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ENJOYING AND EXPLORING THE MARINE WORLD

      Viewing an iceberg in Conception Bay   (Photo by Dick With)

Recreational boating, as such, is still a relatively new concept but there are limitless possibilities for it in Newfoundland and Labrador. Leisure-time marine activity is growing. Many small fishing boats are used for pleasure, while cruisers and yachts are more visible each year, though mostly concentrated near St. John's.  Some communities which are aware of the potential, such as Bay Roberts and Harbour Grace in Conception Bay and Clarenville in Trinity Bay, have recently encouraged the building of pleasure craft marinas. Each year flotillas of mainly sailing yachts from both the mainland and St. John's yacht clubs cruise the coasts. Responding to this interest, at least two cruising guides have been published.

Eco- and adventure tourism are catching on quickly and are creating entirely new marine activities. Almost every town with tourist attractions also has entrepreneurs providing boat tours for watching whales, icebergs and seabirds, all of which are quite common, in season, along some coasts. Outfitters and guides take visitors on the province's myriad inland waterways and on sea kayaking expeditions along the salt water shores. Scuba divers and windsurfers also find much to interest them here.

Marine historians can delve into this specialty with great satisfaction. There are the Viking voyages of 1,000 years ago, Basque whaling in the 16th century in Labrador, the discovery of little known facts like the landing at Renews of the pilgrims' Mayflower, notorious pirates of the 17th and 18th centuries, coastal raids by English, French and Dutch ships as European warfare reached the western Atlantic, mysterious beacons set on coastal heights so far back in time they defy explanation, and of course literally countless shipwrecks littered around the province's coast. Indeed, even with excellent marine historical resources (two scholarly societies are based at Memorial University) there is still much to be uncovered in this field.

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