This Sunday at 3:00pm join us as we reopen the doors of a historic property on Fogo Island, now infused with new life as the Punt Premises. The Premises is an interactive cultural interpretation centre devoted to knowledge preservation as well as encouraging visitor interaction with the historical and cultural assets of the inshore fishery and its mighty workhorse: the punt.

Consisting of a lovingly restored saltbox-style house, a traditional fishing stage, and two fishing stores that date back to the mid-1800s, these buildings collectively make up a typical outport fishing premises and were occupied by generations of several families in the community of Joe Batt’s Arm. Importantly, the spaces of the Premises will demonstrate how a fishing family lived and made a living in the vibrant inshore fishing era on which our outport culture was founded; it is both a tribute to our proud past and a promise for a hopeful and successful future off our province’s Northeast Coast.

An initiative of Shorefast, the Punt Premises represents the next phase of the charity’s long-term work to safeguard Fogo Island’s boatbuilding heritage and all its associated knowledge for renewed and repurposed use in building a modern, outport economy; it is representative of “finding new ways with old things”. Much of Shorefast’s work is about the making, preserving, and sharing of knowledge; the punts contain irreplaceable cultural knowledge that we intend to carry forward and make relevant for new generations through the Punt Premises.

The opening event on June 9 will be a kitchen party-themed celebration complete with food, music, and stories. Zita Cobb, CEO of Shorefast and Innkeeper of Fogo Island Inn, will speak at a rope cutting ceremony along with members of the Hancock family, the most recent inhabitants of the original home.