Ile Aux Marins - Sailor's Island

OVERVIEW

Cruise to nearby Sailor’s Island to view the now-abandoned fishing community that thrived there in the late 19th century, when cod was king. A ferry will take you to the minuscule island, where you will find a deserted community of scattered buildings where fishermen and their families lived through the mid-20th century. Although rocky and flat, the stark terrain is hauntingly beautiful. The rocks came in handy for the fishermen, who made stone platforms to dry freshly caught cod in the sun. The cod were salted and loaded onto French ships, replacing the wooden ballast in the vessels. The discarded ballast was then used for construction on the island. Some of the buildings made with wooden ballast are considered an open-air museum so feel free to wander through them at your leisure. You will find a museum, city hall and the Notre-Dame des Marins church with original furnishings from 1874. You might also visit the grotto and cemetery.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cruise to an uninhabited island where 700 cod fishermen and their families once lived..
• Stroll at your leisure, exploring buildings constructed of wooden ballast from merchant ships.
• Note how the fishermen processed their catch by drying it on the rocky terrain.
• Appreciate the stark, but hauntingly beautiful landscape.
• Browse a church filled with original late 19th-century furnishings.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.