In May of 1951 I received an inquiry from a party of three in Providence, Rhode Island wanting to charter a cabin cruiser. The boat had to be seaworthy, with first class accommodation and modern facilities. They were planning an extended salmon fishing trip to rivers along the Labrador coast, principally the Eagle River in Sandwich Bay, that being listed as one of the best. I replied with details about my cabin cruiser, the Red Wing Chief, and advised that I would be available for charter for any part of Newfoundland and Labrador. After the arrangements were agreed on, the charter was duly signed for cruises around the Newfoundland coast and to Eagle River.
The charter party agreed to provide all food supplies, packed and marked in separate packages; one, two and three week supplies for three persons. This was in case they would make camping trips away from the boat. The boat supplies were separate, with no limit.
I concentrated on making sure that everything was in order for safe and efficient operation of the boat, engine and equipment. The charter party supplied all the fishing equipment they might need for the expedition, including a canoe to transport supplies upriver. They had all the supplies shipped from Providence to me by a boat that made regular runs collecting lobsters from the Wesleyville lobster pool for delivery to US markets. The packages were numbered, with inventories listed on each.
The cook, Ken Wicks, stored all the supplies in the lockers. Ken was an all around man, having fished aboard a schooner from an early age. He was a very capable seaman who could splice a rope, steer a true compass course at the wheel, and do anything required on a fishing schooner. One of the things he could do best was cook and bake. After 20 years or more on the schooner, he took a job as steward on one of the Newfoundland Railway coastal steamers and served in that capacity for many years.
I considered myself lucky to have a cook such as Ken on this trip. The charter party were soon to express their surprise and delight in his appetizing meals. He did all kinds of baking, and the bread was better than any they had every had. Ken would prepare many kinds of seafood meals that would melt in your mouth.
After everything was stowed and checked I contacted Mr. Hamson, the head of the charter party, and advised him we would be ready whenever required. He wired back saying that they would be flying to Gander in his own plane and taking a taxi from Gander to Lewisporte.
We left Wesleyville for Lewisporte in the Red Wing Chief in the early morning of June 10, 1951. The weather was fine, with a light southwest wind, and we had a smooth run down around the Straight Shore to Hamilton Sound. We then proceeded through Dildo Run, a picturesque, sheltered inland waterway with many islets, channels and shoals. I had made the run through
there before and felt confident we could do it again without any problem. My first trip through Dildo Run was many years before, with an experienced pilot who pointed out the important points, which I now remembered. After passing through the Run we took the regular ship’s channel leading to Lewisporte.
Lewisporte was a busy town. It was the terminus for the railway and coastal steamers, and also handled large oil tankers servicing Gander Airport, etc. Passenger boats from various areas around Notre Dame Bay went there regularly to meet the trains. The first thing we did at Lewisporte was refill the fuel and water tanks and take on extra diesel fuel in six 45 gallon steel barrels. We had a long trip ahead and didn’t know if diesel fuel would be readily available along the Labrador coast. We had just finished taking on fuel and water when our charter party arrived from Gander.
The leader, Mr. Hamson, owned and operated a large cold storage plant. Of the others, one was a Yale professor and the other was a New York florist. All were fine gentlemen and made us feel at ease. Mr. Hamson put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I feel sure we’re going to have a very interesting and enjoyable trip. When will you be ready to start?” I said, “If you’re ready, we’ll start now.”
We left Lewisporte at 3:00 p.m. I took the wheel and headed on a straight course out the Bay of Exploits. The weather was clear, with a light southwest wind. Ken checked everything on deck, making sure everything was shipshape, and then went to the galley to begin preparing the evening meal. He was a bit concerned at first, not knowing what they would like. I told him to prepare the same kind of meal we would usually have ourselves. He said, “I think I’ll make baked codfish with all the trimmings,” but first he asked them if they liked baked fish, and they said they did.
Well, Ken prepared a sumptuous meal. In fact, they cleaned their plates and asked for more. They said it was the most appetizing fish meal they had ever had. The meal was finished with tarts and cookies for dessert, and all were quite pleased.
After leaving the Bay of Exploits I set course across Notre Dame Bay, heading for Cape John. The weather was still ideal, with a light southwest wind and moderate swell. One of the party asked me what port we would be putting into for the night. I said that unless there was some particular reason for doing so, we wouldn’t put in for the night. I planned to proceed on across White Bay and put into Englee, Canada Bay, to take on extra fuel.
