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It wasthe proverbialdark and stormy night, and
il the captain of the MV Nordik Express. was wor-
ried. Wavesof increasingstrengthand fury were
washing over the observationdeck that usually
provides passengerswith stunning views of
Quebec'slower north shorecoastline,
1-888-830-8842 "l thought we
were going to die," he remarked
afterwards of the 7o-metre supply ship's late-
Decembervoyageon her weekly sojourn to the
Labradorborder.
Sowhy risk this journeyin storm season?
'-'Forthe chance
to seean icebreakerin action,"
)oellePelletierof RelaisNordik Inc.explains.The
MV Nordik Expressis classedfor light ice duty,
so anything more tban rzo centimetres thick
rP.u
hHtIobsF,
alilHool service
Sand)fbeachesandgranitemark 570
kitometresof island-studded
coasttine.
. trnllltOt{Job Seekers
requiresthe servicesof a coastguard icebreaker.
She saysthis tci us lessadventuroustypes who
are travelling during the summer. In ]uly and
August, it's possibleto view icebergsfrom the
Arctic floating through the Strait of Belle Isle,
which divides the mainland of Quebec and
Labradorfrom Newfoundland.
The two-night iourney from Havre-Saint-Pierre,
Quebec,takes in approximately 57o kilometres
of island-studdedcoastline.The landscape
includesisolatedsandybeachesand graniterock
formations unobstructedbv trees,thanks to the
sub-Arcticclimal"e.
I climb out of my cozybunk and up to the main
deck,where I'm greetedby an array of blue,yel-
low and greenhousesappearingout of the thin-
nipg fog. These have been built on rocks that
nemtal cling to the shoreline and are connected by
wooden sidewalks,the only roadwayfor bicycles
'target and three-wheeled dunebuggies.
Welcometo Harringon Harbour, the largest of
Destination
pURCELL
the to villagesen route.The inhabitants,mostly
descendantsof Newfoundland fishermen. are
very welcoming.Due to yearsof isolation from
the rest of Quebec,the predominant languageis
English,and French and Montagnais make up
the balanceof the population
Further on, I opt for one of the land excursions
offered at reasonablerates.A photo jaunt finds
me in the back of a pickup truck bouncing over
makeshift roads. Three Quebecois tourists
attempt to steady me as I snap away at the
rolling hills and pristine lakes of T€te-h-la-
Baleine(whale'shead),so named for the shape
of the island,part of the ToutesIles archipelago.
At every stop there's time to explore deserted
beaches
and lonely
roads by
bike.
The voyage
is an ideal test for those considering longer
freighter expeditions.As onboardamenitiesare
minimal, the excellent meals assume great
importance.Freshfish is the norm - no surprise
consideringthe salmon-filledriversin the region
and an economydependenton oceanfishing.
I wish I d brought binoculars.It would havebeen
quite usefulfor spotting and identifying the cor-
morants,puffins, sealcoloniesand wildflowers.
I was told about,but coukl not actually see,the
macareuxrnoines(a smallerrelativeof the pen-
guin) that make their home near the ecology
interpretation site at Lourdesde Blanc-Sablon,
not far from our final destination.
My final mernoriesof the voyageareof awaiting
the Newfoundland ferry in the Blanc Sablon
cafe,I was immediately drawn into a conversa,
tion on the culinary merits of bearversusporcu-
pine and a more seriousdiscussionon when the
first big storm of the fall seasonwould hit, forc-
ing the ship to wait it out in port.