17th
May 2016
Troopie goes to
sea – Yet again. Crossing the Cabot
Strait
I had set my
alarm for 7 am, as I was determined not to miss my ferry, but there was no
hurry – I was up by 6.30 and in the (very rustic) shower by 7. After breakfasting I was on the road by 8.15,
and as I didn’t need to check in for the ferry until 9.45, I headed off to the
nearest McD’s for a cup of coffee and wifi.
You can say what you like about McD’s, but their coffee is 10 times
better than Tim Horton’s, and so is their wifi.
Sorry Canadians, but it is true !!
Got down to the
port and had no problem checking in – Apart from having to do it all through
the LH / passenger side window ! I must get one of those claw sticks for
picking up things, then I could hand over tolls and other paperwork from the
driver’ seat ! Then, as usual, you line
up for an hour or more. At least here
(unlike Dover) there is a really nice visitor’s centre with new amenities, a
coffee / souvenir shop, etc. and by the time I had sorted out some stuff in the
car and got my back pack ready to take on
board the boat (it is a 6 hour
crossing), we were boarding. In fact we
were all on board with half an hour to go before departure. Going on board had one lighter moment when
the crew member on deck told me to park under a ramp that clearly said 2.1 m
clearance, and with me knowing that 2.2 m was really my minimum, I refused to
go under there, despite much cajoling – in French, I think, but I didn’t
understand it anyway ! Eventually they
let me go right up
to the very front, right up by the ramp, which had me a bit
concerned because I had been told how rough these crossings of the Cabot Strait
can get. But the crew assured me I would
be OK – And once I was up on deck I realized why – I was right down the back of
the ship, facing backwards ! I thought I
had boarded at the back / stern / whatever. This is the 2nd time Troopie has
had to spend the voyage facing backwards, and I am sure she doesn’t like it any
more than I do ! But this must be about
our 25th or 30th ferry crossing, so I reckon we are
getting used to it by now.
The ship was
almost empty – But at least it wasn’t closed for the season !! Seeing we are now passed mid-May, more things
should start opening up soon, and after next weekend, almost everything should
be open. We should arrive in Port aux
Basques, down in the SW corner of Newfoundland, at about 5.45 pm, but then,
like Adelaide, NL is half an hour ahead of the rest of this part of the world,
it will be 6.15 pm. There is supposed to
be a camp site just a few kms up the road, so if it is open, I shall overnight
there before setting off to explore my next island ! And from everything I have heard about it
from both a scenic and a wildlife point of view, I am really looking forward to
it.
Had fun watching some cormorants building nests on one of the jetties - One guy landed with a big stick in his beak, but went to the wrong nest, and got chased away. Luckily he then gounf the right nest and partner and she gave him a big fishy peck for bring back such a good stick !
Later - The boat arrive just about on time, after a
very flat and uneventful voyage. Very
few people or cars meant there was plenty of space to stretch out. No wifi on the ship, but that’s about par –
Canadian wifi once you get out of the centres really isn’t very good……
Second off the
ferry – they came in backwards ! So it
was lucky I got down to the car early as I got off almost immediately. In fact, almost too fast because my Tom Tom
hadn’t worked out where it was yet, so for the first km or so I had to just
follow my nose. The National Park is only about 10 kms out of town and within
15 minutes I was in and exploring. It is
officially closed, but opens tomorrow, so myself and a couple of others off the
ferry as well as a couple who
are headed to Nova Scotia on the morning ferry
are also in here. I drove down to the beach and it was very tempting to camp
down there, but it is bitterly cold (3 deg C at 7 pm) and the wind on the beach
was worse. But back in the trees of the
camp site there is hardly any wind at all, so I was able to cook a chop and
veggies outside, and after I cleaned up, it was almost straight to bed. Tomorrow I will explore the SW coast of
Labrador east along to Rose Blanche.
Thought for the
day from G.K. Chesterton – “The Traveller sees what he wants to see. The Tourist sees what he has come to see.”
(Comment on that
quote in a local travel guide -
Some people might
argue that GKC was just being overly fussy and that this is a distinction
without a difference. Those people
aren’t Travellers.
Had fun watching some cormorants building nests on one of the jetties - One guy landed with a big stick in his beak, but went to the wrong nest, and got chased away. Luckily he then gounf the right nest and partner and she gave him a big fishy peck for bring back such a good stick ! 
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