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1830, Tuesday, August 1, 2023
JJ writes today's log entry:
Woke at 6 to the patter of rain on the deck, and Bill rustling around in the cabin. We were shortly underway to make some ground under power before the expected headwinds picked up. Fortunately, we saw no more rain until the end of our journey from Jeanette Bay to Emily Harbour, a 30-mile distance, but a 50-mile beat against the wind. We saw 20 knot winds and 3-to-4-foot choppy seas, but Tazzarin handled it well and we maintained good boat speed with a double reefed main and a reefed genoa.
I joined Bill 5 days ago at the northern most point of his expedition. I was honored to be asked along. It took 3 days of travel to reach him in Hopedale, a day longer than planned. The final flight from Goose Bay to Hopedale was in a small twin engine prop plane known as a twin otter. They have been work horses in small airports for over 50 years. Mine was the 4th before the plane continued to Naine and returned to Goose Bay. We had cargo on board, and some of the seats were folded up to accommodate that. They could all be folded up if needed. There were 12 or so passengers crammed into the remaining seats, including an Inuit mother and her toddler in the seat ahead of mine.
The pilot flew the entire route at low altitude, and as I had a clear view of his instruments, it looked like 1,400 feet. He did not climb to go over hills, we just got closer to the ground. From my vantage on the plane, the terrain in Labrador all looked thoroughly scoured by glaciers. It seemed to be mostly bare rock, with some moss or shrubs, but very few clusters of trees, and a lot of lakes and coastal islands. No roads and only a few small villages where we landed, and a few small dwellings in a couple areas of the coast. Quite a barren landscape, but very dramatic (photo below).
Four days of sailing the coast have reinforced that view. It really feels like we are explorers as we have only seen 2 tiny villages, and no other signs of human habitation. Dropping anchor in Emily Harbour this evening added to the sense of solitude and exploration. I am truly grateful for this experience.
JJ
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