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Cape Race, Newfoundland, juts into the Atlantic Ocean and serves as a critical landmark for eastbound Trans-Atlantic vessels before they can safely continue towards the British Isles and beyond.
Often enveloped in fog, the waters off Cape Race pose significant navigation hazards due to the shifting Gulf Stream and drifting icebergs carried south on the Labrador Current.
The Gulf Stream flows from the Straits of Florida, passing Cape Cod before veering east toward Ireland. This powerful current has carried several abandoned vessels from the waters off Cape Race to a single beach in Ireland.
In winter, the Gulf Stream stays over 100 miles offshore from Cape Race. In summer, it shifts closer to the coast. Its force is so strong that vessels sailing along its northern edge can be pushed northward off course up to 100 miles and directly into the rocky shores of Cape Race and the Avalon Peninsula.
Eastbound vessels frequently ran aground on the west-facing shores of the Cape Race area, while westbound vessels struck the east-facing shores. Meanwhile, those sailing along the southern edge of the Gulf Stream were often forced far out to sea to the south.
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