Friday, March 25, 2011

Woody Island Hooking Retreat September 30th October 2nd, 2011

Woody Island Hooking Retreat
Back by Popular Demand last year I organized a hooking retreat to a beautiful resettled island off the coast of Newfoundland and Labarador. It was a wonderful experience and I met so many talented hookers!  So this will be the second annual and here is all the info I have on it if you would like to go a a retreat!

Woody Island, Newfoundland and Labrador

September 30th to October 2nd, 2011

Price All Inculsive Accomodation, Meals, Entertainment and Transportation to and from Garden Cove, NL Canada

Price:  $185.00 plus HST for a total of $209.05

To Reserve:
Loyola Pomroy
Owner/Operator
Woody Island Resort
14 Westminster Drive
Mount Pearl, NL  A1N 4N1
Phone:  (709) 364-3701 or 1-800-504-1066
Fax:  (709) 745-4937
Web Site:  www.woodyi.com

Organizer:  Paula Flood
                 709-759-3555
                 paulaflood@personainternet.com
                 www.newfoundlandoriginalhookedrugs.com

Availablility
Can accomodate 44 persons Shared accomodations two per room.

Schedule
Set up and hooking to take place in Ocean Side Lodge
Meals at the main building.
Friday evening and Saturday Hooking at Ocean Side Lodge.
Lots of hiking on the Island as well for you early risers.

Click here for Woody Island History!

DAY ONE

          (Departure time may vary slightly, but you will be informed at time of booking).
Prepare for Departure
Safety Procedure                                                                      

Depart Garden Cove. The trip begins with a forty minute boat ride via a narrow, sheltered inlet on the Coast Guard approved M.V. “Merasheen”.  The crew will invite you to have a tea or coffee with fresh homemade tea buns, and you can relax in the heated cabins or take in the fresh sea air on the flybridge as you begin your journey. 
            As you leave the wharf, look to the left – the grassy knoll is known as Bloody Point, where two pirates are believed to have fought to the death.

As we cruise up this beautiful inlet, you can see that this stretch of water is nestled between the hills of Sound Island on the left and the Burin Peninsula on the right. This sheltered inlet is less than half a mile wide, and as the route to Woody Island is only a couple of hundred feet from shore all the way, you have no worries of encountering rough waters. Get your cameras ready as bald eagles often nest on Sound Island and we may see a mated pair.   Straight ahead Woody Island comes into view and off in the distance is Bar Haven, another resettled community.

Approaching the dock at Woody Island, you can see the four lodges of Woody Island Resort overlooking Old Cove as well as the stages, wharves, and cabins of fishermen who return each spring to pursue the cod, scallop and lobster fishery.

Disembark. You have a couple of hours before dinner to acquaint yourself with our house, the staff, and Old Cove.

Supper is usually pan-fried cod, vegetables baked and boiled, homemade bread, grandmother’s favorite cottage pudding, complete with a complimentary glass of wine.  Don’t be shy – ask for a second helping or more if you wish.

Hooking at Ocean Side Lodge or explore the many natural attractions that the island offers.  About a five-minute walk from the lodges and through the scenic village of Old Cove, you come to a beautiful Sandy Beach.  If you follow the path to the right, you can’t miss it.  Looking over the water from the Sandy Beach, you can often see huge oil tankers coming in the bay, fishermen tending their nets, or in the distance, the resettled islands and communities of Merasheen, Brule, Long Island, Spencer’s Cove, and others.

            It’s time for some music and while “Live Entertainment” is not guaranteed on the first night of a Two-Night stay, perhaps a guitar or accordion will set your shoes to tapping and your voice to song.  Or, you may want to listen to some of our tape music (please feel free to take along your own tapes, or CDs).  Some may just want to curl up in front of the fireplace or sit on the verandah to view the moonlight shimmering on the harbor, listen to waves as they lap gently on the shore or watch the twinkle of a million stars which are so visible in this remote locate.  Sleep comes easy as you get ready for the next day’s adventure and a live Newfoundland Kitchen Party tomorrow night.

DAY TWO:

Some are already up and soaking up the sweetness of the early morning air as it drifts across the ocean.

The smell of toast and bacon stirs the morning hunger. Bacon, eggs, juice, tea or coffee, and heaping plates of toasted homemade bread make up a hearty breakfast.
Two-Night/One-Day Agenda  -  Page 2 of 2

You have a full day ahead of you to HOOK work or projects or take some of the classes that may be offered– interrupted only by a lunch of steaming bowls of thick delicious pea soup, fresh homemade bread just out of the oven – enjoy as much as your stomach can hold. Top it off with toutons smothered in molasses and a cup of tea or coffee.

A 45-minute walk along the old Woody Island road to the left of the main lodge will take you over gently rolling hills and grasslands to the resettled community of Jane’s Cove. You can go off the main trail and visit the old graveyards, hike along the beaches or visit the ruins of the church and schoolhouse.  If you are not in the mood to walk, perhaps there will be enough interest to take a wagon ride (see pay per use activities below).  If you would rather hang around the lodge and keep Hooking no problem. 

Pay Per Use Attractions:   Although a trip on the bay is not included in the two-night package, for a small charge, if the boat is not filled, you can tag along with the group scheduled for that day.

You may want to try our fish again or perhaps we can have our staff cook up a delicious meal of baked chicken complete with all the trimmings.

You've finished a relaxing supper, and it's that time of the evening when the sun starts to fade and the sounds from the ocean draw you outside to catch the remnants of an unforgettable day.  Hooking will continue at the Ocean Side Lodge.
   Get ready to party.  There will be live entertainment and you can dance the night away or sing along to your heart’s content.  You may learn how to do the “Virginia Reel” or you may just wish to sit and relax in front of the fireplace and listen to the music.  Please feel free to take along your own musical instruments and join the “kitchen party”. 

DAY THREE

Enjoy a delicious breakfast on the last day of your Woody Island experience.  Bacon, eggs, juice, tea or coffee, and heaping plates of toasted homemade bread make up a hearty breakfast and helps ease the disappointment of leaving this beautiful island.

8:30 a.m.                                                                                 
Depart Woody Island for the return trip where we may have the opportunity to see whales, dolphins, and other natural inhabitants.

9:15 a.m.
Arrive in Garden Cove.  Farewell to new friends and get ready to plan next years Woody Island Hooking Retreat! 





 

1 comment:

  1. Looking forward to attending this year Paula. Hoping everything will work out. Heard last year was a blast.

    ReplyDelete

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