Christmas: Past & Present

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Lunenburg: Return To Snow Dragon

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Greenland Rifle Practice from SnowDragonII on Vimeo.

East Greenland from SnowDragonII on Vimeo.

Labrador To Newfoundland

From Battle Harbour we intended to stop at Red Bay on Labrador’s south coast, a newly recognized World Heritage site for its Basque fishing and whaling history. But when we entered the Strait of Belle Isle, and found the usually windy strait completely calm, we decided to continue on to Newfoundland turning our planned day sail into an overnight passage. Finally at midnight, after spending the day motoring, the wind filled in from the NE and we comfortably sailed at 6 knots with a beautiful full moon lighting the way. The fast downwind sailing continued until we reached Boone Bay a couple hours after sunset the following day. After looking over the anchorage options in Boone Bay we settled on Needy Bay, as it seemed well charted and straightforward enough to enter in the dark.  

In the morning after catching up on our sleep, we pulled anchor and headed for the town of Woody Point just across the bay. On the way out of Needy Harbour we realized that there are uncharted rocks that come across a good portion of the entrance on the north side. Luckily Krystina had favored the south side as we came into the bay and didn’t get near the partially submerged rocks.

The cruising guide mentioned limited dock space at Woody Point but said nothing about anchoring. From the chart we figured there should be reasonable depth on the south side of the town and ended up anchoring just off the general store with a spectacular view of golden mountains. While wandering around town we came across a tour bus group who were looking for souvenirs, particularly books, and we told them their was a shop a short walk away that probably had what they were looking for but they didn’t want to risk the bus leaving without them and didn’t stray more than a block or two away.    

After a quite night at Woody Point, we moved further into Boone Bay and anchored in Lomond Cove just off of Gros Morne National Park. The warm, sunny day was perfect for hiking and we walked along the trail to Stanleyville where there are the remains of a sawmill built in 1899. At the trailhead was a large bin full of gravel with a sign asking hikers to take a small bucket of gravel with them to place along the trail where needed. Frances grabbed a bucket and filled it two-thirds of the way thinking she wouldn’t have to carry it very far before finding an area that was in need of new gravel. The trail was well clearly well maintained and we walked for over a mile before Frances found a minor discrepancy in the surface, or at least an excuse to get rid of the gravel and hung the empty bucket on a tree branch encroaching on the trail to remind us to pick it up on the way back.  

A third of the way we met a couple with a dog and young son coming from the other direction. As they passed, they said we were braver than they were, indicating that they had decided to turn around, and blessed us. Considering the trail was listed as moderate, we were a little mystified and were still mystified once we reached the other end as it was indeed a fairly leisurely trial with a bit of an incline. The site of the old mill turned out to be a beautiful wooded bay, with only the one old piece of machinery still visible on the far side of the river.

While we were wandering around trying to find more evidence of the sawmill we noticed a sign warning that we were in a hunting area. Gros Morne National Park is protected and we hadn’t realized that the trail had taken us outside the park boundaries. On our way back we noticed a large amount of loose fur on the trail and came across a skeleton of a moose, next to a no hunting sign. The unfortunate moose had only been a few feet away from safety.

On the dock we met a family who were camping for the weekend. They mentioned that there was a nice trail around a lake nearby and warned us that it was supposed to rain the following day. Sure enough dark cloud rolled in overnight and it was lightly raining by morning. We decided to chance the weather and went to shore layered in Gore-Tex in search of the lake trail. We didn’t find the trail but did find a Newfoundland road map amongst the other information pamphlets in the Park’s cooking hut, something that had been impossible to find in Woody Point. By this point it was pouring but that didn’t stop us from admiring some pitcher plants, the official flower of Newfoundland and picking wild shaggy mane mushrooms for dinner. 

Since it was still raining and we were already soaking wet by the time we returned to Snow Dragon, we pulled anchor without bothering to change and sailed back to Woody Point in the warm rain.

   

 For more photos please click on Labrador To Newfoundland Album

Labrador: Battle Harbour

                                                                                           Battle Harbour started as a seasonal fishing station that eventually grew into Labrador’s oldest and at one point, largest permanent settlement. The area thrived and supported a community of 200 people until a devastating fire and the decline of fishing finally convinced the majority of Battle Harbour families to relocate under the government’s resettlement program in 1966. Many of them choose to move to Mary’s Harbour just 11 kilometers away. Today Battle Harbour is a National Historic Site owned and managed by the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, it is a place were one can step back in time and explore an important part of Labrador’s history.

