Whale Watching with Skipper Bob - Pulling out All the Stops!

Whale Watching with Skipper Bob - Pulling out All the Stops!

When you have the good fortune to come across a person who absolutely LOVES what they do, you are blessed, indeed! We were more than fortunate to rendezvous with Skipper Bob Bartlett, of Trinity Eco-Tours, in Newfoundland. We could not have been more lucky if we had won the lottery! 

Skipper Bob Bartlett (courtesy of http://trinityecotours.com/)

Mark had booked this whale-watching tour just over one year before we were due to visit The Rock. This was to be our first experience of a zodiac boat, so we were already very excited about the venture. 

Colleen, our B&B host, suggested that we call the tour company the night before, to make sure that the tour was going ahead and not cancelled due to weather conditions. We did so, and the green light was given.

True to form, we arrived early on Wednesday, June 12th, and scouted out the area so we would be ready for the 9:00 a.m. tour. 

We felt that it would be a good idea to use the bathroom one more time before the 3 hour tour, knowing that there would be no facility on the zodiac. Looking around, we went into the building closest to where the tour dock was. 

The Lodge and Restaurant

It was a lodge, and the entrance took us to a reception desk in the kitchen area. I asked,

'I know that this is probably an imposition, but could we please use your bathrooms?' One of the women smiled and answered, 'Of course you can, my love!' 

When nature's call had been answered, we inquired if they had a Jiggs' Dinner on their menu. (This is a traditional meal on The Rock). She told us that they didn't serve that kind of meal in their restaurant. I asked if they ever did a special, and Mark told them that it would be my birthday on the Friday, and that we were planning to come back to Trinity on that day. 

She said, 'Give me a minute. I'll just talk to Skipper Bob'. 

After a couple of minutes, she returned saying that if we could be there at 5:30 on Friday, for a small fee, they would have a Jiggs' Dinner ready for us, and that they would probably be joining us, if that would be OK!  It was then, that we realized two things: 1) that Skipper Bob was not only the zodiac tour captain, but the owner of the lodge and restaurant; and 2) that they usually only served breakfast and lunch, and that this was going above and beyond the service they would normally provide!

We were pleased as punch, and felt very honoured that they would do this for us. We couldn't wait to meet him, and to get on that tour. 

Skipper Bob Bartlett has over 25 years of sea experience and is fully certified in boat and tour operations. He has an extraordinary knowledge of the local wildlife - including a detailed understanding of the behaviour of the humpback whale. On top of that, he is such a personable guy, who will bend over backwards to ensure that his customers go away feeling great about their tour.

When he appeared, he greeted us warmly, and took us down to the stages, ready to suit up for the trip. Similar to spacesuits, in that you have to step inside them and zip them up, they were cosy and warm, and would keep us dry in the event of lively wave action. 

The suits are all hung up inside, ready for the tourists 

We noticed that there was no-one else on the pier, so we asked Skipper who else was coming. He told us that we were the only ones for this tour. We mentioned that we wondered if he would cancel, but he insisted on continuing, saying that this was our vacation and that he didn't want to disappoint us. He asked us to wait while he went to fetch his smaller zodiac vessel. We were amazed at this man's generous spirit! There was more to come!!!

We set off from the harbour in fairly calm waters and made for the open sea. We sat directly behind Skipper Bob, and were able to converse with him throughout the tour. We felt so honoured that we had this amazing man all to ourselves!

On the way out, we saw a few sea-kayakers (another service provided by the tour company). They had not yet seen what they were looking for, and so were going to try another area). 

Sea Kayakers

He explained that, there could be no guarantees that we would see any whales and we understood that you can't call them ahead of time and arrange to meet them!! We were just happy to be out on the bay, looking at the surrounding ruggedness of the scenery. 

A cove called, Ireland's Eye

An eagle's nest on the cliff side

Skipper Bob (or Robert, as his likes to be called), took us along the coastline showing us cliffs that bore the nests of bald-eagles, puffin colonies, and places where terns and other seabirds like to hang out. All the time, he was searching the 360 degree horizon for the tell-tale 'blow' (coming from the blow-hole of a whale when it breathes out) that would indicate the presence of one of these majestic creatures. 

At one point, he took us right inside a natural cave that had been hewn out of the rockface by the elements over thousands of years. It was quite magical. 

This is not an iceberg, but the opening of a cave - from the inside!

In one cove, he pointed out the small town of New Bonaventure which, along with Trinity - and other small settlements in the Trinity Bight - were used for the locations in the movie, 'Shipping News'. We mentioned that a friend has told us that the location for another made-for-TV movie, Random Passage, was in this area, and that the custom-built film set had been maintained and could be visited. Robert told us, to our delight, that the cove was just around the corner and proceeded to take us there. 

Random Passage, from the ocean side

Turning our attention to the whales, again, Robert suggested that we join him in keeping our eyes peeled for the blows, and sure enough, we saw one in the distance. Immediately, Skipper turned in the direction of the blow, and sped the zodiac towards the area while looking out for other signs. Once in the immediate vicinity, he stopped the engine and we waited. Sure enough, we were able to see our first whale, up close and personal. We saw a mother and calf, but were only able to capture one of them near the surface. 

