The Cruising Guide to The Labrador
Updates from the Summers of 2006 & 2007
The current edition of the Cruising Guide to the Labrador is dated March 2006 – check the date on the Contents page for date of your edition.
In 2000 William Cook wrote the guides introduction “Cruising Labrador”. Following his trip to Ungava Bay in 2007 he rewrote the introduction, see below, which will be in future Guides.
Cruising Labrador
By William E. Cook, 2007
In his introduction to the first edition of this guide in 1960, Dr. Paul Sheldon wrote: "Nowhere on the Atlantic Coast of North America is there scenery to compare in grandeur with that found on parts of this coast. But any yachtsman who would see it during its all-too-brief summer will work for what he gets". The scenery is still grand, essentially untouched and unchanged, but cruising there has become easier, at least in some respects. Many areas have recently been surveyed and charted in more detail and most of us have electronic equipment that makes position finding much simpler than it was only a few years ago. But Labrador is still very thinly populated so a crew must be self-sufficient.
The severe beauty of this coast makes it well worth visiting, though it's a long trip there and back. Belle Isle is a thousand miles from Cape Cod and Cape Chidley another 600. To compound the time problem, the season is constricted by weather and ice. The whole western part of the Labrador Sea freezes over in the winter, and this breaks up at greatly varying times from one summer to the next. However, as of this writing in 2007, the amount of pack ice has been below average every year since 1994, so that cruisers have been able to venture north earlier. You can track the daily changes in the pack during the season, as well as the historical data on http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca. As the pack ice shrinks, polar bears are losing their preferred location for hunting, and in recent years, appear more frequently ashore, especially in the north. Unlike other bears, they are primarily carnivores, and will stalk and attack humans. The best defense would be a high-powered rifle (and someone who can use it well), but rifles are now prohibited ashore in the new Torngat Mountains National Park, which is ironic, since the Park would like to encourage kayakers and campers. For more ideas on this dilemma, contact the Park office in Nain (see below).
Labrador is outside the realm of the North Atlantic high, and the weather is driven instead by activity along two low-pressure tracks – one through Quebec and Southern Labrador, and the other from Hudson Bay across Northern Labrador. These lows, especially the northern ones, tend to become more frequent and more intense later in the summer, so the conventional advice is to be out of north Labrador by mid-August. Even after the sea ice has gone, icebergs from the West Greenland and Baffin Island glaciers are common. Though among the more spectacular sights in nature, they can be dangerous to a curious boat. Huge chunks break off periodically falling into the sea, setting up substantial waves, or a whole berg may become top heavy and turn over. They are very hard and usually show up on radar. They normally are accompanied by smaller "growlers" which are not good radar targets and can be hard to see by eye, yet are substantial enough to sink a yacht. Growlers are most common in the vicinity of icebergs, especially to leeward, but they can be encountered elsewhere. The prudent skipper will avoid sailing at night if bergs are in the area.
The southern two thirds of Labrador's coast is very sparsely settled. You will see few people outside of the villages and occasional seasonal fishing settlements. The shore is mostly rock, with the striking exception of North Strand, a twenty mile long sand beach north of Cartwright. Throughout this section of the coast there is a wealth of inlets, islands and little passages known as "runs", "rigolets", "rattles" and "tickles". The country is heavily wooded in the south, though the islands and sometimes the immediate coast may be treeless. The northern third of Labrador, beyond the northernmost settlement of Nain, is essentially uninhabited. The trees give way to tundra and the shoreline rises into the bleak drama of the Torngat Mountains and their spectacular fjords with some shoreline cliff faces rising 2000 feet, and 3000 to 5000 foot summits within a few miles of the shore.
The inhabitants of the more southerly villages are European, Newfoundlanders and Inuit, with Inuit predominating in northern villages such as Hopedale and Nain. Davis Inlet is the sole Indian village on the coast. Prior to the 1960's there had been four settlements north of Nain, centered around Moravian missions, but all are now abandoned. Though some residents are shy of strangers, most are curious and friendly; ready to go out of their way to help.
Fishing, particularly for cod, has driven the coastal economy for centuries. Generations of families, who wintered on the island of Newfoundland, traveled to Labrador each summer to fish, establishing small settlements on the off lying islands near the fishing grounds. As early as the 1960's the cod industry was in a steep and steady decline because of over fishing throughout the entire Northwestern Atlantic, and the Canadian government halted all cod fishing in 1992. In recent years, shrimp and crab fishing has grown, and processing plants in a few towns, notably Cartwright and Makkovik, have become the mainstay of the economy, even though the boats themselves are based in Newfoundland or southern Labrador. About half of the adult population of Makkovik worked in the plant in 2007.