Everyone we met in Labrador told us we must stop at Battle Harbour, the only problem was it had just closed for the season. On the assurance of the Battle Harbour ferry office in Mary’s Harbour that a work crew was still there and would welcome us; we decided to check it out anyway. With the short distance to Battle Harbour, 12 knots of northwest wind and flat water, we didn’t bother with a mainsail and just rolled out the jib. Furling the sail and starting the engine just before entering the harbour’s narrow but more sheltered north entrance.

Cod Drying, North Entrance To Battle Harbour

Strong winds were expected that evening and the following day and we were relieved when a group of men waved us over to the perfect spot where Snow Dragon would be blown off the high wharf. After helping secure Snow Dragon’s lines and warmly welcoming us to Battle Harbour; they reiterated that they were officially closed for the season but there was no problem with us being there especially since our presence doubled the female population in Battle Harbour, something the 7 men on the island were happy about.

They kindly left the buildings open for us to wander through. While we were in the old flour store admiring the heavy timber construction with naturally curved braces and reading the information detailing the Harbour’s history. Lloyd who we had met earlier on the dock, came by to tell us more about what it was like when it was a functional fishing station as he had grown up in Battle Harbour. While we were talking about the resettlement program he mentioned that the government was still trying to move people out of smaller settlements and is offering $200,000 convince people to move from places like Williams Harbour and Norman Bay. The government might be trying to save money by not having to continue supporting smaller settlements but the reality is that $200,000 isn’t enough for a family to start their life over in a different location and the people we met in those small communities didn’t show any intention of leaving.     

It was such a glorious day that after talking to Lloyd, we decided to cut our tour of the historic buildings short and explore the island. Peter, the project manager, stopped to tell us about a trail that looped around the back of the island and gave us a tour of some of the restoration work they were doing. Though it’s a site of historic importance to Labrador, the government expects it to be self-funding. Peter explained that the Battler Harbour Trust has had financial difficulty but is now under the guidance of a new chair who has the right connections to promote the site. He also mentioned the ferry to Battle Harbour is scheduled so visitors can spend the night in either the historic doctor’s cottage or the simpler bunk house. Time will tell if they can get enough visitors to cover expenses but from what we saw, they are doing a fantastic job restoring buildings with a mix of modern comfort and traditional simplicity.

Though the trail Peter guided us to was fairly easy walking between glistening granite boulders and colorful plants, there  was the occasional wet patch that was difficult to get around. The views to the outer shore of the island were wonderful and well worth risking getting our socks wet for. We could see waves breaking over the various under water hazards, a reminder that navigating in Labrador takes a careful eye. The trail took us out to the site of a plane crash that happened while the settlement was still inhabited No one had realized it had happened until a boy from Battle Harbour came upon the wreckage a few days later. There were no survivors, the accident site is marked by a memorial plaque and the wreckage of the plane has been left in place.

In the evening, Krystina was walking back to Snow Dragon enjoying the beautiful moonlight when she passed Lloyd. As they greeted each other he commented with a smile “a lot of traffic tonight”. And they both continued on their way without seeing another person except the life sized photographic cut out people on the dock, who were most alarmingly life like in the moonlight.

As promised by the weather report, strong southwest wind filled in overnight tuning into strong west-north-west by morning. Definitely not the right conditions to transit the Strait of Belle Isle and we were happy to be weather bound in such a glorious location. Frances braved the rain, wind and cold to look for more wild cranberries and it took a lot of searching before she found some patches worth picking. Then returned to Snow Dragon to make wild cranberry chutney.  

While out for an evening wander we stopped to chat with Lloyd and Minnie who were also out enjoying the beautiful evening. They return frequently to spent time in their summer cabin near the house where Lloyd grew up. They invited us over for tea and wanted to hear all about our journey. When we told Minnie how surprised we where that people in Labrador were so shocked by the idea that two women could handle a boat, she explained that in Labrador women don’t have a history with boats, their role has always been shore based.

