Currently I’m looking at some photos I took some time ago while visiting Battle Island. It’s off the coast of southern Labrador, and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t succumbed to the magic of this place. In the past, Battle Harbour was the salt fish capital of the world, as it was here that fishing boats brought their cod cargoes. The cod was gutted, salted and dried on platforms called “flakes”.
In past centuries, cod from Labrador was the food of people in many countries, and I am not exaggerating when I say that there would probably have been more famines in Europe without this salted fish. Some merchants became very wealthy as a result of it, but many fishermen could only barely keep their heads above water (in the very sense of the word), even though they worked hard day after day from dawn until night. Not a glorious chapter in social history.
In the 1990s, historic buildings on Battle Island were restored or rebuilt. Some local fishing families still have summer houses on the island. Tourists can stay in comfortable accommodations and be pampered by the cooks in the restaurant. There is also a dormitory with bunk beds for visitors who like it more affordable.
When I was there in the month of June, I saw several icebergs on the boat crossing from Mary’s Harbour, which takes about an hour. On the island, I walked on narrow paths and felt far, far away from any civilization.
Battle Island and the neighboring Caribou Island inspired me to write my new crime novel in the Calista Gates series, which is in the making. I don’t want to reveal much about it, but there are some sinister incidents taking place here. People with bad intentions can even turn tiny islands in the North Atlantic into crime scenes – only in thrillers, of course. In reality, the islands are a place where – as the tourism slogan correctly says – you can lose yourself and find yourself again.
Read more about Battle Island: https://battleharbour.com/
