Tag: boat

Posted on

A Garage at Last

A man’s work is never done – that’s the expression right?? Anyway, this weekend brought along the final A Wake at Last project of the year – building a 13X40 garage to store her (our Boston Whaler) over the winter. Thankfully, we had Murphy to keep us company! Some uncooperative weather meant it’s not yet completely finished – but it will be before next weekend!

And speaking of uncooperative weather – I have one daughter in the path of Sandy, and two daughters in British Columbia, which experienced a 7.7 quake over the weekend (thankfully, no where near them). Talk about having to spend a lot of time in prayer!

And finally, a bit of housekeeping if you will: if you enjoy this reading my posts, I’d really appreciate your vote at the Canadian Blog Awards. Voting is simple – you don’t have to register or log-in, you just have to visit this link, and at the bottom of the left-hand column, you’ll see a category called ‘Best Business or Professional Life Blog.’ Expand that, and you’ll find humble little Jerry by the Sea!

Posted on

Working Boat

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let this beautiful and peacefully Newfoundland scene speak for itself. Well, almost – just this for a comment: one of the many things I’ve enjoyed about running this blog is exploring the art of taking a good photo – there’s so much more to learn than I realized! Thank you to anyone who has stuck with me through all the blurry shots (and I’m sure there will be more!). I really appreciate everyone who reads my blog – I feel blessed to have this new routine of writing and taking photos and sharing life in rural Newfoundland. It’s definitely an added bonus to life out here.

Posted on

Age Before Beauty

Here’s my beautiful, ugly sculpin, caught last weekend (thanks to LeighAnne for the great shots!). We used to catch these for fun when we were kids playing on the cliffs of Torbay. I used to consider them ugly but now think they are quite gorgeous. One of the benefits of aging!

Posted on

To the Rescue (finally!)

As much as I am a reformed townie and have jumped into life out here in the Wonderful World of Whiteway, my lack of marine experience can make me stand out like a sore thumb amongst all these experienced seamen. I couldn’t make the A Wake at Last functional without lots of help, and have even been stranded two miles out to sea in her – we had to get a tow from Alf that day. So it was nice to be able to return the favour, by pulling in some people who had been fishing and had their engine break. It felt good to finally be needed and able to help!

Posted on

A Wake at Last

Yesterday was a good – make that great – day in the Wonderful World of Whiteway – and one that I was afraid wouldn’t happen for us. It was the official kick-off of 10 more days of the food fishery (where individuals are allowed a small quota of fish each day) and boat troubles that have been plaguing us for the past several weeks made me worried we wouldn’t be able to go out and enjoy it.

But with a great thanks to Alf and Randy Peddle, we converted the boat from two Johnson motors to one 225 HP Yamaha! It was a challenging job made harder by the fact that shaft was 4 inches too short. We had to put an extension on the back of the boat at Woodman’s Welding shop in New Harbour. Craig Newhook and Sam Pitcher are experts and made the bracket in record time – which is just about how much time we had!

So we were able to join our neighbours and all the little boats of Newfoundland that took to the water …. and I caught the first fish – take that, Berry!

Posted on

We Stand on Guard

Examine this picture closely – it’s not just a shot of Shag Rock. If you notice to the left of it, there’s what looks like smoke rising out of the water. And that’s just what our guest, Tim, saw on Thursday night while having a BBQ on the deck of The Blueberry, which overlooks Trinity Bay. Confirming it with binoculars, he realized a long liner was on fire.

Tim called me, I called Guardian Angel Alf, Alf called Clifford George (and told me to call the fire department). Alf and Clifford raced for Clifford’s boat to afford a rescue, if possible.

In minutes the smoke had turned to flame – from the shore we could see the inferno with our naked eyes. In no time, there were other boats coming from other closer communities, too. That’s what we do in Newfoundland – we can always rely on our neighbours in an emergency.

Alf and Clifford were second at the scene. They talked to the Skipper, who luckily (or by Divine Intervention) was towing a boat behind him (a standard safety precaution). He and the first mate (the only two people on board) barely had time to get in it before the flames completely overwhelmed their boat.

The fire started in the engine room, and the small crew only had time to get out one May Day before they were forced to abandon ship. The captain had to sit and watch his boat burn to the water’s edge.

Clifford came home and couldn’t get the scene out of his mind – so, as he is wont to do, he painted what he had seen to get some peace. He then brought the painting over to Alf as a memento of the near-tragic event.

Thank God no one was hurt. It makes us appreciate our view of the ocean even more – it allows us to take notice of what’s actually going on out there. And thankfully our guests can’t keep their eyes off it like we can’t. Since no one was injured, the story was just a little one on the news, but you can tell from Cliff’s picture below that it was a harrowing, unforgettable night for all involved. 

Posted on

Old Man on the Sea

We were almost in trouble last week, as we’d promised Laura Beth and Greg, honeymooners from Orangeville, a ride out to Shag Rock as a wedding gift – only my boat is currently out of commission! Thankfully, Alf, my guardian angel, has a little more luck with his and took us out. Coming along for the ride was Don and Iris Vanderveen, celebrating their 41st anniversary. Don was dubbed ‘Old Man on the Sea’ by his wife (her words, not mine!). It was especially fun on this trip to see one couple with 41 years of marriage, and another just starting out – I hope it’s a memory that will last for them!

Later that day we had out Don and Iris’ daughter, Kathy, and Dennis Travis, who are here to help celebrate their 41st anniversary. We always love it when families use Ocean Delight as a venue for these get-togethers – it’s what we’re all about.

Posted on

Nostalgic Boats

I love little boats in the harbour – nostalgia, I guess. Yesterday I was in Green’s Harbour and had to get these shots. The setting was picture perfect, although I wasn’t close enough to get that perfect shot. Still cute though!Little boats for a little post!