🏝️ Sandy Point, Newfoundland and Labrador

Sandy Point or Flat Island was formerly a peninsula but is now an island on the west coast of Newfoundland which is gradually being transformed into a hidden island as a result of ocean storm-induced coastal erosion. Its former connecting isthmus is known as "The Gap" by locals after a severe winter storm during the 1960s breached the land bridge and created a gap. The island of Sandy Point was first coined a "hidden island" due to the extreme difficulty in spotting the barrier island on the horizon when approaching inner Bay St. George from the Gulf of St Lawrence by ship. This may have also served beneficial to "pirate" vessels looking to temporarily mask or hide from the regular trade route along the Gulf of St. Laurence River at the time on the lee side of Sandy Point where an anchorage was available, away from the prevailing winds. The fur trade was quite lucrative during this period, so it is somewhat conceivable that inner Bay St. George may have served as a tax or thief "hideaway" from the regular trade routes although this is somewhat speculative.