Day 5 Red Bay, Labrador
(Note,
click on tinted names for more information.)
Coming from Corner Brook, Newfoundland,
yesterday and last night, we went up the Gulf of St Lawrence, crossed
a time zone from Newfoundland and Labrador Zone to Atlantic time and
entered the Straits of Belle Isle.
The ship pulled into a bay at 0645
and dropped the hook off Saddle Island. Barren land and rock was our
view from the port side. 0845 we caught a tender ashore to Red
Bay which is a small village with a history dating back 400
years. Now the population is 160. The local school has 12 students.
Last year 4 cruise ships visited. COSTCO is a five hour drive from
here. Walmart is back in Corner Brook so plan on driving down and
catching the ferry, crossing then driving to Corner Brook. Load the
truck and return the next day. There is a small grocery in Red Bay in
case you forgot the milk.
A young guide led us on a walking
tour of town which was quite compact. Up a hill then down the hill
and we came to the community center for a viewing of the skeleton of
a Bowhead whale and we learned about the whales of the area.
Back up the hill and down the other
side to the Park Service Visitor Orientation Center for a look at a
few more pieces of whale and a 400 year old Basque whale boat called
a chalupa which was recovered from the depths of the bay.
 |
| Bowhead whale |
 |
| 400 year old Basque chalupa |
Next was the Visitor Interpretation
Center for a viewing of artifacts recovered from the wreck of a
galleon found in the bay. All this is now a National Historic Site
and UNESCO site. This spot was settled in the 16th
century as a Basque whaling station.
 |
| whaling gear found in wreck of galleon |
The local restaurant was doing a lot
of business today but we managed to scare up a table and got a couple
of orders of fresh fish and chips. Locally caught fish. Great lunch
at the Whalers Restaurant.
After that we walked back to the
landing and took a tender back to the ship. By noon we were back in
our cabin. 5 pm the hook came up, the ship slowly pivoted to face the
marker buoys and we moved out to the Belle Isle Strait to the
Atlantic. At 1720 I spotted an iceberg along the shoreline. Five more
appeared in the distance. Another we passed on our starboard side.
 |
| Red Bay from the water |
 |
| Former light station, Saddle Island |
 | |
| the first iceberg |
More on Red Bay at:
www.pc.gc.ca/redbay
Noon report: 51º
43.16'N and 056º
26.44'W . At anchor off Saddle Island. Temperature of 57ºF,
14C. Sky clear to PC. Wind 13 knots (force 4). Humidity 57%. Depth
380'. Noon-to-noon run of 108 nm and total for the voyage to date is
1,118 nm.
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