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| © July '12 photo by smck |
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| © July '12 photo by smck |
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| © July '12 photo by smck |
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| © July '12 photo by smck |
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| © July '12 photo by smck |
As the ferry approached Port aux Basque,
the land of Newfoundland looming out of the water into the misty gray
of the day seemed to conjure the feeling of Cabot and his crew
staring at this strange new world. A world of uncharted depths and
reefs, a world of dreams of gold and exotic spices, fresh food and
water and a myriad of unknown thoughts of the crew. Then a glimpse
of another ferry tumbled me back into the 21st century where all was
structured for our comfort - port and charts, electronic wizardry
like magic pin-pointing our every move. Still the closer glimpse of
the barren hills of the coast to our starboard raised that
ancient-of-days feeling in me once more and I knew that I was closing
in on our anticipated vacation on this great island. The red buoy
only some small hundred meters from the shore gave me comfort with
its physical presence steering us in measured depth to the dock -
although I've no doubt that its innards conceal its own electronic
daemons. As we drove away from the dock toward our first ad-hoc day
ashore, we said adieu to the ferry, Atlantic Vision, a beautiful well
appointed ship - but one inclined to roll easily in the small light
waves of our voyage from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux
Basque, Newfoundland, much to my wife's discomfort. Well the return
trip would be another ferry and another day.
