Cruising World - November - December 2016

WILD, WILD LABRADOR

november/december 2016

cruisingworld.com

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passage, but a “rattle” was more serious.

Although the 25-mile Port Manvers run is

more than a tickle, the tides race through

the Second Rattle at the north end and the

First Rattle at the south. We anchored of

the northern end to time the currents.

Each morning, before going berry-

picking ashore, we first made sure that

the black bears had already made their

rounds. In August, blueberries and cloud-

berries ripen, and bears like to eat them.

Most of our way south from Port Manvers

led through inner channels interrupted

by occasional sorties into the Labrador

Sea. Wherever trees thickened and the

land greened, there would be black bears.

Mostly on a vegetarian diet, they reputedly

don’t attack people. Still, they tower over

other American black bears and may not

like competing foragers.

W

e were on our way south and

home after our third sum-

mer at the tip of the North

American East Coast’s end. Now that

it was August, Labrador was at its best:

warmer air, fragrant meadows, and small

flocks of eiders feeding for the flight

south. The ice — both ofshore bergs from

Greenland and the native winter floes

— was mostly gone, except for a few per-

sistent bits here and there. The sky stayed

clear and the winds eased out before the

autumn onslaught. Even the severe, stony

mountains looked softer. At Nukasusutok

Island, just south of Nain, the setting sun

painted the bare rock clifs red.

We navigated mostly among islands,

both for interest and safety, as the charts

showed accurate depths along the “track

usually followed” but only blank spaces far-

ther out. Some major headlands required

poking our bow into the big seas outside,

but we were able to use tides to squeeze

by inland of most of them. Three years

ago, we’d been scared out of visiting Cape

Harrigan Island by giant, confused swells

and a lack of wind. Now we used the rising

tide to sneak our 7-foot-draft vessel inland.

While waiting for the right tide in a bay on

the north shore of the island, we trekked

to the top and counted icebergs still afloat

far ofshore. But we made sure to have our

bear spray and noisemakers ready, as the

area is a veritable black bear garden.

Normally you can’t dine out when

cruising Labrador. In Hopedale, how-

ever, we had caribou burgers and caught

up on emails in a restaurant overlooking

the wharf. Hopedale was once the site of

a Moravian mission to convert the Inuit

to Protestant beliefs, foods and writing.

The mission buildings stood well main-

tained and included a museum. Hopedale

was probably the northernmost harbor to

see large numbers of the Newfoundland

schooners that once worked the coast

every summer to collect fish. For close to

300 years, cod fishing constituted the live-

lihood of thousands of people here. There

were “livyers,” who came to fish and stayed

in Labrador for good, and “floaters,” the

seasonal fishermen from Newfoundland.

When a moratorium in 1992 closed the

dying fishery, countless seasonal stations

began to crumble.

Small-scale, strictly regulated fisheries

continue for crab, shrimp and turbot.

The processing plant in Makkovik wel-

comes longliners from Newfoundland at

the well-maintained wharf and has a small

yard with the only Travelift in these north-

ern waters. Yachts are also welcome. At the

end of August we sailed to Cape Harrison,

the only headland we couldn’t cheat. A

wet northeasterly wind carried a bite of

autumn. Running down big swells, we sent

immense rafts of shearwaters flying, their

wing beats loud over the water. Farther

on, we passed a slew of little bays that had

served as cod-fishing stations, with names

like Indian Tickle and Ice Tickle.

At Hamilton Inlet, a vast wedge of

During summer,

polar bears roam

the shores in

search of seals

(opposite top).

Nancy forages

for mussels and

blueberries at

Challenger Point,

Port Manvers

(opposite

bottom).

WEATHER FORECASTS

Excellent Canadian forecasts on the VHF cover the coast till just past

Nain. Canadian Coast Guard Radio also transmits weather rom Ham-

ilton Inlet’s Goose Bay on SSB radio 2598 kHz at 0707, 1137, 1737 and

2237 local time. At the northernmost regions, switch to Iqaluit Radio —

2582 kHz, 2514 kHz, 4363 kHz and 6507 kHz — at 1410 and 2235.

Labrador

was at

its best:

warmer air,

fragrant

meadows,

and flocks

of eiders

feeding.

“

” Gray

Strait

Mugford Bay

Hamilton Inlet

Strait of Belle Isle

I SLAND OF

NEWFOUNDLAND

Button

Islands

• Cape Harrison

Hopedale

Nain

Hebron•

6 0 ̊ N

50 ̊ N

6 0 ̊ W 50 ̊ W

To r ngat Mountain

National Park

(^0100200)
Nautical Miles
GREENLAND
LABRADOR
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MAP BY SHANNON CAIN TUMINO