Krystina At Lloyd And Minnie's Cabin

Krystina thought she left her mittens at Lloyd and Minnie’s and Frances kindly offered to go back and check. Before she left, Krystina suggested that we give them a jar of Snow Dragon jam to thank them for their generous hospitality. We wanted to give them something unusual for the area and decided on kumquat marmalade made when we were in Portugal last April. We also gave a jar of cranberry chutney to Peter as a thank you for his generosity in letting Krystina use the WIFI in his office.

After 2 nights at Battle Harbour the weather forecast showed favorable conditions for moving around to Red Bay on Labrador’s south coast. We had planned on going out through the narrow south entrance but in the morning there were still waves crashing across the tickle and decided to play it safe and go out through the more sheltered north entrance. The sun was just coming up as we motored out of the harbour, taking in the fresh color of the morning as we hoisted the mainsail and began making our way to the Strait of Belle Isle.

For more photos please click on Battle Harbour Album.

Qaqortoq Part Two Photos

Please click on Qaqortoq Part Two Album

Qaqortoq Part One Photos

Please click on Qaqortoq Part One Album

Labrador: Mary’s Harbour And The Three Bears

From William’s Harbour to Mary’s Harbour we had fast sailing with lumpy following seas. The rain stopped and the sun made a brief attempt to breakthrough the clouds when we arrived in Mary's shallow, protected harbour. After anchoring clear of the channel markers we headed to shore. All the small docks were private and we headed for one where the owner appeared to be around. Permission was granted though he did comment that Krystina was not optimistic about the weather after taking one look at Animal, her furry hat. She explained that it had been much colder on the water and promptly removed her hat.

Since the general store was right by the dock, we made it our first stop. After buying a bag of onions, apples and a can of pineapple, Frances put the plastic bag of groceries under the seat in the dinghy. We wouldn’t normally do this but we had seen so few birds over the past few months we thought it would be safe and continued walking into town. Thirty minutes later we returned to find a crow had taken an interest in our groceries, especially the apples. At least it didn’t try to get into the can of pineapple and get its’ beak stuck, that would have been messy.

Back on board we salvaged what was left of the apples before grabbing a computer and heading back to town. While Krystina used the Wi-Fi at The River Lodge, Frances wandered around town in hope of finding out if it was possible to get diesel for Snow Dragon. A woman greeted her when she paused to admire a full-sized wooden person dressed in coveralls, a hard hat and even sunglasses leaning against the porch stairs. Frances complimented her on the well-dressed lawn ornament and they started talking. When Suzie realized that Frances was from “the little sailboat,” she invited her in for coffee; a hot drink was especially welcome with the cold wind. As they were having coffee and cookies Suzie’s partner came home, when Suzie introduced Frances and explained there were just 2 women on Snow Dragon he almost fell down the stairs with shock, the normal Labrador reaction.

That night Frances asked Krystina if she could use the hard drive to work on photos. Krystina was using it so Frances decided to grease the engine room steering sheaves instead. This entailed dismantling the sheaves, cleaning, greasing them and reassembling. Krystina paused what she was working on to turn the wheel a little to get enough slack in the cable for Frances to remove the sheaves. On reassembly, Krystina tested the wheel, which had very little resistance and we realized the cable must have fallen off the quadrant in the lazarette while it was slack. So the simple indoor task that Frances had planned on turned into an outside expedition to excavate the quadrant. This entailed completely empting both sides of the lazarette in order to put the cable back. It was not a difficult job but getting to it was a major operation, not made easier by rain, cold and dark. Once our propane tanks, extra line, anchors, storm gear, folding kayak and other numerous items we keep stored in the lazarette were on deck it was easy to slip the cable back on the quadrant and Frances oiled the sheaves in the lazarette for good measure. Then we put everything back in its rightful place before scurrying back into the pilothouse to get warm. Next time Frances asks for the hard drive, Krystina will give it to her, anything to stop Frances from taking the boat apart in the middle of the night.  

On the second day we walked out to White Water Falls, passing the un-fenced gravel runway along the trail, common sense being the only thing keeping people off the frequently used runway. A wooden boardwalk kept us out of the wet vegetation, though we periodically braved the marshy ground in search of berries. Though we spend a lot of time together we still usually find something to talk about while hiking, however, in bear country when talking is necessary to avoid surprising a bear it becomes difficult to think of anything to say. The falls were nice but what was really exciting were the wild cranberries growing along the banks.

