Avrion Bay
Sept 8 2025
Lillian B’s Path to Avrion Bay
Google Maps image of Avrion Bay with the “pool” at the end
The CCA Cruising Guide to Newfoundland touts Avrion harbour as “a cruising sailor’s dream with the pool at the head of the harbor not to be missed.” We cast off our lines at Francois at 1:30 under near calm winds but, upon clearing the mouth of the harbor, we were immediately met by 20 kts winds and 6-8 ft waves aiming straight at our bow. Rolling and pounding our way at 1700 rpm we made our way to the broad entrance to Avrion in about 2 hours. As we motored between the towering walls of the fiord, the waves faded to ripples and three miles later we crossed over the 18 foot deep threshold into the pool at the head. Building on the observation of crewmember Hill, it would be as if you had sailed into Yosemite Valley, with sheer cliffs and a gushing 1000 ft waterfall off to port.
Picking a place to anchor in such a beautiful spot is an almost comical display of indecision on the part of the crew. The pool was oblong, measuring approximately 1000 feet wide by 3000 ft from the entrance to the head. After circling the options, we decided to drop 100 ft of chain in about 20 ft of water, anchoring even with the waterfall.
One hundred feet of chain in 20 ft of water will hold the boat as long as the anchor has dug in but if hasn’t, for example due to kelp, then even 100 ft will drag. Once anchored we set an alarm on the GPS that would sound off if the boat moves more than a selected distance. The chart plotter on deck is also left on to record a continuous track of the boat’s motion. If the wind direction varies, this will result in a scribble of lines confined to within a circle or, if the winds remain predominately from one direction, the pattern creates a well-prescribed arc. To the contrary, if the pattern starts to drift, then the anchor is dragging … and we were dragging.
The solution was to either let out more chain or re-anchor at a new location. Choosing the latter option, Hill and Brimmer began the process of winching up the anchor. The batteries are set to both and the engine is turned on to provide the windless with extra power, as needed. And the boat is motored in concert with the speed of reeling in the chain to relieve the load on the windless. Hill and Brimmer called back from the bow that the anchor and chain were harvesting yards of kelps, slowing the retrieval as kelp was pulled off the chain as it came on deck.
Once free, we motored to the head of the harbor, dropping 120 ft of chain and were immediately buffeted by tornadic winds. They came at the boat from every direction, creating a frantic flapping of the canvas on the Bimini and dodger. After one strong burst, Burke looked behind the boat to see that the zodiac with had completely flipped and was floating upside-down with the head of the electric outboard underwater. Somehow, Burke managed to pull it up over the transom and catch the next burst of wind to flip it back right-side up. Even if the anchor were set, we were already convinced not to stay. Hill and Brimmer once again winched in the chain and anchor. This time they reported mud and gravel, versus kelp, so the anchor would have probably held. Regardless, we returned to the original spot and this time laid down 200 feet of chain. If that didn’t work, we would abandon the pool all together and find an anchorage back outside.
With the chain deployed, we backed on the anchor in the hopes that it would dig in and reset the electronic anchor watch, anxiously monitoring the pattern of the boat’s motion evolving on the chart-plotter. It seemed to be holding but, in order to sleep soundly, we resumed a watch schedule starting with Brimmer staying up for the first watch. At 10pm I relieved him just as the full moon rose over the shoulder of the mountain. By 11pm the winds had dropped to near zero and with relief we all settled in for a solid night’s sleep.
The moon rise on the edge of the hills of Avrion Bay
Come morning, the chart plotter revealed the anchor was holding but, with the winds starting to build again and with no reason to stay , we sailed back out of Yosemite Valley.
Scribble pattern created by swinging on the anchor