Fox Island

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We left paradise and went to Burgeo. Burgeo is the one town on the south coast that is connected to the Transcanada by a long, empty road. So it has cars and a lot of people. Weird. We ate fish and chips in a cafe and used the telephone. Also... weird. Burgeo is beautiful, really. Long sand beaches, rocky islands with remnants of towns that once were. I had been reading Clare Mowat's 'outport people', which is about her and Farley Mowat's time living in an outport in the 60's. The placename is not stated, but its obviously Burgeo. It sure has changed since the 60's.
We had some interesting conversations with people. Once folks learned we were from Toronto their first reaction was to tell us how lucky we were because of the abundance of work there. 'you could work in the ford plant' said one man, 'or the steelworks in hamilton, you could work anywhere, in toronto'. Rob and I smiled and nodded, never having had to work in a factory in our life.
Sailing was stunning that day, with fair winds, easy swell, sunshine. The topography changed significantly. From lowlying peninsulas and rocky islands to cliffs rising straight out of the water, punctuated by vast fiords.
We headed to Fox Island, which was an outport until resettlement in the 50's. This is an incredible harbour. A small spit of gravel surrounded on all sides by huge sheer cliffs. There are two cabins there, belonging to descendants of the original residences, but there are few remnants of the town that was. I did find, however, the graveyard up on a dramatic, rocky headland. The place made an indelible impression on us. It was beautiful, yes, and the sheer scale of the place was unbelievable. But it also just seemed like a place with a history. Then and again, even in the emptiest corner of newfoundland, i always feel as though i am in a place with a history.

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