Welcome to Tancook
Big Tancook Island is the largest island of all 365 islands in Mahone Bay, Lunenburg County. The island is about 9.6 km off the coast of Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada. The only public transportation is by government ferry, the William G. Ernst. The ferry ride takes about 50 minutes from the Chester wharf. Tancook is about 4.8 km long and 2.4 km at the widest point.
Smaller islands such as Little Tancook, East ironbound, Grassy and Star are close by.
You can view the ferry schedule and get more info at: (
visit link)
Ferry History -
Before the 1900s there was no ferry service. In the 1930s the islanders asked the government for a ferry service. This was because two people had died because they could not get a doctor.
The first ferry was called the Gerald L.C. It was built by Wesley Stevens Senior in 1933. It was owned by Willis Crooks. It could carry 25 passengers. It did its first run in 1935.
The next ferry was the S.G. Mason. It was built and owned by Stanley Mason. It used to carry farm supplies to Halifax. In 1939 the S.G. Mason replaced the Gerald L.C. as the Tancook ferry.
In the 1940s the islanders wanted a bigger and more comfortable ferry. In 1944 Stanley Mason built the T.I. Service. It could carry 40 passengers, freight and mail. It made one return trip daily.
In 1961 the shoreham Ferry replaced the T.I. Service. The ferry made 8 trips daily Monday to Friday and 4 trips daily on Saturday and Sunday. It could carry 75 passengers and had 2 crews. The captains were Warren Pearl and James Clothier.
In 1982 the William G. Ernst replaced the Shoreham as the Tancook Island ferry.
Newly added to Tancook is a Tancook Island Wharf web cam. This became live on June 13, 2013. There are actually 2 geocaches in sight of this camera! Link below: (
visit link)