Botwood Newfoundland

This is what we did on August 15….

Today we made the short drive to Botwood, Newfoundland from Gander . Botwood is situated on Exploit Bay. Botwood is a port for ships to carry paper from the large paper mill some 60 miles from here. It used to be a port for mineral shipments. More importantly in its history is the role Botwood played in WWII as a sea plane base for anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic. This is what the sea planes looked like. It was also the first commercial flying boat seaport and refueling stop for Pan-Am Clippers in 1939. The runway for the sea planes is where we parked our motor home overnight.

While here in Botwood, we took a tour on the “Bumpy Blue Bus” to Fortune Harbor. Once there (50 kms. of scenic but very bumpy roads) we boarded a barge type boat. We toured around the harbor and learned some of the history of this tiny village. During times of plentiful fishing, Fortune Harbor was home to 700+ people. They were quite isolated with no roads connecting them to the rest of Newfoundland. The roads came in the 50’s and 60’s. The cod fishery was shut down in 1992 and the current population is only 89. Fortune Harbor is now home to a mussel farming operation. This photo is of another village on the way to Fortune Harbor but it looks very similar.

We went out to the mussel farm and learned how they are cultivated. In the cold waters of Newfoundland, it take 2 ½ to 3 years for mussels to grow to a harvestable size. These blue barrels are floating on the water some 20-30 feet above horizontal lines that contain strings of growing mussels. The photo on the left shows a line pulled up by the boat. The ropes of mussels cling on to the line and to each other as they grow.
After explaining the long process of getting the mussels started on the ropes, we got to eat a few of the tasty critters---delicious!

After our boat tour, we went in to the owner’s home and were treated to entertainment by a local singer and learned more about Newfie customs and music. We got to sample Screech—Newfoundland rum.

We boarded the bus for the bumpy ride back. We were treated to a potluck dinner hosted by the Catholic Church Women’s group. There were lots of homemade dishes including local favorites such as moose stew, fish cakes and salmon. They also entertained us with local songs. It was a fun evening. This small town is so friendly. The little museum and gift ship at the seaplane base stayed open until we got done with dinner just for us.

Speaking of the museum, it was a pretty interesting place. It showed lots of photos and displays about Botwood and its role in WWII. Roosevelt and Churchill met here a number of times! Such a remote place that most Americans never even heard of! It was a fun and informative visit.