After spending Saturday night at Piper's Hole we made a short drive to Davis Cove. The last 30 kms was over a dusty and bumpy dirt road. I stayed well behind Hazen waiting for the dust he stirred up to drift away before driving through.
The put-in at Davis is not ideal requiring a two person kayak carry down the boulder beach. We busily loaded our kayaks watched by a couple of local fishermen who had all sorts of questions about our watercraft. The conversation continued with Dean, Terry and myself while Hazen and Neville ferried a car to Monkstown about 1o kms away. When they returned we ...
... were off out of Davis Cove bound for Clattice Harbour at 11:30. Hospital Head dominates the right side of the cove exit while Chambers Island lays to the left.
Passing Chambers Island, Merasheen Island was way off on the horizon.
There are a few beaches near Davis Cove that looked to be decent camping locations like this one we spotted as we entered Butts Hole.
Two little streams run into Butts Hole, one of which we went to check out.
Approaching Barren Point just after 1:30 we still had not stopped for lunch and I was feeling it. Our objective though was in sight far off in the distance. It looks like one land mass from the seat of the kayak but it isn't. On the left is Isle Valen the site of a resettled community. We didn't get there but could be a future project.
The day was warm and this water fall just inside Barren Point was a perfect opportunity to cool down. Some of us sculled into the flowing waters which turned into tiny rainbows in the sun.
At 4:00 we reached the welcome sight of a campsite at Clattice Harbour, hungry as a pack of sea wolves but ...
... first things first - setting up the tents. The forecast was for strong southwest winds and we were lucky to have a line of trees to hide behind. Then it was time to eat.
Looking down the placid scene in the well protected Clattice Harbour. The entrance is at the top left.
We set about collecting wood for our evening campfire as we began to lose the sun, our campsite now in shadow.
With adequate wood collected for the fire it was time to take our medicine and bask in the remoteness of our location.
Behind us lay some of the works of the former residents of Clattice Harbour. It looked like a breakwater that protected a lagoon in behind and maybe land on which houses stood. Clattice Harbour had a population of 41 in 1836 and peaked at 198 in the census of 1921.
Trails around the harbour linked the houses clustered around its shores and the nearby Clattice South West and communities in St. Kyran's Harbour some 4 kms away. I don't know the year of resettlement but likely in the early '60's like so many in Placentia Bay.
It was getting late and, in keeping with our philosophy of not leaving any wood behind, we threw it all on for a final blaze of glory before watching it burn down and heading for the tents.
End of day 1 and here are the breadcrumbs:
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