Kayaking with Humpbacks and Eagles
Newfoundland Trip Report, July 2004

Our 12-day trip to Newfoundland involved a combination of visiting Sharon’s distant relatives and numerous outdoor activities. Given our interest in kayaking, we were very fortunate to have no rain in an area where the weather is generally very unpredictable. We had a great trip including four kayak day trips, a whale watching excursion, an iceberg zodiac excursion, a boat trip around Random Island and various other activities. The highlights are noted below.

Newfoundland is a very large island which, with Labrador, makes up the eastern-most province of Canada. The flight time is 3 hours beyond Newark on Continental but alternate routing is available on Air Canada if you are a United Airlines fan. Most air arrivals occur at the capital, St. Johns, on the eastern edge of the island. As our time was limited we did not make an attempt to visit the western side of the island, the highlight there being the highly acclaimed Gros Morne National Park.

Why you might wish to visit Newfoundland:
• The picturesque rugged landscape, similar to Maine but without the hoard of tourists
• Numerous kayaking and hiking opportunities
• Great wildlife with whales and icebergs in season
• The people are incredibly hospitable and helpful.

Why you might not wish to visit Newfoundland:
• The distance from California, about 10 hours by plane with connections
• Airfare and rental car costs are high (but touring and living expenses are moderate)

Note: unless indicated otherwise, all costs mentioned have been converted to $US at the rate charged by the credit card company (about 0.78 USD per CAD) and include the (very high) Canadian taxes.

Kayaking:
We made four excursions with four different tour operators. Each trip had its own highlights as described below.

General comments on kayaking in Newfoundland:
• We did encounter some challenges in trying to book the kayaking trips. Generally the kayak outfitters want to deal with a group of four or more. However this year tourism was quite depressed and the operators are a bit more flexible. It would be best if two or three kayaking couples, with similar interests, were traveling together.
• Several operators provide multi-day excursions, but you would need to line up with a preplanned excursion or have enough people to book a custom one.
• Day trips are a lot of fun but you end up paddling a different boat with different paddles every time.
• The PFDs provided weren’t the most comfortable; next time I would take my own (but it does need to be Canadian Coast Guard approved).
• Our two best trips were provided by “one man” operations (see below). They were also less expensive. We would definitely recommend both.
• The water is very cold (about 40 degrees F) but only one operator provided wet suits (see below). This was a surprise as we have always been taught to “dress for immersion”.

Wilderness Newfoundland (Stan Cook Kayaking)
Our first kayaking adventure was with the Stan Cook operation in Cape Broyle, about an hour south of St. Johns. Their website is quite impressive with many short videos of whales. Their site offers a choice of 2.5 hour, 4 hour and all-day trips or a combination kayaking and hiking day. I had pre-booked an all-day kayaking trip. However we received a call in St. Johns that no one else wanted to do an all-day trip but that we could join a 4-hour excursion if we desired ($62/person). Half-day being better than nothing, we set out the following morning. I thought that we had agreed that Sharon and I could use singles but upon arrival we were assigned a Current Designs double, as was everyone else. Our group of 9 contained mostly novices; even as novices ourselves we were probably the most experienced paddlers. A young staff member was recruited to fill the back end of the double for the orphaned 9th paddler. We were led by two young guides who were enthusiastic about their area. We had a beautiful sunny day for kayaking in the calm waters near Cape Broyle. We began by visiting a small waterfall. The water was extremely clear and you could easily see starfish and urchins on the bottom. One of the guides indicated that the urchin roe is very popular with the Japanese. He cut one open so each of us could sample it (mildly fishy, salty flavor). We visited some small sea caves that were just wide enough to paddle in, then paddle out backwards. We also experienced a short pass-through.

During the excursion someone wanted an unscheduled bathroom break so we all landed on a nearby beach. Sharon got the idea that it would be easier for me to photograph if I was in the front of the double. I had heard that the heavier person should always be in the back but we asked the guide and he indicated that it should be no problem. However there was a sufficient weight difference that the rudder became totally ineffective. We were flailing around, deviating about plus and minus 30 degrees from straight. I finally told Sharon to stop paddling, lean back, and try to use the rudder with very small corrections. Using this technique I was able to muscle us back in some sort of reasonable fashion. My conclusion is that the heavier paddler should ALWAYS ride in back!

Overall, this excursion was very pleasant, we saw some nice scenery, but it wasn’t the highlight of our paddling adventures.