For recreational fishing, as of 2001, any type of salmon fishing requires a special license and a guide or outfitter. For trout fishing in coastal waters non-residents are not required to have a fishing license or a guide, but daily bag limits do apply. For inland waters non-residents need a fishing licence and need a guide or outfitter unless within 800 meters of a provincial highway or accompanied by a direct relative who is a resident, and daily bag limits apply. Regulations are different along the Quebec shore.
The major coastal villages include Mary's Harbor, Cartwright, Makkovik, Hopedale and Nain. With airstrips in these villages, Labrador Airways and Provincial Airways have regular air service to them from Goose Bay. In recent summers there have been several flights a day except on Saturdays. Each village has at least one grocery/all purpose store, which will have most staples, although the selection may be erratic. Usually some vegetables and frozen meat are available any time after the first supply ship has gotten through the ice. Diesel fuel is usually available by truck, and fresh water is on or near the pier, though a lot of hose and sometimes a way to adapt to a larger pipe may be needed; a jerry can for ferrying water can be useful. These villages have very modest lodgings. There are no liquor stores north of Mary's Harbour, except in Goose Bay where there are excellent liquor stores, grocery stores and accommodations. Parts for your boat are nonexistent, parts will have to be flown in; and then you will probably have to make the repairs yourself. In short, be self reliant, and if you want it, bring it with you.
That part of Labrador between Red Bay and Cartwright are on Newfoundland time, Atlantic Time plus ½ an hour, while north of Cartwright is on Atlantic Time.
Though temperatures ashore and well up the major inlets can be quite warm in mid summer, bringing out swarms of voracious mosquitoes and black flies, on the water it is usually cold. Remember, the ice pack has only recently moved off, so the water temperature is still close to 32 degrees F. Average July air temperatures only run in the low 40's and it will be colder than this in northern Labrador. Figure on dressing as if for winter skiing, but with a waterproof outer layer, and you won't be far wrong. A cabin heater is awfully nice to have.
Steve Loutrel's article on anchoring is required study for any who would venture into the deep, rocky fjords of the Torngats. Further south anchoring problems are usually not so severe, but I would strongly recommend at least one anchor known to work in rocky and/or kelp strewn bottoms – the best types I know of would be the Bruce, the Spade, or the traditional kedge, or fisherman’s, anchor. Since weather changes are often more abrupt this far north, two anchors and/or an anchor watch may help to avoid a midnight surprise.
The Canadian government has re-surveyed and re-charted much of the coast in the past twenty years, including everything from Hamilton Inlet northward to beyond Nain. On many of these charts, there are still large unsounded areas, and you are on your own there. North of Port Manvers Run, the charts are based on older surveys, and some of these only show a single line of soundings, sometimes with a note reading “normally safe for small craft.” However, the sounded tracks and the charted land masses are not at the charted latitude and longitude, but usually about a quarter mile off , a discrepancy which your chartplotter will make glaringly evident! At the risk of stating the obvious, electronic charts do no more than attempt to replicate the best information on the paper charts, so they show the same erroneously located land and soundings.
There is continuous VHF marine broadcasting for weather and ice from the Coast Guard Stations located in St. Anthony and Goose Bay. "Labrador Coast Guard Radio", located in Goose Bay, has four repeaters, at St. Lewis (channel 24), Cartwright (channel 83), Hopedale (channel 26) and Nain (channel 24). To the north of Nain one needs to pay attention to the schedule of SSB forecasts given in the U.S. publications: Worldwide Marine Weather Broadcasts and or the Canadian Radio Aids to Marine Navigation, Atlantic, which lists both the Canadian Forces Halifax and Newfoundland Weather Center; which broadcasts ice conditions twice daily. Ice information can be found at: http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca
There is no Coast Guard station in the thousand miles between St. Anthony and Iqaluit, on Baffin Island. It might be a good precaution to keep the nearer of these informed of your whereabouts; even though you should plan on self-rescue from any situation, it can not hurt to have someone know where to look for you. In this regard the Coast Guard encourages people to file a “sail plan” with them at St. Anthony Coast Guard and Labrador Coast Guard on VHF. Once north of Nain this needs to be done on SSB or satellite phone. Be aware, though, that if you have a plan on file that calls for regular check-in, and you are unable to report on schedule, they may initiate a costly search.
