Baccalieu Episode
BACCALIEU EPISODE
Portuguese named it when they found
Bacalhau - meaning codfish island. They knew
Its essence - the French called it Baccalieu, *
This dangerously rich fishing ground.
Coming home to St. John’s from Labrador,
Autumn storm swooped on us, undermanned,
As we made west past the bare black island
Into Conception Bay, two miles from shore.
The boat pitched like a rocking horse -
Crashing down into every trough after every crest.
The sleet cut you in two from the west;
With our main boom nearly in two with the force.
The boat - a toy, the combers heeled her over
And thrust the lee rail two foot under.
Baccalieu to port crashed like overhead thunder:
No place to be in late October.
The Baccalieu rocks - lurking, lethal, reaching
For the keel , and the sheer black cliffs wait
Above. We claw her from the rocks of hate
With clouds of storm-petrels screeching.
Now she plunges deeper in the dark
Trying to steady herself, to end the ordeal,
As we struggle, four hands on the wheel,
To end the threat to our heavy-laden ark.
Bringing her head round into Conception Bay
We ease our grips on the wheel,
Deeper water under the keel -
Now we breathe. We’ll be home by end of day.
.................................................................
* Note: For pronunciation experts, regardless of
the French spelling, this dangerous
island is called "Bakaloo" in Canadian English.
* Geographical note: Baccalieu is a few miles north
of the port of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
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