Eastern Edge Outfitters
(“Kayak Jim”, $90/person including lunch, Jim takes VISA but not Mastercard).
Our second adventure, this one a full day, was led by Jim Price (Kayak Jim). Jim runs a much smaller operation but maintains a website with good information. Since we had done the Cape Broyle area with Stan Cook, Jim recommended that we visit Great Island by launching from Burnt Cove, also about an hour south of St. Johns. We were joined by a father and daughter pair and Jim’s son Jamie. This time my request for singles was honored. I was given a Perception Carolina 16 with rudder and Sharon received a Perception Vizcaya, also with rudder. The other couple was given a double and they were escorted by Jamie.

Our goals for the day were to see whales and to paddle around Great Island, part of the Witless Bay Seabird Ecological Reserve. The weather was very overcast with calm winds, which seemed like great weather to search for whales. We launched from Burnt Cove and headed for nearby Pee Pee Island. As we passed this island, the swells increased to about three feet but my Carolina seemed incredibly stable. As we approached Great Island, an increasing number of birds flew overhead and I briefly had visions of the Hitchcock thriller “Birds”. A puffin took off from the water and came straight towards me; they are not graceful fliers, particularly on takeoff, and he only cleared me by about 3 feet.

The cliffside of the island was inhabited by hundreds of birds. In the lower portion of the cliff were the kittiwakes, a medium sized gray and white gull. A bit higher up were the common murre, a black and white bird that, when standing upright, resembles an adelie penguin. At the top of the cliff, in the grass where they dig nesting burrows, were the puffins. The puffins are almost everyone’s favorite Atlantic bird with their distinctive large orange beak and orange feet.

We paddled around to the far side of Great Island to see a pair of caves that Jim called “Skull Cave” because the two caves resemble the eye sockets of a skull. The sea was calm enough to allow us to enter the caves. Jim cautioned us not to look up as bird guano tended to drop from the ceiling.

Leaving the cave we headed out into the open sea in the direction of Gull Island. This was the same area that we had visited the previous day on a commercial whale watching boat but now we were down on the water experiencing the swells. It wasn’t long before we spotted some whales. When a humpback appears, you first hear the “blow” as he exhales loudly. This alerts you to look as the back of the whale rises up out of the water. It seemed that most of the sightings consisted only of the back “humping out”; however a few times we were treated to a full “tail shot” as the whale pulls his tail completely out of the water for a deep dive. The fairly significant swells precluded any whale photography. But it was a thrill to be so close to them and photography seem superfluous. Sharon thought that the closest were about 100 feet away, I estimated more like 100 yards, but they definitely seemed close.

After our morning whale watching we landed at an island for lunch. Jim had managed to pack a Coleman stove, folding table and lots of food in his kayak. We began with fruit, vegetables with dip and bread as we waited for the homemade chicken vegetable soup to warm. Afterward he provided a variety of tasty desserts with hot chocolate and tea. An excellent lunch gained Jim the “best kayak lunch” award for this trip.

After lunch Jamie guided the other couple back to the original launching point and Jim led us back out to sea to search for more whales. Unfortunately we only saw a few distant Minke whales during our afternoon paddle. During this paddle Jim let each of us try his Werner bent-shaft carbon paddle and both of us were really impressed with its performance.

This was an excellent excursion and we highly recommend “Kayak Jim”.

Terra Nova Adventures operates as a concession out of the visitor center in the Terra Nova National Park. Most of their business seems to be introductory 2 ½ hour tours for beginners. We booked their full-day tour ($107/person with lunch). Sharon and I were the only paddlers and we were led by David, one of their more experienced guides. Again, we were given singles, a Perception Eclipse with rudder for me and a Dagger Halifax with rudder for Sharon. The paddling was in the very calm waters of Newman Sound and we covered about 6 miles at a very leisurely pace. Highlights of this trip were spotting several eagles, both in trees and in flight, and paddling over a huge school of capelin, the small fish that attract humpback and minke whales to the waters of Newfoundland. Lunch didn’t quite come up to Kayak Jim standards but was very pleasant. I was surprised to see Dave pull out a package of flour tortillas that were used to create “wraps” consisting of cold grilled chicken with various vegetables.

This was another pleasant trip with nice scenery, but not as exciting as the trips with the two smaller operations.

Magami Kayak (Nick Donavan, 709-466-2451)
Nick is based in Clarenville. Off-season, he teaches business English at a local community college. However his real love is teaching kayaking. We found Nick to be the most safety-conscious of all the operators. He was the only one to provide a wetsuit. He was also the only one that did not require a waiver. His trip was a bargain at $70/person including lunch. He does not accept credit cards but offered to take “real money” (meaning USD) at the prevailing exchange rate.

