Crossing Belle Strait

First day, Tuesday,(July 25, 2000)
we round the tip of the Northern Peninsula and cross Belle Strait and get to Red Bay. There are about 5 small Viking boats here, crewed by Swedes and Norwegians or ? and one big motorized Viking boat. They are all in authentic gear. Some have wooden shields and plastic caps for fun. One boat’s dragon head prow has red reflector eyes which may even light up (?). There are a couple dragon heads.I check out the Basque boat they found recently and the big paintings of whaling in the 2 museums. I check out a tiny wooden craft shop with a wood heater and a bigger shop with an eatery. I cross the marsh to the Red Bay Airport. It’s bare and open and desolate and there are no trees. This is the end of the road. It’s sunny mostly but then a fog rolls in. When we take off the ship has to use its fog horn and its foggier out to sea.
Mary’s Harbour, Port Hope Simpson –we anchor here overnight, mosquitoes infest the ship, we watch Smilia’s Sense of Snow—I less than Doug, trying to sleep but mosquitoes keep me up,[Pinset’s Arm, Charlottetown]