Day 60, Wednesday August 21 Goderich

Day 60  
Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Today is a repair day and paperwork day.  Ed arrived around 9:30 a.m. to complete a few minor changeouts that are needed as a result of the mechanical inspection we had done upon purchase.  The parts had been ordered but not arrived when we wanted to depart Goderich so we deferred this piece of work.  Ed worked with the stairs being moved out of the companionway so he could access the engine, but this also meant no getting in and out of the boat.  Luckily we had internet at the slip and Julie stayed on deck looking up phone numbers and making calls. 

We managed to arrange getting our OHIP extensions, clarity on transferring the license on the dinghy, getting the registration coordinated, following up with Spectrum on the MMSI number, calling and getting an extension on our tax review.  Three of the 4 of us need to send in receipts for our tax returns, which when you are living in different cities and the receipts are in a 4^th city can become a hassle.

Ed worked all morning and then headed to town to pickup some rad fluid.  Dawson and I headed to town by foot and did the OHIP paperwork, cruised a co-op art gallery and got some additive for the fuel.  Goderich is on a cliff so it was quite a few stairs to get to the top.  No problem for us Inca Trail hikers though.

We decided to get lunch at the boat but when we got back Ed was already at work so by the time he finished and we ate it was after 3 o’clock and 8 hundred dollars later.  Ouch!

The day was hot so we suited up and headed to the beach.  This entailed a hike past the grain elevators and head frame.  The Goderich beach is very nice and the water was refreshing.  After 2 dips and a walk out the pier we went up the boardwalk and then did the lighthouse trail which again is very vertical.  Goderich is a very pretty town although they are recovering from the tornado that hit in 2011 and wiped out lots of mature trees.  We could not resist having a beer at the “Park” restaurant which is next to nice gardens in a historical building.  We were tempted to dine also, but luckily chose not to because when we went to pay we realized we had only grabbed $20, which at least covered the beers.

We again headed out to the point to catch sunset but the sun hid behind clouds so it did not compare to the previous evening.

Cheers

Julie and Dawson

Day 59, Tuesday August 20th Port Elgin to Goderich - the end of the shakedown cruise

Day 59, Tuesday August 20^th – Port Elgin to Goderich – the end of the shakedown cruise

We get up early again for the final day of the shakedown cruise.  Today we are heading back to Goderich, home port for Jazzebelle.  It was June 24th when we left Goderich for our trip up to the North Channel so we are just shy of two months.  The boat has performed well with all systems functioning well.  Glenn the previous owner had done an excellent job outfitting and maintaining her during his 15 years of ownership.  We are heading back to Goderich to get the coolant hoses changed along with the coolant; it is the only items left to be done from the mechanical survey done in the spring. 

Tug Yellowknife Radium off of Bruce Nuclear

The winds are not as favourable as the day before and we end up motor sailing most of the way down to Goderich.  About 10 miles south of Port Elgin is the Bruce Nuclear Plant.  It is quite the industrial complex.  There are two tug boats with barges off of the complex, one which is right in our path.  One of the benefits of the AIS we now have is it gives the name of the vessels so we are able to contact the tug using her name – Yellowknife Radium.  The Tug is pushing a barge waiting to enter the plant wharf and tells us to pass to whatever side we want.  And that is most exciting aspect of the 10 hour trip to Goderich.

Cocktails with a freigther in background

We arrive at Goderich around 7, pull into the marina and tie up at the transit docks.  It is really nice and easy to get into, and we are sipping our cocktails with time to spare before heading down to see the sunset.  Sunset is 8:20pm so we soon are making our way down to the shore and are rewarded with a beautiful sunset complete with a head frame.

Sunset off of Goderich

We are a little sad we are not able to be up in Sudbury as it is our good friends Doug Patrick’s 50th birthday party, but Ross will be there to represent us.   Happy birthday Doug!

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 58, Monday August 19th – Cove Island to Port Elgin a day of sailing

Day 58, Monday August 19^th – Cove Island to Port Elgin a day of sailing

Chantry Island Lighthouse just off of Southampton

We are up early for our sail down to Port Elgin and are underway by 7.  Once we have cleared the shoals at Cove Island we are able to hoist the sails and settle in for the trip.  It turns out to be an excellent sail with the wind staying enough out of the west to let us sail close hauled to Port Elgin.  We make excellent time to Port Elgin and arrive just before 5 pm.

