tales-of-Fogo-Island

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A Poor Night, Not Too Long AgoApril 17, 1998 began as any other early spring day on Fogo Island. In Tilting,as in other communities, preparations began for a day at the ice. Lunch boxeswere packed, gas tanks were filled and excitement was in the air. There wasno hint of what the next twenty-four hours were going to bring.Tilting, showing thick ice fields in the backgroundThe weather for most of the day was favorable with light, variable winds andthick fog to the east. The boats were scattered from outside the 'barricks',south to a line off Cape Fogo and were operating among strings of loose packice. Seals were plentiful and each boat was averaging a catch of aroundtwenty-five or thirty. Overall, it was a good day to be out on the water.However, as evening approached and thoughts turned to the voyage home,the older, more experienced sealers began to have nagging doubts. They hadseen evenings like this before. With this in mind, Gus Foley decided to contactsomeone on shore by VHF and get information about the ice conditions.Unfortunately, just about everyone he could think of was out sealing andnobody was answering his call.That day, Cyril Burke was off the island and was scheduled to return on thelast ferry. For some reason, he changed his mind and returned on theafternoon trip. As he drove down over the Burn Hills, he could see that theocean was flat-calm, with heavy pack ice and a thick fog bank about three orfour miles offshore.On arriving at his home, he turned on the VHF and immediately heard GusFoley calling. Gus was down to the south somewhere, and was in thecompany of Leo Burke and Len McGrath and their crews. Leo Burke had hisGPS (Global Positioning System) on board and Len had a good radio. It wasnot dark yet and there was nothing to be alarmed about, but they were
wondering if they could reach Tilting. Cyril told them that their chances wereslim. However, he would go to the tower for a better look and call them fromhis portable VHF. Meanwhile, the crews would continue toward land in thickfog.The call from the tower provided little encouragement for the boys. The fogprevented Cyril from seeing far across the bay but he told them to keepheading to the south on a chance they might get around the souther' edge ofthe ice.On his drive back to Tilting, Cyril began to realize that this situation might be alittle more serious than usual. He still did not know how many men or howmany boats were out. Nevertheless, he knew it was possible that someonewould be out all night.With this in mind, he went to his home and telephoned Austin Reid in Seldom.Austin confirmed what Cyril had been thinking. Austin said that the boys hadjust come in and that they had to go a long way in the bay to get around thesouther' edge.The next VHF call came from Len McGrath who was stopped in thick fog. Hegave his latitude and longitude to Cyril who plotted it on a chart at home. Cyrilinformed the boys that they were on Clam Rock. He also told them about theice conditions in the bay. He suggested they head for Copper Island beforetrying to get into Seldom - their only chance for a harbour.From this point on, things progressed rapidly. The next VHF call came in fromCyril Foley. He had Leo McGrath and Pat Butt with him. Foley did not havenavigational equipment in his boat and in thick fog, was unsure of his position.After being informed of the ice conditions in the bay, and after sizing up hisoptions, Foley wasted little time in making his decision. His message to CyrilBurke was short, "Call Mary and tell her we are going to be out all night."At this point, Cyril Burke knew it was time for action. He placed a telephonecall to the MV Beaumont Hamel and contacted Joe Burke. Cyril asked Joe tonotify St. Anthony Radio that assistance was needed. Within minutes, theRescue Coordination Centre (RCC) made the first of many calls to CyrilBurke. There was still very little information about the number and location ofthe boats at the ice. However, Cyril could confirm that Cyril Foley was stuck.This was enough information for the RCC, they immediately re-routed theCoast Guard Ship (CGS) Bernier to the scene. The vessel had been on itsway to the Cape Freels area.
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Tales ofFogo IslandCompiled and edi
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ContributorsThe following people an
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A Brush with DeathYears ago, medica
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A Remarkable NurseOne well-known re
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Dealing with emergencies in those d
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Looking back on her life, Nurse Col
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The Disappearance of Bill HurleyOn
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In later years, two youthful boysA
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Stories of World War TwoMr. Gregory
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the right moment, it would hit the
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These are just a few of the many st
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After many years, Walter Ludlow's s
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The man believed he could make it t
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Schooner LifeBefore roads connected
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days. Coming back was the same way.
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the name of Saunders up in Herring
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The McKenna family business has sto
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southern end of Change Islands. Dur
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The Newfoundland PonyWhen people ta
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"Prince" poses for a photo while ta
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The original St. Patrick's Church,
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group would go over the hills behin
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There were also special remedies fo
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Green ribbon around neck: Believed
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Removing the soundbone,or "splittin
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Yaffling and piling dry cod.Lifting
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'Number Two' fish was not as good.
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There were thirteen stores on the p
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ShipwrecksWhen a schooner or other
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The Wreck Commissioner was StoneyFo
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The Dominion and AlarmMany sealing
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Tragedy at the IceThe seal hunt is
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time they made it, they found nothi
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Jumping Ship on Fogo IslandOn Octob
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Year's Eve, some of the men became
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The Lumber WoodsMany local men fish
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They would be hungry after a long,
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Loading the Tractor Sleds Up With F
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Lumber Woods TravelWhen on their wa
Page 82 and 83: They did not have one thing dry to
Page 84 and 85: true as I'm here! That was the firs
Page 86 and 87: Since 'white ends' in the forest we
Page 88 and 89: Man's Best FriendToday, most dogs a
Page 90 and 91: Retriever or the 'Landseer'. The La
Page 92 and 93: Strange EventsThe Ghost ShipA young
Page 94 and 95: The Light in the BightOne evening i
Page 96 and 97: BoatsBefore the days of long liners
Page 98 and 99: The first 50 foot long liner of Fog
Page 100 and 101: the loss of his wife and his daught
Page 102 and 103: could hear strange noises. These so
Page 104 and 105: medical facilities and other servic
Page 106 and 107: Mr. William Donahue and his family
Page 108 and 109: Anglican Church Indian Islands, 196
Page 110 and 111: The Beheading of Michael TurpinDuri
Page 112 and 113: Bringing WaterYears ago, people did
Page 114 and 115: The Good SheppardsOn the morning of
Page 116 and 117: This is a copy of Nathaniel Sheppar
Page 118 and 119: The Fogo ProcessMany people have he
Page 120 and 121: When people watched themselves and
Page 122 and 123: When the Markland finally came into
Page 124 and 125: Bits and PiecesDrifting AwayOne day
Page 126 and 127: Swan Skin MittsWhen birding and sea
Page 128 and 129: TravelThis photo was taken in 1956
Page 130 and 131: My First Pair of ShoesOne lady reca
Page 134 and 135: As darkness approached, fog and dri
Page 136 and 137: All of the people involved in this
Page 138 and 139: BibliographyArticles:Author Unknown
Page 140 and 141: Photos and IllustrationsWinston Osm
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