That night while we were at The River Lodge using their WIFI, Carola who worked at the lodge told us that a black bear had just been chased out of a house nearby and was roaming town. She kindly offered us a ride back to our dinghy. When Frances mentioned that she would love to see the bear, Carola, drove us back via the town dump, our best chance for spotting one. Sure enough there were 3 bears enjoying a midnight snack, an enjoyable sight from inside a pick-up truck. Though Krystina did joke nervously that maybe the dump full of bears was where they dropped off pesky tourists.

On our third day in St. Mary’s we walked out to Gin Cove. Though it was a shorter walk than to White Water Falls, the trail was much steeper and more wooded. At least the 3 bears gave us something to talk about. The cover was picturesque and we took in the view from the picnic table on the beach.

The following morning we pulled anchor at 9.30 and made our way over to the crab plant dock to fuel. At 10 o’clock as promised, the fuel attendant brought the long hose from the diesel tank by tying the nozzle to the back of his truck. Snow Dragon enjoyed her breakfast of 550 liters of red diesel. Diesel for commercial use in Canada is dyed red and not taxed. Since we were putting red and not clear diesel in our tanks it was important for us to keep the receipt showing we paid the tax. While Frances walked up to pay, 3 of the construction guys working on building the new wharves came down to look at Snow Dragon. When they understood it was just 2 of us, one of them said, “that’s wicked,” a priceless comment coming from an adult male in a hard hat.

For more photos please click on Mary's Harbour Album

Greenland Photos: Unartoq, Sardloq And Agricultural Station

Please click on Unartoq Album

Labrador: William’s Harbour And Our Need For A Man

Before we left Paul’s house in Norman Bay, we asked him if he had any suggestions of where we should stop next and he surprised us by saying William’s Harbour. We had read about William’s Harbour in our cruising guide an although it said the harbour offered good shelter it discouraged people from stopping there since a fire destroyed the docks in 2007 and insisted the bay was too deep to anchor. We knew Paul wouldn’t lead us astray and on closer examination of the charting we realized the average depth in the bay was 30 meters, a perfectly anchorable depth if there wasn’t a suitable dock.

In the morning, we pulled anchor in the pouring rain and motored to William’s Harbour. Between the rain, low cloud and fog there wasn’t much to see along the way. As we approached the entrance to the harbour, we could see the new wharf was full of fish boats and decided to check out the anchoring depths instead. There was plenty of room to anchor in 30-35 meters if needed but after a bit of poking around we anchored in 25 meters near one of the islands protecting the harbour.     

A friendly couple in a local boat came out to greet us and invited us to tie up at the wharf. We were happy with our anchor spot but it was nice to know that the community was willing to make room for visiting yachts. Before they left to go out fishing they asked if we wanted cod to which Krystina answered, “Yes, please,” knowing that though she doesn't often eat fish, Frances would enjoy it.

We took our dinghy over to one of the smaller docks where another local was preparing to go out fishing. He was surprised to see just 2 women and wondered what we had done with the men. After we told him we left Alaska in 2007, he shook his head and said, “I guess you must know how to sail by now”. For some reason many of the people we met in Labrador could not get their head around the idea of 2 woman being able to handle a boat.

While we were walking in the rain we noticed the couple come back in and turned around in hope of catching up with them to thank them for the fish we knew they were about to deliver. They had kindly delivered 2 fresh cleaned cod to our dinghy and returned home before we got a chance to thank them. Instead of tracking them down in the rain we though we would have a chance in the morning to express our appreciation and headed back to Snow Dragon to deal with the cod.

The fish had already had their head’s removed and Frances set about filleting them. Next thing Krystina knew, Frances was standing by the pilothouse door, shaking and pointing her large knife at the sink saying “there is something alive in the bag, can you check?” Sure enough the headless cod was jumping around in the sink still constrained by the plastic bag it was in. After Krystina got used to the idea of a headless fish trying to jump out of the sink, she picked up the bag and put it out in the cockpit to let it finish its gymnastic routine out of sight. Frances composed herself and resumed work on fish number one. Once the cod in the cockpit settled down, Krystina brought it back inside and said, “maybe we do need a man to deal with headless jumping fish”.

