Lennox Passage (waterway)
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| Lennox Passage | |
|---|---|
  Lennox Passage Lennox Passage in Nova Scotia | |
| Location | Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia |
| Coordinates | 45°34′54″N 61°05′12″W / 45.58167°N 61.08667°W |
| Type | Strait |
| Part of | Atlantic ocean |
| Max. length | 10 nautical miles (19 km) |
Lennox Passage is a navigable waterway between Cape Breton Island and Isle Madame in Nova Scotia, Canada.[1][2] Small craft use the relatively protected Passage (also correctly referred to as a strait) traveling to and from St. Peters Canal at the village of St. Peter's and the Strait of Canso to avoid sailing around the east coast of Cape Breton in the open Atlantic Ocean.
The Passage is approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) in length from MacDonalds Shoal (near Janvrin Island) to Ouetique Island near D'Escousse with depths varying from 3 to 20 metres. The Passage is well-buoyed and marine interests should be aware that eastbound vessels leave the green buoys to starboard while making their way towards St. Peter's.
Initially crossed by two ferries, (one from the present location of the bridge and one from Grandique Point to Grandique Ferry), construction of a swing bridge began in 1916 and was completed in 1919, connecting Isle Madame to Cape Breton. This bridge was horse-operated and according to Canadian yachtsman and author Silver Donald Cameron, a former resident of D'Escousse) in his book "Wind, whales and whisky" (page 14), was powered by Stanley Forgeron's rather temperamental horse in 1967 when Farley Mowat sailed through the passage aboard Happy Adventure on his way to Expo67.
In February 1970 following the grounding and subsequent breakup of the Liberian-registered tanker Arrow[3][4] on Cerberus Rock in Chedabucto Bay and the resulting spill of 77,000 to 82,500 barrels (more than 2 million gallons)[5] of bunker C oil, the decision was made by the Nova Scotia Government to construct two causeways between Burnt Point and Burnt Island [6] to stop the spread of the Arrow's spilled cargo into the lucrative fishing areas of the Passage as well as the coastline to the east.
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After the oil spill cleanup by the mid-1970s, the Government left one causeway in place because the 1919 bridge had rusted beyond repair and in response to the needs of marine interests built the Lennox Passage Bridge, a four-span, 98.5 metres (323 ft) bascule bridge with two concrete spans, a counterweight span and an electrically powered single-leaf bascule bridge carrying Nova Scotia Route 320.[7]
When closed, the bridge has a vertical clearance of 5.5 metres (18 ft) at high tide,[8] possibly as much as 7.3 metres (24 ft) at a very low tide.[9]
