The West
Coast
June 20,
2013
Cow Head,
Newfoundland
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| Alison's evening yoga studio! |
There’s a
lot of debate about which way to go around Newfoundland. Due to a shortage of harbors, sailors tend to
not like the West side too much. When we went around “The Rock” in 2009, our
strategy was to use the more reliable south-west wind to get us up the west
side and then harbor hop into those prevailing south westerlies down the east
side.
It worked out well and in the process we came to
appreciate what the west has to offer. Viewed from the water the whole island
is dramatic with waves throwing themselves against sheer cliffs that plunge to
meet them. On the west side you can add
a few stretches of actual beach, some sea caves and cliff formations, and the
unique geology around Gros Morne.
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| Rocks near Codroy |
We’ve
sailed this stretch 5 times and find plenty to keep us interested and coming
back . . .
Perched
just around the south western corner of Newfoundland, Codroy was our second stop in 2009.
Arriving on the last day of school, our boat was soon hosting a group of
local boys eager for what the summer had to offer. The enclosed harbor was full of fishing boats
unloading their catches of halibut and turbot.
Small skiffs arrived and departed with lobster traps. Families strolled around the wharves and the
fish plant was hopping. The place was on
the go.
Arriving
this year the leaden sky seemed to foreshadow the current state of Codroy. There was one small fishing boat tied up and
just a few skiffs. Chatting with folks
told the tale. Shrimp were getting
scarce. Lobster prices were so low it wasn’t worth the fuel to get them. Most of the local guys had sold their boats
and licenses or just not bothered to put their boats in the last few years. The
small general store closed a few months earlier.
We
were greeted from porches as we strolled around, chatted with kids at the
playground and patronized the only commercial enterprise in town besides the
fish plant, The Chip Wagon. Open just a few weeks it was enjoying a great
business and the hamburger with fried onions was really good. The view and chatting with its owner was
priceless.
We couldn't go the summer without a lobster roll! Lobster from the fish plant and the rolls from the Chip Wagon.
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| Hard clay or soft rock? |
Picking
out lights on a night arrival in a strange harbor can be just a tad
stressful. Motoring into Rocky Harbour
at 2am we were glad we’d been here before. Rocky
Harbour, at the entrance to Bonne Bay, isn’t particularly rocky as in big
pieces of stone but can be rocky from waves.
We found an old chart that called it Roche Harbour and I think over the
years it got Anglicized to Rocky. This
very small town is surrounded by Gros Morne National Park so it has the feel of
a town catering to tourists. Gros Morne,
a UNESCO world heritage site is home to the second highest peak in Newfoundland
and geology that you can’t see anywhere else on earth. You can hike across the earth’s mantle and view
spectacular, land-locked fjords.
We
were here to rendezvous with an ordered part and hopefully get some hiking in
and knock off a few more of the ever present boat chores. We’d had the part sent to the only place we
could think of, Java Jack’s Restaurant. Java Jack’s is owned by Jackie, a
sailor, and offers delectable fare in a great atmosphere featuring local
artists’ work on the walls and the speakers.
No
part so boat chores! The big
break-through was Russ figuring out how to hook up our pactor modem. The pactor
enables us to send & receive simple e-mails through our single side band
radio. It’s not surfing the web but it is communicating!
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| Bakers Brooks Falls |
Still
no part so we managed our first epic hike of 2013. Bakers Brooks Falls, a 9.5 km trail, ended up
being around 14 miles roundtrip because we had to get to and from the
trailhead! The torrent of water
cascading over the first waterfall was well worth it. The other 3 waterfalls were bonuses! We
passed another couple on their way out but otherwise had the trail to
ourselves. 
The
forest around Gros Morne is boreal pine but the non-native moose are changing
that. Wind and insects shape a boreal
forest. The insects weaken the trees and
the wind knocks them down so seedlings can get a start. The moose interrupt
this process by eating the seedlings.
Seems they like pine seedlings but not birch. So the forests are changing over to birch
forests. This trail showed it in
dramatic fashion. We could just see a
tall fence where they’re doing a test plot to see if they keep the moose out they
can keep the pines.
After
3 days of missing wind in the right direction, we’d decided we had to go
package or no. A last breakfast at Java
Jack’s and she dashed off to check her post office box. It came!
We
set off for Cow Head. I think they call it cow head because of the
shape of the island. Since the roads
came through, town has moved over the causeway to the road side. We’ve been here before for the Lobster Festival
featuring, you guessed it, lobster but also local music and entertainment.
This
time we decided to try the Gros Morne Theatre and caught a dinner theatre
production of the SS Ethie. Drama, humor
and song tell the story of the coastal steamer Ethie. Caught out in a December gale that was the
worst anyone could remember she was in danger of being bashed on the rocks when
her captain made the decision to purposefully beach her. It worked and all on
board were saved. It was a great evening and we enjoyed talking with fellow
travelers!
Cow
Head is also known for its geology and a walk out to the “point of the head” and
the lighthouse shows it off.
Last
stop, Port Au Choix. We weren’t here long this trip but did manage
to find the showers and the large Foodland grocery store. Previous stops we’ve walked out to the
National Historic Site. Hiking the
trails takes you by archeological digs delving into the earliest people that
camped along this shore.
From
here we’ll hope for a clear day and cross over to Labrador. Clear because from
here North there’s ice. Ice reports say,
“ one zero zero bergs” in the Straits of Belle Isle. That’s one hundred!
Here's a map of our trip to date:
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