Icebergs

We went to mass at the St. Anthony Catholic church. A nice mass, with a personable priest. The priest said that his previous assignment was as an itinerant priest in Labrador, where he traveled by air, boat, and snowmobile, to serve his far flung flock.

We took the Northland Discovery tour boat out of St. Anthony. The tour included a knowledgeable onboard biologist. The tour focused on icebergs, as they have more and larger icebergs this year than any time in the last 60 years, because of calving from the Petermann Glacier in Greenland a year ago. The Labrador current carries the icebergs down "iceberg alley". The largest iceberg, really an ice island, was a mile long and a quarter mile wide. Icebergs are the largest pieces, growlers are the size of a car or a house, while bergy bits are the smaller pieces. Seamen regard the growlers as the most dangerous, because the large icebergs are easily seen on radar, but the growlers can still destroy a ship. The bergy bits are not a hazard.


The trip started foggy, but when we reached the icebergs the sun came out, glistening on the icebergs, perhaps the nicest day in a week.

Marianne thought that this was one of the most beautiful sights that she had ever seen.

Icebergs are some of the purest water on the planet. When I put a bit in my mouth, it was salty for a moment, but once the sea water was gone, the ice was pure fresh water. The Quidi Vidi brewery, takes some of the bergy bits and uses them to brew beer!


We had dinner at the Lightkeeper's restaurant. We have not eaten any meat since we arrived, instead we have eaten excellent cod, halibut, and salmon. It reminds Marianne of her diet as a girl. When we came out, Richard noticed a spouting whale, the first whale that we have seen on this trip.

A beautiful day. It is so quiet and peaceful here we will probably stay another day.