Notes on St John's Newfoundland

Nomad at Pier 6

Arriving in St John’s at sunset, I told Traffic that my destination was the Queen’s Wharf. Motoring slowly through the harbor, I searched for the floating docks in the area indicated by the guidebook without success. At the far end of the harbor I spotted a few sailboats, so I headed there and rafted up to them on Pier 6 behind the Fish Exchange building. The rates at St John’s Port authority for Nomad were $9.85 per day with a minimum charge of $53.44  or a monthly fee of $245.88.  The Queen’s Wharf floating dock were not in place during the 2016 season due to construction. I observed that their location near the harbor entrance experienced some surge frequently, while Nomad was nearly motionless at the back of the harbor on Pier 6. It is a very convenient location with many coffee shops and pubs nearby. Fiddler's and The Second Cup are recommended. City buses stop one street up from the Pier providing easy access to all of St John’s. I was looking for a place to leave the boat for an upcoming job and was advised that this harbor could experience considerable amount of surge in easterly storms and it was not advisable to leave the boat unattended there. After a few weeks in St John’s restocking the boat with parts and groceries that I have not been able to source in a long time, I sailed around the Avalon peninsula into Conception Bay.

Groceries: Dominion and Sobey’s are in walking distance.

Shopping mall, Canadian tire, Home Depot Walmart and all the other big box stores are a short bus ride from downtown.

Marine supplies: everything is available here, try Bluewater, ESL, Spartan, Mercer’s (Clarenville, they will deliver to St John’s).

Fuel: the Ultramar down the street from the Pier does not have diesel. They will deliver fuel to the dock, but have a $50 delivery fee. I used A -1 Fuels, 709-747-9000. No charge for delivery to the Pier.

A-1 refueling Nomad and other boats at Pier6

Water Street

It's a steep climb up on"The Rock" from the waterfront