Saddle Up!

Our weather got nothing but worse!  Seas weren’t too bad the rain and wind continued through the night and well into our stop at Red Bay, Labrador.  This was a tender port which meant getting your tender ticket at one of the bars and sitting there until they called your group number.  We dressed in layers which is now becoming the “thing” we do.  Red Bay was once a thriving basque whaling center.  Today it is a national historic site providing visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of the 16th century.  It wasn’t until 1978 that historians began looking into an undocumented section of Canadian history and located underwater whaling ships that had been sunk by the shores of the bay.  Today it is considered the most complete and well preserved example of a historical whaling and whale oil production port in Canada.  The small visitor center provides great insight and examples of thier tools and vessels.  You can take a short boat ride over to Saddle Island and then about a 30 minute hike around where history was made.  Nearby on the island is a cemetery where over 100 bodies were found in only 60 graves!  There isn’t much in Red Bay and when we were there the downpour of rain with strong winds made anything that was available difficult to get to.  We braved the hike and open boat ride; then warmed up in the the little museum.  We hiked over the hill to get to the town hall which provided free WiFi but it was extremely slow.  It just wasn’t a pleasant day although the hike was informational.  We were all anxious to get back to the ship, dry out, warm up and change clothes.  

That afternoon there was an EXC talk on Viking Settlements in Norh America.  Entertainment was an excellent saxophone

Player, Nestor Santurio.  


These ships are still underwater where they can be forever preserved in the cold waters.

Small visitor center and museum; also where we picked up the boat to take us over to Saddle Island.

Taking the hike along Saddle Island on this grey, wet, windy day.

A broken down half sunken vessel from whaling days gone by....

Part of the small community of Red Bay where the tenders dropped us off.

Our ship in the background with the rough and rocky landscape of Saddle Island where most of the whaling and rendering took place.

Museum exhibits of the basque and their typical dress.

Examples of their clothing and how many items they would have packed into chests or barrels.

Views of the cemetery where many lives were lost due to sinking whaling vessels.

Our next day is to be a sea day.  We should have stopped at Paamiut, Greenland but it was a tender port and when we arrived to our tender location the fog was so intense that after two hours of sitting there the captain decided we would abandon all plans of getting there in tenders safely.  We pulled out shortly before noon and headed on our way to Nanortalik, Greenland.