Concertina on the South Coast of Newfoundland, 19 July 2006


Four weeks along the South Coast of Newfoundland aboard the “Concertina” from mid-July to mid-August 2006.
Wednesday, 19 July 2006	Grey River to Aviron Bay Northwest Arm; The pleasure of a bath and the virtues of a storm anchor.
	Sunshine and warmth greeted us Wednesday morning as we rowed up to the head of the arm for a welcome bath in the rock pools of the stream to be found there.
	Potholes excavated from the solid granite were especially interesting. We found them in other stream beds as well.

We had a fine view of the Arm and the two sailing vessels from the rock ledge shoulders of this stream.
	On our way back to “Concertina” we were invited aboard “Christiania” for coffee and a gam with Bora and Johan Pedersen and their families. They had a very rugged 47 foot Colin Archer double-ended vessel whose massive comfortable structure was quite a contrast to the scale of our much smaller schooner yacht. The women and children had joined the vessel at a Halifax crew change, and would leave at another crew change in St. John's. Christiania would then cruise Greenland and winter in Iceland. For more information about "Christiania", see Wooden Boat magazine, May/June 2001.
	In the afternoon we motored back out the channel passing the outport of Grey River again, and then encountering sloppy seas and variable airs outside the entrance.

The eastward sail was punctuated with periods of motoring as we skirted the coastline bound for the promontory of Cape La Hune.

Past the Cape, we had a full view up the lower portion of Aviron Bay.
	Sailing conditions became rather benign as we progressed up the Bay, indicated by the relaxed posture of the helmsman.
	The shores became quite sheer as we progressed into the bay and prepare to turn to port into Northwest Arm where a picturesque anchorage is promised.
	We passed two sloops, one from Annapolis, Maryland, and the other from Halifax, at anchor near a ribbon waterfall on the western wall. We found good anchoring depth and holding farther in, near the head of the bay. John and Peter set off in search of shellfish in the shallows but returned empty handed as the wind freshened. They were, however, able to report the presence of a vigilant fox on the shore.
	The strong northerlies swept down this valley, prompting us to set out an additional storm anchor. This proved to be a wise move as the other two yachts dragged their anchors during this gusty spell. Certainly a beautiful spot but this cove is not without its challenging surprises.

Tuesday, 18 July 2006	return to log index	Thursday, 20 July 2006