Skipper's update - Goodbye to the Vikings

As we leave Newfoundland for Nova Scotia the skipper reflects

Lionel H: 15/08/2027

We duly arrived in Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows after a foggy passage across the Belle Isle Straight, motoring all the way. We only got a faint glimpse of Belle Isle, so I cannot comment on how it compares with the other one. Leaving through the tight, shallow and rocky tickle south from Battle Harbour in fog was a little hairy and I would not want to come in that way.

We anchored in shallow water and had lunch at The Norseman before enjoying the Viking settlement and its museum. This concluded our Viking trail; because, although it is believed they explored further south to find grapes and sandy beaches, no archeological evidence has been found in North America except at L’Anse aux Meadows at the Northern tip of Newfoundland. We can only imagine them from now on.

After the glorious sunshine in Labrador we had to get used to fog and peering at the radar. Happily there was no ice and very few boats about. The last iceberg was seen on 31st July.

We never saw the mountains of the Northern Peninsular and we didn’t explore the islands and skerries of Notre Dame, Trinity or Bonavista Bays, all of which would provide great cruising grounds. The small towns in the north all seemed to have at least three churches and no pubs. In Englee a friendly fisherman gave us a cod and invited us to join his crew beer session. We declined the invitation; but enjoyed the cod, with the mackerel we had just caught, in a curry sauce. The harbours are small with tyre clad wharves. We are getting bored of having to clean our fenders. Eating ashore was a little dispiriting, although we had a good meal at Bangbelly in La Scie. We got a taste of beautiful islands at Fogo and its archipelago, when we could see through the mist. There was plenty of bird life, some seals, dolphins and whales, including an acrobatic humpback.

We saw our first and only sails In Conception Bay where we stayed at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club and visited the Newfoundland Distillery, coming away with a gift of half a case of Seaweed Gin, Gunpowder & Rose Rum and Whisky. (The lies I have to tell customs officers!). Back to civilisation and some excellent feasting in St John’s. The zip on the canvas door to our cockpit enclosure was replaced. It had been a little draughty without it, a new solonoid got us back up two autohelms and a transformer for US shore power was fitted. Here we lost both Charleses.

The anchor came back into play in the beautiful bays of southern Newfoundland.
There is a spectacular gannet colony on Cape St Mary’s. Burin lies in a lovely natural harbour, with plenty of islets and rocks and then we went to France. The islands of St Pierre and Miquelon are French and lie just off the tip of the Burin Peninsula. A French girl greeted us fondly, with much excitement; because she had sailed on Belle Colombe just before we bought her two years ago. The culinary delights do not quite compare to those of St Vaast; but we did have to speak French to order our plateau du jour and we bought some paté de fois de canard.

Leaving St Pierre we were seen off by a whale and vast numbers of puffins. The bore was having to clear in and out. In Fortune, for our return to Canada, we had three policeman and three customs officers aboard.

The eastern part of the southwest coast has high hills and towering cliffs, with some beautiful fjords. We anchored under a 1000 foot waterfall four miles up the fjord in Aviron Bay and went through a remarkably tight, rocky entrance, up a very narrow pass, against a strong tide, past a tiny settlement, to an anchorage for lunch in Grey River. Leaving Aviron Bay we watched an aerial dogfight over a fish, between a sea eagle and some gulls. This is a particularly remote coast because there is a vast area where there are no roads. The few remaining settlements can only be reached by sea. On through sounds, settlements, skerries and rocks, anchoring twice a day, to Port aux Basques in the far southwest. This is the ferry port for Nova Scotia and Captain Cook used it as a base for surveying. I think we are still using his charts. It rained for all of our last day. We went ashore for the most ghastly supper at St Christopher’s Hotel. There were six other people in the bar, all sitting at fruit machines!

Unfortunately we had to use the engine for most of our 800 NM around Newfoundland; although we did get the genniker up once or twice. I am writing this while we cross the Cabot Straight in perfect sailing conditions under a blue sky, hoping for more of the same in Nova Scotia.

We have just booked flights home from Halifax.