La Scie

Baie Verte Peninsula
June 14 to 16: Driving east on hwy 1, the Baie Verte Peninsula was our next stop along the way to St. John's.

The photo was taken halfway between Deer Lake and the hwy 410 exit to the town of Baie Verte.

Baie Verte
Baie Verte is about 60 km north from the hwy 1 exit. Our first impression of the town was not overwhelming. As we found out later, this is a mining town. A few kilometers north are tailings as high as mountains with a humongous hole and a lake, shelf roads and mining equipment. This is the old Asbestos mine that was closed in 1990. Now they are mining ore in the area. The roads around the mines are in bad shape. This place lacked the Newfoundland charm and so we moved on.

Fleur de Lys
At the end of hwy 410 is Fleur de Lys. We were looking for the Soap Stone Quarry and the museum. No luck, but we didn't really put in a great effort to find it. The town was busy preparing for the tourist season that is starting in about two weeks. As before, we couldn't find a place to sit down and eat. The Bistro on the Bay was still being worked on. It looked very Newfoundland-ish, for the lack of a better word. We have no doubt it will be ready soon.
At the end of the road is the Ocean View Trail. We needed the exercise after sitting in the Jeep for several hours. A stunning view, a gentle breeze and a few words with the only other couple that visited the place. This short hike made us forget that we didn't have lunch yet. Parking is @ 50.11750, -56.12382

La Scie
We drove back to the 410 and headed east on 414 to La Scie. We had no information about the town beyond the campsite-sign on the tourist map. Taking the last turn surprised us with a vista on a fishing town that we were anticipating all day.

A three-sentence history lesson. Many towns have a French name. The north shore of Newfoundland has been part of the French Shore since 1713. In 1904, the French relinquished their rights on the French Shore.
The Pink, White and Green flag is the unofficial flag of Newfoundland and it was displyed everywhere we went. We stopped at the gas station, filled up and asked for a place to eat and the directions to the campground. The campground is "all the way at the end of the road. Keep on driving after the turnaround and then keep left". And for the restaurant, they recommended the fish and chips place. We found the Island Cove RV Park. The directions were right.

Island Cove RV Park
The campground has only a few sites. It is a tranquil place with a phenomenal location on top of the cliffs. When we checked in with Doug, he pointed us to the different hiking trails. He recommended the same restaurant, the Critch's Restaurant & Sack Bar. We finally got our lunch and enjoyed the fish and chips.
Our campsite had water and electricity, a view over La Scie Harbour on one side and the wide open Labrador Sea on the other. You can not beat the sound of waves splashing on the rocks far below. That evening, the sun was setting over the ocean in a colourful display. It was the perfect place.

Our fish story
This is what we learned about fishing. Keep in mind that we were born in a landlocked country (Switzerland) and the coast in Southern Ontario are the ones from the Great Lakes. So here we go.
The round bucket-like nets are crab traps. A net closes the big ring and sits on the ocean floor. The crabs climb up and slide into the trap, down the plastic collar. The net that closed the trap will disintegrate after some time if the trap can not be recovered. This way, they don't pose a risk to other sea creatures.
The other traps are for lobster. They sit on the ocean floor and the lobster crawl in. Both traps have bait inside to attract them.
 

The green net is a Castnet. They are used to catch Capelins. The net is cast (thrown) over a school of capelin. The lead on the outside of the net pulls the net down and traps the fish. It is then pulled up and the lead closes below the capelins.
The ship is a trawler and has a wide body. They are used to pull the crab traps up onto the ship. 20 of these traps are connected with ropes, the width of the ship keeps it balanced on the waves.
 

We couldn't get fresh cod anywhere, they were out of Cod. The fishing season doesn't start until July for private fishing, and mid August for commercial fishing. Doug from the campground got us in touch with a local fisherman. We bought frozen halibut, salmon and shrimp. All local produce. We had a salad with shrimp a week later. They were so good. The memories of La Scie did enhance the flavour.