I am typing this post at an open window of our inn overlooking the harbour in Bonavista, Newfoundland. The sun is just setting over The Atlanitc Ocean. I can hear the water lapping up against the shore and smell the classic smell that is ocean harbour.
Dad and I have had a fantastic day. We woke in Port Rexton in the beautiful Fisher's Inn. We were treated to a lovely breakfast of homemade blueberry waffles and bacon. We also enjoyed tea biscuits with homemade partridgeberry jam.
We checked out of the inn fairly early as we were heading to New Bonaventure to participate in The Rugged Beauty Boat Tour. Sharon, Kim, and I had boated with Bruce last year and thoroughly enjoyed his tour. I knew that this was a tour that was right up Dad's ally. We arrived rather early to New Bonaventure after a picturesque drive through rural Newfoundland.
Promoting rural Newfoundland is the reason for Bruce's boat tour. Bruce is a friendly and welcoming tour guide wtih first hand experience of the cod fishing industry, the resettlement of rural Newfoundland, and the cod moretorium. He is quick with his come backs, demonstrating the easy humour of Newfoundlanders.
Our tour group started out in the stage where Bruce explained to us how cod were brought in from the ocean, slit, gutted and salted. After a few days of salting (pickling) cod were laid out on the flake to dry. Cod were sorted in to grades for sale to different parts of the world.
We then boarded the 24 foot boat and began the sea part of our journey. The fog was thick by the shore, but not so think that we were unable to see land. We saw the set of Random Passage, a mini series from the 90s. The film left the set which resembles an old settlement. This has now become a tourist spot and is run by Bruce's wife. Bruce took us to Kerley's Cove, Irish Cove, Ireland Eye, and British Cove. Bruce explained to us where his grandparents used to live before the resettlement and showed us where he now has a cabin. These communities were made up of small populations of people (between 99 and 200) who lived and worked together, taking care of each other and living in true community.
As we coninued on the tour, we traveled through the fog and came out the other side. We were able to look back on the fog bank and see it weaving in and out of the land. We encountered pockets of warm and cold air alternatively. Fortunately we were dressed in our winter's finest.
We encountered incomparable scenery: land, sea, and sky. Upon entering Kerley's Cove, we came upon a grounded iceberg. Bruce circled the iceberg for us. The facets of the iceberg were intriguing and the shades of blue that are hard to believe. Bruce used a net to fish out a bergy bit which he sliced up and shared around with all of the people on the boat. The ice is pure and clean and about 15 000 years in the making. We were also fortunate enough to see 5 eagles soaring around, and a black bear scrambling up a hill into the trees.
Bruce chatted about Uncle Jo and Aunt Lizze and their role in his life as a boy coming up. His stories told of a time when people relied on the weather, the sea, and hard work for their living.
Bruce took us up to his cabin where we were treated to a cup of tea and some jam on crackers. We returned to land via the iceberg which, while we were gone, had flipped, leaving growlers and bergy bits strewn around the cove. As the tour had ended and we were preparing to leave, I thanked Bruce once again and was treated to a warm hug from him. It reminded me of the saying, "meet as strangers, leave as friends". This is a tour that is so unbelievabley worth while. It is an education outside of a classroom.
We enjoyed lunch at Trinity Mercantile. We sat outside, soaking in the sun, and enjoying an iceberg beer. By the time we were done, it was time to head to Bonivista to our next accomodation. It was about a 40 minute drive. We checked in to yet another fantastic room. This room overlooks the harbour and has a separate bedroom and living room area. Worn out from our morning on the ocean, dad and I both had a nap to refresh and reenergize.
Dad and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some dinner items and snacks for the road tomorrow. We decided that we were going to drive down Cape Shore Road to where the road ends at the lighthouse. Toward the end of the road, we passed a directional sign saying "Puffins, Icebergs, and Whales this way". So we were hopeful that the sign would fulfill the promise made.
And fulfill it it did!
First, we saw a huge iceberg off in the distance. A local guessed that the part we could see was 150m tall. To the east, we saw a few whales coming up for breathe, blowing mist from their blowholes. We likely saw 4 or 5 humpbacks in the distance. In the water, it appeared that there was a distinct and curved line. Dad and I thought that maybe this was a spot in the water where the currents were changing. It also appeared to be the area that the whales were feeding. We watched a small group of three humpbacks swim from the east to the west, around the lighthours. As we followed the whales, we were able to see a few more in the distance and some closer. We could also hear their breath echoing off of the rocks. I was able to climb down the rocky coast a bit to get a closer look at the humpbacks. I followed them west until a tickle between land and a small island. When the whales got there, they turned around and headed back toward the lighthouse.
When the humpbacks reached the lighthouse, The Real Show began. One of the whales began to breech. We must have witnessed the whale breech 15 - 20 times in a row. The younger whale was mimicing this behaviour. Locals told us that the whales were rounding up the caplan to eat. We were also told by locals that they had never seen a show such as the one we were watching. But, the show was not over. The whales continued heading westward. As the rounded land, they began smacking the water with their fins. We watched this behaviour multiple times and were told it was all in aid of rounding up food. We were watching the whales for about 2 and a half hours altogether and it was the best show we could have seen. We have been gifted with another phenomenal day on The Rock and "dat's where we're to".
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