In the morning the northeast wind picked up to 20 knots, pushing Snow Dragon a little too close to shore for comfort. Instead of re-anchoring further from shore in the wind and rain, we decided to take advantage of the good sailing wind and make our way to St. Mary’s Harbour. Next year we will have to return to William’s Harbour to thank the couple for the cod and tell them how much entertainment and culinary enjoyment their gift caused on Snow Dragon.

Labrador: Norman Bay Population 60

                                                                                        

From Cartwright we pushed on to Porcupine Harbour where we spent a peaceful night before making our way through the famed passage known as Squasho Run in the rain and fog. Our guide indicated an intimidating narrow passage between granite walls but we found Squasho to be much wider than some of the minute passages we had already been though in Labrador. On the adrenaline scale Squasho was disappointing but still a glorious passage from an aesthetic point of view with lush forest, colorful rock and bright lichen. It seemed the perfect habitat for bears, caribou or moose but we didn’t see any wildlife in Squasho Run other than a few birds tailing a fishing vessel.

After leaving Squasho Run we wove our way between islands and entered Lady Arm just behind the ferry that was delivering supplies to the community of Norman Bay. With the ferry taking up the dock space we decided to drop anchor, getting Snow Dragon settled just as the ferry departed leaving the dock clear. The waterfront had been swarming with activity as the residents collected the boxes of supplies that were being rapidly offloaded. By the time we dinghyed ashore a few minutes later there was no one to be seen. Old and possibly new washing machines, freezers and other household appliances cluttered the dock and Krystina used one of the rusting freezers as a hand hold when she stepped out of the dinghy. 

We walked along the gravel road that ran through the community, unintentionally ending up in the town dump, not the smartest place to be in an area where black bears are common. On the way back we met Paul, who had just come back from working on his summer cabin up the coast and was on his way to feed his chickens. He invited us to his house for a cup of tea.

Paul has spent 30 years living in Norman Bay and had fished for his livelihood until the cod disappeared. Now he works for the government maintaining ‘the Hydro’ for the community, which is actually 2 diesel generators, but all electricity in Canada seems to be referred to as ‘Hydro’. His wife works on the costal ferry and his 16 year old granddaughter lives with him and attends school in the community. It was fantastic to hear that the school was functioning and that there are a fair number of young people living in the community.

Before we left, Paul gave us a salted cod and asked us if we needed potatoes tea or anything else, insisting that he had plenty of food to spare. Here we were in a small community that is boat access only with no stores offering provisions. It was a special gesture and we thanked Paul for his hospitality, assuring him we didn’t need anything and promised we would stop in and see him next time we’re in Labrador.  

The one thing we forgot to ask Paul was why there were so many election campaign signs posted in Norman Bay, a question that will have to wait until next time.

For more photos please click on Norman Bay Album

Nanortalik Photos

Please click on Nanortalik Album 

Labrador: Cartwright Population 500+

Our otherwise uneventful sail to Cartwright turned interesting when our chartplotter suddenly lost our position. Krystina restarted the plotter but it still couldn’t find our position even though the GPS status showed it was receiving data from the satellites. In the meantime we got out our computer with our backup charts and GPS dongle, which operated flawlessly while we switched the chartplotter off and gave it a rest. When we turned it back on 30 minutes later it automatically picked up our GPS position, all we can figure is that it is a software issue and will be sending the plotter back to Furuno yet again. At least it didn’t happen during a critical point in navigation.

It was dark by the time we arrived in Cartwright so we decided to anchor instead of negotiating the dock. By morning the temperature had dropped to 2.5C and we waited in the warmth of Snow Dragon until the late afternoon for the rain and 30 knots of wind to subside before moving over to the dock. As we were attempting to find a way to tie on to the high quay, we met a local named Blair who suggested we would have more protection if we rafted up to one of the fish boats around the corner. The wind was blowing us off as we attempted to raft to Elizabeth Ann and it took several attempts before we were able to get close enough to grab onto something. The fishing vessel was short of cleats and we tied to whatever looked reasonably attached to Elizabeth Ann.

