Toulinquet
We leave Moreton’s Harbour behind us and point the bow further northeast on a cloudy, cool day. We try some sailing, with just the foresail, but it only lasts ten minutes. Not enough wind and not the nicest day to be “bobbing”. Another short run will take us to Twillingate, where we visited last year, by car, on a day trip from Lewisporte.
Settlers first arrived here in 1700 and the name of the town was later anglicized to Twillingate. About twelve families lived here forty years later. Today 2100 people call this place home.
Its history though can be traced back 3500 years when the Archaic Maritime Indians inhabited the areas, as determined in an archeological find in 1966. This is one of the oldest seaports in Newfoundland.
This was also home to Georgina Ann Stirling, Newfoundland’s first opera singer. She was born here in 1867 and performed under the stage name Marie Toulinquet. She became world-renowned, performing in operas through Europe and the USA.
The Longpoint Lighthouse is very familiar, but this year there are no ice bergs filling the head of the bay. We have to travel 2.5 nautical miles down the bay to the harbour. This gives Harald time to attach dock lines and fenders. As I approach the marked channel, a local tour boat comes toward us. They seem to speed up to allow us easy access to the narrow approach - we appreciate this gesture.
We tie along side of the first wharf we find empty, at 1:15pm. Two other masts are visible across on adjacent wharfs and we immediately recognize Frank from Asiaq, a Bayfield 29 from Lewisporte. We don’t know the couple he is visiting with, but will soon.
The day has turned warm and sunny, so we head up the road to do some exploring. I take the requisite photo of Seabiscuit from across the bay, but she doesn’t stay there long. When we return from our walk we recruit Colleen and Brian from Bricolanto to help us pull her around to the shelter of the inside of the wharf.
A very large sign for the Fish Market and the Twillingate Dinner Theatre peaks our interest so we visit both. I buy fish cakes for supper and we reserve seats for the dinner and show the following night.
Further along we find the Cozy Tea Room and Bakery and stop for tea and partridge berry pie. The “Largest Lobster Trap” in Newfoundland lays beside the Scot Lewis Pencil Art Studio. This photo opp can’t be missed before we visit Scot in his studio. His pencil art, and collection of pencil nubs on the wall, is worth the visit. I would like to visit Ted Stuckless’ studio but find his “open” hours aren’t really when he’s open. After two attempts, I guess I’ll settle for his website.
Back at the wharf we visit Bricolanto, to find Colleen and I had “met” previously when Jayne Finn recommended she contact me for some advice for their run down the St. Lawrence River last year. They sailed their Beneteau 40, from Bayfield, Ontario, down the river and through the Bras d’Or Lakes, across to the Newfoundland south shore, ending at The Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club, St. John’s for winter layup.
During our conversation we realize we are both booked at the Dinner Theatre the following night, so we agree to share a table and the evening. (Then they helped us move the boat to her new, sheltered home.)
Thursday is the day to get busy with this blog. The lounge in the harbour master’s building is comfortable and the wifi not too bad. (Can’t be too bad when the town people sit in their cars beside the building to watch videos on their phones!
Harald does some odd jobs around the boat and gets some electrical help from Brian. I walk to the grocery store for a few things and check the Stuckless Studio again. We turn on the hot water heater and luxuriate in free showers. $5 at the harbour master’s building seems a bit steep when we can refill our water tanks before we leave, included in the price of our stay.
It is a very windy walk to the theatre, so we are grateful for Frank’s suggestion of the short cut, behind the fish plant, through the broken fence, over the rocky hill and voila! We are right across the street from the theatre, without the fun of walking along the shoulder of the busy road, which takes twice as long.
We are soon joined by Wendy and Joe who have driven from their home in Lethbridge, Alberta. Colleen and Brian arrive and the conversation gets lively. We are soon served our lobster, mussels, Caesar salad and rolls. Delicious! Shortly after 7:00, those who served us now appear on stage. There are several instruments including fiddle, guitar, accordion, a small titanium recorder, banjo, a bodhran drum and last, but not least, an “ugly stick”
The music, mostly traditional, and comedy sketches continues for two hours, the laughter fills the room. I am most impressed by the “Men of the Deeps” and the impersonation of Cape Breton singer Rita McNeil. The host explains Cape Bretoners are very important to Newfoundland. “They are the Newfoundlanders who left for Ontario but ran out of money in Cape Breton.”
The performers prepare the food, serve and entertain for six nights per week for 17 weeks of the year. I was afraid they were going to ask us to help with the dishes, instead we were invited to contribute to the local Christmas Hamper Project. The attraction of winning up to $40,000 in a 50/50 draw and a return trip to Twillingate to help with the hamper distribution in December, gets the wallets out.
It is over far too soon and we begin the windy walk back to the wharf and the warmth of our boat cabins.
Friday is sunny but the wind continues. Nobody is leaving today. Some large fishing boats arrive with their lobster which is offloaded into a waiting refrigerator truck. We know we cannot buy from the wharf but we do walk back to the fish market and purchase cooked mussels to add to an easy spaghetti meal. Foodland has fresh spinach and green grapes, at a reasonable price and we pick up steak for tomorrow night. My freezer is full but we try to eat fresh when we can, saving the frozen for future anchorages where amenities are not available.
While we are enjoying the whole tourist scene, Mark has arrived in Labrador! Only 3 days from Lewisporte. Congratulations,my friend. Long may your big jib draw.