#109 Jun 2015 Labrador - We were there!

We will never see everything on our bucket list. We have, however, seen so many places that were not on our list - such as Labrador.

We had a limited grasp of the size of Labrador. On this map, the bottom right corner highlight shows the very small southeast portion of Labrador that we explored. Beyond Red Bay there is a vast, rugged land where wildlife outnumber people. There are very few roads and only a few of those miles are paved.




We took the seasonal ferry from St. Barb, Newfoundland to Blanc Sablon, Quebec.

Quebec is in a different time zone from Newfoundland; however, all the ferries to and from Newfoundland stay on Newfoundland time. We had to translate to 4 ½ hours earlier in BC.

In the cold rain we drove to Red Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Only 5 years after Columbus’ voyage to the New World in 1492, John Cabot sailed from England to find a western sea route to China. He returned instead with news of seas “swarming with fish, which can be taken not only with the net, but with baskets let down with a stone, so that it sinks in the water”.

For centuries, the codfish meant survival and wealth throughout much of Europe and North America. As a result, it achieved iconic status within many societies, becoming a popular motif in artwork and architecture.

By the 1540s, reports of large number of whales in “The Grand Bay” motived Basque merchants and mariners to organize whaling expeditions.

In the 16^th century, the Labrador side of the Strait of Belle Isle emerged as the world’s largest producer of whale oil. At its peak, whaling on this coast attracted nearly 2,000 Basques annually from Spain and France. The Basques were well equipped for whaling across the Atlantic. In the Middle Ages they hunted whales along their coast and were indeed the first large scale commercial whalers.

This 1:20 scale model of a Basque whaling ship is a replica of wreck found in Red Bay harbor.

This whaling boat, known to the Basques as a chalupa, is over 400 years old. Whaling was a dangerous, exhausting way of life.

The clothing on this mannequin is an authentic reproduction of items found in a burial site on Saddle Island. Behind him is the left flipper of a Greenland Right Whale (Bowhead).

Basque whaling declined mostly due to over hunting and climate change. It is estimated that during the 16^th and early 17^th centuries Basque whaling expeditions killed approximately 25,000 whales off the Labrador coast.

We spent one night at Barney’s Bed and Breakfast with Mary, our hostess, who has run this B&B for over 40 years. She treated us to many stories of life in Labrador during her 80 years in the community.

When we arrived in the afternoon there was an iceberg in the bay in front of her home.

The next morning the iceberg had rolled over and was a very different shape. As icebergs melt they quickly and dangerously roll and change shape.

In the fog we explored around the Point Amour Lighthouse built in the 1850s.

A nearby cemetery continues to be used and cared for by families.

Back in Quebec we checked out a viewpoint where puffins can sometimes be seen. “Sometimes” is the important word as the fog was so thick we couldn’t see the cliff where they nest.

We headed back to the Newfoundland ferry and hoped for better weather.