Smooth Sailing

3
Written by andreaintorbay

We’re all in the same boat: a comment that we’ve all used time and time again. But are we really “all in the same boat”? I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Yes, we all have shared troubles and problems that put us in a boat but sometimes your boat may be different than my boat.

A lone person in a small boat on a calm sea, with a misty cliff in the background.

Every Sunday we hop in the car and go for a drive. We stop for some ice cream and make our way downtown to see what’s on the go. We always drive along the harbour front to check out the boats that are docked. From massive cruise ships and moderate size fishing boats to luxury yachts and offshore supply vessels, there are boats of practically every shape, size and use!

A fishing vessel named 'Baffin Fisheries' docked at a harbor with a mix of modern and historic buildings in the background.
A luxury yacht docked in front of modern and historic buildings along the waterfront.
A large luxury yacht docked at the harbor with colorful houses in the background.
A scenic view of a harbor filled with fishing boats docked along the wooden pier, surrounded by a green hillside under a clear blue sky.
A fishing boat decorated with Canadian and British flags docked at a harbor under a blue sky with white clouds.
A large cruise ship named Celebrity X Cruises docked in a harbor under a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
A red fishing boat named 'Atlantic Bulldog II' docked at a harbor, surrounded by large lobster traps and other boats in the background.
View of several large fishing vessels docked in a harbor, with colorful buildings in the background.
View of the harbor with various boats docked, including an orange supply vessel and a white research ship, surrounded by buildings and a pier.

As you can clearly see, there are various types of vessels and it’s definitely not a “one size fits all” situation. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “What in the world is she rambling on about”? Well, the way I see it is that depending on your own situation and your own needs, you might only need a dinghy. But if you have bigger issues to face then maybe a tanker may be what your looking for. Sounds silly, I know, some people people might be surviving on a super yacht, some people might be in a punt and the accommodations are vastly different. The whole trick is not to let your vessel capsize and sink. That’s the only commonality between the punt and the super yacht, aside from getting from point A to point B.

A small boat with several people on board commuting through calm ocean waters, leaving a wake behind.

My point is that life throws us some unexpected curve balls sometimes and we have to adapt to the changing tides. After all, we are a hardy bunch living and surviving on this rock in the Atlantic ocean so we are no strangers to challenging times.

A small motorboat docked at a harbor, with a fishing rod and a scenic view of the coastline in the background.
A blue fishing boat named 'Never Enough' docked on wooden planks by a serene harbor, with a green building in the background.
A harbor view with colorful boats and fishing gear, featuring a blue and pink building on the dock and residential houses in the background.
A colorful waterfront scene featuring a red and orange house with wooden decks and fishing equipment, surrounded by calm waters and greenery.
A blue fishing boat resting on land surrounded by trees and mountains under a clear blue sky.
A colorful wooden fishing shack by the water, featuring a pier with life rings and fishing gear.
A variety of small boats parked at a wooden dock beside calm waters, with a few boats on the shore and a red building in the background.

You can drive pretty much anywhere in the province and you would be hard-pressed to find a place that doesn’t have a history associated with the fishery in some way, shape or form. It was said that back in the day “Cod was king”! However, after the Cod moratorium in the 1990’s, many small towns and communities turned into ghost towns as people packed up and moved to larger centres and cities in the province and across the country. There wasn’t much to offer in the way of other sources of employment so families had no choice but to adapt to the changes, leaving behind the place that was home to them. It was a very tumultuous time and there likely wasn’t a single person in the entire province who wasn’t affected by it. Fast forward to today and the cod stocks are on the rebound; some say even greater than they once were before, when the fishery was in it’s heyday. This is something I can’t confirm or deny as I’m not an ocean scientist or fisher person.

A red wooden building with white windows beside a boat dock and a small motorboat tied up at the dock, reflecting in the water.
A serene coastal scene featuring a calm harbor with wooden docks and several houses, surrounded by greenery and rocky terrain.
A small red fishing boat docked at a wooden pier beside a house and greenery.
A scenic view of a small fishing boat with the number '087434', moored near colorful wooden houses by a calm harbor surrounded by greenery.
A fishing boat named 'Jolie's Pearl II' docked at a harbor with a red building in the background.
A tranquil harbor scene featuring small boats docked near a wooden pier, with people interacting on the dock. The area is complemented by nearby rocks and a calm water surface.
A small wooden boat floating in calm water near a rocky shore.
An abandoned fishing boat resting on the shore, surrounded by green trees and tall grass.
A blue fishing boat named 'Miss Emily' resting on a trailer, surrounded by grass and rocks against a scenic backdrop of hills and a calm body of water under a cloudy sky.
A small white boat named '137735' docked near a red wooden building with a stone foundation, surrounded by greenery and reflecting in still water.
A small white boat with a green trim resting on the shore, surrounded by colorful flowers and trees, against a backdrop of a serene river at sunset.
A blue fishing boat beached on grassy land with trees and mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.
A small white boat docked on a wooden pier with a colorful waterfront village in the background, featuring houses in various colors and a serene body of water reflecting the sky.
A small white boat named 'Little Miss' docked beside other vessels in a harbor.
A scenic view of a harbor with colorful houses along the shore, showing wooden docks with fishing equipment and boats.
A tranquil coastal scene featuring a small boat docked near wooden pier structures, with colorful houses in the background and lush green hills under a blue sky with clouds.

As I said previously, Newfoundlanders are a hearty bunch. ‘Improvise, Adapt, Overcome’ is a slogan that can be aptly applied to us. When the moratorium had us down for the count it was almost game over. But eventually the fog started to lift and eventually we were able to get back up and keep fighting to survive.

