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NEW WATERFORD, N.S. —

Matt Kyte and Katie LeBlanc imagine building a larger retreat carved into the woods lining a small inlet on the Bras d’Or Lake.

The couple are former members of the Canadian Forces who are finalizing the purchase agreement to buy Kayak Cape Breton and Cottages in West Bay from long-time owner Eberhard Witt. The deal is expected to close in mid-May.

They expect to begin operating using a trailer, a boathouse and a four-person yurt will be erected on site. The farmhouse can sleep eight comfortably, Kyte, 37, said.

Eventually there will also be a 16-foot diametre geodome and log cottages. Each structure will be hidden from the other to provide a secluded feel on the lake.

“What we want to do is have every single one of our accommodations be unique,” Kyte said.

“The more unique structures we can find and build, the better it would be for us. It wouldn’t be like 15 geodomes and choose (one) … lined up alongside each other.”

A two-bedroom boathouse cottage and farmhouse are in secluded parts of a 12-acre wooded area in West Bay, Richmond Co. Kayak Cape Breton and Cottages, which is being purchased by Matt Kyte and Katie LeBlanc, will be expanded over time.

They are already putting thoughts into building a hunting cabin that would require a short hike to reach it, A-frame shelters along the water and a forest fire lookout tower that would be an adequate refuge for a couple of campers above the tree tops.

A number of accommodations around Cape Breton are now offering “glamping” – a term derived from combining the words glamourous camping. Geodomes, in particular, are springing up in Judique in Inverness County as well as in Englishtown in Victoria County.

Kyte approached Witt last year about buying the Kayak Cape Breton property. The property is adjacent to land owned by Kyte and that has been in his family dating back to the 1950s.

“One random morning I heard that Eberhard was thinking about selling. I walked over and talked to him,” he said.

“I told him that I wanted to buy it off him and I want to run the business and expand it on our family land. And then I came back and told Katie about it,” said Kyte who laughed, with LeBlanc reacting with surprise in her comment: “‘OK.’ That was about it.”

Reached in Germany via email, Witt said he would comment on the change in ownership once the deal has been completed next month.

WELCOME TO KAYAK CAPE BRETON

A former deep-sea clearance diver, Kyte left the Royal Canadian Navy about three years ago to recover from injuries sustained on the job and to pursue other interests.

“All the injuries and the stress and the illness and everything just kind of added up, and we decided to get out of the military and move back here,” he said.

While his family is from the St. Peter’s area, Kyte grew up in Rothesay, N.B. and LeBlanc is originally from New Waterford.

Neither he, nor LeBlanc, have owned a business before but they believe the 30-year history of Kayak Cape Breton will give the couple a good foundation to build upon.

The parents of two boys are partially financing the business themselves along with a loan from the Sydney Credit Union and assistance from the Business Development Bank of Canada.

By using his family’s property, Kyte said he envisions building an additional 10 to 12 units that will each sleep four to six people on a seasonal basis.

LeBlanc, 38, said she will look to inject a resort feel by offering yoga instruction.

“I have studies in holistic healing approaches. If people want more of an experience there with the kayaking and paddleboarding, I could easily offer (yoga),” she said.

“We don’t plan on doing big kayak tours as Eberhard was doing in the past but still having those options there.”

There are no immediate plans to change the name because of its longstanding history in the area.

But Kyte’s brother, Aaron Kyte, who is based in Toronto, is a part owner in the business. He has a background in marketing, which will be useful to the couple as they look to refresh the company website and social media pages.

They’ve also increased their visibility by sponsoring community events like Pirate Days in St. Peter’s and sports such as the upcoming Ryan Rozicki fight at the All or Nothing professional boxing event scheduled for May 18 at Centre 200 in Sydney.

“Sponsorships have been a good way to get our name out there,” LeBlanc said.

For now, the operation will run from May to October, but they haven’t ruled out a future demand come winter when ice fishermen and hunters may want to rent cottages.

chris.shannon@cbpost.com

Twitter: @cbpost_chris

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