Even though there were only two of us, Nick agreed to provide a full-day tour of Trinity Bay, about an hour from Clarenville. He and his wife drove up carrying an Elaho HV for me, a Necky Eskia for Sharon, and a Dagger Halifax for himself. We paddled out from the calm waters of the protected bay in search of humpbacks. I found that the Elaho HV had pretty marginal initial stability; I did fine going straight into the swells but became increasingly anxious when the three-foot swell was sideways. It didn't help that the water was 40 degrees and I really didn't want to dump! Some whale sightings provided a diversion from my anxiety. However after about an hour of this, my anxiety got the better of me and I wanted to land for a break. Nick handled my anxiety with a great deal of concern and encouragement and he led us to the lunch spot. At that point he offered me the choice of going back via a very calm route or switching kayaks with him and retracing our original route. I switched to his Dagger Halifax 17--and it made all the difference in the world! The increased primary stability meant that I could take the broadside swells with minimal anxiety and easily made it back to the launch point feeling pretty good about the trip. As it was only about 2 o’clock when we returned to Trinity, I suggested a paddle along the waterfront to see the town from the water perspective. I had lots of nervous energy to burn off so I did some sprints along the waterfront while Nick demonstrated some advanced paddling techniques for Sharon. We were thoroughly impressed with Nick’s skills, teaching ability and concern for safety and would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Newfoundland. (I should add that Sharon handled every boat that was thrown at her, an inspiration for me to improve my skills.)

Warning: Newfoundland Coastal Safari
These folks have a great website and are very helpful and friendly on the phone. We booked one of their weekend kayak safari trips based out of their tented basecamp. They require a 50% deposit and do not accept credit cards. I had little anxiety about forwarding them a check. The day before we left for Newfoundland I received an e-mail canceling our weekend trip because others had cancelled. The e-mail promised an immediate refund. Five weeks later it has not yet arrived. My follow-up phone call was responded to with indifference; when pressed about when she would mail the refund, the proprietress hung up on me. Perhaps she was having a bad day. This represented our only negative experience in planning and executing the trip. Buyer beware!

Whale watching excursion
(O’Briens in Bay Bulls, about an hour south of St. Johns, 877-639-4253)
$31/person with AARP discount. A local recommended O’Briens as the best source of a whale watching trip in the St. Johns area. We chose the earliest departure, 9:30 am, and it seemed to be the least crowded departure of the day. The 2-hour trip explores Gull Island and Green Island in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve and searches for whales. We had a great trip and saw several humpbacks and minkes and tons of birds. We highly recommend this trip.

Iceberg/whale excursion
Abbott Brothers in Bonavista (no website), book through the Coffee Shop on Church Street (Sharon or Bonnie, 709-468-7004), $39/person for 2-hour trip Canadian cash only). We were fortunate that there was an iceberg grounded in the bay near Bonavista. The Abbott brothers run an excursion using a large 10-passenger zodiac. Participants are given “survival suits” but I suspect that this is more for show than for any risk likely to be encountered. Our trip began with a high-speed ride out to the iceberg. We circled the iceberg several times so that we could get photos from various angles. Because icebergs are quite unpredictable, the captain kept a safe distance. This iceberg appeared to be about 100 feet high and about 400 feet long. The iceberg had shed some “bergy bits” and one of them was netted for us to enjoy. It was smashed into smaller pieces and each person was given a piece to eat. It was declared to be “10,000 year old ice” that originated in a glacier on Greenland.

On the way out to the iceberg we were regaled with tales of the previous evening excursion in which numerous humpbacks were sighted. After photographing the iceberg we headed off to Cape Bonavista to search for whales. We found a tremendous amount of fog, but no whales. On our trip back to Bonavista, there was one minke spotted. Whales or not, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable excursion.

Boat trip, Random Island
Sharon’s second-cousin Larry (an 87-year old retired lumberjack who deserves his own trip report) chartered a tour boat for several of his family members. Larry lives in Clarenville and used Random Island Charter (in Petley, 709-547-2369). Random Island is about 30 miles long and is situated in the north-west corner of Trinity Bay. We were taken on a 46-foot boat to various places on the north shore and saw eagles nesting, humpback and minke whales, abandoned fishing villages, and wonderful scenery.

Visit to Trinity
Trinity is a historic town where the locals do a great job of presenting the history of Newfoundland. The local attractions are well described in the tourist literature. The Trinity Pageant ($9), an outdoor play depicting the history of the area, might sound hokey but is very well done and well worth experiencing. It tends to draw lots of visitors to Trinity, so plan your accommodations in advance (see below).

