Riviere-au-Renard, Quebec

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Our original plan for July 29 was to cruise to a town called Grand Vallee.  But the weather was so beautiful (and the prediction for the next day was not so good) that we decided to travel all the way to Riviere-au-Renard (Fox River) which turned out to be an 11 hour travel day. The marina at Riviere-au-Renard looked to be more protected and our next day’s cruise to Gaspe’ would be only 30 nautical miles. 

The view along the Gaspe’ is very beautiful.  Tiny towns line the coastline like a string of pearls separated by stretches of dark green forests. 

We started to hit patches of fog but fortunately it was not consistent.

We passed a windmill farm which looked quite compelling through the fog.

   The gannets soared in and out of formation as we struggled to catch them on camera.

Lynn spent a good part of the day updating the blog while Jonny, as usual, manned the helm.  We reached the northernmost part of our journey on this cruise when we passed Gros-Morne at north latitude 49.15.780!  It’s all downhill from here!

Diva Di was on the same track as us but because they can travel faster, they arrived two hours before us and kindly asked for our dock space to be adjacent to theirs. 

We finally arrived at 6:30 and were so wired after the long day that we just wanted to get off of the boat and walk.

We decided to eat dinner at a seafood restaurant recommended by the dock master.  It was called The Caribou which gives you some idea of the world we are traveling in these days.  We trekked to the restaurant (it feels really good to stretch your legs after 11 hours on a boat).  When we arrived at this rather modest restaurant we were told we would have to wait about 30 minutes for a table.  While slightly amazed at the wait since we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, we found a seat at the bar and had a beer.  There are very good local Canadian beers and Jonny, especially, is having fun sampling all of them.

When we were finally seated, we were fortunate to get a table that looked out over the harbor where a full moon was rising.  It was beautiful and somewhat made up for the mediocre meal we had there!

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The next day we would reach our long anticipated stay in Gaspe`, a dramatic setting at the easternmost part of Quebec and one of those unique “land’s end” locations!

 

Sainte-Anne-des-Mont, Quebec

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We left the Matane Yacht Club at 7:45 a.m. on July 28 following Diva Di on the cruise to Sainte-Anne-des-Mont.  It was very foggy throughout the entire journey.  We had to use radar constantly and fortunately there was hardly any traffic on the river.  It was still pretty chilly requiring Lynn to wear a couple of layers under her jacket but no long underwear under her jeans was required this time!

Although we were watching the charts, it was amazing how upon arriving near the marina,  the breakwater seemed to appear out of nowhere.

We tied up on a face dock behind Diva Di.  We were greeted by two engaging Quebecois women who were admiring our boats.  They were traveling  through the area on their way to Gaspe’ by car.  They were very interested in our journey so Duane invited them onboard to see his boat and we invited them to see ours as well.  One of the women, Suzanne, was going to be performing in a chorus at a festival in Gaspe’ on Saturday night and they invited us to come.  We think we might be able to as that is our destination for later in the week and we plan to be there for a  couple of days.

Afterwards, Duane, Diane, Jonny and Lynn walked into the town of Saint Anne to buy some groceries and purchase fresh fish for our dinner.  On the way, another friendly boater stopped Duane and asked him, in French, if his boat was a catamaran (it’s a motor cat).  This fellow was familiar with sailing catamarans but had never seen a power cat and he asked Duane if he could have a look at it.   Duane is always very accommodating and made a date with the guy to see it later that evening.  We proceeded with our shopping expedition. Fishing is a primary industry in this part of Canada.  There was a fish market just across the street from the marina so we bought some cod and Diane bought a lobster. 

As we walked into town, we tried to take some pictures but it was still quite foggy.  Before we finished our sojourn, the fog had lifted and we we were able to get a few shots.  There was a great collection of sculptures lining the grounds of the Explorama Center that was adjacent to the marina.  The sculptures were quite interesting and all carved from driftwood.

 

We decided to have a communal dinner on our boat.  Lynn prepared the fish and Duane and Diane brought rice pilaf and broccoli.  Dinner was delicious and accented by a very nice caper lemon butter sauce that Duane made for the broccoli but was equally good on the cod.  Jonny made strawberries with balsamic vinegar over ice cream for dessert.  Quite a yummy spread!

After dinner, yet another couple stopped by who were interested in our boats. They were staying at the marina on their Bayliner and lived in the next town. Once again we invited them on board to see both boats.  They ‘ooohed and aaahed” and said they would be back with an offer (which made for a quick flight of fantasy).

We find that our boats become something of the “main attraction” when staying at marinas in this part of Canada.  There are many fewer boats here and most of them are smaller fishing or power boats with a smattering of sail boats.  We generate a lot of attention due to the size of our boats and because we’re from Florida.  Everyone we’ve met has been very warm and friendly and we’re able to wrestle through our communication.  Duane’s French continues to be exceedingly helpful and many folks will slip into  English when they see us struggling.

