Bain There, Done That: Sailing Around Newfoundland
By Jennifer Bain | Published February 23rd, 2026
Bain There, Done That is Jennifer Bain’s bi-weekly column about travelling Canada in search of quirk.
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In October 2025, Adventure Canada’s Newfoundland Circumnavigation route stopped in the isolated outport of Francois/Jennifer Bain
When people knock cruising, I start singing the praises of expedition cruises on ships that don’t hold more than 200 people. Then, once they’re good and curious about the very opposite of megaships, I ask if they’ve heard of Adventure Canada, a Mississauga-based company that specializes in exploring the remote parts of our own country.
I’ve done six sailings with the family-owned company that’s led by CEO Cedar Swan (whose Inuk husband Jason Edmunds is the expedition leader). Five were between Greenland and either Nunavut or Labrador. The sixth and most recent was the “Newfoundland Circumnavigation” route that sailed clockwise around my favourite province for 12 days.
Oh what fun we had last fall, travelling from St. John’s to St. John’s with stops in Labrador and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which belongs to France but is an archipelago off the southern coast of Newfoundland.
Every moment was memorable but here are 13 highlights.
Taking Zodiac Rides
Adventure Canada passengers hop on Zodiacs most days to either zip around looking for wildlife and admiring landscapes or get taken to shore to explore/Jennifer Bain
Expedition cruises may draw the 50-plus crowd (people like me) but we’re a nimble bunch, able to climb in and out of Zodiacs to get to and from the ship. It’s all about the destination — not the bells and whistles on the vessel — so most days are devoted to outdoor explorations. Sometimes you’ll go to shore to explore a community or hike the land, but other times you’ll take Zodiac cruises looking for things like wildlife and icebergs.
Sailing out of St. John’s Harbour
When you pass through St. John’s Harbour, you’ll see the eclectic Battery neighbourhood underneath Signal Hill National Historic Site/Jennifer Bain
The Port of St. John’s is tucked into a protected harbour. Stand on an upper deck as you pass through the Narrows so you can admire the colourful Battery neighbourhood beneath Signal Hill National Historic Site. Better yet, come a day early and do North Head Trail, Canada’s best urban hike. Look for Sable Chief, a Newfoundland dog and the unofficial mascot of Signal Hill who often hangs out between the upper parking lot and Cabot Tower with his retired owner Ed Jackman.
Exploring a Piece of France
Saint-Pierre looks like Newfoundland but it’s part of France. Photographers love the architecture and these unique porches called tambours/Jennifer Bain
Due to cabotage laws and the Coasting Trade Act, foreign-flagged Canadian cruise ships usually need to stop in a foreign port. On this sailing, that port was Saint-Pierre, the capital of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. SPM — as it’s called — is a quirky French overseas territory. We were treated to a bus tour around the former bootlegging stronghold, and wandered around looking for French pastries and admiring the architecture and unique porches called tambours.
Partaking in a Powwow
Adventure Canada guests join a dance when the Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’om puts on a mini powwow/Jennifer Bain
I’ve been to Newfoundland and Labrador countless times but this was my first chance to visit Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’om, a friendly First Nation at the mouth of the Conne River. It’s in central Newfoundland but off the beaten tourist track. The town pulled out all the stops for us with tours of its community garden followed by a mini powwow and moose soup lunch. Then we wandered over to the community centre where local artists had gathered to sell their jewelry, carvings and other creations.
Visiting An Isolated Outport
Fellow travel writers Pat Lee and Janna Graber enjoy a traditional Newfoundland lunch complete with music while visiting Francois/Jennifer Bain
There are no roads to Francois, an outport community that’s home to barely 50 people and that most people pronounce Fran-sway. Locals come and go by ferry. We anchored in the bay, took Zodiacs to shore and fanned out on hikes. Later we reconvened at the town hall for a musical lunchtime feed of fish cakes and baked beans. We were supposed to visit Francois later in the day and into the evening for one of Newfoundland’s famous kitchen parties, but had to get ahead of bad weather. On expedition cruises, itineraries are only starting points — Mother Nature decides how things unfold.
Moosespotting
Two moose graze on a colourful fall hillside near Little Garia Bay in Newfoundland. We spotted them from a Zodiac and used our Zoom lenses to capture photographs/Jennifer Bain
Arctic cruises hinge on spotting polar bears. For some, Newfoundland cruises are all about moose. As a Canadian who grew up with a northern Ontario cottage, I’ve seen plenty of moose in my time but was still thrilled when we spotted two on a fairly barren hillside as we took yet another Zodiac cruise, this one around Little Garia Bay. After that, we got to stretch our legs at a landing site the expedition team had picked.
