Out in the blue, and we find Newfoundland

We sailed 782 nautical miles straight, from Greenland to Newfoundland. That was another sea day. What does one do on a sea day? You catch up on blog writing (our technique is to put them as word docs, and then when we get to port, or a reasonable patch of internet availability, and then upload to the blog site. We had to practice our balance technique a little, as we encountered force 8 gales. Walking on the deck was a challenge, but you really felt you were at sea. This was coming down through the Labrador sea. These days are also handy to catch up on films you haven’t seen, with a dvd in your room standard now. We haven’t had outside tv reception for days, so the world could be in strife and little would reach us. The ship does download a news summary from various national newspapers. We receive Australian and US, but it always seems to be sports. The shops of course are open when we are at sea, to encourage duty free shopping – not really feasible for Australians who still have a long way to go.
We were told the entry in to St Johns would be very précise and delicate, the largest ship to ever enter their harbour. It was a glorious morning, and a soft warm wind, blowing off the gulf stream. A pilot had to be boarded, and there were people lining the cliffs of the cliffs lining the harbour entrance. The ship glided in through an very small gap, and we spun 360 to line up at the wharf, a street away from the centre of the city. (The ship can spin on itself and turn completely – it must be amazing to see from te shore)
St Johns is a hilly city, 150, 000 population, has its own university, ad a mixed industry, obviously fishing as part, but oil is a major player now, so is a very wanted friend with the mainland. The houses are very similar in style, several stories high, gables in the roof, majority in weatherboard, and many different colours. House owners are only able to change the colour, not the style, or take off shutters and other features. For those who have seen San Francisco, there is a great similarity. The locals seem friendly, though after a summer of ships, and tourist invasions, I guess a few are looking forward to their long cold winter a little.
I thank anyone who has read this little travel tale, and appreciate any comments.
Tonight as we leave there is to be a musical send off from the shore, so more will be said of this pretty and surprising little Canadian outpost.
More soon