Ready to Unveil
Originally uploaded by John Guy2010
On June 23rd, the Town of Bay de Verde unveiled the Mural and Interpretive Panels depicting the voyage of John Guy to Bay de Verde when the colonists sailed into Trinity Bay to meet the Beothuk.
Photos of the unveiling of the Mural and Interpretive Panels in Bay de Verde >>
The Story of the Voyage of the Indeavour in 1612 > >
The Winterton Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador will launch the Official Opening and Keel-laying Ceremony of The Indeavour Saga Exhibit on Wednesday, June 14th at 11am.
From the press release:
Alan Doyle, along with MP Scott Andrews, Minister Terry French and MHA Charlene Johnson, Bill Grandy, Program Manager ACOA will be in Winterton, Trinity Bay on June 14th, 2010 at 11:00 AM to launch the Official Opening and Keel-laying Ceremony of The
Indeavour Saga Exhibit.Master of Ceremonies for the event will be Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea.
The schedule for this historic event will include Museum tour, an Official Keel-Laying Ceremony, greetings from Government of Canada, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador and Cupids 400 Inc.
To conclude the event invited guests will attend a time a the SUF Lodge #2 (across the street from the museum building) where refreshments will be served and entertainment will be provided by Alan Doyle and friends.For more information contact:
Beverley King
Project Administrator
Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
(709) 583-2070Email: bkingheritage@gmail.com
Website: woodenboatnl.com
BACKGROUNDER:
Indeavour - 12 ton bark for exploring the island
The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to safeguarding the legacy of our Province’s wooden boat building heritage. The exhibit is named for John Guy’s ship “The Indeavour,” which was used on his voyage from Cupids to Trinity Bay in 1612. This 34ft wooden vessel played played an important role in Newfoundland’s History, as it was the first decked wooden boat built in North America. The boat was also used to explore the nearby coast and locate the Beothuk people. The exhibit itself will be a two – fold experience: the history of the vessel is retold by elaborate illustrations and story boards in the Museum’s main building, featuring works by Robert Haliday, Hilary Cass and and Kevin Coates. The vessel construction takes place outside in the boat building shed, where the keel, stem, counter and main frames of this full sized exhibit will come to life.
The Indeavour Saga Exhibit was first announced in July 2009 as the first regional project for the 2010 Cupids 400 Inc. celebrations. Other partners in the project are the Town of Winterton, the Winterton Heritage Advisory Board, the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, ACOA, and Government of NL through the departments of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.
For more information see – Building Full Sized Model of the ‘Indeavour’ >>
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 > >
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 7th 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
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Henry Crout, one of John Guy\'s Colonists is the avatar for Cupids Cove Chatter. The hand represents his journal writing. Although a number of people including John Guy and Sir Percival Willoughby recorded information about the first English colony in Canada, Henry Crout recorded what was happening on the ground. We hope this blog will introduce and describe events from an - on the ground - perspective. We hope to have guest bloggers who will add their descriptions and opinions. If you are interested, please contact us.
