| We're aboard the good ship Wanderbird, anchored | | | | wind has already diminished and the sun is beginning to |
| snugly in in Shoal Bay on the south central coast of | | | | peak through the speeding grey clouds. The weather |
| Labrador. The wind is blasting over the vessel at 50-55 | | | | here in Labrador is described wonderfully in this |
| knots and, much to my relief, the anchor is securely | | | | paragraph of the Labradorians by Lynne D. Fitzhugh." |
| set. It is 4 pm and the clouds are speeding by close | | | | Labrador's is among the most lethal climates on the |
| overhead. The worst of the wind should be over | | | | continent not because it is the most harsh, but |
| before darkness which will be somewhere around 11 | | | | because it is so utterly disarming. The balmy |
| tonight. I am on watch here in the wheel house as the | | | | southwest breeze that glorifies a summer morning can |
| seventeen other adventurers relax below. We are | | | | slam around in a heartbeat - dark shadows racing |
| seven days into our 12 day coastal Labrador | | | | across the limpid sea like chills, stripping the skin from |
| Expedition aboard the vessel Wanderbird. | | | | the flattened water and hurling it against the land so |
| Yesterday, as we sailed in close proximity to an | | | | hard it makes the ledges flute and scream. Within |
| iceberg that dwarfed our vessel, Karen and I hugged. | | | | minutes waves are leaping and foaming like a pack of |
| We had just began to fully enjoy the culmination of the | | | | mad wolves on the deepening swells. In October 1885, |
| four years of hard work since we had started the | | | | one of the many gales to hit The Labrador that fall |
| conversion our North Sea fishing trawler to an | | | | claimed sixty-four vessels and three hundred souls in |
| expedition vessel suitable for cruising the remote coast | | | | about an hour." "Weather in Labrador is dramatic, |
| of Labrador. We built upon the already sturdy hull to | | | | capricious, and omnipotent, ruling the lives of residents |
| create this most unique small passenger expedition | | | | like a band of outlaw gods. Temperatures in a single |
| trawler, the Wanderbird. Twelve guests from England, | | | | day can span sixty degrees, wind spins a full 360 and |
| Switzerland and the United States joined us in St. | | | | weather switch in minutes from the thickest fog to |
| Anthony, Newfoundland to join us on our first Labrador | | | | brilliant sun to driving rain. But there is a terrible beauty |
| charter. We all had planned on an adventure of a | | | | in such unfettered wildness - and the sky shows are |
| lifetime and we have not been disappointed! As we | | | | spectacular: lenticular clouds that drift in from the great |
| sailed from St. Anthony harbour we received word | | | | bergs like a fleet of space ships: white ice fog that rolls |
| that a pod of Orca or Killer Whales were in the vicinity. | | | | over islands and hills like a heavy blanket, keeping the |
| The six foot tall dorsal fin of the Orca was soon sited | | | | shapes of the land beneath; evening landscapes |
| and we all logged our first viewing of this king of the | | | | chiming with larks and stagelit by the lingering golden |
| food chain. We motor sailed at 7 knots on a northerly | | | | dusks of Northern summer: double rainbows radiant |
| course to clear Cape Bauld and then set a course that | | | | against the dark back of a retreating storm: burnished |
| brought us across the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador. I | | | | sunsets in four acts; Northern lights that begin as gently |
| have to say that I have NEVER seen such a display | | | | flowing curtains and end in storms of pulsating energy |
| of wildlife as was presented to our fine ship's | | | | fierce as the trumpets of the apocalypse." |
| company aboard the Wanderbird. | | | | The Wanderbird is perfectly suited for comfortable |
| During the five hour, 35 nautical mile crossing, we sited | | | | cruising in locations such as this. We are completely |
| no fewer than seventy five humpback and finback | | | | self-sufficient for up to a month without having to |
| whale accompanied by hundreds of white beaked | | | | re-provision and our fuel supply provides us with an |
| dolphins and thousands of pelagic sea birds of | | | | operating range of six thousand miles. The safety |
| countless varieties. We all agreed that this most | | | | equipment aboard is second to none and daily safety |
| remarkable spectacle was the ultimate definition of the | | | | drills keep us prepared. Tonight we will be having a |
| term "Teeming with life". Our wonderful dolphin escorts | | | | survival suit demonstration in the form of a fun ship |
| never left our side as we sighted land and toasted our | | | | board competition to see who can get into their suit |
| own arrival to this most beautiful and wild place, The | | | | the fastest. This incredible voyage has been presented |
| Labrador! | | | | with one wonderful spectacle after another and |
| The first harbour that we entered was Henley Harbour | | | | tomorrow we will regretfully begin our southerly trip |
| in Temple Bay on the South Eastern Coast. We all | | | | back down the coast towards our return to civilisation. |
| stared mouths agape as our sturdy ship weaved | | | | It's hard to believe that we have not seen another |
| among the rocks to enter this long deserted fishing | | | | person in almost a week. Our "Little Cod" wood stove |
| outport. Henley Harbour was defended by an English | | | | in the coach house has been burning regularly with |
| fort built in 1766. A graveyard and remains of the fort | | | | each and every northerly breeze that brings us forty |
| were visible on the outskirts of a quaint and decaying | | | | plus degree temperatures directly from the Arctic. It's |
| village that was totally abandoned in 1995. After a fine | | | | amazing that when the winds turn southerly that the |
| afternoon of hiking, exploring and stocking our fresh | | | | temperature rises up into the seventies! We will soon |
| berry supply, we returned to our floating home for | | | | be headed back to our wonderful new homeport in |
| another of the mouth watering feasts that we would | | | | Belfast, Maine to share pictures and stories of this |
| enjoy throughout the entire voyage. After breakfast | | | | remarkable expedition. A look at the ship's log shows |
| the following morning we got underway headed North. | | | | that we will have travelled almost four thousand |
| After an hour of working along the magnificent coast, | | | | nautical miles by the time we return to Belfast! We |
| our bow lookout shouted "Iceberg ahead" and we all | | | | have all found that our initial fears about staying "out of |
| rushed to the starboard side to view another first. The | | | | touch" with news, television and radio has turned to a |
| shimmering gargantuan appeared in brilliant blue/white | | | | calm contentment, as we fully immersed ourselves in |
| at a distance of 5 miles. Having never seen one of | | | | the natural surroundings and the fellowship that can |
| these giants before, we had trouble actually gauging | | | | only be shared between voyagers on adventures |
| the size of the behemoth until we were close enough | | | | such as this. The solitude, scale and wildness of |
| to see that it towered over our sixty foot mainmast | | | | Labrador cannot be described. Karen and I are |
| and reduced the 150 ton Wanderbird to the proportions | | | | hooked! Labrador has touched us very deeply and we |
| of a toy boat as we stood along side at a respectful | | | | have decided to return again next August for three |
| distance. WOW, all this in our first twenty four hours in | | | | more expeditions. Six of our twelve guests have |
| Labrador! | | | | already agreed to join us. |
| During the time that I have been writing this brief, the | | | | Capts. |