On average only a handful of yachts reach Labrador in any given summer. Yet for the well-prepared boat and crew that does get there, it is an experience of a lifetime.”
The Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve was established in 2007 and covers almost 10000 square kilometers from Saglek Bay north to Cape Chidley. It includes all land within Labrador north of Saglek, beginning with Big Island, up to the SE part of Killinek Island. The sea and fiords are not included in the Park, so, paradoxically, you are allowed to carry a rifle aboard your boat, but not to bring it ashore, when it is most likely to be needed. For more information about the Park, their website is http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nl/torngats/Index_E.asp; E-mail is torngats.info@pc.gc.ca; Telephone 709-922-1290
From the Labrador Guides Editor: There has been a lack of feed-back from the few yachtsmen who have visited the Labrador coast during the last few years. I hope this trend does not continue.
In October 2006 a question was sent to the Canadian Ice Service concerning icebergs, or more accurately, the lack thereof. Their reply: “The number of icebergs found off the east cost of Canada in any given year is affected by a number of things: 1) Greenland and Canadian Arctic iceberg production in previous years; 2) the number of icebergs drifting southward through Davis Strait at the beginning of the winter season; 3) the extent of winter sea ice along the Labrador Coast and to the northeast of Newfoundland; and 4) wind patterns and sea surface temperatures at the beginning and the end of the winter season. Of these factors, the extent of sea ice that develops along the Labrador coast is key. Icebergs drifting down the east coast are frozen into the sea ice pack during the winter, and the ice serves to protect the bergs from disintegrating by North Atlantic winter storm wave action. Greater sea ice extent means a greater number of ice bergs will survive the winter through to the next spring. During the past few years, sea ice extent along the Labrador coast and to the northeast of Newfoundland has been less than normal. This is partly due to a long-term trend related to global warming and partly due to natural variability and North Atlantic climate cycles. Likely, after a sea ice minimum such as the one we have been experiencing, extents will recover to normal or slightly above normal within the next few years. However, due to the negative trend associated with global warming, sea ice extent recovery may be less than seen in previous decades. This means that the number of bergs found off the east cost of Canada should increase in number within the next few years, but probably won’t reach the peak numbers and the extreme southern latitudes of the past heavy iceberg years.”
The Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve has been established and extends from Saglek Bay north to Cape Chidley and includes all land within Labrador north of Saglek Bay. There is no marine component to the park at this time.
Red Bay, Western Arm A – 1 (51?42.9N, 56?27.7W)
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution Good protection, except in Easterly winds. Easy access even at night in fog. Bottom weedy, but adequate holding.
North East Arm, Horn Bay, Niger Sound B - 15
2007 – Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. There are two obvious anchorages in Horn Bay. Northwest Arm is subject to williwaws in strong west winds and we had trouble getting the anchor to hold. On another occasion we tried North East Arm and found it to be perfect anchorage with shelter from all but strong southerly winds. We anchored in the north east corner in 12 feet with good holding on a mud bottom. Excellent hiking on shore. An added treat was to see a mother bear and two cubs eating grass and searching for mussels.
Bottom Arm, Port Charlotte new 52??? 27’N, 55? 46’W
Chart 4701 Insert
2007 – Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui found excellent shelter here from NW to NW gales anchoring in 40 feet in the middle of the basin. The holding was good in mud with some weed and the low surrounding hills did not create any williwaws.
William’s Harbour B - 60
2007 Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. A disastrous fire in July 2007 completely destroyed the docks at William’s Harbour.
St. Francis Harbour Bight B – 65
2007 Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. St. Francis Harbour is rather exposed to the SE. An alternative is St. Francis Harbour Bight, also shown on the detailed insert on chart 4701. The Bight is protected from all but a strong NW wind. The entrance is straight forward. Anchor in 35 feet at the head of the bay with good holding. We took lines to the south and north shores to provide added stability as a strong SE funneled down the cove. Great hiking on shore.
Lady Arm B – 97
2007 Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. The store at Lady Arm has closed. Supplies can be obtained by taking the ferry from here to Charlottetown at 09:30 on Monday’s and Thursdays and returning at 16:30. Return trip cost $18.00. This could work for a crew change as there is air service to Charlottetown.
