Last Stops On The NP
We arrive in Englee at 4:15, after motoring for two and a half hours, but find the wharf is quite full of fishing boats. There is no place to anchor for the night so we consider going the four extra miles to the end of Bide Arm but a fellow comes out in his boat and provides some information to add to our debate. We know Bide Arm is lovely, and the Moose Capital of Canada (6 moose in every square kilometre at last report)……But we are here now and we are tired from our hike and journey and would prefer to stay at the wharf where we can access all necessary amenities.
The man tells us the boats at the wharf are offloading fish and will move up one at a time after each is unloaded. (Quite the organized process!). They, and several other local boats will be assembling at 7:00 for a memorial service for a fisher lady who died recently and that they will probably be leaving after the service.
We drop the anchor in the middle of the harbour, and wait for three hours until it is our turn at the wharf and to watch the boats come from all directions for the memorial at sea. It is quiet and sobering and we feel privileged to have witnessed this ritual.
Two gentlemen are on deck to grab our lines and to explain again what is happening in the bay. It is at this moment when we see the water around us start to “bubble” like it is raining, but it isn’t. One of the men explains this is the capelin - crazy! We can see why the humpbacks get so excited too.
The harbour master is not well, but her brother-in-law who owns the grocery store knows we are here and explains about showers and laundry….that will be tomorrow.
Only one other boat is left at the wharf after the ceremony ends and the other boats go to other harbours. We have a very late dinner of homemade beef stew, fresh bread and red wine from eastern Ontario that was gifted to us at Christmas….we have carried it all this way, D & A!
A full wharf awaits us at Englee.
The next day is for some shopping, laundry and exploring Englee. We have to turn the boat around as we are at the end of the wharf which opens into a very narrow channel….only 60 feet to turn around is not very comforting. We get some help from two dock workers who are waiting for a boat to be unloaded of the last cod of the season. (The fishery ends today.) NB: CORRECTION: we learned later it was not the end of the cod fishery but the beginning of a three week “break” for the cod!) They skillfully take our lines and pull, while I steer. We are now facing “out” so we can depart easily tomorrow.
It is a warm and sunny day and we change into our shorts and shortsleeved shirts - for the first time in two months.
The laundry is very nearby so we can go from laundry, to boat, to groceries to exploring….and back again until the job is complete. $10 for 3 loads washed and dried, not too bad.
It is recommended we try the new “Chicken Bucket” for lunch so we walk the short distance and take in a couple of orders of fried chicken and fries. (Glad we don’t find this food in every harbour!)
As this is the last day for the commercial cod fishery, we are close enough to take in the whole process, once the fish arrive at the wharf. Most are gutted on the boats as they come to the harbour, (creating a seagull frenzy!) but it is still pretty much whole fish that are then put into buckets, lifted off the boat, weighed, packed in salt and ice and then loaded on the transport truck that waits patiently nearby. There is no fish plant here so the fish is brought in fresh and moved out for processing.
Thursday is a bit cloudy and cool as we leave the wharf at 10:30, cross Canada Bay and head further down the Northern Peninsula to Williamsport in Fourche Harbour. We have been anxious to visit this place, hoping to spend time on shore at the abandoned whaling station which was closed in 1972 after the Canadian moratorium on commercial whaling. We know others who have visited and have reexamined their photos and videos hoping to see where they anchored.
It is deep in the middle, with very narrow, shallower shelves along the side and a “rock garden” at the head of the Northeast Arm. It is pouring rain and quite windy when we drop the hook in 52 feet of water, two hours later! (I need to take a moment here to praise our Spade anchor. It has NEVER let us down. We have never dragged, in 40 harbours, even in the tail of the hurricane last summer in St. Paul’s River. But this was the most difficult anchoring ever attempted by us.)
The plan to take the dinghy to shore today is quickly changed into hot soup and a nap. We’ll go tomorrow.
The night is very unsettled as we wait for the anchor drag alarm and listen to the centreboard bang on every swell. Harald spends the night, fully dressed and resting on the settee. He makes a few trips to the bow to check the anchor but it never dragged. (Told you!)
After the fog and the rain end the next morning, we decide we can’t stay and need to run to our next destination while the weather is fair. The view around us is splendid - high treed hills with a scattering of abandoned cabins and collapsed stages along the shore. A very small cemetery sits in the clearing at the head of the bay.
We drive past the site of the whaling station, take some photos and marvel at the group of bald eagles following us out the channel.
We have a fairly easy ride, the 12 nautical miles to Great Harbour Deep, but the anchorage is another 4.5 miles up into Conservatory Point. The sea this morning is flat, but rolling. It is mostly cloudy again but we have a very clear view of the high hills around us. Some are over 1000 feet high, with the water in the outer channel just as deep.
We cruise past the abandoned port of Great Harbour Deep. It is very still along the way, with no signs of life except for one cabin that might still be used for summer visits. Nearing the narrows, we spot some old equipment and boilers housed in a stone surround on shore. We have a strong sense of a life before us.
As I take us through the narrows, just ahead of the anchorage, the chart plotters are off by about a 1/4 mile. We’re driving on shore! This was expected but still very uncomfortable as it is very difficult to know where you are when all you can go by is the depth you are in now and not what is ahead.
The Cruising Club guide indicates a possible variation of up to 3/4 of a mile in this very spot.
It seems we are running parallel to the same depths in the bay so I keep that in mind as we search for a good anchoring depth.
You can not imagine how surprised we are to find another sailboat already at rest! This is a first! The decision of where to anchor has just been made a whole lot easier.
We settle in just to starboard and below Torngat, a Rival 34 showing St. John’s on her transom. The crew give us a wave and go about their onboard chores. We should lower the dinghy and scoot over for a chat, but we are very tired from our sleepless night, and now also hungry. A very late lunch of tomato soup and crackers is the easiest choice. We enjoy the quiet, the lunch and the comfort of another boat nearby. Then we both fall asleep in the cockpit.
It is raining when we wake and realize our chance to visit has probably past but later in the evening, Harald has a “distanced” chat with Duncan and Renee who are interested in the anchoring at Williamsport where they plan to travel to tomorrow. For once, we are the ones with the local knowledge to share. They promise to come closer tomorrow when they weigh anchor so we can have a more comfortable conversation.
Our dinner is crab pasta Alfredo and a green salad. We finally found the night to enjoy the crab given to us in Mary’s Harbour. It is delicious! (Even if it is on macaroni.)
We are glad we moved when we did as this is a very protected harbour where we plan to sit in the rain for another day. It is disappointing, though, knowing we have missed some opportunities to get to shore, as our last harbours on the NP are only available by boat. We take in all we can but understand the importance of safe weather and water and travelling when it’s best for us.
The night is extremely quiet and calm and Torngat does stop by before they leave. They are also planning on Lewisporte for the end of the season so we promise to catch up there. They have sailed for 40 years from the Trinity Bay Area, including to Greenland and down the entire Labrador coast. We anticipate some great stories and look forward to our next meeting.
The usual early morning weather check indicates we should also be leaving, even though a day at rest would be welcomed. We begin our preparations and pull away from the Northern Peninsula in the fog and the mist after making our way back down the winding channel and into White Bay, crossing to Fleur de Lys on the Baie Verte Peninsula.
