'Give them their space' says U.S. sailor who encountered polar bears in Labrador

Two American couples travelling along the northern Labrador coast in their 13.4-metresailboat had a terrifying yet unforgettable experience with polar bears recently.

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Nancy Zydler and her husband often take their boat from Georgia, U.S.A.to colderwaters off the Canadian coast, and have seen polar bears before during their five trips toLabrador.

'He said 'it's a bear, it's right on the boat, make some noise.'"- Nancy Zydler

However, nothing compared to what they saw when they were anchored inMooresHarbour, near theOkakIslands on the southern limit ofTorngatMountains NationalPark.

Zydler, her husband and another couplewere quietly reading in their bunks one evening when they heard bubbles moving up the side of the hull, before feeling the boat slightly nudge to the side.

When the vesselbegan to lurch even harderand they heard a scratching noise against the boat, their first thoughts were that it was ice, which can pose a real problem while anchored.

"As we ran up to take care of it, I thought 'you better be careful, it could be a bear,'" she told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"Then my husband jumps up and thenjumps right back down and he said 'it's a bear, it's right on the boat, make some noise.'"

That's when Zydlerdecided to go have a look for herself, and noticed the large bear in the water about three metresaway. She said she even made eye contact with the animal before she ranback down inside the cabin.

A serious matter

The two couples watched the polar bear move around the boat for a bit, and took somephotographs. Then theyrealized there was alsoa cub in the water nearby.

Zydler said they made as much noise as they could, using an air horn, to try and scare the animals away, breathing a sigh of relief when the bears eventually swam off.

All fourhadtrouble sleeping that night, worriedthat the mother bear may havestill been stalking them. While it wasn't, Zydler said theexperience has strengthened her belief that anyone who travels in the area should do so with caution.

"They're something that you need to respect and give them their space, they need all the space they can get," she said.

"We're so fortunate to be able to come up here and experience this, we are just very lucky people."