Immersing yourself in a coastal culture is a treasure to behold. Small outport communities along the coast of Newfoundland, remote northern towns amidst the Arctic. Imagine the colour, and feel the history of these unique and culturally enriched areas.

Overview

Embark on a journey of contrasts, from Newfoundland with its rich history of Viking settlements, generations of fishermen that have ventured to sea to fish for cod and aviation history (the province hosted 40 pioneering trans-Atlantic flights between 1919 and 1937) that have shaped the local culture and way of life, through Labrador discovering isolated fishing villages (called Outports) and finally reaching Baffin Island where the Inuit are still linked to the land in a way that very few cultures can claim.

In the afternoon we will board our vessel, the R/V Akademik Ioffe and set sail north along the coastline. As we sail out of St. John’s Harbour, we will have Signal Hill on our port side, where Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless transmission in 1901. On our starboard side, we will see Fort Amherst, built by the British to protect the entrance to the Narrows. As we clear the harbour, we can look to the southeast and see the lighthouse at Cape Spear that marks the easternmost point of the continent of North America. We will leave this behind as we sail northwest around the Avalon Peninsula and on to the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.

We will arrive at L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and go ashore in our sturdy Zodiacs, landing on the beach, reminiscent of the ancient Norsemen. This will be our first of many experiences with our Zodiacs, a very safe and versatile craft invented by the famous Jacques Cousteau. L’Anse aux Meadows is a corruption of the original French L’Anse au Meduse meaning Jellyfish Creek. This is where Norseman, Leif Erikson, is thought to have founded “Vinland” in 1000 AD. As we explore the reconstructed sod huts and Norse ruins with the site’s archaeologist, we will see evidence that the Vikings discovered North America five hundred years before Columbus arrived.

We will set sail for the coast of Labrador and cross the Strait of Belle Isle to arrive at Battle Harbour, one of the first British-based settlements in the east and home to the Church of St. James the Apostle, built in 1852. We will explore the restored fishing, whaling, commercial and religious buildings of this remote community, amid the backdrop of breathtaking coastal views. On the way across the Strait we will be on the lookout for Humpback and Minke whales, along with seals and many species of pelagic birds. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell built one of the first hospitals in Labrador in Battle Harbour in 1893, with one doctor and one nurse on staff. Further along the coast we will arrive at Hawkes Harbour in the late afternoon for a visit to an abandoned whaling station built in 1933 and operated by the Newfoundland Whaling Co. Ltd.

Today we will make our way along the wild and ruggedly beautiful coast of Labrador with some cliffs rising as sheer rock walls over 1500 metres. As we sail we will be sea watching from the bridge and upper decks of the Akademik Ioffe looking for Humpback, Minke whales, White-beaked Dolphins and perhaps Orcas. We will pass the site of the proposed new Mealy Mountains National Park. The Park represents 39 distinct Canadian ecosystems and has been home to Labrador Innu, Inuit, Métis, descendents of European settlers and Quebec Innu. We plan to explore the Wonderstrands, a spectacular length of beach on the Atlantic Coast. This long line of sand glints in the sunshine, sweeping in a graceful arc for over 40 kilometres. Signs of human habitation have been found here dating back some 7,000 years. This is also one of the best places in the entire national park system to spot wild timber wolves.

The ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield cradling the hamlet of Hopedale, population approximately 620, will greet us as we rise this morning. After breakfast, we will go ashore by Zodiac visit the Hopedale Moravian Mission – built in 1782 and said to be the oldest building east of Quebec. Here we will learn about the influence of the Moravian missionaries on the Inuit people of Northern Labrador. We hope to visit the local museum and perhaps buy a carving or two from the local Inuit as we explore the town.

We will sail north to Okak Bay, and land at Okak, an abandoned community, former Moravian Mission and subsequent Hudson’s Bay Company trading post until 1956 when the Canadian government relocated the inhabitants to other communities in Labrador. This site offers lush sub-Arctic tundra walking on the open-rock barren lands of coastal Labrador. We will explore this area and others farther north for the ancient camps of the early pre-Dorset people who occupied this barren landscape.Our next stop will be Cape Mugford, one of the two sources along the coast of Labrador, of the stone, Ramah Chert – used for over 7000 years by the Paleo-Eskimo peoples and the Maritime Archaic Indians. It was preferred by many flint knappers (or stone workers) because the pattern with which the chert fractured was predictable, producing a better formed tool. There are only two known sources of high quality, flakeable chert along the entire Labrador coast. One is in the Cape Mugford region; the other is farther north in the area of Ramah Bay. This second source is found in an extremely limited area, as part of a sedimentary formation that runs from Saglek Bay north through Ramah Bay, ending at Nachvak Fiord. We hope to go ashore here to view this interesting rock formation and for further tundra exploration.