After dinner, while Diane did some laundry, Jonny, Duane and Lynn climbed the breakwater to watch the sunset.  The breakwaters in this area are made of huge boulders.  These were striated with what looked like quartz lines and they were beautiful.  The sunset was very dramatic and it was with reluctance that we pulled ourselves away to return to our respective boats for the evening.

Matane, Quebec

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We left our anchorage in Anse  l’Original at 7:30 a.m. on June 27  bound for Matane, the next stop on our journey.  We were traveling behind Diva Di since they can travel faster than us.  This was another long cruising day downstream on the St. Lawrence.  It was  very foggy and quite chilly for most of the day.

It was so cool that Lynn started off with two layers of pants, two layers of shirts, a light jacket and a mid-weight jacket.  As the day wore on, the layers were reduced but it wasn’t until we were about to arrive that the sun shone.  But that was short lived as the fog rolled in again as we docked at the marina at Matane.

We were able to see a cute harbor seal as we came into port!

After chatting with the charming  dockmaster, a young girl from Halifax who highlighted the one or two things to do in Matane, we decided to skip our explorations of the town and stick close to the boat.  Lynn did a load of wash at the marina’s comfortable facility (co-ed bathrooms with five separate units each containing their own shower, toilet, sink and dressing area).  The amenities are important to us these days! 

A beautiful rainbow appeared across the sky as we prepared for Duane and Diane to join us for cocktails and nibbles.  Afterwards,  Jonny made dinner for a second night in a row and he always does so with such finesse!  

We topped off the night with two nice Facetime chats, first with Stephanie and then with Andy and Ed. Even Stephanie’s cat, Sasha, and our dog, Mocha, made appearances!

Anse l’Original Anchorage (Moose Bay)

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On July 26, we left the marina at L’Anse St. Jean bound for Tadoussac to pick up Zendo at the marina there.  We enjoyed our last few hours on Diva Di and the Saguenay and even spotted a few more belugas on the way.  We arrived back at Tadoussac at noon and left an hour later for our anchorage at Anse l’Original (also known as Moose Bay) on the St. Lawrence.  We expected this to be a long travel day and it certainly was.  It was nice to be back in our cozy boat though we had definitely enjoyed our time on Diva Di and we absolutely loved the Saguenay!

 

As we left Tadoussac, we saw a couple of Minke whales and even some porpoises! A fitting farewell to this wonderland also known as the Charlevoix region!

We are now headed to the Gaspesie region – the northernmost part of our trip. 

We had a long cruising day and as it got colder and just a little rainy, we drove mostly from down below in the saloon. Lynn worked on the blog most of the day and we arrived at our anchorage around 6 p.m.  Anse l’Original is a beautiful anchorage in  a bay off of the St. Lawrence.  The weather cleared at the end of the day and we had a great view of the shoreline and bay (no moose sightings though)!

Lynn went down to the galley to cook dinner but the anchorage was getting a lot of swells and after awhile amid the cooking smells and the rocking and rolling of the boat, she had to come up for air.  Jonny kindly finished the dinner preparations and we ate on the aft deck in the waning light.

 

Later on after cleaning up, we did some more trip planning with a particular focus on dates for upcoming rounds of visitors.  We are expecting Lynn’s cousins Cathy and Mark to meet us in Nova Scotia, and then a few days after they leave Michael Bracken is coming.  Jonny’s cousin Robbie will be joining us for the crossing of the Bay of Fundy. 

We are enjoying this more remote part of Canada.  It is all very new and exciting to us!  We are also grateful to be traveling with Diva Di which adds a level of comfort and security in these more isolated areas.

Tadoussac and the Saguenay Fjord

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What an incredible adventure we had exploring the area around Tadoussac and cruising up the Saguenay Fjord.   The confluence of the Saguenay River and the St. Lawrence Seaway creates a a rich feeding ground for several species of whales, as well as seals, porpoises and other marine animals.  The Saguenay Fjord is more like a mountain lake than an actual river.  It was created during the last ice age and it has a mountainous and rocky coast line and incredible depths.  The whole region, including the 68 mile length of the fjord, is considered a parkland and the Province of Quebec is dedicated to its  preservation. 

We arrived in Tadoussac on Thursday, June 25 and were welcomed by the imposing sight of the Tadoussac Hotel dominating the waterfront.

