Report on the PEI show and Magdalen Islands tour

Last August 25th, the “British Car Days in PEI” show came alive again thanks to the Cymbria Lions Club of Rustico in collaboration with the British Motoring Association of PEI. The original event was discontinued four or five years ago.

Held on the grounds of the Lions Club community hall overlooking the sea, some 85 British classic cars were displayed in perfect sunny weather. They included four FABAC entries: the Triumph TR3A of Karen (and Terry), the Jaguar E-type of Curry and Sherry A. the MG TD of Rod K. and the MGB of Shirley Ann and John B. The newly refurbished community hall was used for the previous evening’s “meet and greet” (fantastic clam chowder and mussels galore!) and then for the show’s awards dinner. Heavily supported by BMAPEI and BATANS members, the cars on show included a rare Rover 2000TC, a Morgan 4/4, a TVR Tuscan and a brace of Morris Minor convertibles. Strangely though, not a Rolls Royce in sight! An equally rare Hillman Minx convertible scooped the top prize.

After the show, for the Alders and Bowles, it was onto a five day adventure tour to the Magdalen Islands (Iles de la Madeleine) population around 13,000. This involved joining up with 22 BATANS club members on a very well organized trip starting with a five-hour ferry voyage from Souris in PEI to Port de Cap-Aux Meules Island. With a road that runs almost 100 kms from one end of the chain of five islands to the other, the archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence features winding roads, deep green valleys, spectacular sandy beaches and deep red cliffs. Tour organizers Dave and Carol Munro with Rosalie and Fraser Cox led a program of site visits to fishing villages, craft centres, a salt mine interpretative centre and cheese, beer and herring factories. Some excellent food restaurants were also on the menu! One of the spectacular sights were the scores of kite-powered surf boarders skimming the waves at 70 kph. Apparently the islands are an international magnet for surf boarders due to sustained winds and shallow waters.

For most of the tour, top-down weather was the order of the day. Only on the last morning, did rain spoil proceedings as the cars lined to embark for the ferry back to PEI. Both the Alders’ Jaguar and the Bowles’ MG didn’t miss a beat having covered some 960 miles or 1600 kms from Fredericton back to Fredericton. How’s that for British classic car reliability! All in all a great trip to be recommended.
- John B.