Today we hope to visit Hebron, once the northernmost settlement in Labrador. Hebron was established by the Moravian missionaries in 1831. The Mission was closed and the Inuit families relocated in 1959 but the buildings still stand today. From here we sail north and into Saglek Fjord. This is the southern gateway to the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve, established in 2005.

The Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve covers 9,600 square kilometres in Northern Labrador, bordering Quebec on one side and the Labrador coast on the other. It is home to Canada’s highest mountains east of the Rockies, breathtaking fjords and stunning barren land viewscapes The Inuktitut word Torngait, means “place of spirits” and the Torngat Mountains have been home to Inuit and their predecessors for over 7500 years. The mountain peaks along the border with Quebec are the highest in mainland Canada east of the Rockies, and are dotted with remnant glaciers. Polar bears hunt seals along the coast, and both the Torngat Mountains and George River caribou herds cross paths as they migrate to and from their calving grounds. Today, Inuit continue to use this area for hunting, fishing, and travelling throughout the year. We will go ashore and explore the area. Wildflowers are spectacular when in bloom and bears feast on the aptly named Bearberry and Crowberries, among the sedges and grasses, on the raised beaches along the shores of the fiords.

Near Natchvak, the Torngats are a particularly beautiful range. It means “the place where the spirits live” and surely no one will disturb them in this eerie place. According to Inuit legend the area was once home to a form of giant Brown Bear that was even bigger than a Polar Bear and would attack humans on sight.

Nachvak Fjord is exceptionally beautiful. This deep and narrow Fjord is 22 kilometres long and all sorts of animals congregate in the fjord including whales, seals, Walrus, Arctic Fox and Polar bear. There are also great concentrations of sea birds including puffins and murres. We will enjoy this abundance of wildlife and striking scenery by ship and Zodiac. Photographic and drawing opportunities abound!

As we sail up the final stretch of coastal Labrador, we will attempt a visit to Martin Bay to view the site of the German automated weather station established in secrecy in October 1943 by a German U-Boat. This station remained undiscovered until the late 1970’s when a German historian came across a reference to it in the German naval archives. The equipment was collected by the Canadian Coast Guard in the early 1980’s and is on permanent display in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Later in the day, we will visit the Button Islands before sailing into Ungava Bay. Named after Thomas Button who explored the area in 1612, the islands are in the middle of the upwelling of nutrients of the edge of the continental shelf. These nutrients attract thousands of seabirds and other marine mammals.

We will start our day with a short walk up a narrow river valley to view archaeological sites on the eastern shore of Akpatok Island. During yet another of our excellent lunches, the ship will sail around to the bird cliffs on the northern shore of the island where we will plan to launch the Zodiacs and cruise among this wildlife extravaganza. Named after the Akpat, the Inuktitut name for Thick-billed Murre, this limestone island is home to over 500,000 breeding pairs. The clamour of chicks demanding a feed, the arguing of parents over ledge space and the squawking of gulls on the hunt for an abandoned chick will provide a noisy background to the warm aroma of a seafood-based diet.

Today we will sail across the Hudson Strait to the Lower Savage Islands. This strait is rich in sea life, providing the food for the large seabird colonies that line its shore. We will cruise in our Zodiacs among the maze of channels that comprise the Lower Savage Islands, looking for Polar Bears and, where no bears are found, a place to go ashore. These rarely visited islands will be our first landfall on Baffin Island. We will stroll among the wildflowers and dwarf birches and Arctic Willows that abound in this wild place and with our resource educator archaeologist, we will look for evidence of the early Paleo- Eskimos who may have called the islands home.

Today we will sail across the mouth of Frobisher Bay to visit Monumental Island, a small, steep-sided island off the Southeast coast of Baffin Island. Here we will be looking for the Polar bears and walrus that live around this island in an uneasy truce. While Polar bears have been known to attack and kill young Walrus, they are no match for a fully grown male walrus, especially in the water. This will be our last Zodiac cruise and tonight, on board the ship, we will enjoy the sumptuous fare at the captain’s dinner. During the night the ship will negotiate the narrow channels of Frobisher Bay on the way to our disembarkation point, Iqualuit, the capital city of Nunavut.

We will disembark by Zodiac and, after a short tour of Iqualuit (if time and tides permit), we will transfer to the airport in time for the flight home.