Wednesday, July 30th and Thursday, July 31st – François

Well we could see Brent Cove a little better this morning, but only just…

We set off for Hare Bay, in thick fog, and drizzle.  Once out of the fjord, the winds were light and the seas were lumpy – all in all a pretty uncomfortable place to be.  At sea, we got the weather forecast which promised more fog, rain and lumpy seas tomorrow, so we decided to head straight for François, 47 34.85N 056 44.63W, (our planned port for Thursday).  This saved us about 20nm of discomfort.  It remained foggy all day and as we entered François, we could hardly see the sides of the fjord, so we felt our decision was vindicated – we wouldn’t have seen much of Hare bay anyway. 

We tied up to the dock and were pleased to find they had gasoline here.  Ron dinghied over to the ferry dock, where the gas is, and filled Quinita’s tanks.  That was a relief since we were starting to get low on fuel and were not sure when we’d have the chance to fill up again. 

About 4:30pm, the fog started to lift and we actually saw some sunshine.  Teresa had been talking to a local girl and got directions for a beautiful hike up the mountain on the west side of the fjord.  There were boardwalks and stairs up to the peak, which we couldn’t find last time we were here (July 12^th).  We were very glad we found it this time, with clear weather, and were able to get some very nice views of the fjord and town.  The walk took us around a large pond, ¾ up the mountain, and, walking on a boardwalk which stuck out over the pond, we surprised an otter who took off at speed.  Unfortunately, by the time we got the camera out, he was too small to photograph. 

We got back to the boat, chatted to some locals – they love to chat – and had dinner.  Just after dinner we saw another couple of otters, but again were too slow to get them on film. 

We saw the ferry dock at 6:30, and were reminded when we saw an ATV making deliveries all over town (including the Post Office), that this was the outport’s only source of goods from the outside world. 

At the end of the dock there’s a house with a chicken coop made of wire.  Often we see a cat sitting on top, but the chickens don’t seem to mind, and the cat doesn’t hassle the chickens.  There’s also a goat in a mini barn with a small yard.  He has a long beard and appears to be lonely.  Every time we walk by he wants attention.  Apparently, last winter, the snow avalanched down the mountain behind his ‘barn’ and killed his lady goat. 

Teresa visited the church.  It was built in 1920, burned down in 1921 and rebuilt in 1922.  This version is still standing today.  It’s a modest yet lovely church, with one stained glass window and a beautiful wooden ceiling.

We did a few jobs on the boat and dressed her overall.  The town is celebrating “Come Home Year” this weekend and the town is decorated with flags so we thought we’d add our little bit of colour.  “Come Home Year” is celebrated by many outports.  They each have different years, and typically celebrate every 5 years.  Family and friends who have left the outport return and, we gather, everyone has a jolly good time. 

Ships Log: 4099.2, Todays Log: 21.1, Seasons Total: 511.2