Passage on ferry APOLLO, Blanc-Sablon - St. Barbe (Labrador Marine)

A ferry trip aboard the classic APOLLO. The Labrador Ferry. Canadian ferry between Blanc-Sablon (Quebec) and St. Barbe (Newfoundland). ************************************************** The APOLLO, a ferry with a rich history, was towed from Quebec on August 2, 2021, by the Mirjana K to Aliağa, Turkey, where she was beached for scrapping on September 8, 2021. Built in 1970 by the Jos. L. Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, she had linked Quebec with Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle. In summer 2018, I traveled to sail on this aging vessel before her end. Months later, she was sold within Canada and soon scrapped, closing a five-decade legacy. Reaching the APOLLO was a trek. After a sea voyage to Newfoundland, I drove from Port aux Basques in the south to Saint Barbe in the northwest, where she departed for Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. In Canada, the journey is the destination, and this drive, with stops to admire Newfoundland’s rugged beauty, took a full day. My video captured the island’s wild charm. The APOLLO’s past was colorful. Built for Viking Line of Sweden, she later sailed as OLAU KENT, GELTING NORD, BENODET, and CORBIÈRE across Europe. In the 1990s, she served as LINDA 1, then APOLLO, in the Baltic. Sold in 2000 to the Woodward Group of Newfoundland and Labrador, she joined Labrador Marine on the St. Barbe–Blanc-Sablon route. Winter ice often rerouted her to Corner Brook, stretching the crossing from 1 hour 45 minutes to 12 hours. On April 13, 2017, she was stuck in ice for nearly 30 hours with 70 passengers. On June 22, 2018, I reached St. Barbe under bright sunshine. The town was a quiet outpost, young and plain, with a hotel doubling as the ferry terminal. Exploring took minutes—everything was visible on arrival. I photographed Newfoundland’s wilderness before the APOLLO arrived, her 48-year-old form a nostalgic sight. The photo spot, a path to the rocky shore, was ideal. I wanted to sail on this German-built ferry. With no departure until morning, I stayed at the terminal’s hotel for a quiet night. Boarding the APOLLO, I was dismayed by her state. The deck was worse than some scrap-bound ships, though 80% of the interior remained as it was in 1970. She still sailed. The crew was friendly. Her age and size meant replacement loomed, and little had been invested. The crossing was calm, with birdwatchers on board. Blanc-Sablon’s dock was outside town, where ice fragments floated in cold air. Canadians braved the deck in T-shirts, while I bundled up. Tickets, booked online, had to be picked up at the terminal. Blanc-Sablon’s crowded terminal revealed the APOLLO’s flaw: she was too small for the trucks and buses, causing delays. As a foot passenger, I was let through. The return was stormier, but the APOLLO held steady. A small cafeteria served food; the restaurant was long closed. Disembarking in St. Barbe, I felt melancholy, knowing this was likely her final season. By this report, the APOLLO was gone from the route, her tow to Aliağa ending a maritime era. Sailing on her was a fleeting connection to a bygone time. *************************************** JustFerries! Videos of Ferries & RoRo ships. Follow me on: ►Facebook:   / iloveferries   ►Twitter:   / justferries   ►Instagram:   / justferries   For commercial use of my footage send your request to [email protected] (Please note that I receive a large amount of spam. If I do not recognize that you have dealt with the issue of ships, you will not receive a reply). If you want to support my video productions: ►Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/justferries ►BTC: bc1qk7d8qmrde35dxv42y0l5g4xxyd4q6q3hllgp65 ►ETH: 0xE2b477CE35eA2e0BB28ea6814264E41443b7dFaC