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.
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