Francois (via Wild Cove)

21/7/24

I decided to move round the corner to Wild Cove in the early evening of the 21st. A fresh westerly wind was forecast from midmorning the next day and my guide book says it is well sheltered from wind and swell from that direction where as such wind would put me close to a lee shore in Deadman's Cove.

I wish I'd stayed put and simply left early for Francois. Wild Cove was not sheltered from the swell and we rolled heavily all night. Sleep was hard to come by.

22/7/24

So the next morning around 1100, I get the anchor up (before any sustained wind arrived) and motor the 7 or so miles to Francois.

I moor in front of Nashwana on the floating dock with help from David and Ingar and an American couple Joe and Jane on their motor cruiser moored on the other side of the dock.

The picturess town is perched just above the water at the bottom of steep cliffs and is bisected by a waterfall.

After straightening things out I have a snooze and then go for a walk around town..

Except that the hills look so alluring that I keep going! The local footpaths are covered with boardwalks which, in some cases, seem to go on for ever up the steep mountain sides.

After 30 minutes or so I come across the other two crews descending one of the mountain trails. They are so enthusiastic about the amazing views that despite being unprepared for a long hike (no water or food) I decide to go look for myself.

Some of the "Friar Trail"..

...was quite a scramble but eventually I make it up to the sumit above the town. The views are quite breathtaking with bold glacial bowls and valleys in every direction.

I explore further along the ridge above the bay in which Francois is nestled and soak up the majesty and wildness of it all. I'm not surprised that Paul Trammell felt he had sailed to a mythical land inhabited by dragons and wizards, but I see neither. What strikes me most forcibly, here and in subsequent fiords, is the incredible natural forces that must have created this landscape.

Undoubtedly, the land must once have been scoured by glaciers. The tell-tale U shaped valleys and vast sculptured bowls at their heads along with boulders strewn everywhere, are evidence of that. However, even before the glaciers, huge rock forming and lifting and depressing forces must have been at work to provide the fabric through which the glaciers subsequently scoured. It must have been a truly awesome time. I notice a subtle difference in the rocks here, compared with those at La Hune Bay. There, the granite was pink in colour here it is grey. But then I come across a giant slab of the stuff that seems to have been hit by an enormous force. Its surface was smashed, cracked and splintered, which revealed the same pinkish hue I found at La Hune. It must be something to do with the weathering, but why it should be produce such a different result only a few miles away, I cannot fathom.

Eventually, I check the time, it is past 6pm. I'd better start getting down.

I do so more quickly than I got up and find that Joe has been keeping an eye out for me to to make sure I get down in one piece. Most considerate! 

The sun is still out and it's still warm and so I have enough time to sink a couple of G&Ts in the cockpit before cooking dinner - the last fresh meat I have on board. Pork Cutlets in a curry sauce on a bed of rice. Not bad! 

22/7/24

Its sunny and warm again. Ideal for more hiking. There's a trail that goes up and over the cliffs on the west side of the bay and another that goes up towards the topmost waterfall at the head of the valley above the town. I resolve to try them both.

This time I pack food and drink and swimming trunks and a towel - I rather fancy bathing in the waterfall!

The hike up to the cliffs overlooking the l the fiord from the west starts at the lake that feeds the waterfall that bisects the town, which itself is fed by the waterfall I hope to reach later.

It starts with a steep boardwalk. 

Yet again the views (from a conveniently placed bench) are sublime...

To the north...

and to the south...

And just in case visitors were not sure what was what, a signpost tells all ...

I dally for 20 minutes or so and then head down again, then around the lake and head up the hill towards the top waterfall. I'm not sure if there is a proper trail, but there is.

Sometimes, scrambling using both hands and feet is required but it's not too bad. Then I lose the trail and have to scramble rather more but the waterfall beckons me on..

Finally, I'm there. I check out the source just over the ridge, another lake...

Then I back to the fall for that bath - just there...

It's rather colder than the fall at Deadman's Cove and so I don't linger so long, but it's wonderful nonetheless!

Then lunch followed by a doze spreadout on the warm rocks. Heaven!

After lunch I head down and find the trail that I lost on the way up. It makes for a much easier descent.

On the way down I stop off at the general store and pay for another night (about £8 and for 20 Litres of diesel (about £10)  which the store owners grandson Christian, will sort out for me! The store is run by Sharon by the way...

I get back to the boat by about 3 pm (and notice Vashwana leaving), just as Joe and Jane are preparing to undertake the first part of the hike. Their day has been delayed by news of Joe's mum being taken to hospital, but thankfully she seems to be OK.

Tomorrow I'll head for Sandy Point at the top of Hare Bay, about 20 miles east of Francois.

24/7/24

After breakfast of porridge I head to the general store to buy a few provisions. Back at the boat, I fill up with water and head out of the bay.