We dock at the Port Elgin Municipal Marina and once tied up we make the walk up to town.  The plan was to get a few groceries and then hurry back to the beach to take in the sunset.  The walk turns out to be about 2 km long and ends at an outdoor patio.  We decide to have a beer and then move into dinner thereby missing the sunset.  Oh well the beer and pizza was good and there will be other sunsets.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 57, Sunday August 18th

Day 57, Sunday August 18^th  
 

A nice day at Cove Island north of Tobermory.  Julie very much enjoys having a non moving day to go and explore.  The water here is very clear.  We are anchored in about 10 feet of water and we can clearly see our anchor.  Dawson notices that our chain in on a tree lying on the bottom so shortens our rode to get the chain in a better position.  There is no wind and it is easily accomplished.  Had it been windy it could have snagged the tree and then a bit of a tug and war pickle would ensue. 

Unidentified bird at Cove Island



We spent the morning doing chores, writing blogs and then went for an explore in the dinghy with our camera and a shore lunch.  There was a bit of wind outside the harbor but we ducked into the next bay and soon it was warm and sheltered.  We went up the bay as far as we could so we could hike to the other side.  The bay cut into the island within about a mile of cutting across it, but due to low water we could not get up the creek.  We hauled the dinghy to shore and started hiking.  There was a nice path made of rock for the first 300 yards, but then the thick weeds and high grasses deters us from continuing on.  There were some cedar waxwing bird and a bird of prey we have not yet identified along the way.  We decided to return to the dinghy and look for a sunny spot to have our picnic lunch.



Julie at Cove Island picnic

Lunch was relaxing and we had a nice swim although the water was brisk.  Kayakers came around the corner as we were in the water swimming so we shared a few hellos with them and then they moved off.  We explored further up the west coast of the island to see how far the shoals came out.  There were lots of comorants sunning themselves on the rocks.  Back to the mother ship, we read and relaxed in anticipation of a big sail the next day.



Dawson being a zoo animal for the tourists

During the afternoon, the Blue Heron tour boat came into the bay twice.  We feel a bit like zoo animals as everyone on the boat is peering out at the land and the boaters.  We are on display for the tourists!  The Blue Heron is quite big and a few small fishing boats have come into the anchorage, but the tour ship can spin around on a dime, no problems at all in the small space.

Cheers



Julie and Dawson

Day 56 Saturday, August 17 - Wingfield Basin to Cove Island

Day 56 Saturday, August 17 - Wingfield Basin to Cove Island

Adanaco at anchor Wingfield Basin

Again we awake to another beautiful day.  Today is to be a short sail to Tobermory where we plan to pickup fuel and then anchor in Big Tub harbour.  It is only a 13 nautical mile sail so we leave around 10 after a leisurely start to the day.  We try to sail but the winds are not there at all so it turns out to be a 3 hour motor for us.

 

Lighthouse at Tobermory

We arrive at Tobermory just after 1 and pick up fuel and then make our way over to Big Tub.  Although we have been to Tobermory in the past we have never anchored in Big Tub, but the Ports guide does speak of it being common practice.  Well, for both of us it is too narrow with traffic heading back and forth to wrecks at the end of the harbour and cottages/summer homes along both sides.  We decide to cancel this idea and head over to Cove Island Harbour.

Cove Island Harbour was the location of our first anchorage with Jazzebelle back at the end of June so we are familiar with it.  We motor over and are at anchor by 4 pm.  There are 3 other boats in the harbour 2 power and one sail.  After we settle in we start up a conversation with our neighbours, the sail boat and find out they are on their way up to the North Channel from Lake Erie.  We are heading that way so we paddle over with a beer to get some local knowledge on traveling the St Clair River and Lake Erie.  It turns out Matt and Judy have been making the pilgrimage up to the North Channel for the last 20 years from Toledo Beach and have some great info for us as we have never sailed past Sarnia. 

