Trifter

We have other things besides birds in our back yard in Grates Cove, Newfoundland. We also are in the path of the flow of icebergs that drift into our cove. This usually happens during, April and May and some don’t leave until they turn into the water that created them. The awesome sights and forms these icebergs make are, needless to say, breathtaking. They add the final touch to this wild, free and beautiful Island we live on. We are fortunate enough to have a local photographer and artist (Vicky Martin) here in the community that provided me with these pictures.

The majority of our icebergs come from Greenland with a few coming from the eastern Canadian Arctic Islands. They are among the fastest moving icebergs of all in the world and we have them right in our back yard. The icebergs are brought to us by the cold Labrador Current. Approximately 40,000 icebergs break away from Greenland each year and give us a show like no other.

It takes approximately a year from the time they break away from Greenland to arrive at our island but it’s well worth the wait as these majestic, sculptors of art give us a glance at something that is estimated to be 15,000 years old when it breaks away from Greenland’s glacier. We are very privileged to have a front row center to this performance of Mother Nature.

When we see an iceberg we are only seeing a small amount of its size. It is said that under the iceberg the size is 7/8 to what we see above the surface. This size is in width. The depth of an iceberg is slightly less than what we see on the surface. When an iceberg has been in the cove a long time( they have known to stay well into June and July and some cases longer they melt. When the size has melted down sufficiently they just break apart and return to the sea.

This is beauty at its finest! This majestic iceberg graced our cove in spring of 2008. Many people visit our small community to view the icebergs. It’s a front row seat for all. Every one that visits is made welcome and some will engage in chatting with some of the locals. The locals are more than willing to stop for a chat as every one of them is as proud as I am of the wonderful community we live in. if you would like to visit Vic Rocks and Things  follow this link. http://www.beyondbaccalieu.com/webpages/Vic%27s%20Rocks.htm