shore while the community of Iona, in Victoria County is situated on the western shore.[2]
The Mi'kmaq name for the strait was Taawitk, "where the water flows out." An early descriptive name for the strait, Grand Narrows, has persisted as the name of the neighbouring community on the east bank and as the name of the railroad bridge over the Strait.[3] "Grand" to distinguish it from the "Little Narrows," on the same Bras d'Or Lake. The Grand Narrows was also known, as far as the Strait is concerned, as the "Barra Strait." This after the Sound of Barra on the Isle of Barra in the Scottish Hebrides, where most of the settlers in this neighbourhood came from about the year 1802.[4] The name, "Barra Strait" was approved November 2, 1950.[2]
Transportation
The opening of the St. Peters Canal in 1869 saw the Barra Strait become part of a sheltered coastal shipping route between Sydney and the Strait of Canso for sailing and steam powered vessels. Vessels transiting this route are only limited by the size of the lock in the St. Peters Canal, which measures 91.44 metres (300.0 ft) long, 14.45 metres (47.4 ft) wide, and 4.88 metres (16.0 ft) draught.
Boat traffic through the Barra Strait has been logged since 1991, and has consistently ranged between 1700 and 2100 boats passing through the swing and bascule bridges each year, with a peak of 2100 passages recorded for 2002. Of these movements, an estimated 2% are commercial activity, 8% are government and 90% are recreational.[5]
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