Red Bay Labrador to Lewisporte Newfoundland

Sunday 7th August 2016   49:14.552 N  55:03.389  W

Distance sailed 189 miles   1351 miles from Southwest Harbour Maine.

Shelduck is berthed at Lewisporte Yacht Club Marina which is her last port in North America before she returns to Ireland. During our time here we have enjoyed wonderful warm sunny weather and wonderfully welcoming Newfoundlanders and a very well equipped club.

On Sunday 24th of July we departed Red Bay Labrador at 05.30, with no fog or rain, just another cloudy grey day. Shelduck crossed the Belle Isle traffic separation zone and rounded Cape Norman at 09.20, Cape Onion at 11.15 then on to Sacred Bay and into Medee Bay and berthed at the pontoon of the Viking Museum at L’Anse Aux Meadows. Reconstructed sod huts there let you experience the warm smoky atmosphere of the Viking’s buildings. We also enjoyed chatting with the costumed Viking re-enactors who were in three of the building types. The weather was calm so I decided to stay at the pontoon overnight and sail directly to Lewisporte over the next two days. An hour after leaving L’Anse Peter and I saw our first iceberg. Anne had first seen icebergs in Patagonia in 2003. As we sailed between the White islands and Partridge Point near Quirpon Island there were so many whales near Shelduck that we began to worry for her safety, however, she had no contact with them. During the 30 hour passage on to Lewisporte we sighted a further ten icebergs. The night was clear and they looked so beautiful in the moonlight.

At 13.00 we arrived at Lewisporte Marina, the largest marina in Atlantic Canada. It is an excellent facility close to all services. I decided to use the available hoist to lift Shelduck out to check everything before another Atlantic crossing. This was expertly done by Ivan Boone of Coast to Coast Yacht Services who was recommended to us by Captain Peter Watkins whom we met soon after arrival. Peter also arranged with his friend Rick Small to let us have the loan of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We had planned to hire a car but did not need to do so because of Rick’s generosity. Peter was the prime mover in the publication of the Cruising Guide of Notre Dame Bay and is beautifully photographed on its cover. On Friday 29th we drove to Musgrave Harbour to meet Dwayne Berry the neatest installer of Marine equipment. I also thought we might meet some relations of the Baltimore Musgrave’s but we were not lucky. Nearby we visited the Park and Interpretation Centre dedicated to Sir Frederick Banting, a co-discoverer of insulin who died in a plane crash on February 20th 1941 just outside Musgrave Harbour. Both a replica and the original wreckage of the T 9449 Hudson Bomber are on display.

Next day our visit was to Fogo Island where I enquired about the location of the Irish community and was told “turn right at the school.” Tilling was founded by the French in the early 17th century. Permanent settlement followed in the 1720’s and by the 1770’s it had become a predominantly Irish community. While continuing to evolve, this community contains an unusually complete range of vernacular building types and the arrangements and inter relationships of traditional building types and spaces have largely been maintained. It is still inhabited by descendants of it’s early families. Titling survives as a rare example of a once common Irish-Newfoundland cultural landscape and is well worth a visit. We went into the Dwyer House, a cultural center and the Lane House, a museum and finally discovered the famous Foley’s Shed where we had a warm welcome from Phillip and Maureen Foley. There were pictures of a visit of Northabout with Jarlath Cunnane, Mike Alexander and Paddy Barry featuring. None of Shelduck’s crew offered to sing but Maureen entertained us with her guitar. The Shed was flying the Green, White and Pink, the flag of the pre 1949 Republic of Newfoundland. I first thought it was a faded flag of the Republic of Ireland.

On Sunday 31st we visited nearby Twillingate, a fishing harbour complete with Masonic Hall and Orange Hall and carried on to view Crow Head. Next day our visit was to Botwood the base for the world’s first first transatlantic flights to and from Foynes in Ireland We enjoyed the Heritage Museum, the Flying boat Museum and the crowds who were celebrating Botwood Day. The remainder of the week was spent aboard completing our lists of jobs to be done. Yesterday Peter Clarke left by bus for St. John’s and his flight back to Dublin while Anne and I entertained Peter Watkins and  Carolyn and Rick Small and Marie aboard Shelduck for dinner. Later today there is a Pot Luck Dinner in the Clubhouse. Those whose surname begin with the letter K have to bring a main course so Anne is just about to roast chicken and potatoes and steam turnip.