Jazzebelle at anchor Cove Island Harbour

We have an excellent dinner and then take the dinghy out for some evening shots.   The winds forecasted for the next day are not favourable for the sail south so we make the decision to spend an extra day at Cove Island.  It will give us a chance to look around a bit as we just stayed one night on the way up.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 55 August 16, 2013 – Beckwith to Wingfield Basin

Day 55 August 16, 2013 – Beckwith to Wingfield Basin

Tall ship we passed-note no wind on the water

Awoke to a good looking day, we are up early as we are again aiming to get to Wingfield Basin today  which is about 58 Nm or a ~12 hour trip.  We are ready to weigh anchor quickly as a routine has developed over the last 2 months and we are underway by 7:00 pm.  The winds are less than the day before but are still from the west, the general direction we want to head.  The forecast is for the wind to turn light by noon so we continue on.  For the 1^st 4 hours we motor sail tacking back and forth.  Our north tack brings us up to the Western Islands; Islands that we had last sailed past in 2003, ten years ago.  By 11 the wind is starting to fade and is now right from the direction we want to head, we furl the genoa and settle in for long motor.  Before noon we sight two tall ships in the distance that are en route to Owen Sound or Penetanguishene 
 
 
 in honour of the war of 1812.  We will have to keep our eyes open for additional ships.

Captain asleep at the wheel in the sunlight

It is cool on the water but with the sun and a jacket on and sitting in the sun it is quite warm.  Just before 4:00 we sight another tall ship, this one is the ship Friends Good Will.  The way we know her names is that they carry an AIS transponder and we now have our AIS functioning.  Around 6:00 we are at the entrance to Wingfield Basin which is a nice secure anchorage and is well marked for entering.  We had been here before the only difference is that a cottage has now been built just west of the entrance.  By 6:15 we are anchored and enjoy a G and T.  The G is especially good as it was supplied by Air Canada, from our 1^st class flights to and from Newfoundland.

Cabot Head lighthouse-entrance to Wingfield Basin

Before dinner we take a short paddle around the anchorage, while on our way over to see the wreck in the harbour we spot a Hughes 40 with a man standing at the rear, it appears to us he is open to conversation so we head over.  Turns out he was firing up his BBQ but both he and his wife are up for a chat.  They had just taken their boat Adanaco south 2 years ago and are full of advice, comments and stories.  Again we are told to stock up on beer before arriving in the Bahamas.  They also reinforce the comments on guests be flexible and mention how the air service is excellent in the Bahamas from one Cay to another.  Something we will have to keep in mind if the weather does not cooperate over the Christmas holidays.   After a good chat we head back to the boat for dinner.

The anchorage is excellent being protected on all points, tonight there is about 12 boats in anchorage.  We will definitely sleep well tonight.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 54, August 15, 2013 – a day at Beckwith Island

 Day 54, August 15, 2013 – a day at Beckwith Island

Up early and underway by 7:30 as we are going to try and make Wingfield Basin (top of Bruce Peninsula) today.   It had been a bouncy night, the anchorage is well suited for a west wind but as the winds had been from the north for a couple of days the waves were still from the north and were rolling in the anchorage.  Winds are still blowing 20 knots from the West and the direction does not bode well for sailing but we decide to check it out.  It is obvious once we clear the lee of Beckwith that it is not a good day to head for Wingfield.  Both the wind and waves (1.5 meters) are on the nose; we have no real schedule so make the decision to head back to Beckwith for the day.  We anchor a little closer in to the beach this time and are back at anchor by 8:05.  We have breakfast and decide what to do with the day.

Shoreline at Beckwith Island

After breakfast we drop the dinghy, put the motor on and head to shore for a hike around.  The island is quite nice and is part of group of three islands, Beckwith, Hope and Christian.  We had often flown over these islands, as they are directly under the flight path between Toronto and Sudbury and had often thought it would be a good place to visit and here we are.  The island is set up for camping and is run by the Christian Island Indian Band.  There is a charge for using the island but there is no one to pay today.  We walk over to the west side of the island and along the coast.  We spot some small shore birds and take some pictures so we can identify them when back on the boat.  From there we cross back over to east shore and along the beach.  The beach is quite nice all sand and about a kilometer in length.  We speak to another boater, Quinn, on shore with her golden retriever about the night, it sounds like they bounced more than us as they are in a 32’ power boat.  We are invited back to join them for happy hour.   We agree to appear around 5 pm and head back to the boat.

