Strange Truths and Tall Tales: Product of Newfoundland

Part 1: Peter Easton

In the early 1600s, Peter Easton turned Newfoundland into something few would expect — a pirate stronghold. Operating out of Harbour Grace, Easton commanded a powerful fleet, raided ships across the Atlantic, and built a reputation that reached from England to the Mediterranean. For a time, he was nearly untouchable and earned the moniker ‘Pirate Admiral’. His presence on the island blurred the line between outlaw and authority figure.

His story lives on in Newfoundland history, lore… and maybe maps.

Part 2: Happy Adventure

On the Eastport Peninsula, Happy Adventure is a place with a name that practically begs for a story—and it has plenty. Some say it traces back to Peter Easton and his ship of the same name, while others point to a passing surveyor or the hopeful optimism of early settlers. Like much of Newfoundland’s folklore, the truth is hard to pin down — it’s lost somewhere between documented history and enthusiastic storytelling.

Plaque in Happy Adventure, NL

In this segment, we dig into the competing origin stories behind the name, explore the landscape that may have inspired it, and follow the threads of pirate lore that run through the entire Eastport Peninsula. From “happy” adventures to more “damnable” ones, it’s a reminder that even the smallest places can hold some of the biggest — and most exciting — stories.

Part 3: Tammy Hynes & Adventure Knox

Tammy L. Hynes is a Newfoundland-based writer and educator whose work spans fiction, history, and creative nonfiction. She is the author of The Adventure Knox series and the forthcoming Wells of Truth series. Her past publications also include A History of Renews and Politics of the Kitchen, a unique collection of recipes from some of Canada’s most prominent politicians of the early 2000s. She has also contributed to the international bestseller How the Secret Changed My Life.

Hynes is currently developing two Newfoundland-set fiction series: Adventure Knox, a young adult historical adventure series set in 1930s Newfoundland, and The Wells of Truth, an adult paranormal murder-mystery series. Blending historical fact with fiction, her writing brings Newfoundland’s past and atmosphere to life for a broad range of readers.

In this episode, we dive into the first book in her Adventure Knox series, The Summer of Secrets.

The novel follows Tese Knox, a young teen with a knack for finding adventures, so much so either becomes her nickname. One summer in Renews, Newfoundland, Tese stumbles across clues suggesting that a centuries-old legend of buried pirate treasure might actually be true. But as she digs deeper, the mystery leads somewhere far more unexpected — uncovering threads of corruption tied to Newfoundland’s former government, and igniting a sense of curiosity that reaches well beyond a single summer.

Learn more about Tammy L. Hynes and get Adventure Knox: The Summer of Secrets

• Adventure Knox: The Summer of Secrets, Tammy L. Hynes at Amazon.ca

• Beauty Beneath: Prequel to the Wells of Truth, Tammy L. Hynes at Amazon.ca

• Tammy L. Hynes at Facebook

A man leaves for his trapline and doesn’t come back.

At first, it’s nothing. A delay. Bad going. Weather turning the trails to slush. In a place like Bonne Bay, that’s part of life.

But Sarah Singleton knows her brother, and as the days stretch on, the waiting starts to feel wrong. So she does what has to be done—she goes looking for him.

What follows is a journey up the coast toward Shallow Bay, through melting snow and growing unease, where every mile seems to pull her further from the ordinary and closer to something sinister.

When she finally reaches a lonely cabin on the shore, she finds a man waiting there—John Pelley. A trapper with a reputation and a temper.

He says he hasn’t seen her brother.

But something doesn’t sit right.

Not the way he answers,
not the way he watches them,
and not the way he keeps that gun close at hand through the night.

By morning, Sarah will find something in the snow that changes everything.

And once she does — there’s no turning back.

Newfoundland has its share of strange Christmas stories — but not too many involve hand-to-hand combat with a supernatural house cat.

There’s only one I can think of, and it comes from the shores of Bonavista Bay. In this tale one unlucky soul finds out that not every creature stirring on Christmas Eve comes bearing gifts; some come looking for a fight.

Read more at: Product of Newfoundland

If you want to see whales, Newfoundland and Labrador is the place to go.

More than 20 species routinely pass through our waters, and the world’s largest population of humpback whales —numbering about 10,000 animals — spends the summer months feeding on our shores.

A humpback whale seen near Eliston, NL in July.

When fall arrives, most — but not all — begin a long journey south. A small number of whales linger into late autumn, and a few brave souls stay through the winter.

In Newfoundland, these holdouts have earned an interesting nickname: Christmas whales.