The province’s dedication to preservation was evident to us as we were approaching the marina hoping to snag a slip since they do not take reservations.  We were heading towards the marina hoping to beat out two sailboats that were also racing in when we were waylaid by what looked like a police boat.  It turned out to be a park ranger who rafted up to us and proceeded to explain the regulations related to dealing with marine wildlife.  There are very specific rules about how close you can come to the whales with more restrictive requirements for  beluga whales because they are an endangered species.  The ranger was very informative and provided us with literature about the whales as we watched the other two sailboats beat us into the harbor!  Fortunately our friends Duane and Diane on Diva Di were expecting us and arranged with the marina for us to raft up next to them.  They are also doing the Down East Loop  and we will likely be traveling along a similar time table for awhile.

This is a popular tourist area for hiking, kayaking, sailing and whale watching. The marina filled up with boats and some had to raft onto others.  The village of Tadoussac (population 850) is perched on a hill above the marina because in this part of the world the mountains meet the sea and river.  It’s a cute town with friendly, mostly French speaking people.  There is a fabulous cliff walk that lines the coastline and provides a taste of the dramatic vistas in store for us along the Saguenay.  That evening Duane and Di came aboard for cocktails and nibbles and we decided to travel up the Saguenay together.

 

We spent the following day exploring the village because the weather was overcast and rainy.  We had lunch at one of the nicer restaurants and visited the Marine Mammals Discovery Center.

Duane and Diane invited us for dinner – a delicious chicken and orzo soup prepared by Duane.  That evening we finalized our plans for the next day to travel up the Saguenay River to Bay Eternite’, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful spots on this journey.  It is too deep to anchor along the way and there are only three mooring balls available in Bay Eternite’.  So we decided to travel together on Diva Di for the four hour journey up the Sagueney and stay at a marina in L’Anse-Saint-Jean.  It will be fun to share the experience and it will save us all money by going on one boat and splitting expenses.  We were also fortunate that Clyde the cat was willing to give up his berth to us!

Originally we were going to leave at 11 a.m. because Jonny thought the marina staff said that that was the optimal time to catch the currents up the Saguenay.  We were taking our time getting ready when Duane came to tell us that he double checked and the marina staff had misunderstood our question and we needed to leave around 9 a.m.  So after quickly packing our gear, we boarded Diva Di for the 4 hour cruise. It’s certainly helpful that Duane is able to communicate so well in French.  Jonny does OK using the French he remembers from living and working in Algeria but he is very rusty (though he’s always willing to try)!

It turned out to be a glorious day!  Bright blue skies. just the right amount of wind, a beautiful boat (34 foot power catamaran that is very roomy and comfortable)  and great company.  The Saguenay Fjord is lined with  majestic cliffs rising hundreds of feet and dropping just as far into the river.  The depth gauge stopped registering once it reached around 500 feet!

We were only an hour into our trip when we started to see beluga whales in the distance. They look like small white mounds on the water.  If the water was choppy, they could easily be overlooked as white caps but we had a calm clear day.  The more we looked, the more whales we saw and  they were heading directly for us!  We were concerned about not getting too close as per the park regulations which require that if  you find your self too close to a whale, you must put your boat in idle and drift until you are in a position to move further away. 

But the belugas were determined to come right up to our boat and stay there!  And their friends followed so that we had at least seven belugas next to our boat.  We were beyond excited!  They ranged in length from about 5 to 15 feet.  Some were pure white and the smaller ones were mottled grey.  They came right up to the side of the boat as we stood there snapping pictures and videos. We could clearly see the blow holes on top of their heads and we could see the bubbles surrounding their exhalations.  They frolicked around the boat for well over 20 minutes, playfully rolling  over and over, jockeying for position, showing us their bellies,  and slapping  their tails at us.  Lynn was torn between being mesmerized by their antics and capturing them on film. 

 

After awhile the belugas lost interest and we needed to move along so we regretfully parted ways and continued up the Saguenay to the stunning Bay Eternite’ - the most beautiful spot on the Saguenay.  Perched high on the cliff is  a statue of the Virgin Mary that was erected  122 meters up on the mountain back in 1881.

We could see spots of color on the hillside which were the brave souls who chose to hike to the top of the mountain.  We were not planning to join them this go-round.  This pristine bay is breathtakingly beautiful .  The bay is much too deep to anchor in.   The  boats we saw on the mooring balls were dwarfed by the size of the cliffs.  There are only three  mooring balls available on a first come first served basis.

Although there was one available,  our plan was to go about five miles back down the river to the charming village of L’Anse-Saint-Jean and stay at a marina there.   We had a leisurely dinner at a great little restaurant that was hopping on a Saturday night.  We wondered where the people came from because this is still a very remote area!

After planning the next day or two of travel, we made an early night of it.   Can you tell that the weather gets pretty chilly here – especially later in the day and when it’s cloudy!

 

Many thanks to Diane and Duane for hosting us aboard their boat.  We clearly had a wonderful time!