Chelsea, Quinn and Andrew

We spend a very relaxing day reading, napping and eating I can’t remember if we got any work done.  Around 4:30pm we head back to shore for happy hour.  As we motor in we stop at 2 sailboats anchored along the way.   The first one Komoko is quite accepting of the invitation and say they will be right in; the 2^nd boat is not so excited.  Once ashore we join Quinn and her partner Andrew at their beach umbrella.  They are quite sophisticated boaters having both afternoon beach chairs and evening beach chairs.  About 10 minutes later we are joined by Scott and Karen from Komoko.  They arrive at the beach on their jet ski; they are the first sail boaters we have met who tow a jet ski instead of a dinghy.  It is a good afternoon, it turns out Scott’s parents had done a sailing trip south so it was interesting to get his advice and comments from a son’s perceptive.  Couple of pieces of advice 1) stock up on beer in Florida before heading over to the Bahamas as beer was quite expensive there and 2) if you are having guest coming to visit make sure they are flexible.  It turns out Scott was set to visit his parents one Christmas in the Bahamas and had booked his flights, the night before his departure he got a call from his father stating that they were still in Florida and would not make it to meet him in Nassau.  Scott flew to Nassau, cleared customs and got on a flight to Fort Lauderdale.  He then sailed with his parents over to Nassau.  We finish off happy hour with an invite from Andrew and Quinn to join their beach fire in the evening.  Prior to heading back to the boat we get to see how excited Andrew and Quinn’s golden Chelsea is to ride on their Jet Ski, not much, but she accepts it as it lets her stay with the pack.

Dawson towing dinghy back to its mainship

As dinner is being prepared we notice a dinghy with a young boy in it drifting out, it appears the motor has quit on him and winds are high enough his rowing is not getting him in the right direction.  Dawson jumps in our dinghy for the rescue and completes his good deed for the day.  Dinner was another excellent meal. Julie has the ability to prepare an excellent meal anytime on the boat, with a wide selection.  Once the sun is starting to set we head back to the beach, Quinn and Andrew have the fire laid, the chairs including the ones we had left in the afternoon set up around the fire, they are excellent people to hang with.  We spend a nice evening talking and watching the sky, and see an excellent shooting star.  We head back around 10:30 and get the dinghy stowed for an early take off in the morning.  The waves have dropped so should be a good night.

All and all a nice day we will see what the morrow will bring.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 53, Wednesday August 14th

Day 53, Wednesday August 14

Okay today we have to at least pull out of the slip.  We wake up to more wind warnings.  We are not a “small craft”, however it is always nicer to be out in less than 20 knots of wind.  There are not many anchorages to the west of Midland especially with good North and west protection.  We decide to head out and see how the wind and waves are and how they will treat us.

A discussion ensues about plan a. b, and c to get out of our slip given the wind strength and direction.  Plan A is to back up 50 feet and then turn and go out forward.  Plan b is back up all the way out including the jig to the north.  The problem in turning is if the wind grabs the bow it is very difficult to turn the 20,000 pounds with only 1 prop about ¾ of the way to the back of the boat.  Plan C is to pull back into the slip if plan a and b are failing.  There are 2 persons to help throw us the lines, so Dawson is sure to be on board when we are pulling out.  Julie starts backing up and everything is going fine, so she shifts directly to plan b as reverse steerage is reasonable and the zig to the north seems plausible.  We do pass very close to the fuel docks but at a very slow speed so can change course if needed.  Yeah success!  We looked like pros coming out of that tiny, tight marina.  The way north is sheltered by the land to the west but once we round the point the winds and waves pick up some steam.  We are still sheltered by Giant Tomb island.  Once we clear Giants Tomb we get the full brunt of Georgian Bay.  The waves are visiting from Killarney.  Our estimation is 2 meter waves and they are on the nose so we make very little headway. 

We decide to head to Beckwith island, which is only about 13 nautical miles from Midland.  It does take us about 4 or 5 hours though even with the motor on.  Even this anchorage is rolling, but we know our anchor will hold and we can get some rest.  We stay on the boat for the evening playing King’s cribbage.  Our wind generator is spinning like crazy.  We can operate as much electronics as we want including the vacumn cleaner.  We do want to compliment our power source with solar, however this anchorage only a wind generator would suffice.

