Waterwitch
Schooner · Newfoundland · Lost 1875 · Newfoundland
A Cupids schooner returning from St. John's with winter provisions that was driven into a rocky crevice near Pouch Cove in a 1875 snowstorm, prompting a daring cliffside rescue.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The schooner Waterwitch left St. John's harbour for her home port of Cupids on November 29, 1875, carrying Captain Samuel Spracklin's family and neighbours who had come to town for winter provisions. A sudden snowstorm obscured the coastline, and the vessel was driven into Horrid Gulch, a narrow rock-walled crevice near Pouch Cove, where she was destroyed against the cliffs. Survivors scaled the steep gulch walls in the dark and reached a nearby home, setting off a rescue effort by the people of Pouch Cove that is still commemorated by both communities.
Vessel
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- Wood
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- Sail
- Captain Samuel Spracklin, Cupids, Newfoundland
Loss
- November 29, 1875
- Storm
- Horrid Gulch, near Pouch Cove, Newfoundland
- North Atlantic Ocean
- St. John's, Newfoundland → Cupids, Newfoundland
- Winter provisions
- 25
- Historical accounts describe multiple deaths from the impact and exposure, with survivors scaling steep cliffs to reach help; a precise final casualty count was not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- Samuel Spracklin
The Wreck Today
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Position
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- Position not established
- Pouch Cove, Newfoundland
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)
Total survivors and fatalities are described in local heritage accounts but a fully reconciled casualty count was not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Loss narrative, date, and community commemoration details.
Narrative details of the voyage, wreck, and rescue.