Snow Dragon Rafted To Elizabeth Ann 

Blair assured us that Elizabeth Ann  would not be leaving port in the morning and the skipper had learned his lesson and now made sure his vessel was well secured to the dock. It turned out that a sailboat had been rafted to Elizabeth Ann during a storm with hurricane force winds. Unfortunately Elizabeth Ann had only be secured to one point on the dock which was not strong enough to hold her during the storm and both vessels found themselves aground across the harbour, the sailboat was destroyed. Though it was an alarming story we could see that Blair was right, Elizabeth Ann was now tied to several large bollards, with very heavy line.

Once settled we asked Blair if there was a welder in town as we needed some minor welding done on our stove. He told us we would be able to find a welder at the fish plant in the morning and then kindly gave us a ride into town. After taking advantage of the Wi-Fi at the pub, checking emails, looking at an extended weather forecast and paying credit card bills online, we returned to Snow Dragon to have a closer look at the damaged stove.

Since we knew a welder would be available we removed the stove to assess the damage. Removing the towel and hard piece of plastic we had used to wedge it in place was easy enough. The side with the damaged gimbal was complete free however, when we went to lift up the side that was still attached , it wouldn’t budge. We ended up levering it up with a piece of wood to free it and could clearly see that one gimbal had worn through. We decided it was best not to try to weld directly onto the stove as repairing the light weight stainless gimbal would not solve the problem from happening again. Instead Frances designed a repair that would bolt on and drew a picture complete with measurements of what she needed welded. She then located bolts and washers that would be welded into the new parts amongst our supplies on board so we would not have to impose on the welder’s supplies.

Fish Plant 

In the morning we walked to the fish plant and asked if they had a welder, it turned out they had several. Lots of people came to look at Frances’ drawing, thinking that she must be an engineer. After much discussion we were taken into a workshop to figure out the best way to go about the project before moving into the processing plan were the electric welder was located. They devised a method of holding the small pieces with a bent welding rod and made us 3 beautiful new gimbals. We only needed 2 but when the first one came out slightly crooked they insisted on finding more bolts and washers and making a third. When we tried to pay they absolutely refused payment and said if we did not take our money, it would blow away. It was incredibly kind of them to do the work especially since the fish plant was not even open.

 Welders Working On Our New Gimbals

Since the welders wouldn’t accept payment we decided the only way we could put money into the community was to buy groceries and have lunch at the pub. The grocery store in Cartwright turned out to be the best we would encounter in Labrador and we were delighted to find fresh fruit and vegetables including bananas, asparagus and mushrooms. Krystina even managed to find frozen strawberries amongst the Cool Whip, which were an excellent addition to our morning breakfast smoothies.

Having lunch in town turned out to be a delicious choice, Frances’ chicken Ceasar salad, Krystina’s chicken wrap and our shared order of onion rings well exceeded our expectations. After lunch, Frances headed back to Snow Dragon to begin making the backing plates for the stove out of a chunk of aluminum we had onboard. When Krystina eventually started walking back to the harbour, she was offered a ride by one of Blair’s friends, a very kind offer since it was about to rain. Elizabeth Ann was being blown off the dock and luckily Frances was grinding in the cockpit so it was easy to get her attention. Frances made the leap onto the dock and it took both of us to pull the boat close enough to safely get onboard without risking falling into the water with the computer.

Between weather, services available and extremely nice people, Cartwright turned out to be one of our longest stop in Labrador. After spending 3 nights, we finally left the dock with our beautifully gimbaled stove to remind us of our friends in Cartwright. On exiting the harbour, we could see snow on the mountains behind the town; winter was nipping at our heels as we continued south.  

Labrador: Emily Harbour & Cloudberries

It was too far from Mesher’s Harbour to Emily Harbour to sail in a day, so we decided to break the trip by stopping at Mostyn Cove at the head of Jeanette Bay. We had fantastic sailing winds and took the opportunity to roll out the staysail and check the repair in 25 knots of wind. The sail preformed as it should and the patch seemed minimal now that we were no longer staring at it on the pilothouse table. Once we rounded Cape Harrison the wind was on the nose and it was clear we were going to fall a few miles short of reaching Mostyn Cove before dark. 

