Cupids Cove Chatter

From  June 15th to September 10th , 2010, the Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton will be engaged in an exciting project. Winterton Master Boat Builder, Jerome Canning, using the tools, techniques, and skills of the 17th century settlers will build a reconstruction of the Indeavour, the 34-ft. bark that John Guy and the colonists built in Cupids to sail to Trinity Bay to attempt to meet and trade with the Beothuk.

Visitors are invited to  be part of the project.  Reaching back in time to 1610 – the visitor can work side by side with John Guy, as he builds the “Indeavour”, a 34-ft. bark, for the historic voyage from Cupids to Trinity Bay. Come spend a day or two working along our Exhibit Builder, as he brings to life the skills & tools of the 17th century. Help erect the keel, stem, counter and main frames of this full sized exhibit. Leave your mark in history by etching your initials on the keel.

Indeavour - 12 ton bark for exploring the island

Then relive the thrill for years to come as you lift the lid of your unique cedar box filled with wood shavings taken from the experience….. The cost is $150.00 per person (Snacks, Lunch & Keepsake Box Included.)

For more information, see the  Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland & Labrador > >

About the Voyage of the Indeavour

Having completed building the Indeavour, in the Fall of 1612, the colonists set sail to explore Trinity Bay to try to make contact with the Beothuk   people and begin a profitable fur trade with them. Beaver furs were extremely valuable in Europe at that time and the settlers wanted to trade with the Beothuk for these furs.

They used two boats they had constructed in Cupids Cove (Cupers Cove). The larger of the two boats, the Indeavour, was a 12 ton vessel. The smaller was a 5 ton shallop. We know a great deal about this voyage because John Guy and Henry Crout describe it in their journals. Henry also talked about the trip in a letter he wrote to Sir Percival Willoughby in England.

On October 7^th 1612, the two boats left Cupers Cove  around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The Indeavour carried John Guy, Henry Crout, and 12 other men. The shallop carried another five men on board, for a total of 19 men.

At 11 o’clock that night, they arrived at Harbour Grace and anchored their boats close to the pirates’ fort that the notorious pirate, Peter Easton, had built. There they found a 120 ton French ship full of salt. In those days, salt was very important for preserving fish and meat and the settlers spent the next nine days storing the salt in a safe, dry place.

They continued on their journey, reaching the bottom of Bull Arm, where the town of Sunnyside is today, on November 4 and finding  a number of Beothuk houses and a Beothuk canoe hauled up on the beach.  Finally, after more exploration of the region, on November 6th, the colonists met and shared a meal with a group of Beothuk somewhere in Bull Arm.

After a successful meeting with the Beothuk, John Guy and his men began their return trip to Cupers Cove. On the way back, the shallop overturned near Bay de Verde, throwing the men overboard. Fortunately, they were able to get to shore safely. For the next ten days, the men from the shallop walked from Bay de Verde to Carbonear. According to a letter written by one of the men, Bartholomew Pearson, the lives of the explorers were in great danger as they were faced with “great famine and much hunger”. He also stated that they were “like to be starved”. Upon arrival at Carbonear, the men found some “rotten, stinking fish” and “moulix made of mussels” .  Not a great dinner, but it kept them alive long enough to return home. At Carbonear, the men were also lucky enough to find an abandoned boat in which they were able to sail back to the colony at Cupids Cove (Cupers Cove.)

For a complete account of the journey, see Baccalieu: Crossroads for Cultures, “The Journey of the Indeavour”

Voyage of the Indeavour to Meet the Beothuk