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NEWFOUNDLAND Newfoundland, Great Britain's oldest colony, the world's 10th largest island and since 1949, the 10th province of Canada, lies across the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence River between latitude 46 and 51 degrees north. The island is shaped like an equilateral triangle with sides of about 300 miles long. At the southwest it is separated from Cape Breton Island by Cabot Strait, 65 miles across. Just east of St. John's is Cape Spear, the eastern most point of land in North America. With the island of Newfoundland so far east, they have created their own time zone, one half hour ahead of Atlantic Time. The first recorded discovery of Newfoundland was made in 1497 when John Cabot sighted land, probably Cape Bonavista, and landed. Before this date, the waters off Newfoundland were known and frequented by fishermen from Portugal, Spain and France. They were followed by the English, who had already established a settlement in St. John's Harbor by 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert sailed passed the cliffs into St. John's harbor to claim the land for the Queen of England. He expected to find wilderness, but instead be found a busy fishing community. Soon after Sir Gilbert's ship returned to England ( he never made it back to England, having been lost at sea), a group of merchants, fearing the Newfoundland settlement would cut into their lucrative fishing monopoly, pressured Queen Elizabeth to prohibit permanent settlements in Newfoundland. The fishermen's settlements were not to be stopped, in part because of their practice of only lightly salting fish and storing the catch onshore, before shipping the whole lot back to England. The English had to leave some people in Newfoundland over the winter to protect their property. The permanent population grew steadily, particularly from the early 19th century as the inshore fisheries were developed. Soon, settlements were scattered on the countless islands and around the bays on Newfoundland's eastern coast. Those settlements marked the birth of an outport settlement pattern that survived until the 1950s and 1960s. It wasn't until 1855, when England elevated Newfoundland to a colonial status, that outports were officially tolerated. In the years that followed outports blossomed in size and number, until after World War II when they numbered over 1100. For years the life blood of the outport was family cod fishing, drying split fish on racks and salting them down. After 1949, when Newfoundland became a Canadian Province, more fish processing plants were built in centralized villages around the coast. Fishermen gradually moved from the outports to these better paying and more reliable jobs. (The Province of Newfoundland includes the island of Newfoundland plus Labrador. Within the confines of this Guide, when using the word "Newfoundland" it refers to the island and not the whole Province). By 1954 more than 40 outports sat empty. In that year Newfoundland's first Premier, Joey Smallwood, began to offer outports incentives to relocate, primarily to reduce the cost of providing the whole range of social services to the remote settlements. At first the incentives were small, $300.00 to $600.00 per family, and then only if everyone in the settlement agreed to relocate. In 1965 the Federal Government entered the picture and resettlement began in earnest, with incentives increasing to $1,000.00 per household plus $200.00 per family member. Eventually only 75% of the community was required to agree to move. In 15 years over 20,000 people moved from 148 isolated coves and islands, some to better paying jobs, some to disappointment; but all to a radically different life style from that of the outport. While the whole coast of Newfoundland was affected by the relocation program, most of the relocation occurred around Placentia Bay, Trinity Bay and Bonavista Bay. Some outporters demolished their homes, others towed them to a new site, while others just left, the kitchen table set for the next meal in the hope of returning. Fishing is still a major industry of Newfoundland. However, it is struggling. Inshore fishing, the way the outporters lived, is dying out. The offshore boats and fish processing plants are mostly owned by the Government or big companies, and are beset by strikes and overfished grounds. From one year to the next there is a question as to whether a fish processing plant will be open or closed, as is indicated in the various entries for Ramea and Burgeo. Lumbering, pulp and paper mills. are a big part of Newfoundland's economy, with Bowaters Pulp and Paper Co. the largest producer of pulp and newsprint, located in Corner Brook. Mining also plays a part in Newfoundland, as does oil since 1979, when oil and gas were discovered in the Hibernia Field 100 miles east of St. John's. As one cruises the Newfoundland coast today there are still some settlements inaccessible to the outside world except by boat. This is predominately so on the south coast. Port aux Basques, on the island's southwest corner is the major conduit to Canada and North America, with ferries arriving at all hours of the day and night. But to the east of Port aux Basques, for more than 100 miles, there isn't a single road to the various communities along this coast, exception for one, a gravel road that was punched through 90 miles of tundra to Burgeo in 1979. Up-to-date Canadian charts still show some of the abandoned outports as towns, places such as Recontre West, Oderon, St. Kyran's, Traytown, Flat Island; the list can go on and on. Wandering among the half filled cellars, with an occasional building's shell still standing, one wonders why people would leave such delightful places. But we only see these places during the summer months. Life is far different in the winter - with winter gales, freezing temperatures and being cut off from schools, hospitals, and stores, often without electricity - the services that one has come to expect. Today people are returning to the abandoned outports, to their roots, during the summer. Many who have retired now return to fish as their families did. Others, who left as children, became educated and perhaps moved to the mainland to a good paying job, are now returning to their origin for vacations. Newfoundland, of course, has a maritime climate. The summers are cool. July temperatures rarely reach 80 degrees F. Although, one will find exceptions to this when tucked into a protected cove on a quiet sunny day. Statistically, Newfoundland is less likely to have fog than the southeast coast of Nova Scotia. One can expect fog off Newfoundland's south coast during July, however, it is no more prevalent there than off the coast of Maine that month. On Newfoundland's northeast and west coasts