- Start of trip and Nome, AL
- Herschel Island, Yukon, Canada
- Sea Day, a surprise, and the Smoking Hills, Northwest Territories, Canada
- Ulukhaktok, Northern Territories, Canada
- Murray Island, Nunavut, Northern Canada, Canada
- Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Northern Canada
- Citizen science and Borge Island
- Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, Northern Canada
- A busy day at sea — polar bears, musk ox, and plankton, oh my!
- Prince Leopold Island, Beechey Island, and Radstock Bay, Nunavut, Northern Canada
- Croker Bay and Dundas Harbor, Nunavut, Northern Canada
- Pond Inlet and the Inuit, Nunavut, Northern Canada
- Ilulissat, Greenland
- Sisimiut, Greenland
- Red Bay, Labrador, Canada
- Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada and end of trip
Today we made our first landing below the Arctic Circle — Red Bay, Labrador, and things are both the same and different. Similar to what we’ve seen above the Arctic Circle, this area is still pretty bleak with largely a barren landscape made up of red granite typical of the region. But we also started seeing some smaller trees (the first ones we’ve seen since the day after leaving Nome, AK — I want to go hug one!) and the temperature is now back in the temperate range (high 50s). This is a very small village of around 90 people. So why come to this place you might ask? It turns out this is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this time for the Red Bay Basque Whaling Station. Yes, it was the mysterious “red pebbles” on the coastline that got people wondering what was going on here. It turns out that they were terracotta roofing tiles from the buildings of the Basque Whaling Station that operated here for nearly a hundred years starting in the early 1500s. The archeological site here today is regarded as the most complete and best preserved example of European whaling tradition in existence. The site includes the remains of rendering ovens, cooperages, wharves, temporary living quarters, and a cemetery are available to visit. What we couldn’t visit, but is equally impressive, is the underwater remains of vessels and whale bone deposits. Every year several galleons (large ships) with their multiple chalupas (small whaling boats [you’re thinking Taco Bell, admit it!]) would make the trip from Spain to Labrador for the season. They actually brought terra cotta tiles as ballast to be offloaded in Red Bay, to later be replaced by barrels of whale oil. It was the remains of these tiles that provided the clue to start investigating some 400 years later. Each galleon would harvest eight to ten whales (Bowheads and Northern Rights), drag them ashore, butcher them, bake the pieces in large ovens to extract the oil, put the oil in barrels, and then head home. Ultimately, the Basque whaling expeditions killed around 25,000 whales. Was this a profitable business? We were told that each season’s haul could yield $6 – 8 million dollars, with one third going to the crew, one quarter to the ships’ owners, and the outfitters the rest. Within the crew, the money was distributed proportionately based on their occupation onboard. Of course, this occupation wasn’t without risks and there is a local cemetery with 140 whaler graves to reinforce that point.
Walking around Red Bay was equal parts history and a current day community trying to survive. We were met ashore by the community’s mascot — a lighthouse! We spent a few hours walking around the town, with our guide (a local Inuit) describing the changes in his community growing up there. When he was young, there were over 150 people in the community and he was one of 30 kids in school. Today the school has closed and is being. turned into a museum. While some people make their living fishing, more and more are working in the Rio Tinto nickel mines some four hours away. I spoke with someone (who I think was the mayor) about their attempts to make tourism a “major” industry here. This season they got seven cruise ships visiting, but the season is only three months long… Anyway, the people were upbeat and friendly. We were entertained by a singer at the local church that only sees a pastoral visit every few months and, in fact, the singer lives about an hour away. We visited the new “in process” museum to look at the remains of a chalupa that they recovered and restored and then to the main museum which was very well curated. A lot of money went in to the archeological digs in this area, which continue to this day. The level of detail they were able to uncover was part of what led to the awarding of UNESCO World Heritage Site status that the community is clearly proud of. From there, we went to the one restaurant in town that also serves as gift/craft shop, meeting hall, etc. There we sampled what they called a Taste of Labrador including fish chowder, Ptarmigan (it’s like a pheasant) soup, moose, harp seal, cod fish cakes, Arctic Char, and biscuits served with a variety local wild berry jams. I have to say that all of the items (yes, including the seal…) were quite tasty. Sadly, we didn’t have time to take the boat over to Saddle Island, where many of the remnants of the whaling industry remain, including the rendering ovens, the cooperage, and the cemetery. Oh, and because every remote coastal area has to have some sort of mysterious story, it is said that the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd hid treasure here. Despite the best efforts of the locals to find it, so far nada…
This entry was posted in Canada, Cruising, Labrador, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
