How Could He Forecast the Weather? (Walter Payne)
One beautiful morning in the summer of 1952 or 53, while loading lumber in Daniel’s Harbour for Corner Brook, crewman Walter Payne remembers skipper Cyril Simmonds pacing back and forth the deck of the “I Am Alone II” and looking at the sky. The crew continued to load the lumber until it was all aboard, and were looking forward to getting to Corner Brook that night.
Then the skipper announced that they would be heading back to Port Saunders right away! The crew couldn't believe what they were hearing! Why were they heading even further back up the coast? The skipper said there was a storm coming! The crew grumbled as they untied the schooner! It was such a beautiful day, not a draft of wind and a clear blue sky!
But not long after leaving Daniel’s Harbour they knew why they were heading back to Port Saunders! A raging gale of Southwest wind struck with such a force that it drove the bow of the little schooner head first into the waves while lifting her stern high into the air. They were all happy enough to reach safety in the little harbour of Port Saunders! Walter said that there's no way they could have made it to Corner Brook or even as far as Bonne Bay in that storm! He said the only instrument on the schooner was a compass and he don't know yet how Skipper Cyril knew there was such a storm brewing!
(Told by Reg Simmonds)
Another time, when Cyril went to Sydney for a load of coal, it was black with fog and the glass dropped way down by the time they were ready to leave to come home across the gulf! All the schooners tied up there stayed tied up expecting a storm! Cyril walked around the deck of his schooner sizing things up and told the boys to untie her, they were leaving for home!
When questioned about his decision, he said he figured that the fog was driving the glass down and he didn’t expect much wind! They left Sydney and had a good crossing, unloaded the coal in Woody Point, and headed back to Sydney again! When they got back, it was still thick with fog and some of the same schooners that were there when he left were still there! They wouldn’t believe Cyril when he told them he had gone across the gulf and come back again!
By Charlie Payne
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