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2045 Thursday, August 3, 2023
The photo above was taken last evening at sunset in Grady Tickle. We are now out of Nunatsiavut and moving south along the southern Labrador coast. Grady Tickle was once a thriving fishing outport. The remains of some family homes still stand in humbling disrepair, reminders of the days when cod was king on these shores. JJ spotted a lone caribou on the ridge of Grady Island; the people are long gone as the caribou wander the overgrown community.
Today we had a glorious day of sailing in a northwest breeze with crisp sunshine and temps in the low 50s, making good nearly 50 miles, saving fuel. We raced past myriad islands, tickles, runs and icebergs. A solid knot of current helped boost our speed southward. We deserved such a nice day of sailing! We fear more headwinds are ahead.
Tonight, we are tied to a big fish wharf in the Punchbowl (see photo below). In 1988 a big, new fish plant was built here. Fisher folk quickly built homes and fishing stages around the shores of the Punchbowl. These were quick, cheap homes, not as substantial as the homes at Grady Tickle. Then, just four years later the cod fishery collapsed, and the moratorium was put in place. The fish plant closed; the people left the small homes.
We are tied to the wharf, the only thing still functional. The fish plant is but a crumbled vestige and the old homes sit empty, weathered and forgotten. Overfishing turned this place into a ghost town of a once hopeful past. Our walk ashore made us think of the lives that changed here.
Tomorrow, we continue south, hoping to make Battle Harbour in two days.
Bill
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