Sorry another day with no pictures.

Cheers Julie and Dawson

Day 52, Tuesday August 13

Day 52, Tuesday August 13

Keith returns by 9:30 and after a couple of hours has completed the install of the weaver davits.  We still have a few errands such as beer store prior to taking off.  The weather is not good.  There is a small craft wind warning from the North west, the exact direction we want to go.  We decide to ask if we can use the slip for an additional night so we can delay the departure or better weather.

Since we are staying we decide to have a look through town.  There are still some minor changes we want to do to the boat.  We shop for materials to “mock up” a door for a storage area that we have gained by tossing out the old microwave that we never use.  Since we seldom go to port, we just don’t use the microwave at all, plus it is old and looks kind of crappy and only works when it wants to.  The space gained by tossing it is prime handy space which is hardily welcomd.

As we walk through town we find the cultural centre which has a wonderful art display on.  It is a beautiful building and we enjoy our visit.

Back to the boat and Dawson finishes installing the AIS antenna, which is a cool tracking tool so that ships will see us and we will see them.  It identifies us by name, length, direction, collision course, speed etc.  Handy to avoid collision in busy traffic.  Of course there is a stealth mode in waters where you do not want to be found.

The rest of the day is spent cleaning, and blogging and reading. 

Cheers Julie and Dawson

Day 51, Monday August 12th

Day 51, Monday August 12

Today we woke up on the boat to our new canvas.  It was late and dark last night so we did not get 

New blue canvas

 
much of a look.  We get to stay in port and organize before heading of towards Sarnia.  The canvas just needs a minor attachment so we can roll up the 2 sides so the jib sheets do not wear at the cloth and plastic windows when we are under sail.  That takes Jari about 5 minutes to fix up and we are satisfied.

Weaver davits added to our davits

Next is the dinghy work.   There is no dinghy on the boat so it must be at the shop still.  Dawson contacts Keith who lets us know that CO2 inflatables is done the dinghy side of the job and that he will be out this afternoon to install the stainless on our davits to complete the installation.

Roma and Julie head of to the grocers to restock the fridge and freezer that were emptied prior to Newfoundland.  After groceries, Roma heads on her way back to Sarnia.  It is about a 5 hour drive so good to hit the road by noon.  Thanks mom for the use of your taxi service.  Safe driving!

Alone again, laundry needs to be done along with a bunch of blogging and some life administration.  Keith comes and keeps Dawson busy for a couple of hours on the dinghy davits until he has to go for his night shift around 4:00pm.  The job is still not done so he will return in the morning which is when we are supposed to leave.  So far the new weaver davits look good and like they will secure the dinghy better while we are underway.

Laundry takes forever as one of the 2 dryers is out of commission.  Luckily it is a nice day and some of the laundry can be hung on the life lines.  We are tired of eating at restaurants so relish a fabulous spinach salad for dinner on board.  It is Monday night so not much going on in the community. 

We call it an early night and plan for our departure tomorrow (which really means Julie is starting to stress about pulling out of the slip on Monday as it is really windy and rainy outside).

Cheers Julie and Dawson

Day 50, Sunday August 11

Day 50, Sunday August 11

View from Dawson and Kevin hike

Well today is departure day from Newfoundland.  Our flight is late evening so we have a little time to say good-bye to Twillingate.  Dawson and Kevin opt for French Men’s beach head hike and Roma and Julie opt for the Twillingate Museum and Craft store.  The museum is very good.  There is a display ind information about a famous opera star **** Touliguet who is from Twillingate.  Touliguet is the French name that was originally given to Twillingate and the angolphones anglisized it to Twillingate.  We learned much of the original history of the community which gave us a deeper appreciation of Newfoundland and the hardships of living on the “rock”.

Minke whale of the point

Kevin leaning into car window or a last goodbye!

Dawson and Kevin had a good hike and saw a whale off the point.  We met up by 11:30 and headed out toward Grand Falls in 2 vehicles.  Julie hopped in with Kevin for a good last chat as he was going to work in the offices at Grand Falls for the afternoon evening.  Once we got to Grand Falls we went for lunch at Jungle Jim’s which is a low end Rain Forest Café style restaurant.  Of course it was tasty albeit “not good for us food”.  We said our good-byes to Kevin.  Not sure when we will connect again.  He is coming to Ontario for Thanksgiving, however we will probably be in Annapolis by then.  Most likely he will spend Thanksgiving in Toronto area.