Squasho Run B – 108
2007 Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui found that the bouys in the Run have been reversed from the positions given in the Guide. Green was on the western side of the channel and red was on the eastern side.
Mullins Cove new 53? 44’N, 56? 27’W
Chart 5133 and detailed plan on 4712
2007 – Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. This is a large bay just south of Cape North that provides good shelter from West and NW winds, particularly when going north when rounding Cape North into a stiff NW wind which can be a struggle. We anchored in 20 feet deep in the NW corner to keep out of the swell that does make into the bay. The holding is good in sandy-mud.
Punchbowl B – 125
2007 – Coryn and Tony Gooch on board Taonui. The only buoy in the entrance channel is a green buoy marking the shoal off the southern point as you enter. The buildings are an eyesore and still in the process of slow demolition by people from Black Tickle. The docks are still in good condition. We rode out a SE gale in comfort, tied inside the outer dock with lines off to the root dock.
Cartwright C - 15
2006 - Robert Pirie writes “In Cartwright there are no facilities on the Marine Center wharf except electricity, although I suppose fuel could be delivered. Rafting up in the miniscule inner part can be an adventure. Water is available at the Ferry Wharf, but getting along side there can also be an adventure.”
White Bear Islands new 54?27.7N, 56?’55.7’W
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution A beautiful and remote spot, but offering limited shelter. The cove east of South Island has the best protection, but is still open to the east; we found a good sand bottom in 50’ of water.
Webeck Harbor: C - 100
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution We found good protection and holding ground in the cove on the NW side.
Dawes Harbor, Kikiktaksoak Island E - 40
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution The northern cove is better sheltered, but swinging room is limited.
Hebron: F - 35
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution Considerable progress on the restoration of the mission building in 2007; new sills, and framing on much of the structure. Two carpenters from Newfoundland working, with the promise of six more from Nain, but these had not arrived in early August. Polar bears in the area; Tom Dawe, the lead carpenter, had been stalked by one, and eventually had to shoot it.
Saglek Bay: Western Harbor F - 45 (58/31.5N, 62/46.0W)
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution This harbor is between Shuldham and Handy Islands, is reasonably protected and has good holding in 25’.
St. Johns Harbor F- 45
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution In 2007, this was the site of a large summer encampment of officials of the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve. They expected to return in subsequent summers, as it is one of the best camping places, with dry, level ground, and abundant fresh water. For bear defense, they turn on an electric perimeter fence at night, and have designated “bear wardens” who can shoot a bear if necessary.
Saglek anchorage
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution It is possible to change crews here, using a chartered flight to the air strip at the NORAD base. Workers at the base have been willing to provide transport between the air strip and the shore.
Eclipse Channel: G - 15
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution The cove NW of Miller Peninsula has good holding in sand and weed. It is shallow, with 9’ LW just inside the entrance, but the bottom slopes very gradually, so one might be able to go farther in than we did.
Tunnissugjuak Inlet G - 20
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution The cove on the north side, about four miles west of Clark Harbor, has good holding in heavy kelp and mud.
McLelan Strait: G - 30
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution The currents here are predictable, using the tide tables for Port Burwell. Since the tidal range at the west end of the Strait is so much higher than at the east end, it is the height at the west end that drives the current. As it happens, the time of high tide at the east end (as tabulated for Williams Harbor) occurs at about the same time, but this time is of minor importance. The west-going current will begin 3-4 hours after high water at Port Burwell, when the level there has fallen below that at the east end. The east-going current begins 3-4 hours after low water at Port Burwell, when the level there is above that at the east end, and rising. The current is strongest in the narrows near the west end of the Strait, so time your passage for a moderately fair current in that section.
Port Burwell new 60?25’N, 64?51’W
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution Mission Cove is the best anchorage, with room for one boat in the wide part near the abandoned buildings. It is about 50’ deep here, and the bottom is mud and kelp with good holding. We had a swimming visit by a polar bear, which was exciting, but uneventful.
Button Islands new 60?38’N, 64?41’W
2007 - Bill Cook on board Resolution Though not the most hospitable place, with shores of bare black rock, and strong currents, we found a cove out of most of the current on MacColl Island about 1 ¾ mi. NE of the charted anchorage at Observation Island. Depth was 25’ and the holding good in mud and kelp.
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