St. Johns, the capital of Newfoundland
The local attractions are well described in the local literature and I have little to add. The one place that we visited that is not well publicized is the Quidi Vidi Brewery. This microbrewery offers tours on the hour ($3) from noon until 4pm that include an educational tasting of their six beers. Very entertaining, good beer, and well worth visiting.

Getting around
A rental car is essential, albeit a bit expensive by US standards. The least expensive car that I could find on the Internet was an Avis car at about $325/week. Gas is more expensive than California at about $2.75/gallon. Even though we didn’t venture too far from St. Johns, we still managed to drive almost 1000 miles in 12 days (and this doesn’t include riding in other people’s cars!). There was no hassle in returning the car before our flight out and the eventual bill was the amount that I was expecting.

Accommodations
Clarenville Inn is in Clarenville, the gateway to Terra Nova National Park, Trinity and Bonavista. It is completely adequate but certainly nothing special. Think of a large Motel 6 with a bar and restaurant, reasonably priced at $69 including tax. A few people told us that they had the best restaurant in town and the meal that we had there was very nice. It was the only place that offered live lobster (the lobster season was over by a few weeks when we arrived). Here it is sold by the pound; a two-pound lobster with the biggest claws that I have ever eaten cost about $30. There is also a somewhat fancier hotel just up the highway and some B&B locations in the town.

Fishers Loft near Trinity. Trinity tends to get booked out in the summer, particularly on nights of the pageant (currently Sat, Sun & Weds). Before we began our kayaking on Weds, I asked Nick to recommend a place for us to stay afterwards. He sent me to a local inn (Campbell House); it was booked out but the proprietress graciously called several other places. Unable to locate anything in Trinity, she asked me if I was “willing to spend a little extra for a really nice place”. Since I was, she booked us a room at Fisher’s Loft in the next town to the north. After our kayak excursion we were delighted to find that the hotel was one of the nicest places that we had ever stayed (and very reasonable at $135 including tax). Our room was in a building “up the hill” which contained six units. Our “normal” room (as opposed to a suite) was very large with a queen bed and a great view out over the property and the bay. After getting cleaned up from our excursion, we wandered down the hill to the bar for a drink and some conversation with other guests before dinner. Their restaurant has a fixed menu nightly with two seatings, 5:30 and 7:30 ($30 plus tax/tip). That evening we were fortunate as they were importing a guest chef from the Fairmont St. Johns to help train their staff. We began with a nice summer squash soup, hearts of romaine, and a small mixed seafood appetizer. The main course was cod in a ginger sauce and we finished with a chocolate dessert! The overall meal quality rivaled any upscale Silicon Valley restaurant.

Food and Restaurants
As expected, we ate plenty of fish, generally excellent.

Everywhere: Tim Horten’s. Not sure if this ubiquitous franchise, founded by a former Toronto Maple Leaf, is a donut shop that serves soup and sandwiches or a soup and sandwich shop that serves donuts. They also have bagels. We would often have a quick meal here before heading out on our daily excursion.

St. Johns: Django’s Restaurant on Duckworth St. downtown. We began dinner with some excellent local mussels done in a curry cream sauce. I had grilled halibut served with “scrunchions” (tasty deep-fried pork fat—Emeril would definitely approve). Highly recommended.

Bonavista: Baie Vista Restaurant and Pub, on Church Street across from the fish processing plant. Non-smoking during the day. They offer “fish and chips” either pan-fried or deep-fried. The pan-fried version was excellent and lighter.

Money
Gas stations, most restaurants, and most tour operators take VISA or Mastercard. You will need some Canadian cash for incidentals. Upon arrival I obtained $200 CAD from an ATM machine and that covered our incidentals for the 12 days. (I did need to find another ATM to cover the iceberg zodiac tour mentioned above.)

General tour info can be found on the Government tourism website at http://www.gov.nf.ca/tourism/welcome/default.htm. From this site I was able to order a semi-useful Travel Guide and a very useful map.

Interesting book
On September 11, 2001 the U.S. airspace was abruptly closed. Planes arriving from Europe were diverted to Canada and 35 landed in Gander Newfoundland. In “The Day the World Came to Town”, Jim Defede describes how a small Newfoundland town rallied to provide housing, food, and fellowship to thousands of stranded passengers. “For the better part of a week nearly every man, woman and child in Gander and the surrounding small communities stopped what they were doing so they could help. They placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return.” This book can be requisitioned from the Santa Clara County library or purchased inexpensively at www.half.com.

Follow-up questions can be sent to us at rollinbob@yahoo.com

Regards, Bob Rollin & Sharon Wienhoff