fog is infrequent during the summer. Anyone cruising Newfoundland must have some stomach for getting around in a sea and fog, for aids to navigation are far less frequent than along the New England coast. The Canadian charts, however, are excellent. The yachtsman who has never been down east usually asks "how far can I go during my vacation? There is no real answer to this. It all depends on the time available and your inclinations. People have departed Boston and circumnavigated Newfoundland, returning to Boston, in six weeks. Others have spent six weeks after reaching St. John's in the area from St. John's to Notre Dame Bay. Using Boston as a reference point, Newfoundland is a long way off; 900 miles to St. John's, or about 660 miles to either St. Pierre or Port aux Basques. Most people heading east use the prevailing southwest winds to get east as fast as possible, clearing into Canada somewhere in Nova Scotia. Interestingly enough, for those planning to enter Canada in Newfoundland, their route parallels Nova Scotia, so should the need arise, land is not far away. Inevitably, those heading for Newfoundland's south coast sail there via the Bras d'Or Lakes. From there they usually depart for St. Pierre and then cruise westward along the south coast before heading back to Cape Breton Island, or they head for Port aux Basques and cruise eastward, normally turning back at St. Pierre for Nova Scotia. Because Newfoundland is so far away, and because there is so much to see - so many island-covered bays to explore, more and more people are leaving their boats in Canada for the winter. One such place is the old Pinaud yard in Baddeck, now called Cape Breton Boatyard and run by Heny Fuller. The Canadian Custom's regulation concerning the storage of boats in Canada says: a nonresident may be permitted to retain his or her boat ... in Canada when legitimate repairs or maintenance work is to be undertaken by a bona fide marina or service depot during the off season. The keyword is "bona fide" in terms of where the boat is stored. People have run into trouble when keeping their boat at a private yard or marina. Newfoundland does not yet have yacht yards as such. That is not to say they have no facilities to handle yachts. Don't forget their main industry is still fishing, done from boats, with many of the same needs as yachts. In recent years the government has established marine centers around the coast, most with travel lifts. Generally speaking, one can find a knowledgeable hand in most Newfoundland communities who can give aid on repairing a wooden vessel or an engine. Expertise on metal work or fiberglass is less easy to obtain. But this is changing fast, for all their dories and small boats are now being built in fiberglass. Obtaining fuel can be a problem, depending on the size of one's fuel tank and on what part of the coast one is on. Even though the fishermen all use fuel, their fuel is "marked" a bluish color. This is sold to them for less than what is used in their cars or pleasure craft. Fuel for yachts is almost always brought from the gas station in jerry cans or delivered to the boat in a fuel truck, perhaps driven by the mayor of the town. The west coast, around the Bay of Islands and Bonne Bay, is the highest and most magnificent of the whole island. As you enter the wide estuary of the Bay of Islands, with Devils Head to starboard, you stare up at the towering crags and the little white lighthouse perched halfway up the cliff, which looks like some misplaced toy. Climbing from the shores of Bonne Bay is Gros Morne, nearly the highest land in Newfoundland. Trails lead to it's peak at 2744 feet, with terrific views. The Lewis Hills south of Corner Brook have the highest land on the island, at 2672 feet. Further north, at Port aux Choix, relics of the Maritime Archaic Indians have been discovered, which date back to 2400 BC. On the northern tip of Newfoundland one can visit the Viking excavations at L'anse aux Meadows. Across the Straits of Belle Isle, at Red Bay, Labrador, are the recently (1982) discovered remains of a thriving Basque whaling station, the artifacts from which are now displayed in a small museum there. St. Anthony is located at the northern tip of Newfoundland. It is the center for this region and that to the north. The headquarters of the Grenfell Regional Health Services is here, which is the medical mission that Wilfred Grenfell established in 1892. Modern fish processing plants are located along the shores of the fine harbor, stores in town provide most anything one needs, and an airport gives access to the rest of the world. The huge bays of Notre Dame Bay, Bonnavista Bay and Trinity Bay are an inviting cruising ground, each with hundreds of protected harbors, even more small islands and interesting tickles or thoroughfares that present the most protected sailing in all of Newfoundland. The coastal towns along the northeast coast are connected by roads so that ships supplies are readily available. It is also easy to catch a bus or hire a taxi to reach airports at Deer Lake, Gander or St. John's for a crew change. The south coast seems to be split at St. Pierre, that wonderful French island located just off Newfoundland's south coast. Placentia Bay dominates the area to the east of St. Pierre to Cape Race. On Placentia Bay's western shore, and at the head of this huge bay are many islands and protected harbors, a grand gunkholing area. The bay's eastern shore is bold, although at Argentia, the U.S. built a Naval base during World War II, which is scheduled to be phased Out by 1995. Cape St. Mary's is the eastern promontory of Placentia Bay, with a bird sanctuary on Bird Rock, a major gannet nesting area. Another bird sanctuary is on the islands off Witless Bay, just south of St. John's; it is a major puffin nesting area. To the west of St. Pierre, the Newfoundland coast becomes bold, with fjord-like arms cutting through the cliffs that extend inland for many miles, into the tundra-covered wilderness, where streams cascade into the sea. As elsewhere in Newfoundland, these streams are often filled with trout and salmon, and patrolled by a warden - one needs a fishing license. A large portion of the coast is still serviced by the weekly ferry, inaccessible by land. To recapitulate: The coast of Newfoundland is a hospitable coast, it is not a dangerous area with all sorts of hazards to trap the unwary. True, it is no place for the novice or timid. It is full of unexpected delights for the experienced sailor. It is well away from crowded harbors, where one might not see another yacht in a weeks time. Perhaps the most rewarding part of a cruise to Newfoundland is meeting the people, particularly those in the remote villages. They are generally reserved, with a dry sense of humor and a quick willingness to help. |