With night approaching we decided to motor into the wind instead of tacking to minimize our travel time in the dark. After looking at the chart we decided to head for Ship Harbour just off the entrance to Jeanette Bay where the soundings looked reasonable for anchoring in the dark. Miss McKenzie I, a 21m fishing vessel, called us on the VHF and chatted with Krystina about where we were from, the weather and harbours in Labrador. The fisherman was heading north to shrimp but his home port was St. Mary’s Harbour in southern Labrador where he freezes Miss McKenzie in for the winter and checks on her by snowmobile. He encouraged us to stop and spend time in St. Mary’s before leaving Labrador.

 Ship Harbour In The Morning

 

It was completely dark by the time we reached Ship Harbour but true to the chart we didn’t encounter any obstacles and anchored well out to avoid extensive shoals. After spending a peaceful night at anchor, we continued on under sail to Emily Harbour. Though logic told us we should continue to make tracks south, Emily Harbour, a narrow passage between islands sounded too intriguing to pass by.

 Entering Emily Harbour 

Charting of Labrador is deceiving, the coast looks well charted but then when you look closely at the anchorages you realize they’re often either completely un-surveyed or only have a few cryptic soundings. Emily sided on cryptic with the odd sounding and underwater rock marked, just enough to either give you confidence or make you nervous approaching the tight entrance. Once between the islands the channel widens slightly, allowing just enough room to anchor without running a stern line to shore. The south end is completely blocked by drying rocks, making the north the only entrance and exit to the passage.

 Snow Dragon At Anchor, Emily Harbour 

It was nice to have a break from dense forest, the islands where rocky hills with low level vegetation and the remains of a few abandoned cabins. At first the decaying buildings gave a depressing impression of the area but once on shore the complex colors of the landscape and thriving plant life erased the sadness of the gray cabins. The hiking was easy and we had to be disciplined to turn around at sunset to make it back to the dinghy before dark.  

Old Cabin, Emily Harbour 

On the second day wind and rain kept us onboard until the afternoon. This time we decided to visit the other island. The wind was cold but at least it was keeping the mosquitoes away as we leisurely walked along the spine of the island. We were surprised to find that we were surrounded by cloudberries and enthusiastically filled our containers before heading back to Snow Dragon to warm up and then returned to shore to keeping picking. The fading light finally put an end to our cloudberry madness and we returned to Snow Dragon to make the golden berries into jam.

Two nights was not long enough at Emily Harbour but the weather was right to continue moving south. With jars full of jam and freezer full of cloudberries for smoothies we left our snug, magical anchorage and headed for Cartwright.

View From Emily Harbour

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Prins Christian Sund Photos

Please click on Prins Christian Sund Album 

Labrador: Mesher’s Harbour

                                                                                               The wind was too light to test the repair on the way to Mesher’s Harbour, instead we used the calm to run our engine at a higher rpm to burn off any carbon build up. By the time we arrived at entrance to Mesher’s Harbour the wind had picked up just in time to make getting into the bay challenging. Our cruising guide explained that their was a shallow bar and suggested staying 60ft off the starboard side rocks to keep enough water under the keel. The wind strength and direction made it impossible to safely go as close as 60ft to the shore. With the wind pushing us sideways we also needed to cross the bar at a higher speed than we would normally choose to do when crossing a shallow bar to avoid being blown down onto rocks. The one consolation was the guide said the bottom was soft mud so at least we wouldn’t do damage if we bumped bottom. 

With Frances at the bow, Krystina kept Snow Dragon as close to the shore as she could and made it over the bar without seeing anything less than 3.5m on the depth sounder. We didn’t see any sign of the river the guide suggested anchoring by on the north side of the bay and decided to anchor on the south side based on aesthetics. Aside from a small cabin that looked well maintained but not currently in use, the area was wild forest. An unusual sight for us after spending the previous months in areas where trees are few an far between.

 On our way to shore we took the dinghy over to look at the sandbar which was easy to see in the clear water. The bar did appear to be mostly mud but there were a few scattered boulders that would not have been a good idea to hit. Not ready to walk amongst the dense spruce and larch trees we opted to explore one of the rocky islands at the entrance to the bay which only had a few shrubs and trees to negotiate. It was a delightful temperature for an early evening wander and we ended up taking our jackets, hats and gloves off. Without needing gloves it was much easier to pick the blueberries and cloudberries we found amongst the vegetation. The sun was beginning to set but what really drove us off the island were the mosquitoes who were out in force. Little did we know that the bites we received would annoy us for a week.

