Sivier Island Weekend

If you are looking for a sheltered harbour, close to Lewisporte, then give Western Harbour on Sivier Island a try. It is a little tricky to access, since you must be especially cautious of the rock in the middle of the entrance. Many a boat has found out it was there the hard way. There are two LYC moorings in the inner cove, and we were heading for one.

Twice a summer, the provincial government opens up a recreational cod fishery. You are allowed to take 5 fish per person per day, and a total of 15 per boat per day. We used to participate fairly often when we had the speedboat, and thought we would give it a shot from the sailboat, using Sivier Island as our base.

On Friday evening we sailed for roughly an hour to get to Western Harbour, and picked up a mooring on the NE end. It was a calm evening, which was good for the mosquitoes. Roxanne and Cheri lit coils and smashed any that got aboard.

It was such a lovely night that I spent much of it up on deck watching the sunset, and then all the stars as they began filling the sky.

Even Roxanne popped her head out once in a while to take in the scenery.

The next day we headed out to the northern side of Sivier Island, near Camel Island, to do some fishing. There are a couple of good grounds there, and it was somewhat sheltered so that we did not drift too fast.

We lost a few cod due to the high freeboard of the sailboat. Just as they would break the surface, they would let go of the hook. Bringing a net is a must for next time. We managed to haul a few on board, and even some mackerel.

Motoring through Birchy Tickle.

The women were not happy about spending several days crammed into a small boat, so we tied up to a wharf where we could get off and stretch our legs. A request was made for a dinghy, to make shore access possible from a mooring or while anchored.

This was also a good place for me to go ashore to clean the fish. The first one completed was rushed back to the boat to be prepared for supper. It was a very tasty meal, with the fish so fresh.

The next day we headed back. The weather was not quite as nice, being a little cooler, and the wind was picking up.

Cloud IX catches up and then passes us.

Cheri, and some items hung out to dry.

Once again we survived a weekend aboard Serenity with three people. I don't think I would want to do it with 4 adults, but we would have been fine with the two kids, when they were small. Now that we have the sailboat, we are not tied to just going to Exploits Islands. The entire bay is now available for us to explore.