Fogo Island Inn and Quilters!

Sept 12, 2019

Debbie has spoken about Fogo Island ever since we started this trip.  She especially wanted to see the Fogo Island Inn.  From her research she also knew that this island had a serious group of quilters. We ate a quick breakfast and we were out the door. The winds were blowing hard and stormy

Fogo Island is an island that is a about 25 kms wide and 30 kms long.  It has a very rugged coastline and there are about five small fishing villages tucked on the ends of several of these bays.  The Atlantic Ocean surrounds this island and the ocean winds buffet the rocky landscape.  There are melt ponds dotting the rocky hills.  Short, ragged and windblown boreal forest struggle to grow around the rock outcroppings. Short bushes fill in the open areas. The island is known for it rich berry bushes, blue berry, partridge berry, and bake apple, to name a few.  

The Fogo Islanders brag that there actually seven seasons on Fogo Island, all distinctive times tied in with the fishing seasons, and the growing of berries, as well as the winter season activities.  

Debbie had arranged a tour of the Fogo Island Inn.  This inn was built on Fogo Island by a life long resident Zita Cobb.  Zita was born and raised on Fogo Island, then left the island to pursue a career in the tech industry.  She completed her high school in Fogo Island and her university business education in Ottawa. She was very successful in the building J D S Uniphase and subsequently became extremely wealthy. She was awarded the Order of Canda.  

Zita returned to her roots, and with the assistance of her brothers began the building of the Inn as well as establishing the Shorefast Foundation.  All of the profits from the Inn go directly back into the community. (The starting price of a room is $2200.00 per night!) The inn employs approximately 250 locals.  

The Shorefast Foundation is an organization that builds cultural and economic resilience on Fogo Island. It supports employment and education in the spin off trades required to provide support for the Inn, from food, to firewood and building supplies and transportation.  

Todd Saunders, a famous architect, also a native Fogo Islander, designed the Inn.  He now lives in Norway. The building is quite eclectic in that it has very sharp angles, and is partially built on pilings on the rock.  All the rooms face out onto the Atlantic with floor to ceiling windows. The roof is lined with rock and designed to collect rainwater that is filtered through the rock and then used by the Inn. The entire building is built with the raw materials and wood from Fogo Island and Newfoundland. The walls are made of black and white spruce and the floors are solid birch.  The wallpaper is designed by local artists and is different in each room and floor. All the furniture is designed and built by local carpenters.  The 380 light sconces lighting the halls are built locally.  Handmade quilts made by local Fogo quilters cover each bed in the Inn. All the food in the dining room and cafeteria is made and baked on site, fresh with no preservatives.  

The Shorefast Foundation is also involved in supporting artists and artisans.  There are five separate studios built in various locations throughout the island. Over 2500 artists a year, worldwide, apply to participate in an “in residence” program to work in these studios. Only a handful are chosen each year. These studios, are also built with a unique design, and are not open to the public.  They are remote, and can only be reached on a footpath. 

We were hoping to enjoy a meal in the restaurant, however, the earliest reservation available is three days for now!  We were disappointed but still enjoyed the tour.  It is evident that this Inn is an important part of the island and provides opportunities to the local youth and trades of the island.  

Also on Fogo Island there is a building that is a meeting place for various artisans.  Every Thursday quilters meet there to sew and make quilts.  These quilts are then sold through the local Artisan Guild.  Debbie dropped in and spent the next two hours talking and comparing “notes” with several dedicated quilters there.  She came away very impressed with the quality and designs of several quilts that she saw.  Also in the room were knitters, and rug hookers and she was able to talk with them also. There are about 75 artisans in this Guild.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Cod Jigger’s Diner.  Debbie commented that the soup was the best homemade soup that we have had on this trip. As we travel across Newfoundland, we enjoy the many colors of the houses in the villages. The Newfoundlanders are not afraid to use colors for their houses.  

We then toured the other villages on the island.  The village of Tilting is one of the other fishing villages that is also an Historic site.  The homes are built all around the shoreline of the inlet.  Every other home has a short wharf that is supported on piers and at the end of each is a small boat house which houses the nets and equipment for the resident fisher.  Each house has the quintessential Salt Box design. Several generations of families have lived in the homes and additions have been built on over the years. One of our observations as we toured these villages is that although they are built in a haphazard fashion they are all painted brightly and are neat and tidy.  

We finally made it back to our trailer at the end of the bay, in Fogo.  The squid fishermen were still out on the water and the wind was still blowing hard. We went indoors and read and I worked on the blog. Tomorrow we will be taking the ferry to Change Island to visit the famous Newfoundland ponies.