I’m sitting under our rain tarp hiding from the sun in Cape Cove. We decided the weather was favourable for going around this formidable head at the corner of Fogo Island with a stiff breeze from the Southeast. We had some great location advice to wait for the wind shift to west tomorrow. Since my Garmin InReach subscription is having commitment issues, I’m going old school with showing you where we are…a screenshot of my Canada Topo app. We are at the red flag in the black circle.

Where we really are…is in the quiet of the cove…Wayne Chaulk, one of NL’s famous songwriters, wrote a much beloved song called “Saltwater Joys,” that celebrates some of the many pleasures of outport life in NL. From the cleared fields, graveyard, and cabins in this cove, it’s obvious that folks used to live here-growing root crops, catching fish, foraging berries, and cutting wood.

We watched across the bay as folks came in to visit a cabin-perhaps having a feed of cod they jigged this morning on their way here. We waved to each other but didn’t speak. Once we decided to stay put, we had some lunch and went on a hike towards Cape Fogo Head.

The cliff edge was easy walking, the sky blue, and the breeze helped keep the stouts at bay. Along the way, we lucked into a few ripe patches of bakeapple (called a cloudberry elsewhere). Bakeapples grow one berry per plant and bakespple patches are closely guarded family secrets.

We had such a lovely start to our day. Carol Warren picked us up and took us to her home in Stag Harbour for a delightful breakfast that kept us fuelled until we landed on the beach here in Cape Cove. Her generosity in proving breakfast, charging our battery packs, and filling our water bags was much appreciated! Thanks Carol for your kindness.

On our hike we spotted three mounds of stacked stones above the cove before Cape Fogo. We wondered if they were navigational aids, marked graves, or had some other purpose. If anyone knows, please drop us a note. The stones were covered in lichen so they have been piled there a long time.

Marian is pointing to way we hope to paddle tomorrow. Tune in then to see if we’ve left the gorgeous quiet of the cove.

We are conducting this expedition as RCGS Expedition Grantees and we thank the society for their support!