The three of us play some auto bingo to no avail as much of what is needed does not exist here such as deer crossing signs, railway crossing signs etc.  We reach Deer Lake by 5:30 which is a good 3 hours early and find out our flight is delayed by 40 minutes.  Luckily Linda and Ralph are in town touring so pick us up at the airport and we go to dinner together.  We have a lovely visit for a couple hours and they drop us back of at the airport.  Linda and Ralph have another week in Newfoundland and are heading to Twillingate area.  We pass on some of our tourist knowledge we have gained.

Back at the airport we have about an hour to get through security, boarded and take-off.  Once again the 3 of us are upgraded to business class.  Nice travelling with “elite” Dawson.  The flight is good.  By the time we land and get our luggage and skypark picks us up it is about 23:00 Ontario time so :30 am in Newfoundland.  The drive up to Midland takes little more than an hour so we are in bed by 1:00 a.m. Ontario time.  Roma has been wonderful helping with the coordination of getting back to the boat.  It makes her drive home to Sarnia longer so it is very much appreciated. 

The first glimpse at the new dodger and bimini is exciting.  It looks wonderful.  Can’t wait to see it in the morning light.

Cheers

Julie and Dawson 
 
 

Day 49 Saturday, August 10

Day 49 Saturday August 10^th a very blustery day

On whale watching boat

The weather for Aug 10^th was better than forecasted with it being overcast but no rain.  It is however a very blustery day as Winnie the Pooh would say.  We again have a full day scheduled and get going fairly early.  Dawson goes for a 30 minute run around the harbour his 2^nd of the trip to Newfoundland. 

Bad hair or what???

As a group we are out of the B&B by 9:15 as we have a 9:30 whale watching boat tour scheduled.  The boat tour leaves from a dock about 100 meters from our accommodations so we make it with time to spare.  This is the oldest boat tour in operation in Twillingate having started up 28 years ago.  The main attractions are whales and icebergs.  We are too late in the season for icebergs but hope to see some whales.  At the boat we are met by the captain, Cecile, who is a retired gym teacher from the local school along with Bob another guest.   After a brief safety demonstration we are on our way.  The trip is scheduled for 2 hours, unfortunately the wind has built ups some small waves, known locally as lope, which hinders the whale spotting.  After about 15 mins we do spot our 1^st whale a Minki, however due to the lope we can’t keep it in sight, Kevin and Dawson did however get a sighting.  We motor around for another 20 mins and Julie spots another Minki and that is it for our whale watching.  We do see some interesting bird life and some great views of the coast.  We are back at the dock for 11:30.



Fighting the wind on the hike

Trail followed the coastline

Berries on hike to be identified still

After a quick lunch Kevin, Julie and Dawson head off to do a hike and Roma stays to catch up on the Roger’s Cup and look around Twillingate.  The hike that we do is about 8 kms and starts in the community of Crows Head and ends at the Crows Head Light house.  It features some beautiful walks along the sea cliff and goes past an old mine site.  The wind has steadily picked up since morning and is blowing around 25 knots, a wee bit of a gale.  At one point we cross a small valley and the wind is funneled across it allowing Kevin and Julie to lay back into the wind.  At this point we have all taken off our hats as we all have had them blown off our heads.  There is not much left at the mine site some old machinery and some concrete foots.  After 3 hours of hiking we arrive at the light house.

Top o the lighthouse tower

The light house is very cool in itself but also has a very good display on the sinking of the Titanic.  It delves not only into the basic cause of the sinking but the root cause.  The root cause is greed on the part of JP Morgan.  The woman at the entrance booth up sold me but giving me a deal on entrance tickets to the Light house tower (an extra $2 each) and it proves to be the highlight.  The tower is 80 feet high, originally made of brick and then covered in concrete due to earthquake damage in 1926.  The spiral staircase is excellent and views at the top extraordinary.

We head back to pick up Roma and are off to a dinner theater show.   The show has been going for over 20 years and is done by locals.  They cook, serve and provide the entertainment.  The meal is excellent and the building has a mural of the mine as it was in operation which is kind of neat to look at.  The show is good.  Sort of high school skits with song sprinkled in it.  It is good for a laugh.