A foggy scene featuring an old, abandoned boat on a grassy shore.
A small boat with a person is seen on a calm ocean with a rocky, forested cliff in the background under a cloudy sky.
A foggy scene featuring stacked lobster traps in the foreground, with a distant fishing boat partially obscured by mist.
A foggy scene showing a wooden structure by the water with a faint outline of a boat in the background.
A foggy harbor scene featuring several boats docked in still water, with tall grass in the foreground.
A foggy shoreline with rocks and colorful wildflowers, depicting a serene coastal landscape.
A stack of lobster traps and wooden logs at a dock, indicating fishing activity in a harbor.
A large, foggy image of an old ship partially obscured by mist, with rocks and grass in the foreground.

We started to see what life was like without the cod fishery and found other ways to carve out a life for ourselves that was different from what was all we’d ever known. The oil and gas sector along with Information Technology has put us on the map. Hollywood has even knocked on our door as we are a prime location for film shooting. But the thing we are best known for is our hospitality, which can be experienced in every nook and cranny of Newfoundland and Labrador. Tourism has become a massive boon to our economy and is the lifeblood of many communities.

A display of traditional wooden ship wheels in a museum setting, showcasing maritime artifacts.
A small sailboat with three sails drifting on calm water, reflecting its image on the surface.
Close-up of vintage ship telegraphs displayed in a maritime museum, featuring brass dials and levers, used for communicating engine power levels.
A fishing boat navigating near a rocky coastal area at dusk, with a lighthouse and small buildings visible on the shore.
A model of a small fishing boat displayed in a glass case, featuring a blue interior, wooden paddles, and decorative details.
Close-up image of two figurines on a model boat, depicting fishermen in a maritime setting.
A weathered wooden shed with a partially open door, revealing a small engine inside.
A bronze statue of a woman standing at a railing, surrounded by greenery and shrubs, representing a historical or cultural figure.
A detailed model of a traditional tall ship displayed in a museum, featuring sails and intricate rigging.
A mural depicting a captain with a beard steering a ship through turbulent waters, showcasing waves, clouds, and lightning against a green wooden background.

The journey has been a difficult one for many people here in our province but there is always hope. The cod moratorium was lifted in 2024 and there is cautious optimism surrounding that sector of the fishery.

Golden seaweed floating on the water's surface, reflecting nearby structures.
Old lobster traps stacked near a shoreline with a tree in the background and calm water.
A wooden structure partially submerged in calm water, with seaweed growing around it, creating a natural retaining wall effect.
A white building on stilts near the water, surrounded by rocky terrain and greenery in the background.
Close-up view of the barnacle-encrusted hull of a boat resting on rocky ground.
Close-up view of a wooden structure at the waterline, covered with clusters of dark blue mussels, highlighting marine life and natural growth.
A blue and white boat named 'Miss Emily' parked on a grassy area near rocky terrain, with hills and a body of water in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A rusted shipwreck stranded near the shore, surrounded by greenery and rocky terrain, with a bald eagle sitting on a rock in the foreground.
A colorful wooden dock adorned with various flags, overlooking a calm body of water, with a small sailing boat in the distance.
A serene landscape featuring a calm lake reflecting a green hillside and trees, with a few small boats and red structures along the shore.
A white and red lighthouse standing on a rocky pier, overlooking a calm sea under a cloudy sky.
A weathered wooden fishing cabin on stilts beside the water, with a sloping roof and a porch extending over the shoreline.
A vibrant yellow house sits on a grassy hillside beside a calm body of water, reflecting its image. A small red building and a Canadian flag are also visible in the scene.

No doubt there will be other challenges that will come along and test our strength and resilience, once again. One prime example was the wildfires this past summer which decimated large swaths of land and destroyed homes and communities. People were evacuated from their homes for weeks on end. Thankfully the wildfires are out and those displaced can start to rebuild their lives, a testament to our toughness.

A coastal scene featuring a house with a tree on top, alongside a wooden structure on stilts, with a boat docked near the shore under a cloudy sky.
Scenic view of a coastal landscape with red and white buildings alongside a calm waterway surrounded by rocks and greenery.
A red fishing house by the water, surrounded by grass and reflections in the calm water.
A scenic view of colorful red fishing huts along a calm waterfront, surrounded by lush green hills and residential buildings.
A small boat docked at a wooden pier in front of a red building, with a church and greenery in the background.
A tranquil lakeside scene with a wooden dock, surrounded by lush greenery and trees reflecting in the calm water.
A scenic view of a fishing village featuring colorful red and white houses alongside a calm harbor, with fishing gear and nets on a wooden dock.
A young child wearing a colorful jacket stands on a wooden dock by the water, looking towards a boat with the number 130757.

So, now do you get the point of my “all in the same boat” ramblings? Maybe it’s more fair to say we are all in the same body of water, LOL. That sounds so silly but a little more accurate! Anyhow, maybe we need to look to the next generation to see how things will play out and if the lessons learned from our hardships will be instilled in them.

A man fishing from a dock in a scenic harbor area, surrounded by colorful wooden houses and rocky cliffs.

Until Next Time,

Andrea

3 Comments

  1. Really enjoyed reading thisā€¦. And beautiful pictures as well. I am homesick now. šŸ˜

    Reply

  3. Beautiful as always Andrea ! Your pictures are wonderful . I love that last picture of the fisherman in Quidi Vidi ! But as you know I love that young fisherman !

    Reply

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