Canada Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador
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The Northern Ranger
Telephone: 1-866-535-2567
Website: www.labradormarine.com
Northern Labrador is the region at its most remote, yet the coast is fairly easy to explore, thanks to the weekly, summer-only ferry service of the Northern Ranger, which is becoming popular as a budget cruise. The foot-passenger only steamship, run by Coastal Labrador Marine leaves once-weekly from Cartwright on a route that takes it to Nain via Happy Valley-Goose Bay, with stops at every larger community along the way. In most cases the hour or so the ferry spends at every stop is plenty to have a look around. Should you decide to stop for longer, you'll have to stay for several days until the ferry docks in again, and will have to ask around for somewhere to stay, though it's generally not too hard to find accommodation. The ferries run from mid-June to late November; soon after this, the Arctic ice pack closes in to seal up the area for the rest of year. The late-season schedule is notoriously unreliable since storms can delay sailings, sometimes for days. It's late in the season that the sea can also be at it's roughest; the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks noted that his 1766 voyage down the coast was "one continual puke".
Fares are very reasonable, based on the number of nautical miles travelled, with supplements for cabin space, which you should reserve well in advance, otherwise it's likely you'll have no option but to make yourself as comfortable as possible on the aircraft-style seats. A round-trip from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Nain costs around $416 return in an economy cabin. Prices at the onboard canteen are reasonable but choice is limited and the meals are reminiscent of over-cooked school dinners so it's worth stocking up on provisions beforehand.