When we passed Cape John there was a large iceberg a couple of miles ashore. The party hadn’t seen one like this before and asked if we could circle it. The berg was spectacular, with two towering peaks like a majestic cathedral. I mentioned we would probably see more icebergs along the Labrador coast.
After leaving the iceberg I set course for the Horse Islands, White Bay, where people had once lived, as it was a rich fishing and sealing location. When passing through the Horse Island Tickle my clients wondered why people would live in such a remote and storm-swept area. I explained it was because most of the early settlers wanted to be as close as possible to the rich fishing grounds. They built their own homes and boats and grew their own vegetables. About the only time they were isolated was when navigation closed and they were surrounded by ice floes. Even then they weren’t totally isolated, because many ships of the sealing fleet would be in the vicinity during March and April. I told them about the Viking disaster that had happened nearby in 1931 and the valiant part the people of the Horse islands played in the gallant rescue of the sealers who survived.
From the Horse Islands I set course for Englee, across White Bay. Four-hour watches were arranged, with always two persons on watch. The distance covered was registered by taffrail log. We arrived at Englee just after dawn and tied up at the wharf of John Reeves Limited. This was a large general business supplying hundreds of fishermen around White Bay and the Great Northern Peninsula, and buying and processing fish and shipping it to markets in the fall.
[taffrail log: a mechanical device dragged from the stern of the vessel that indicates the vessel’s speed]
When we docked, Mr. Hamson came to the wheelhouse and asked where we were. I told him and said we would be taking on board four 45 gallon barrels of fuel oil. Now, the top of the wharf was about eight feet above deck level. Mr. Hamson looked around and asked, “How are you going to take these steel barrels on board? I don’t see any crane or derrick around.” “Oh,” I said, “that’s no problem.” “Well,” he asked again, “how are you going to do it?” I said, “We’ll use a parbuckle.” “A what?” he said. Again I said, “A parbuckle.” “And what is that?” he asked.
And with that, he ran down to the cabin and called the other fellows, “Quick, come up on deck. The captain is taking fuel on board in barrels, and he’s going to use a parbuckle to do it. Come and see how it’s done.”
In the meantime, it being so early in the morning, there was no one around, and the storekeeper would not be there until 8:00. Mr. Hamson asked, “How are you going to get the fuel before 8:00?” “No problem,” I said, “I’ll get the store manager very quickly.
It happened that the store manager was Jacob Winsor, an old school chum of mine from Wesleyville, who lived a short distance from the wharf. I jumped onto the wharf and went to his house. My knock was quickly answered by Jake. He was surprised to see me and asked, “Where did you come from at this hour?” I told him we were en route to Labrador and would be staying only long enough to get our fuel on board. Without hesitation, he said, “Just a minute, I’ll be down to the wharf as soon as I get my clothes on.”
When he came on the wharf, he and Ken rolled the four barrels of fuel oil to the edge of the wharf overlooking the Red Wing Chief. Then we rigged the parbuckle. Our party was on deck, watching with a camera. I passed up a coil of manila rope to Ken and Jake. They were both familiar with rigging a parbuckle, and in less time than it would take to tell about it, they were ready to roll the first barrel over the wharf.
After rolling over the edge of the wharf, the barrel slowly rolled down the eight feet and landed on the deck of the boat without the slightest jolt. While the fuel was being taken on board, cameras were in action from different angles, and note pads were in use.
This method can be used in reverse to unload barrels from a boat, or to pull them up over a steep incline. I remember as a very small boy seeing a puncheon of molasses unloaded from a boat by my father’s wharf. Of course, it required much more effort to unload (lift) that it would to load (lower).
The parbuckle consists of a rope strong enough to handle the weight to be moved. The rope is formed into a loop, which is fastened to a firm support on the wharf several feet in from the edge, allowing sufficient space to handle the barrel or other object to be moved. The barrel is moved to the edge of the wharf, and one part of the loop of rope is passed underneath each edge of the barrel. Each man holds the rope that is on the top side of the barrel, and the barrel is carefully rolled over the edge of the wharf. It is now suspended in a rope sling. Each man then carefully slackens his rope, and the barrel rolls down in the sling and lands on the deck below, resting on its side. If the barrel were required to stand upright, that could easily be done. When the barrel was about two feet from the deck, one man would hold his rope tight while the other man would continue to lower until the edge of the barrel touched the deck. The barrel would then be easily put upright.
The parbuckle can be used by one man, providing there is a grump or firm bit near the barrel where a couple of turns of rope can be taken. Also, in lowering extra-heavy loads, two turns of rope are taken around each end of the barrel. Other types of loads can also be handled easily and skillfully with a well-rigged parbuckle