We are off to bed directly after the show.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Kevin at the start of the hike

Day 48, Friday August 9th-Twillingate still

Day 48, Friday August 9^th, 2013



View from our B&B

We awake to another blue sky day; we have been very lucky with the weather during our tour having only had one rainy day so far.  We take picture of our view from the B and B which looks over Twillingate harbour.  We have a full agenda again today after have completed our recon mission yesterday.  We have a quick breakfast, get an update on the Roger’s Cup for Roma and we are off.



Roma and Julie at Prime Berth (note livecam beside us)

Sei whale skeleton

First stop is out to the “Prime Berth” which is a private museum just after the causeway on Twillingate Island.  The term Prime Berth refers to the practice of the fisherman having a lottery for the right to certain areas for setting their nets, they all hoped to get the best spot which was the “Prime Berth”.  The museum is excellent and shows what a person with a vision and some hard work can achieve.  It features a number of buildings with most set up along/over the water.  Each building gives some different insight to life in an outport community.  One building features an underwater camera so you can see real time what is happening out in the bay.  The museum also features the skeleton of a Sei Whale.  The skeleton is from a whale which beached itself about 20 miles from the Prime Berth.  The owner got permission to have the whale, he then transported it to a deserted island to let it rot and then 2 years later assembled the skeleton.  Lots of work but quite eye catching.

Jelly fish

From the Prime Berth we head off to do a hike up a hill aptly called “look out hill”.  The hike was ~4 kms long so Roma only did a bit of it.  The trail featured 4 look outs all affording excellent views of Twillingate Island and the surrounding waters.  From here it was back to the B and B for a lunch which was quite tasty as we finished the left over lobster.

We headed over to the village of Little Harbour to do a hike out to a Natural Sea Arch.  Roma declined to do any of this one and stays with the van to read.  We head out on another great adventure.  We meet a couple on the way out who reported they were unable to find the arch but did spot lots of poison ivy, so it is now somewhat of a test to see how we make out.  The test is not hard, there are signs to the arch and we see no poison ivy.  The archway is neat to see.  We head back to the van and find Roma fast asleep, she figures she got a half page read.

From here we head back to the Durrell Museum, this time knowing that we had to get through it by 5 pm.  The museum is good; it is located in an old armoury which was used by the Arm Lad Brigade up till the 60’s.  It has a number of items from the ALB and also a stuffed polar bear.  The polar bear arrived in Twillingate in 2000 on the pack ice.  It was killed just off the main wharf when it was deemed a danger to all the people showing up to look at it.  A 2^nd bear, possibly a sister to the one killed was spotted further out and tranquilized and shipped back to Labrador.  From here it is off to Twillingate North as we have tickets to a “Kitchen Party” which will take place at the Anchor Inn.  Kevin is also going to meet us there as he will be driving up to Twillingate after work.  Prior to heading over to the Anchor Inn we take in an Art Gallery owned by Tom Stuckless a local artist who painted a picture of an outport house move entitled “Greener Pastures” which is now well know.  He is from Twillingate and still lives here.

We show up at the pub and meet some of the other guest, the host ask where we are from and when we say Sudbury another group says that is where they are from as well.  We get ready for the “do you know game”, but it is cut short when the man says you look like a Dawson.  It is Bruce Hall with his wife and daughter.  Bruce is a mine rescue training officer in Sudbury who I had met during my time in mine rescue; it certain is a small world. 

Kevin arrives just in time for the show and we enjoy a couple of hours of songs and stories.  Near the end of the evening we are all given the opportunity to get Screeched In.  Julie and I take a pass but Kevin signs himself and his grandmother up.  Getting Screeched In consist of kissing a stuffed puffin, reciting a newfie saying and then doing a shot of bad rum bottled in Newfoundland know as Screech.  If you get the saying wrong you get to do another shot and try again.  Roma gets it on the first try but it takes Kevin 4 tries, needless to say he out of being the DD.

