Chedabucto Bay is a large body of water approximately thirty miles long and eight to ten miles wide. It separates the Northern Shore of mainland Nova Scotia, consisting mainly of Guysborough County, from the Southern Coast of Cape Breton, where the coast of Richmond County resides.

It is here in this bay that a unique history was forged, in the events surrounding the "Arrow's" untimely end in February of 1970. This section will delve into the cultural and economic history of both Guysborough and Richmond Counties, illustrating the common history shared by these coastal Nova Scotia counties. This section will also examine the construction origins and corporate background of the doomed tanker until that fateful February day when its grounding forever changed the lives of Chedabucto Bay residents and those responsible for cleaning up such a massive oil spill.