The name Brigus comes from the Brickhouse which was the name of an old town in England. Brigus' history dates back to around 1612, when John Guy sold half of the Harbour to the Spracklin family. At this time Brigus was mostly settled by people from England, Ireland, and Wales.
Brigus is famous for its sea Captains, it was in 1819 when Captain William Munden built the schooner Four Brothers, the first one hundred ton schooner in Newfoundland (built 1819). Many "Arctic Heroes" that came from this historic town:
1/ Captain John Bartlett sailed with the American explorer Isaac Israel Hayes and also with Admiral Robert Peary
2/ Captain Sam Bartlett who sailed with Peary
2/ Captain Sam Bartlett who sailed with Peary
3/ Captain Robert Bartlett who was in charge of the S.S. Roosevelt when Peary reached the North Pole, who later survived the wreck of the Karluk, and who later helmed the schooner Effie M. Morrissey
4/ Captain Arthur Bartlett
5/ Captain William Norman who rescued Admiral Adolphus Greely
6/ Captain Isaac Bartlett who rescued Captain Tyson and crew after drifting on an iceberg for 1500 miles
7/ Captain William Bartlett, known as "the Commodore of the sealing fleet in Newfoundland". That is a whole other story that I'll save for another day.
They all made their way through this hole which connected the towns main road to the large docks that accommodated the ships of that period. The docks have long since been removed but the tunnel and road remain.
Speaking of tunnel, my first trip to Brigus with the Pathfinder involved launching it and steaming under this low bridge before i could raise the mast and rigging. A chore to say the least but not impossible.
The bay is sheltered, but outside its clear ocean across to Europe. Not a place for small craft, I didn't venture far from shore and kept a wary eye on the weather, in fact not long after launching A wall of fog forced my to retreat back to the shelter of the bay.
If you want to learn more about Brigus I have attached A link below.
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