Best Kind Iceberg Tour, Triton, NL

Day 26, June 14

We were chasing icebergs on a beautiful Saturday in Triton, in the Green Bay area.

I spotted a sign for “Best Kind Outdoor Connections” so we pulled into the yard. In Newfoundland, "best kind" is an expression that means something is excellent.

Some guys were sitting in a shed, drinking beer. When they saw me, one of them sprang up. It turned out to be Craig Budgell, who began an adventure tour business this year. He loves his “back yard” and is committed to making sure that everyone who visits has a chance to love it too.

The Iceberg Boat Tour

We suited up in some wind-proof pants and jackets. Then the three of us sat down in the shed. To set the tone, Craig played us a ballad about the history of Newfoundland fishing, “Ghosts Out in the Fog”.

Craig’s boat had room for 6 passengers. Since it was just the two of us, we wedged into the small bench directly behind the steering wheel. Craig stood in front of me.

As we left the sheltered area of the cove, Craig pointed out a bald eagle nest, complete with an eagle sitting regally in the center.

We headed out of the cove and picked up speed. The water was choppy. The wind was strong and cold. The boat slapped the surface of the water.

From a distance the iceberg appeared to be triangular, but as we got closer it became infinitely more complex. When we got close and Craig throttled back, the iceberg towered over us, some 150 feet tall.

At this point Doug and I moved to the front of the boat and Craig broke out the beer, appropriately enough, Iceberg beer from Quidi Vidi brewery.

As we slowly circled the berg, every view was different. That’s one of the magical things about these giant chunks of ice.

Eventually we headed across the bay to the second iceberg. This one seemed to be square-bottomed. We could see the light blue of its underwater foundations, which extended far beyond the visible walls.

Again, the iceberg towered above us.

On our way back, Craig stopped to net some bergy bits. He stabbed the bigger chunks with a sharp knife, breaking them into manageable pieces. Doug took a turn hauling up chunks. The two of them filled two large tubs.

Fresh Lobster!

Friends of his were out checking their lobster traps. Craig hailed them and bought four lobsters. He passed them over, boat to boat. Lobster doesn’t get much fresher!

The fisherman had scored an enormous 5+ pound lobster, so we took photos.

We got the lobsters home onto the dock, then took the boat out again to scoop a pail of seawater from a nearby cove. We glided over the wreckage of a long-ago boat and Craig told us its sad story.

While Craig got ready to cook the lobsters, Doug and I stripped off our flotation suits, then had another Iceberg beer. Craig had a lobster pot rigged up on his deck, and boiled them in the sea water, right there. Then he disassembled them, laying each piece out on the deck railing. With a flick, he flung the shells back into the water.

Doug and I ate the lobsters at a picnic table, along with fresh baked bread and butter. What a meal!