Red Bay - Take 2

The weather has improved and since we had extra time before the ferry to Newfoundland we decided to head back to Red Bay to visit Saddle Island and do a couple hikes we'd wanted to do.

Our timing was perfect, we got the last boat before they cancelled the ferry due to wind. Much of the islands is left in it's natural state, so you need to imagine how it was hundreds of years ago with improvised docks, whales along shore, coopers huts, and the ever present rendering stations for making whale oil. The photo with the number 8 shows one such rendering station with three pits for large copper pots.

The Park service is creating a reconstruction that shows how it must have looked all those centuries ago. The wreck in the harbor, a cargo ship named the Bernier that grounded in the 1966 during a gale, helped archaeologists locate the wreck of a wooden galleon just 100 meters away.

After touring Saddle Island, we climbed the stairs to Tracy Hill, which offers a commanding view of Red Harbor, Saddle Island, and the strait across too Newfoundland.

Finally, we walked along the Boney Shore. This beach is named for the hundreds of whale vibes washed up here.Read more