According to schedule we arrived at Corner Brook on New Foundland. We had come into the Gulf down the wide channel separating Newfoundland from Labrador, on the mainland. Over the next few days the cruise course takes us further down the Gulf and into the St. Lawrence River to Quebec. We then retrace our path back out into the Atlantic and head south west to New York stopping at a few places along the way.

Allthego and Homealone don’t know much about this part of the world and have never been here before. Slobro has no idea. It will be a learning experience. So it is quite appropriate for our tour in Corner Brook to be on a local school bus. This style of vehicle is all over North America.

One of the first things we learn is that Newfoundland and Labrador only became part of Canada in 1949 and there was a contingent of Newfoundlanders at Gallipoli in WW1. A referendum was held offering two options, stay independent or join Canada. 51% went with Canada. An earlier referendum had the USA as another option, none got a majority.

Our tour took us to the Capt. Cook memorial lookout, great views down on the town. Corner Brook has a strong connection with Captain Cook, he was based around here during the late 1750s and first half of the 1760s. This was the time of the squabble between the English and the French about the control of what is now eastern Canada.

The English controlled the seaboard areas from Labrador south to the American colonies and the French the interior region, the present day Provence of Quebec. Without dwelling on this much more the English finally kicked the French out at the Battle of Quebec. Cook was involved in a lot of map drawing of the St Lawrence River, so accurate that they are basically still in use today. The French were always peeved about the loss of New France and it is one of the reasons why they backed the American colonies against the English, with money and men, in the War of Independence some ten years later.

From the lookout the pulp and paper mill is shown to dominate the town’s landscape. It has been here just on a hundred years and is the major employer. For much of its time it was an ecological disaster, a toxic plume extended out into the harbour. Salmon stopped coming and entering the Humber River to spawn. Today, it is a model of ecological success, the plume has gone and the salmon are back.

We are then back to town passing by the Heritage Pole, ski fields and the Man in the Mountain (he is watching out for raiders of pirate gold supposed to be buried on the island in the river below). Slobro struggles to see the image!

In town we have a wander around the streets and enjoy lunch at a micro brewery. Allthego was starting to look a little scrappy hair wise so dropped into a local barber for a 3 blade trim up.

This was looking scary as the barber, a young lady of modest size, with bright orange hair and wall to wall tats did the job. Allthego checked the top of his head for any engravings, none. So all ok, and should make it back to Brisbane before needing another trim.

Next is a day at sea before reaching Quebec.