Claudine and I did the trip from Cheticamp (just south of the Park on the west side) to Meat Cove on the top. We did it in three days in July 06 - two great days of weather and one marginal. The water was comfortable enought for extended swimming (intentional!), so I'd recommend hydroskin pants and whatever top you want to be wearing if it rains hard all day long. If the wind is from the southwest (frequently) you can slide along the coast effortlessly. If it is from the northwest, that's bad - especially when you round the top where the currents collide. I've been told you don't want to be there in a strong northwest wind, and believe it. I'm told that you should be prepared to abort - a number of trips don't make it. Pleasant Bay is the bail-out. There are some whale watching boats, resturant, etc. there, so you should be able to hire a ride, worst case.
We couldn't get cell or radio reception to get a weather forecast for our last day when the weather was going sour. I'd allow for extra food and water so you don't feel pushed into making a bad decision. When the weather is good, it's one of the best places. We literally saw dozens of pilot whales, and one distant spout from a large whale (probably fin). The cliffs are spectacular. For us it was a wonderful experience.
Feel free to contact Claudine or me for more information.
Pete

: Hello. I met Sheldon at the Outdoor Sports Clinic and we got the
: info for ConnYak from Marc at Outdoor Sports in Wilton. Marc
: recommended that we reach out to the members of ConnYak to ask
: questions about our upcoming paddling trip in Nova Scotia. We
: are planning to do about 4 days of paddling and camping along
: the Cape Breton Highlands from August 25th-28th. I wanted to
: reach out to people and see if there is a suggested route for
: those 4 days, and also to see what kind of gear and clothing
: people suggest that time of year. Wet suit? NRS Hydroskin pants?
: Any tips we may not be thinking about? Thank you for any help!