Team Viking Follows Local Advice and Explores the Attractions of Red Bay on the Labrador Coast

Janice, the Queen Bee disguised as the town clerk in L’Anse au Loup, on the Labrador coast, greeted us warmly on a cold, blustery day. It was blustery to those from Pennsylvania and probably not so much to those who inhabit this northern territory year-round. We told Janice we were looking for the library to set up shop to write and conduct research, though Janice quickly informed us that the library was closed. However, without missing a beat, she said she could pull a table into the hallway next to the library so we could work from there, strategically positioning us closer to the Wi-Fi to ensure we had the strongest signal possible

As we made our acquaintance with Janice, and we mentioned the purpose for our visit to the coastline of Labrador, and she commented on the young kayaker who went missing a few years ago. He wore a dry suit and personal floatation device (PFD), and though his kayak was retrieved in the cove south of our location, L’Anse Amour, his body was never recovered. Janice’s husband is a Canadian Ranger and was part of the search team during that event.

Janice gave a few concluding thoughts before we set up our makeshift office. She mentioned that Labrador has a unique microclimate and a mind of its own. This was clearly a stark warning, presented with a motherly smile and a strong sense of care. Grace and Carol, Janice’s aunts, corroborated Janice’s point the next day at the Point Amour Lighthouse. They each reinforced the kayaker saga and the need to pay attention to the winds and currents. Later that afternoon, Trent O’Brien, the mayor of L’Anse au Loup, voiced the same concerns. We took all their local wisdom and experience into account, and we have been even more careful than we usually would be. After being here for a few days, wanting to get on the water and explore the coastlines, bays, and tributaries, we have at times found it incredibly difficult, due to the unpredictable weather and the nature of the prevailing winds. But we have kept to best practices at all times, and have solicited and followed local expertise.

We certainly did our due diligence and read about how one needs to be astutely aware of Mother’s Nature temperament, though it is not until you are here can you appreciate how volatile this place can be. I have even read that people sometimes have given up on their weather radios since the weather can change so drastically multiple times a day.

On Wednesday, we experienced land gusts up to 40 km per hour, and while on the water in Pinware Bay, we could barely paddle back to our launch location due to the strength of the headwinds. We concluded at that point that we should head out very early if we want time on the water. The morning of Friday, 15 July, we did just that, and found the water to be remarkably calm inside Red Bay. The skies were clear, the sun was warm, flags rested on their flag poles, and I could see Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle. That all changed soon enough, of course, but we enjoyed these optimal conditions while we could. I have to say, when I look at the crossing from Labrador to Newfoundland, it is calling out to me. It appeared achievable, at least early this morning. “It is a nine-mile crossing,” I said to Trent O’Brien yesterday, and he jovially responded, “more like 15 when you take into account the tides and winds.” It was a good laugh, and instructive.

Today we did get to put our boats in at Red Bay, a well-documented Basque whaling community with a history dating back to the 1500s; we enjoyed the calm water on the lee side of Saddle Island, passed the grave of a boat that ran aground in the 1960s and then headed out of the bay and into the Strait. We circumnavigated Saddle Island first, then landed on a sandy stretch in the lee of the island to reconnoiter on foot, much as the passing Norse must have done. As we took advantage of the panoramic view from the high point of the island, it was easy to see why the Basque whalers would have chosen this spot, for many of the reasons that the Norse might have liked it, had they chosen to anchor there. The mouth of the bay is well protected by the island, and there is a semi-circle of hills protecting the bay from the worst of the winds in almost every direction. Although one must take proper care to navigate the channel, to avoid the rocks, and not to run aground, there are good landing beaches for kayaks (and longships!) both within the bay and on the bay side of the island. There is also sheltered deep-water mooring not far out. It is a good and protected spot on an extremely hazardous coastline, and I believe that the Norse must have noticed that as they passed, just as the Basque whalers did centuries later.

As we relaunched our kayaks and carried on around the island, we met the prevailing south wind head-on, reminding us not to venture too far off Saddle Island, to enjoy the swell and the fetch, and to let our boats dance a bit. We eventually used the wind to our advantage and caught the incoming tide back into the bay. During our time out there, and as much as I enjoyed the sea spray, the seagulls squawking at us, and feeling alive in the boat, I did often think of Janice, Grace, Carol, and Trent and wondered what would they see, sense, feel, and notice that I am missing at the moment? There is something about innate local knowledge and wisdom we certainly cannot ignore, and the wisest of us listen carefully and follow all the local insight we can gather.

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