After a bouncy night and a Force 7 wind the day dawned overcast and the wind was still blowing hard. Gun-metal grey seas were flecked with white and the spray blown back but we made good progress heading south down the Labrador Coast in (almost) the last leg of our journey. We were following more or less exactly the route of Bjarni Herjolfsson, Leif Eriksson and all those other extraordinary Vikings who ventured along this coast over a thousand years before. How they survived in those open boats beggars belief. It was appropriate, therefore, that we had a presentation on “The Vikings in Newfoundland” this morning to get us ready for tomorrow’s visit to the site of L’Anse aux Meadows. We were also reminded of the many audial pleasures we have had during this trip with a presentation of “Sounds of the North,” which was a kaleidoscope of sound including Inuit voices, throat-singing and music.
By lunch time the wind had dropped further and the sea had reverted to the blue that we have seen so much of during this expedition. The fulmars, those champion flyers of the North Atlantic, were out there above the waves, showing off their skills, gliding and swooping over the crests.
After lunch the effects of climate change on the polar regions was brought home to us in another presentation as we sped south towards our goal. And following dinner we had a preview of the video chronicle of this expedition which served to remind us just how precious are these unspoiled, unpopulated locations. By bedtime the wind had dropped further and the ship continued its way south along the now visible Labrador coast to The Rock – the island of Newfoundland itself.
