Our journey to Quebec City down the St. Lawrence continued as we headed for Portneuf. It was a long day on the water, but but the weather was good and we were moving with the current which is very important in this part of the river.
Cathy and Steve seem to be enjoying the trip and we are happy they are able to share this experience with us.
A few barges passed us which is just a little intimidating. We moved well out of their way and were relieved to discover that the freighters’ wakes were not bad at all.
We went by the industrial town of St. Joseph de Sorel and passed under the beautiful bridge connecting Becancour to Laviolette.
The current was very strong as we expected it to be and we felt like we were flying at 16 mph – the fastest we’ve ever traveled on this boat. Imagine!
When we approached Portneuf, we rounded their breakwater and all of a sudden the waters became still as we calmly entered the marina. This is an example of what is called a port of refuge and it truly felt like one.
The marina is situated in an area where the tide is very extreme. The landscape at low tide was quite dramatic – windswept and rather desolate – but beautiful.
We walked into the tiny village and along the way we passed a park with unique knitted blankets hanging from trees. We’ve found many parks on this trip that have a wide variety of creative artworks on display.
At the local pub, we had a beer and tried the typical Quebecois comfort food called poutine. The traditional version is french fries with gravy and cheese curds but it comes in other variations as well. We can see why this is comfort food – especially on a cold winter’s night. But we probably won’t be ordering it again – we prefer our fries extra crispy!
The best choice for dinner was the marina restaurant and there we all enjoyed a good seafood dinner. The place was packed and we couldn’t quite figure out where the patrons came from because the area seemed so remote and the village itself was quite small. We guess they must come from miles around!
The next morning we left early for the final long run to Quebec City.
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