The Church and Visit With A Local

It is Monday, the last day for cod fishing for this weekend. A few small boats are spotted, hauling in their catch which will be taken home for cleaning and eaten fresh or frozen, or dried and salted for use over the winter. We have certainly enjoyed many cod suppers ourselves.

This is our fifth trip into Fortune Harbour, our second this year. It is now very familiar, especially Bakeapple Gulch, which lies straight ahead after the first turn. Like Puddingbag Cove, Intricate Harbour, Cupids, Heart’s Delight, Heart’s Content and God’s Pocket, this is another favourite name of mine.

We return to the bottom of the large bay where we anchored a few weeks ago, in Squid Cove and have the anchor secured by 2:15. A loon greets us and a few ATVs run along the road, but other than that it is very quiet. A late lunch, followed by a quick swim and showers is how we spend our afternoon until it is time to prepare supper.

The Coast Guard Search & Rescue from Lewisporte passes on the way in to Fortune Harbour

Munching on our loaded nachos, we continue to hear the loon calling. It swims near enough for some photos - it has the whole bay to himself. He paddles leisurely across from one side to the other. Sometimes his call is interrupted by another sound, we are certain is not a loon. It sounds like a goat? We will have to investigate this when we travel to shore tomorrow. A tour of the town of Fortune Harbour has never been part of our last visits here. I am determined to see the old wooden church we have passed and admired only through the lens of my camera.

Soon the loon is joined by a fisherman, in the setting sun. This late fisher maneuvers his open “speed boat” into the shallow water along the shore. He appears to be jigging but certainly not for cod in the shallow water. We later learned he was jigging for squid to be used for bait.

The mosquitos have now invaded the screens so after admiring the beautiful sunset, we retreat to the cabin to read and head to bed. We plan to stay a few days and anticipate a couple of quiet nights.

The night is indeed quiet. We are beginning to talk about going home and wondering how we will get used to the noise of the city, especially at night. There have been many days and nights where the only sound is the breeze in the trees, the gurgle of water under the hull when the tide is changing or the call of a nearby bird.

Listening to the VHF for the Canadian Coast Guard weather forecast, we are surprised to learn of strong winds and high waves coming in the next few days. We make the decision to leave today after we take the dinghy to shore for a walk and a little tour. The plan is to go to Exploits Islands just six nautical miles east so we have plenty of time to have our walk and still travel before dark.

There is a large and very new wharf just 500 feet from where we are anchored, so the dinghy ride is short. It is private, belonging to a large seasonal home above, on the hill. There has been nobody in residence since we arrived and it is just too convenient not to use. We tie along side and climb the ladder to shore. This is our first time on shore in five days. It takes a few steps to get our land legs back.

It is about two and half kilometres to the landmark church along the only road in town. We pass many houses with people working in their gardens, mowing the lawn or out walking. All greet us, some asking if we are from the anchored sailboat. Conversations are all friendly but short as we continue on our way.

One house and outbuilding is surrounded by many wood carvings, old channel markers and handmade Christmas decorations. I could see this from the boat and was especially intrigued by the model of the church we are on our way to see. Unfortunately, nobody is out to ask about the craft so we pass by.

Replica

Our first view of St. Anne’s Parish is framed by the pink of the fireweed and white of bottle brush. It sits just five hundred feet from shore, on a slight rise with the graveyard along side. A spectacular view for a final resting place.

Resting Place With A View

The church is locked but we can see inside through the tall windows. It is indeed ornate for a church in such a small community. Further research tells us it is not the oldest wooden church still standing in the province, but it is indeed old. On our return walk to the boat, we meet Mr. Fitzpatrick, a senior local, born and raised in Fortune Harbour. He told us the church was built long before his father was born. He lived to be over 100 years old.

Mr. Fitzpatrick is sitting outside his home - the house with the model of the church - feeding his pet goat - Patty! So we were not imagining what we believed to be the bleat of a goat. This local is happy to visit with us, answering our questions and asking a few of his own. He is currently living in his summer home, which is larger than the winter house just a few doors down the street. The smaller home takes less to heat so he moves down the road when the weather changes. (It is not uncommon for Newfoundlanders to historically have two houses. In days gone by one house would be near the shore for fishing and the winter house further inland near trees for firewood and wildlife for hunting. The families would move everything at the change of season - including bed frames and wood cook stoves - often by horse and sled.)

Patty

We learn there were over 2000 people living here when Mr. Fitzpatrick’s father was a child. Now less than eighty people call this place home. His dialect is different from any others we have heard, confirming the very Irish influence in this community. He tells us his ancestors were “caretakers” of the French and British fishing stages and equipment, as they could not own land here and were required to return to Europe at the end of fishing season. This concept is familiar to us, especially in this area of The Bay of Exploits where the Beothuk Indians were known to steal the fishing equipment in retaliation for the loss of access to sheltered bays for their villages and cutting them off from valuable salmon and seal.

Through our travels we have experienced so many people like Mr. Fitzpatrick, willing to share their stories, their history and details of the areas where they live. It seems doing our homework and being somewhat educated on the subject just enhances the conversations.

He tells us he saw us in the harbour a few weeks ago and declared “that’s a lovely rig you have there”. We are anchored where schooners used to come from the open ocean for shelter, usually while delivering fish from Labrador to St. John’s. There was also once a mine just east of the anchorage. The schooners were used to carry the raw materials elsewhere for sale or for processing. We consider how the harbour would have looked back in the day of this once thriving community.

Today the harbour still has an active mussel and oyster aquaculture industry, running since 1981 and the first in the province. A new wharf will be constructed and the road extended further into the northwest arm. Maybe one day Fortune Harbour’s population will grow again.

Our conversation is pleasant and enlightening. We thank Mr. Fitzpatrick and tell him we need to return to the boat to leave the harbour sooner than we had hoped. He agrees it is best to go further east today as there is “a little puff expected”. We say our good-byes and promise to visit his Newfoundland Pony on our way back to the wharf

Mr. Fitzpatrick's Newfoundland Pony

Our time in Fortune Harbour was shorter than we had planned but it was a good stop, including a much-needed walk, and the opportunity to finally visit the church. We ready the boat and cruise back through the s-curves, past Bakeapple Gulch, Button and Sweeny Islands and into the open Atlantic. Our planned stop is the Lower Harbour which sits on the north side of Exploits Islands.

Until next time, Fortune Harbour.