We are back at the B and B by 11 pm and off to bed as we have big plans for the next day.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 47- Thursday August 8th-Twillingate

Day 47, Thursday August 8^th

Kevin's house with his truck and lake in background

On our way out of Millertown we stop at Kevin’s house to grab a few groceries that we stashed there.  Kevin has a great little place with roommate Mark who also works at the mine and graduated from Queen’s the same time Kevin did in engineering.  The house has a view of the lake and is just around the corner from the fire dept. and town hall and the B&B we stayed at where he has friends that basically live there on a 3 week in 3 week out rotation out of Vancouver.

View of staging (fish filleting) area along coast

Twillingate

Today’s destination is Twillingate on the Northeast part of the island.  Twillingate is known for having iceberg tours but this year has been particularly void of icebergs and it is too late in the season also.  There are a few around FOGO island, but they are too far to access by boat from Twillingate.  We basically drive the 3 hours directly with no stops.  We 
 
 
 
 
 
have a picnic lunch with us, but no appealing spots to stop and we got to Twillingate around 2:00 and checked into our accommodations. 

They call it a B&B, but really it is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apt. that has continental breakfast food.  We are thrilled with the facilities so have our picnic lunch and plan our afternoon jaunt.  Twillingate looks excellent as far as a quaint outport fishing village.  The location of Echoes of the Ocean is perfect.  We head out walking, but soon realize that the winery we are heading to is farther than we thought so Dawson runs back for our wheels, while Roma and Julie continue to walk.  First stop is Auk Winery.  We opt for the tour, which is interesting.  The winery buys local fruits and berries to add to their wines.  Grapes they import from Quebec.  They also add some fruit to screech.  The winery is located in the old school and the production occurs in the gymnasium.  The old science lab is still a lab, lunch room is a lunch room, office an office…..After the tour we get to taste the wines.  They have about 25 and we try lots of them.  Dawson buys a cloudberry dessert wine.  They also call cloudberries “baked apples” for some reason.  Cloudberries are local and expensive and only grow in about 4 countries around the world.  Julie is not fussed on any of the product, nor is Roma, but it was fun trying them all.  We cruise the crafts/souvenirs for sale, but don’t buy anything.

Durrell museum



Roma and Julie hiking in French Bay

Next stop the Durrell museum.  We take a bunch of pictures from the vantage point as the museum is on top of a hill.  After goofing around taking photos for 15 minutes outside we realize the staff is locking up the museum.  Oops it is 5:00.  We will have to come back tomorrow.  That’s ok, as we are on a recon mission.    Back in the car we drive down a whole bunch of roads, each one going out onto a peninsula with lots of picture taking opportunities, views, boats etc.  We decide to head over to French beach that we can see across the peninsula.  Here we park and walk through hill and dale and bog to get to the beach that ends up being gravel and larger rocks.  Roma is wondering what she is getting into.  Dawson and Julie are famous for hiking through less than favourable area, a few soakers for everyone.



Fishers jigging by the crowsnest lighthouse

Coast guard ship

Back in the van and now we are going to head up to Crow’s Head, which is on a peninsula 5kms NW of Twillingate.  There is a titanic museum and a good lookout and lighthouse.  Again the drive is only about 15 minutes, but just beautiful, with winding roads, and coastline.  We watch a large Canadian coastguard ship coming in and take a bunch more photos.  At the lighthouse we watch the fishermen far below jigging on the reefs.  Dawson chats up some locals and finds out the recreational fishing season is about to end and the commercial season starts in 4 days.  We also keep our eyes out for whales.  There are lots around but we need to spot them, easier said than done.



After the lighthouse we head back to our B&B for a rest and happy hour.  We decide dinner at JJ’s which we think is only about 600 meters away so we walk.  Wrong… it is about a mile.  We get there and they tell us they are closed and the only other restaurant open is another kilometer.  Again we send Dawson back for the van and Roma and Julie carry on walking.  Some locals offer us a ride but we decline as the exercise is good.  Roma is a bit sore still from her “trip” in Trout River on Monday.  Thank goodness it is only muscle sore.  We find the restaurant and know it is not going to be a nutritional meal.  Fish and chips which is excellent all around.  It is difficult getting green veggies and salads in this province.  Large grocers are few and far between.  Shelves are sometime sparse.  By the time we are done dinner which of course the restaurant overlooked the bay, it is 10 so we decide to head “home” for bed.  It has been a full day.

Cheers Julie and Dawson