Sea Kayaking Newfoundland's South Shore

The original plan for this trip was to leave from Rose Blanche and paddle to François. Intense fog on the whole South coast when we arrived and for the week following made us change plans.

We finally did half the trip : from Burgeo to François.

The isolated communities ("outports" as they are called) of La Poile, Grand Bruit, Grey River, François and McCallum, as well as the island of Ramea, are accessible by boat. Three coastal ferries provide daily service to these communities (with one day per week lay over). Fares are very reasonable. For more information, please see the General Information page.

Departure points :

Rose Blanche: approximately a 45 minute drive from the Nova Scotia Ferry terminal in Port-aux-Basques. It is possible to leave the car at the Rose Blanche ferry wharf, a kilometer before the village itself. There is a convenient slipway for putting in and the harbour is well sheltered. This offers the added advantage of being close to the car if returning by ferry. Harbour Le Cou, a small fishing community located just North of Rose Blanche provides a very sheltered cove that allows the paddler to avoid the very exposed Rose Blanche Lighthouse Point. Access to the water and parking is a little more difficult, however.

Burgeo: Count on a 3-hour drive from Port-aux-Basques to Burgeo. The public wharf (and coastal ferry terminal) is in the heart of the village but does not provide easy access to the water. Sandbanks Provincial Park is about 2 or 3 km away, just West of the village. The Park offers a very nice camping ground and longer term parking is allowed for a modest fee (buy a daily or seasonal Park pass). The East beach provides a generally easy access to the water. The beach is located about 200m from the road, to which it is linked by a wooden walkway. If returning by the ferry, it is a longish walk back (or a short thumb ride) to get to the car from the public wharf.

Trip detail maps

We spent 5 days paddling from Burgeo to François. Each day is shown on a different map, covering the area included in the rectangle above :

Map