Argentia Ferry

We ride the TCH from St. John’s to Whitbourne, then Hwy 100 to Argentia. It rained hard this morning but by noon when we pull out of St. John’s the precipitation is on hold. Hwy 100 is part of the Cape Shore route that will take you to the old French capital of Newfoundland at Placentia. The Castle Hill National Historic Site there is the remains of an old French fort from the time when the French and the English battled for military domination in North America. It is well worth visiting and not just for the magnificent view of the surrounding area.
This route will also take you to Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve - a bird lover’s paradise. The Reserve is most accessible and a spectacular seabird colony but we have found the stink to be overwhelming. On a 200-foot-high sea stack just 50 feet from the cliff-top viewing point you can see northern gannets, razorbills, murres (turs), arctic terns, and other seabirds. We’re sure there must be puffins too, as you see their distinctive beaks everywhere else in Newfoundland.
The overcast sky gradually drops as we ride and by the time we arrive at our ferry, the Smallwood, everything is in the fog. There have been so many ferry problems this season it looks like all our fellow passengers are there well ahead of the 90 minute requirement, as we are. As we dismount two young men pull up behind us, one of whom is yelling, “Right between me eyes, he stung me right between me eyes.” He is sporting quite a large red spot on the bridge of his nose where a wasp just stung him despite the fog. We commiserate with him, however, we later spy him in the lounge killing the pain with several cocktails. We’re going to miss these boisterous Newfies!
To our surprise the ferry starts loading at least 90 minutes before departure but it’s a slow process and even though it is raining through the fog by then, the 35 or so motorcycles are loaded last. Once aboard we race the other bikers to grab the four tie-downs that are necessary to keep the motorcycle stable for the frequently rough crossing. Today, however, we are grateful that the Atlantic is quite smooth (compared to a less-than-pleasant experience some years ago when the sea was not).
We settle our luggage away in our sleeping area (a dormitory sleeper not unlike a train sleeping car) and head to the almost-full lounge (this trip takes 14 hours after all). There is a two man band that does a decent job of Johnny Cash, maritime folk songs, and Newfoundland favourites (Newfies are quick to point out that their province is not part of the Maritimes).
We dine early as we’re not sure how digestible supper will be and we have a very early start in the morning as the ferry is scheduled to dock at 6:00 am. The fog lifts in the evening so we brave the wind out on deck for a few crazy minutes, never losing our grip on the railings. After that experience, we understand how the Atlantic could blow you overboard in rougher seas.