To Francois: 08 Aug – Well, Not Quite …

We departed Harbor Breton 0630 Sunday morning hoping to make Francois (pronounced locally as "france-ways"), 42 NM to the west. Initially we motored into calm winds and seas, but soon the wind came up SW about 10 to 12 and the ride became more interesting. By 0850 I’d rounded Cape Connargie and conditions were rough, so I set the Number Three genoa and continued motor sailing. We didn’t have enough wind to sail to our goal in a reasonable period of time and the angle was a bit sharp, so we made what progress we could. However by 1045 when I passed the final small cape guarding Heritage Bay, it was time to alter plans. With building seas Francois did not look possible, so I fell off to the north to lay Hare Bay, some 18 NM distant. Hare Bay would be the first actual fjord I visited and the scenery was reportedly quite good. The entry was described as easy in all conditions.

By 1200 even Hare Bay looked unlikely so I fell off further to lay Facheux Bay (pronounced locally as "fooo-shee"), some 8 NM distant. Even with the wind on the port quarter (i.e., behind us a bit, for lubbers) the building seas were giving Kerry Deare quite a workout. Estimates are notoriously inaccurate, but I'd say the wind was gusting to the mid-twenties and the occasional sea was 6 to 8 feet. Conditions like these push small boats around like toys.

However the pain was worth the pleasure. We entered Facheux Bay, another fjord, at about 1300 and I was treated to a scene I barely deserved (looking out to sea, left). At 10 miles long, this is the longest fjord in Newfoundland and also the deepest in places (looking ahead up the fjord at right).We anchored in Allan Cove while the wind continued at to boil down from the high surrounding hills and mountains. The pictures speak for themselves. Life is good. We’ll worry about François tomorrow.