From LaScie to LittleBay Islands, via RoundHarbor (NotreDame Bay, 2)

 

This is a short leg, another beautiful day to sail, and we have time for a “lunch stop” at Round harbor, a very small cove that is shaped as a perfect …circle. It is one of those abandoned outports, and we see is a fair proportion of dilapidated houses which adds to the spectacular of the place, but there are few have summer occupants as well. It is quite intimate and you could nearly hear the conversation of the people sitting for lunch on their decks.

We stay for a short walk and proceed to LittleBayIslands. We are going to get blasés, but this is another perfect natural shelter.

Hurricane holes

I needed a criteria to pre-select what places we should visit. I decided to focus on what I considered “hurricane holes” (plus some Fjords, on special request): I had anyway to select, on each coast, at least one place where I could shelter in case of hurricane warning (assuming we would have a few days to get there). The selection tends to favor places that are surrounded from all sides, a bit off the way, so this makes also pleasant anchorages. Like, Frenchman Cove in Gry river, LittleBay Islands, Moreton harbour for instance.  When I have a chance, I try to talk with locals for better advice, (a good list would be a nice addition to the cruising guide we use). 

 

We meet with Jim from Malakula who has preceded us here; there is a nice bench on the dock, and we enjoy a beer together. Quite a perfect evening,  and in addition I get interesting comments from Jim: like most of the yachties that we meet in Newfoundland, he is a recidivist, all those sailors keep coming back, which is a good sign ! 

This is yet again a port that has been emptied of its occupants, but is sort of being kept alive by temporary residents. It seems that for less than 50 grand you can get a house (or rather, its remains). I can surely understand why one would be tempted to spend summers here – as for ourselves, we will have to stay only one night. One of the reasons for us leaving is that there is no cell phone reception, and we need weather updates as Ernesto moves up the cost of USA. Our direction of travel is East, which brings us closer to the forecasted track of Ernesto, but we might lose too much time if we decide stay here until everything clear. So, we have to take calibrating risks to move, the plan beeing to wait Ernesto out in Twillingate, the next point North.