Not long after, Robert espied another tell-tale blow, and we went in search of the whale who had revealed itself. It turned out to be none-other than Finnegan - a hump-backed whale that Skipper had known for several years. It was the first time he had seen Finnegan this year and the beautiful creature gave us a wonderful show which we were able to capture on video!

Finnegan Shows His Tail!

Robert could recognize Finnegan by his damaged fin, and had actually given him is name after their first encounter. There is a great picture of the two of them in the restaurant, back at the lodge, so it was rather special for us that we got to meet Finnegan. 

Picture of Skipper Bob and Finnegan at the Lodge

You can read the touching story of Skipper Bob and Finnegan, and their extraordincary relationship, on CBC News, three years ago, at this link: Goodbye Finnegan! Farewell to humpback whale sealed with a kiss!

After searching the waters for a while longer, we gradually made our return to the harbour. 

Back to harbour

By this time, we were feeling peckish, so we went into the dining room and approached the three women at the desk, with a bit of a grin on our faces: 

'I know that this is probably an imposition, but could we please order lunch?' They all laughed and directed us to the dining area. 

We ordered a moose burger for Mark, and a chilli for me. While we were eating, Robert sauntered towards us and asked us what our plans were for the afternoon. We said that we were probably going to visit Random Passage, and also walk around Trinity to take some photographs. 

Here came the next amazingly generous offer: Robert told us that he had a tour of 5 people coming in early and he would be taking them out at 2:00 p.m. He said, he'd be happy to take us out again, free of charge, if we'd like to join him!  We jumped at the chance!!!

We were in the bigger zodiac, but we chose to sit at the back, just behind Robert, so that the other customers could have the seats up front. 

Once again, we set off, similarly suited, and began our second adventure of the day! 

Skipper was determined that, although there are no guarantees, this group would see at least one whale. In fact, we saw several, and we felt honoured to be helping him a little by keeping our eyes pealed and pointing out possible 'blows' that we had seen. 

During the last hour, it started to rain, and the water became more choppy. It didn't stop us from seeing more whales, and several puffins who were trying to take off from the surface of the sea. They were quite funny and, while Mark was laughing at their antics, he happened to see a whale completely breach! Skipper said that it was unusual for them to breach so early as they usually focus upon eating and stocking up their reserves for the first few months. Mark was ecstatic, and he just wished he could have caught it on camera. However, as I've often said, there are some experiences that are best enjoyed in the moment, rather than on film. 

Mark identified this photograph, on the net, that most resembled the breach he saw: 

Courtesy of https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/why-do-humpback-whales-breach

After Mark had seen the breach, Skipper took us over and we all got a closer look at the whale. Shortly after that, we saw another mother and a calf and they were swimming beside the boat. Again, we didn't capture this on video as it was raining. It was thrilling to experience! We were watching the white underbelly of the whale, which looked so blue under the water.

At one point, the rain started to really come down, and Robert told us that he was going to get behind the waves and ride them as this would make the return journey less bumpy for the passengers. It felt like we were surfing! We were soaked, but exhilarated! We also noticed how the rain brought out the individual colours in the rocks on the cliffs near the harbour. 

We bade farewell to Robert, and his staff, and they reminded us that they would be looking forward to seeing us again on Friday. 

When that day came around, after spending time at the movie set at Random Passage (again with a tour guide all to ourselves), and walking around Trinity to capture the amazing colours of the buildings in the town, we arrived at the lodge and were introduced to a few other friends and guests (about 12 in all) who were going to be joining us for the Jiggs' Dinner. They were all very friendly, and shook hands, sharing birthday greetings with me. 

Robert had picked up his guitar, and was treating us to some instrumental music, which was brilliant. His rendering of 'Unchained Melody' had us spellbound. 

Not long after, Cindy and Bernice announced that dinner was ready and that we should serve ourselves. In addition to the traditional salted beef, they had added moose meat, which was tender and, oh, so flavourful! 

During the meal, a new guest arrived to avail himself of the accommodation. Robert's partner, Bonnie, welcomed him, told him to leave his luggage up in his room and then come straight back down and join us!  Such is the ever-present hospitality and kindness of the Newfoundlanders! It's so evident wherever you go!

Dessert was served, and then they presented me with a birthday cake, and a card (signed by all the staff). I was totally gobsmacked by this, and felt quite emotional that they would do this for us.

The rest of the evening was taken up by the sharing of beer, jokes and stories, and we left with hugs all round, as they requested that we would one day return to Trinity for another visit with them. 

The Whole Gang!

Robert's Dad, Alan, Robert (Skipper Bob), Bonnie, and Mark

Bernice, Alan, Cindy, and Mark

It was a fantastic day, complete with whale sightings, great scenery and, above all, the natural generosity of the people who, as we've said before, are the real jewels of The Rock!

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If you want a whale-watching experience, with a personal, friendly touch, then Trinity Eco-Tours is the way to go!  Here's the link to their website:  Trinity Eco-Tours
You can also stay at the lodge and avail yourself of some delicious meals!