Krystina Picking Berries With Rifle For Bear Protection   

Photos of Qutdleq And The Old Loran Station, Greenland

Please click on Qutdleq And The Old Loran Station Album

Labrador: Makkovik Population 360

Once Snow Dragon was settled at anchor in Makkovik Bay we launched the dinghy and headed for shore since we couldn’t raise any officials on the radio. We tied up at a wooden pier that had seen better days, and we gingerly walked along on the supports to reduce our chances of crashing through the weak boards. After not touching land for 7 days it was a strange feeling to walk along a pier that was actually moving underneath us. The sign on the neighboring pier said, “Caution boards bad on warf. Enter at your own risk,” a comforting sight knowing we would have to return to our dinghy. Frances still felt the ground was moving once we reached the dirt road but the swaying feeling quickly passed.

The town was surprisingly quiet for a sunny afternoon. We walked up to the grocery store but the chain on the door told us it was shut before we got close enough to read the sign in the door saying they were closed for Labor Day. In true Snow Dragon fashion we arrived in Makkovik on holiday.  

We braved the wooden pier and returned to Snow Dragon to make our post passage breakfast, a tradition we follow regardless of our arrival time. After eating our fill of eggs sunny side up, sausages, bacon, fried onions and toast we went to bed still not knowing the local time or being officially checked into Canada. 

In the morning we were woken by the arrival of Astron a coastal freighter. Krystina got up to double check we were well out of their way and the crew gave a friendly wave. Makkovik is an Inuit Community that is only accessible by plane or sea. In the winter it is possible to reach Goose Bay, the nearest larger town, by snow mobile. It’s a 7 ½ hour trip that the locals enjoy doing. 

Later a couple on their way out to fish stopped by Snow Dragon to welcome us, bearing gifts of hat pins. One was a Canadian flag, another the Newfoundland and the local Makkovik flag as well as a polar bear charm. They explained the polar bear was the official mascot of the community and asked us if we needed any information about the town. Krystina used the opportunity to ask them for the time which turned out to be only an hour behind Greenlandic. 

Torn Staysail

Frances Repairing The Sail

After our visitors departed to go fishing, we continued repairing our staysail which we had taken off the furler that morning. We used the pilothouse table as a makeshift sail loft floor as large flat surfaces are in short supply on a boat. Initially the damage was intimidating but once we applied the sticky back sailcloth to both sides, it began to look much more manageable. It was a full day’s work, over 4 meters of hand sewing and a bit of blood sacrifice to secure the patches but once done the repair seemed much more minimal than expected. The hardest part of the process was maneuvering the sail onto the table and then out of the pilothouse.

During a break in the sail repair, we headed back to shore to find out if we could check in to Canada. Once again our timing wasn’t brilliant and we ended up arriving in town as offices and stores were closing for lunch. Instead of going back to Snow Dragon we decided to hike out to the point where we had seen a lookout with a flag. Not wanting to walk through people’s yards we decided to go along the beach but when the owner of the house near the viewpoint saw us, he welcomed us to use the trail that runs through his yard. On our way back into town 2 Golden Retrievers ran up to us, though we were in Labrador, goldens seemed to be the breed of choice in Makkovik.

Eventually we ended up at the RCMP who were extremely helpful and helped us get our CANPASS number even though the official they had to call wanted us to sail directly to St John’s Newfoundland over 600 miles south, to clear in. The RCMP officer diplomatically told the official he was mistaken and that it could be done by phone. It was helpful that the official could see that Snow Dragon was already in the computer system from her time in British Columbia and finally relented and gave us our official CANPASS number that registered Snow Dragon for Canadian waters.

We thanked the RCMP and then headed for the grocery store hoping to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The store was large but after looking and shelves of Pop-Tarts, marshmallows, Chips and other heavily processed foods we realized we were out of luck. After a bit of searching we managed to find 2 sweet potatoes, onions and dried dates. At the checkout we asked if we could get cash back as we wanted to make a purchase at the local craft store and were told the store was out of cash but to try the town hall. The town hall did not have any cash either, we went back to the craft store and asked if their was any chance they could take US dollars. They agreed and we made our purchase of handmade mittens and a novel, Confession In Moscow, by Michael Johansen who lives in Labrador.

Makkovik Bay 

For more photos please click on Makkovik Album