In 1978, a small group of these Christmas whales — some humpbacks and a lone narwhal — came face-to-face with the harsh reality of a Newfoundland winter.

But they didn’t have to face it alone.

What transpired was a lesson in the good that comes when a community cares.

In this haunting Halloween episode, Robert digs into Newfoundland’s eerie world of death omens — the strange signs and superstitions that once foretold disaster, sickness… and death.

From flickering corpse candles and spectral fetches to howling dogs and loaves of bread that spelled doom, these stories offer a chilling glimpse into how Newfoundlanders once understood death — and how they tried to see it coming.

The episode begins with an original retelling of an old Burin Peninsula legend — The Tale of Jacob and the Corpse Candle — a ghostly light that drifts from the graveyard to claim the living.

So dim the lights, pour yourself a strong cup of tea, and listen close…

Because in Newfoundland, the signs of your own demise might be closer than you think.

As discussed in the episode Tom Dawe’s An Old Man’s Winter Night is available from Running the Goat Books & Broadsides.

Some stories rise from the sea and never quite settle again.

The Charles Haskell was a New England schooner, built to survive the brutal waters of the North Atlantic. But after a terrible storm on George’s Bank in 1869, she gained a reputation no ship would ever want.

Sailors claimed that in the years that followed, the dead returned — climbing from the sea to finish the work they’d started in life.

More than a century later, her story is still told along our coastlines — from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, and right here in Newfoundland. It’s been told as a legend, a ghost story, and even a folk song. But the line between fact and folklore remains as foggy as the Banks themselves.

So pour a cup of tea, turn down the lights, and listen close as we climb aboard the Charles Haskell — the schooner that couldn’t quite leave her ghosts behind.

Episode page: The Ghostly Fishermen

This Halloween, we’re unlocking the doors of one of St. John’s most infamous ghost stories — the haunting of J.W. Foran’s Atlantic Hotel. A mysterious knocking echoed through its halls in the 1880s, leading to whispers of restless spirits… and one unexplained death.

Then, we turn from ghostly fiction to real-life horror — the true tragedy of William Shea, a porter whose final night at the hotel ended in heartbreak.

Part One: The Sinking of the SS Caribou

A ferry packed with families, soldiers, and crew. A midnight crossing through enemy waters. And a German U-boat waiting in the darkness.

On October 14, 1942, the SS Caribou was torpedoed in the North Atlantic, sinking in just minutes. What followed was a desperate fight for survival in freezing waters—and an unforgettable story of bravery, tragedy, and resilience.

Join us as we uncover the night the Caribou went down.

Part Two: A Chat With Tyler Humby

Tyler Humby is a rising folk musician bringing Newfoundland’s history to life through song. His latest work, The Caribou, blends fact and fiction to tell the story of two lovers aboard the SS Caribou on the night of its tragic sinking. On October 14, 1942, the passenger ferry was torpedoed by a German U-boat while travelling between Sydney and Port aux Basques. More than 130 people were lost.

With The Caribou, Tyler puts a human face on history, reminding us that every life lost was more than just a name—each had a story, a family, and dreams of their own.

Since launching his career in 2023, Tyler has made a name for himself on Newfoundland’s music scene. He placed 2nd in the 2024 Newfound Talent Contest and is currently performing regularly at venues across the eastern half of the province.

Tyler joins Strange Truths and Tall Tales to talk about The Caribou and his musical journey.

For more info visit productofnewfoundland.ca

Newfoundland’s Valentine’s traditions range from playful greetings to daring card deliveries, but love on the island isn’t always lighthearted.

The story of Fanny Goff, said to be the most beautiful woman in Newfoundland, is one of romance and tragedy, proving that love can be as fleeting as winter frost.

And sometimes, love isn’t just for people but for place—like the deep connection Newfoundlanders have to the sea. But that love comes with loss, as seen in the Ocean Ranger disaster, a tragedy forever tied to Valentine’s Day, reminding us that love and sorrow often go hand in hand.

For episode details, credits and a playlist of Atlantic Blue, visit the Mar Falten, Fanny Goff! episode page at Product of Newfoundland.

In this episode I’ve got all kinds of Candlemas lore from Newfoundland -- everything from weather predictions to bear stories and card games it’s pleasant distraction from the winter weather. (PS... I'm not old enough to have read a newspaper in 1902, no matter what I say.)

I also share the story of The Little Candlemas Bear. On Candlemas Day, Little Bear wakes to find his shadow missing. His search leads to a warm home, a wise Grandmother, and a wintery secret.

Read: ⁠The Little Candlemas Bear ⁠, Product of Newfoundland

Credits and more on the episode page.