Walking on the Earth’s Mantle
Adventure Canada passengers explore the fabled Tablelands, a geological wonder featuring orange rocks at Gros Morne National Park/Jennifer Bain
People come to Gros Morne National Park just to hike Gros Morne Mountain, take a boat trip down a landlocked freshwater fjord called Western Brook Pond, and walk on a rare exposed patch of the Earth’s mantle. We didn’t have time for the first two things, but did walk on the mantle, an alien orange rocky landscape at the famed Tablelands. The park — my undisputed favourite in Canada — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its “international geological importance and exceptional beauty.”
Going `On Line’ Shopping
In Trout River, Whale Tale Treasures (and some local homeowners) hang knitted items on clotheslines for what they’ve dubbed “on line shopping”/Jennifer Bain
Gros Morne is so much bigger than people realize and home to multiple communities. On our second day exploring the southern end, I picked a Trout River hike because I knew the town has what it has cheekily dubbed “on line shopping.” That means that random homeowners, and a shop called Whale Tale Treasures, clip hand-knit socks and mittens to clotheslines to catch people’s eyes. I scored a lovely pair of pink and green striped socks that remind me of two of the three colours on the province’s unofficial flag.
Seeing Labrador, Briefly
Parks Canada’s Karen Buckle, Dennis Yetman and Wanita Stone pose at Red Bay National Historic Site's new visitor centre in Red Bay, Labrador/Jennifer Bain
We almost didn’t set foot in Labrador because high winds made it tough getting into the Zodiacs. But those of us that braved the elements got to visit Red Bay National Historic Site, which showcases 70 years of Basque whaling history from the mid-16th century. A Parks Canada interpreter guided us around tiny Saddle Island, where Basque whalers once heated whale blubber in outdoor shelters. Then we zipped over to the town of Red Bay to see Parks Canada’s visitor centre and eat fish and chips at the Whaler’s Station.
Taking Even More Zodiac Cruises
Expedition team member Scott McDougall, Adventure Canada’s director of sustainability and regenerative tourism, shows off a sea star near British Harbour/Jennifer Bain
Strong winds scuttled our visit to L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the only authenticated Norse (Viking) site in North America, so plan B included a Zodiac cruise along the backside of Fogo Island and explorations of abandoned British Harbour. The former fishing community was a victim of the government’s resettlement program in the 1960s, but some people have kept cabins and we spotted one fellow out on his deck listening to music. On the way back to the ship in Zodiacs, we poked around the shoreline and ducked into bays, admiring the fauna, flora and geology.
Being Charmed by Trinity
We followed Gun Hill Trail for sweeping views of Trinity before climbing back down and exploring the popular and picturesque town itself/Jennifer Bain
Who doesn’t love Trinity, a picture-perfect town that boasts restored saltbox houses and a wonderful theatre company? For our last outing, we spent a glorious day here. First we hiked Gun Hill Trail for epic views of town and our ship, then we checked out historic sites like a cooperage, mercantile and forge. There was shopping at Aunt Sarah’s Chocolate Shop and a fall festival full of crafts and food.
Doing Shipboard Bonding
Musician Adam Ruzzo sings a farewell song in front of a photo of everyone on our sailing during a nightly recap called the Gathering/Jennifer Bain
People call Adventure Canada cruises floating universities or summer camps for adults. What they mean is that your days will be spent learning from an expedition team made up of experts like biologists, botanists, historians, musicians, ornithologists and geologists. Arctic cruises include a number of Inuit cultural educators. Our Newfoundland cruise was stacked with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who shared their unique culture and even a “Newfoundland word of the day.” At the nightly “Gathering,” everyone reminisced about the day — sharing thoughts, photos, songs, poems, videos and more — before hearing the tentative plan for the next day. For the souvenir group photo, we gathered on the deck wearing our blue expedition jackets.
Saying Fond Farewells
In St. John’s, you can visit Sable Chief the unofficial mascot of Signal Hill or admire this Daniel Burt mural downtown/Jennifer Bain
As we sailed back into St. John’s, I realized we would disembark across from a new mural of Sable the Signal Hill Dog. Halifax artist Daniel Burt’s mural is on Harbour Drive on the side of a building that houses the Eastern Edge, an artist-run centre, and St. Michael’s Printshop. It also features pitcher plants, the province’s floral emblem and something we did see in our travels.
It was Adventure Canada’s last sailing on the trusty old Ocean Endeavour, built in Poland in 1982 and first used as a ferry and called the Konstantin Simonov after a Soviet poet. Starting this year, sailings will be on the 75-passenger Ocean Nova and a next-generation expedition vessel for 175 called the Ocean Victory.
Coming March 9: Bain There, Done That heads to New Brunswick.
Travel writer Jennifer Bain tours the Ocean Endeavour’s open bridge with Captain Dominic Harrison while circumnavigating Newfoundland/Jennifer Bain