Map of the route from Garnish to St. Bernard's (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge).
About a week
before July 1st we all met at Tim Horton’s in Marystown to divide
up the gear/grub list, and work out the final details of the trip. Greg,
owner/operator of Spanish Room Kayaking (SRK) mentioned that he had the key to
an old cabin his father and a friend from St. Bernard’s, Mr. Hodder, built
about thirty years ago in Grand John. Mr. Hodder said it wasn’t much of it,
but we were welcome to use it.
The plan was
to leave Garnish on Thursday morning July 1st. We would get a ride as
far as the old resettled community of Point Rosie, about 18 km down the coast
from Garnish, with local fishers Clifford & Darlene Grandy aboard their long
liner, “The Cheryl & Diane.” From there we would paddle about 22 km
northeast along the coast to Grand John, stay two nights, and then paddle the 10
km to St. Bernard’s on Saturday July 3rd.
On Wednesday,
the eve of our trip, we got the latest forecast, 15-20 km southeast, perfect
conditions for this coastline. We decided to load our kayaks and gear aboard the
Cheryl & Diane that evening to avoid any delays in the morning.
My clock radio
sounds at
Darlene
maneuvers the long liner through the boat basin, and heads for Point Rosie.
It’s a great morning on the water, light winds, and a little bit of morning
fog. Chatting with Clifford & Darlene on the way, it’s no trouble to get
the feeling they love their work. We arrive in Point Rosie about
There is a
light breeze blowing, and the sky is overcast as we paddle by Wood Cove, about 1
km northeast from Point Rosie. A Bald Eagle leaves its perch in a tree near the
shoreline, and flies ahead of us. Bert says this is a sign of good luck.
As we paddle
towards Peltry Barasway, the shoreline is mostly cliffs, and rock. Small beaches
that seem to appear out of nowhere between the cliffs, make perfect landing
areas. Paddling by Peltry Barasway, we can see cabins on the shoreline with
lobster pots piled up near them. Before we get to Grand Jersey Head we decide to
land for a snack on a small beach.
Not long after
we leave our landing spot, we pass by Grand Jersey Head, and see Middle Head in
the distance. Another bald eagle flies over our heads as we round Middle Head.
We paddle by Grand Jervais Cove and notice more cabins on the shoreline. We
decide to paddle in for a closer look. Most of them seem to be fishing cabins
used for lobster fishing. The terrain on the shoreline seems to be getting more
rugged the farther we paddle down the coast. The next place on the map is
Barsaway Plate. There are several cabins located near the beach, with a gut
running out of a small barsaway located inside the saltwater. We are only about
2 km now from our destination.
We round
Photo 3 - Greg at the cabin
We unload our
gear and set up a tent on the grassy bank near the cabin. Soon after we arrive,
Mr. Brushett and his wife walk by on their way back from getting some drinking
water in the nearby brook. They stop for a quick yarn, telling us they are
staying in the cabin next door to us, out on the point. They ask us where we had
come from in those little boats. We tell them we left Garnish this morning in a
long liner, got dropped off at Point Rosie, and paddled here.” IN THE LIKE OF
THAT!
It’s just
about
After lunch we
decide to do a little exploring around the fjord. We pack a small snack, our
fishing gear, and off we go. As we paddle up the left side of the fjord we see
another cabin in a small cove come into view. Greg decides to try for a trout;
it’s not long before he has a nice sea trout hooked. This convinces me and
Bert to try our luck. The water in the fjord is flat calm, just like a mirror.
Picture this, three kayaks drifting along in the tide ever so slowly, not a
sound to be heard, only that of birds singing in the nearby trees. What a day!
The silence is broken when Bert shouts he has one on.
Photo 5 -
Grand John sea trout
I decide to
climb to the top of one of the high hills to see if I can get out on my cell
phone, to let everyone back home know we got there safe and sound. The climb is
worth it; I manage to get a message home. It is getting close to 6:00 pm; we
have a dozen nice sea trout between us, so decide to head back for supper.
On the way
back, Bert notices some mussels in about 2-3 feet of water near the shoreline.
We go ashore to investigate. Bert walks out with his kayaking dry suit on, and
15 minutes later we have a full bag of fresh mussels for supper.
We arrive back
at the cabin; pull the kayaks up past the high water mark on the beach, and get
set for the night. We put up a make shift clothesline to hang up our gear, and
start collecting some firewood. We start a fire on the beach near the cabin, and
we are all set. On the menu tonight, fresh sea trout, fresh mussels, steak
brought from home. Bert pulls out a bottle of homemade blueberry wine. Is this
what is meant by roughing it?
