This morning we explored one of the largest seaports on Newfoundland’s northeast coast, Twillingate. Early French fishermen thought it resembled the Toulinguet Islands near Brest, France. The name stuck, but was anglicized to Twillingate. The harbor is lovely with many white houses perched on rocky low hills around its edge.
Twillingate’s mayor welcomed each of us as we arrived ashore, then buses brought us to several interesting sites. At the Twillingate Museum we saw household items from life on shore. Fisherman David Boyd created the wonderfully quirky Prime Berth Fishing Heritage Center after spending years collecting old fishing shacks, fishing gear, and related artifacts. These buildings sit above the water on pilings and are connected by boardwalks along the rocky shore. Artifacts, history, salt air and lots of atmosphere fill the small buildings. We gathered close as David gutted, split and salted cod, and he removed the cod tongue and cheeks–pieces favored by Newfoundlanders. Just yesterday he had towed a stranded whale to the Center! It floated upside down between the buildings. It appeared to be a young sei whale; on the boardwalk above was the white skeleton of a sei whale that stranded in 2006.
At the Auk Island Winery we tasted local wines made from blueberries, raspberries, partridgeberries, and cloudberries. A sign by the register indicated that berries are still being collected for this year’s production. We walked to the edge of tall cliffs in front of the Long Point Lighthouse, and looked out at a spectacular shoreline of coves and waves far below. Some of us stretched our legs on a 3-mile hike along this gorgeous stretch of the coast.
During the afternoon on board the National Geographic Explorer, we cruised towards St. John’s. Robert MacNeil gave a fascinating talk about his experiences at some major world news events, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of JFK. We also learned from National Geographic photographer Eric Kruszewski, as he shared some techniques for using available light to make better photographs. At the Captain’s Farewell cocktail party, we gathered to celebrate our voyage and reflect on our rich week exploring this beautiful corner of the world, St. Pierre, Newfoundland and Maritime Canada.
