The union church in Red Bay Not long after Columbus discovered Caribbean resorts Basque seaman established themselves along the south Labrador coast in search of whales. Red Bay, which we visited Wednesday, was one of the largest of their seasonal whaling stations. Today it's a national historic site, including the bottom of the bay where one of their whaling boats has been excavated after centuries of preservation in the bottom's silt. The bay, which gets its name from the color of the local rocks, provided a safe haven from storms and suitable land for "frying" blubber to produce oil, which was then shipped back to Europe for use as lamp fuel and the manufacture of paint, varnish and soap. The same rich marine life which attracts whales to the area -- herring, mackerel, capelin and other schooling food fish -- provided sustenance for the whalers, along with whale meat and the then abundance of cod. Parks Canada's interpretative center at Red Bank i...