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One day in April we sailed out the bay,
Heading for St. John's to load her with freight;
A small sailing vessel that never knew fame,
She hailed out of Chance Cove, The Bernice by name.
We sailed out of St. John's, the year twenty-nine,
With a breeze in her mainsail we were making good time;
We were out off Green Island when the wind came around,
And it seemed for a while that we all would be drowned.
The storm came down on us, her anchors came free,
We put her in Bay de Verde to get out of the sea;
There we dropped off our cargo of spruce stakes and rails,
At daybreak next morning we again set her sails.
We went back to St. John's, new anchors to buy,
The weather was perfect not a cloud in the sky;
And once more we set sail out over the foam,
Not a care on our minds as we headed for home.
Our spirits were high, then the glass it fell through,
We were only a few miles out off Baccalieu;
And the wind came down on us just off Puffin Isle,
So we dropped our new anchors to wait there a while.
The wind came from the northeast and how it did howl,
We could not get her anchors they both were afoul;
So we chopped them both clear to head her for home,
Only to find out her rudder was gone.
The skipper was heartsick as she leaned to her side,
He said, "Boys make her ready , we're in for some ride;
We'll get the sails on her and bring her upright,
And if luck is with us she'll get through the night."
Now early next morning how the waters did foam,
But our spirits had lifted, we were pretty well home;
We thought we would beach her, there was no way to turn,
And we found a catch anchor lying there in the stern.
We all felt so grateful she sailed through the worst,
But the storm she just battled had not been her first;
So we thank God in heaven for that fine northeast gale,
To put The Bernice in Chance Cove with only her sails.
