The last time we tried to sail to St. John’s, the seas were far too rough, and the port was deleted from the ship’s itinerary. We were able to visit this time. The seas were calm, allowing for a smooth entrance through the narrow harbor opening. St. John’s harbor is very protected. When the locals learn a major storm is coming, they gather in all the ships in the area to protect them from the elements. We were told that sometimes there are so many ships in the harbor, one can walk from ship to ship.
St. John’s is a much larger city than I had imagined. It is the capital of the province of Newfoundland and is spread over quite a large area. Population exceeds 512,000. As we left the ship to explore the area, we were greeted by two world champion dogs--one was a fantastic Newfoundland dog while the other was a Labrador. It was quite the photo opportunity (and some of us got in some hugs as well). After a tour of St. John’s and nearby smaller harbors, we ventured out to the most easterly point in North America, Cape Spear’s Lighthouse. It was very sunny out, and the temperature was around 86 F. We all hoped St. Anthony would be this nice on our return voyage.
At the end of the tour, I hired a taxi driver to go in search of sketching pens. We found an art supply store on the edge of the city. (Jim always gives copies of his sketches to ship’s personnel as we sail along.)
Photos will follow in August.
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