Pickleball court in heart of Newfoundland fishing history is only accessible by boat

Dorothy Boudreau is shown hauling a wooden plank up from the ferry in Gaultois, N.L., to the location of a new pickleball court in August 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Martine Blue (Mandatory Credit)

ST. JOHN’S — People in the former fishing community of Gaultois are hoping to lure adventurous pickleball tourists to their new wooden court along Newfoundland’s remote southern coastline.

But anyone hoping to check it out is going to need to take a boat.

“The court is just a few steps away from the ferry,” said Martine Blue, one of the local residents who helped organize and build the new court. “You get to see the ferry and part of the community and the hills on the other side. It’s a really stunning location.”

There are no roads to Gaultois, one of a handful of communities along the south coast of Newfoundland accessible only by ferry or helicopter. The town was once a thriving fishing community, home to a fish processing plant and more than 500 people at its peak in the 1980s.

Roughly 70 people remain, Blue said. More than a quarter are senior citizens.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has a history of resettling far-flung communities whose populations cratered as the province’s cod fishery collapsed and new industries emerged to replace it. But homeowners in Gaultois voted in 2023 in favour of staying in their town, rather than accept cash payouts — up to $270,000 — to move away.

For Blue, the pickleball court represents a meaningful shift from discussing the community’s demise to investing in its future. She bought a home there in 2020, after falling in love with it while sailing around Newfoundland for a television project.

“It’s a joyful feeling to be able to build this community up,” Blue said in a recent interview. “I would love for people to go to experience the stunning beauty of Gaultois, and to have fun and play pickleball.”

Blue and a team of local volunteers built most of the court during a single sweltering week in August, in an area that was once used as a platform for drying cod, called a fish flake.

A pickleball court — with a small basketball court at one end — seemed like the best choice to suit the community’s older population, she said.

She worked with the town council to secure funding last year. Then she arranged for the wood, concrete and other supplies to be brought in by ferry. With no roads or cars in Gaultois, the “town backhoe” hauled the supplies from the ferry and volunteers walked it to the construction site, plank by plank, Blue said.

The court is made of long wooden boards, a departure from the typical concrete floors of outdoor pickleball courts. Blue was initially worried the surface wouldn’t work, but it’s “fantastic,” she said.

“You can get faster balls, too, that work better on wood,” she said. “So I’m gonna get some balls that are specific to that court.”

There are four paddles and several balls for anyone to use, though she warned the equipment may not pass muster with true pickleball aficionados.

“I’m sure some people have really nice professional paddles,” Blue said. “If they want to bring their pro gear and give it a whirl and a volley, I’d love for them to come.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2025.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press