After supper
we clean up and decide to walk over to the Brushett’s cabin for a yarn. Mr.
and Mrs. Brushett tell us they have been building their cabin a bit at a time,
for the past few years, whenever Mr. Brushett gets time. I mention my
grandfather, Frank Hardiman, was born here in Grand John. Mrs. Brushett says her
family was also from here. She said most of the Hardimans lived on the point on
the left side coming in from the bay, and the Skinners, and the Matthews lived
on the other side. The place where they now have their cabin was called
Skinner’s Garden. You can still see the outline of the vegetable beds out
back. They also told us of a pond in over the hills call Skinner’s Pond, and
how the pond got its name.
The story is
told about a young Skinner fellow from Harbor Breton who was courting a girl
from Grand John. He arrived in St. Bernard’s some time in early December, with
plans to walk to Grand John. He left to walk and was never heard from again.
Local people figured he might have fallen through the ice crossing the pond.
Ponds in that area were caught over with a thin layer of ice from an early
frost, but were not safe enough to cross. Ever since then the pond has been
known as Skinner’s Pond.
Photo 6 - The Fjord
Mr. Brushett
says, “The forecast speaks for another good day tomorrow boys, similar to
today, cloudy, light winds”. We bid the Brushett’s goodnight and are on our
way. It’s just about dark now, and we all feel a good night’s sleep on the
agenda. Bert and Greg sleep in the cabin; I decide to try out my new tent. My
head doesn’t seem to hit my make shift pillow, and I am off to dreamland.
I wake about
When I get
back to the cabin, I get a fire started, and call up the boys. It’s close to
We decide to
go and try for a few more sea trout. Just as we get ready to go, a small boat
enters the fjord, a couple of guys dragging for scallops. We paddle out for a
chat; they tell us they are from Jacques Fountaine, the same place as the
Brushetts. They ask where we are from, and how we got here. We tell them of our
adventures thus far, and get the same reaction that Mr. Brushett gave us. “YOU
NEVER CAME HERE IN THAT!” We bid the boy’s good day, and we are on our way.
The trout are
not biting as well as they were yesterday, but we do manage to hook half a
dozen. We decide to go back to the cabin for an early lunch, and to make plans
for the afternoon. Bert and Greg prepare lunch, peeling a few potatoes, carrot,
turnip, and onions, and put them on to boil. When just about ready, they throw
in a couple bottles of rabbit. Rabbit stew, homemade bread, what a feed!
We finish up
lunch, clean up, and decide a bit of exploring up on the hills is the plan for
the afternoon. Bert and Greg take along their rock hammers, and some sample
bags, just in case. We paddle to the end of the fjord, and pull up the kayaks.
We take a path that looks like a ski-do trail someone had cut. The trail takes
us to the top of the high hills overlooking Grand John. Bert and Greg crack open
some rocks on the way up, but find nothing too much of interest. The trail is
very steep in places, and we all wonder how a ski-do would ever get up over it.
The trees are large and tall in this area, lots of birch. We explore the hills
for a few hours, manage to get out on our cell phones again, letting everyone
know back home things are going well, and that we plan on being in St.
Bernard’s tomorrow by about noon time.
We decide to
head back to the cabin. Bert suggests we get another meal of mussels. No
arguments from us. Greg decides to try and get a few scallops; with the tide
down they are about 8-10 feet under water. Bert and Greg do the honors of
getting our appetizers for supper, while I stay out in my kayak to collect the
goodies from them. I can see this shaping up to be another great feed.
We arrive back
at the cabin, get changed, and we get a fire started. On the menu tonight, salt
fish, potatoes & onions, fresh sea trout, mussels & scallops, a feed fit
for a king. We sit around the fire, sipping on a toddy, waiting for the mussels
& scallops to boil. While we’re waiting, I fry up the sea trout we caught
early that day. What a feeling, sitting around a fire, wondering what you should
try first, sea trout, mussels, or scallops? How are we ever going to stand the
pressure? After we polish off the appetizers, the salt fish is just about ready.
Photo 7 - The Captain and his mussels
About an hour
later we manage to roll over to the Brushett’s cabin to get the latest
forecast for the morning. Another good day ahead, light southerly winds in the
morning, becoming moderate later in the day. Should be OK for the last leg of
our journey. We return to our cabin and call it a night. We are all good and
tired and ready for a nap, especially after that feed.
We
get up about
The wind is
about 30 km off shore as we paddle towards St. Bernard’s. Greg had arranged to
have his truck dropped off at Mr. Hodder’s house in St. Bernard’s. When we
get to Ragged Point (Big Head), we decide to cut across the cove towards Langue
de cerf Point. The cove goes in about 2 km, and this will cut off a lot of
paddling. We cross with no problems even though the swell is a little heavier
then we anticipated. We go ashore for a quick snack; we are only about 3 km now
from St. Bernard’s. We see a long liner go by, as we get ready to leave again.
We arrive in
St. Bernard’s at about
What a trip,
everything worked out great! As we drive up over the
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