Cap-a’-l’Aigle

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We are definitely following the “road less traveled” as we continue our travels into the eastern reaches of the province of Quebec.   We left Quebec City at  9:15 on July 22 and arrived at Marina de Cap-a-l’Aigle by 5:30.  It was a partly cloudy day with a strong west wind which hastened our journey.  After leaving the “big city” of Quebec, we immediately passed the Montmorency Falls that are higher than Niagra Falls.

We cruised past the pastoral countryside and rolling hills of Isle d’Orleans which divides the St. Lawrence River providing two channels.  The north shore was dotted  with little villages each with their requisite church steeples and hills that became increasingly large. 

We even passed an area where ski slopes were carved into the hills.

As we cruised past Ile aux Coudres we encountered the fastest current yet and found ourselves traveling at 16.5 mph or 14.5 knots on a 7 knot current!

After awhile the northern coastline became more and more dramatic as we got closer to Cap-a-l’Aigle.  Wisps of fog wafted down from the mountains that plunged into the sea.  We were now in big sky country!

A couple of huge ships passed us without incident.  One freighter that we kept watching in the distance turned out to be an odd sort of lighthouse!

A passing squall left us in the midst of a beautiful rainbow.

Marinas and anchorages become more scarce from this part of the St. Lawrence River eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The riverbanks have very few inlets and coves and hardly any rivers in which to anchor.   But every 40-60 miles, an area is designated as a port of refuge where boats can safely get off of the waterway and find a safe haven in case of storms or fog.  Cap-a-l’Aigle is one of them.

As we approached the marina, we became engulfed in a little fog bank. 

The marina looked tiny and insignificant against the mountainous landscape.  As soon as we rounded the corner of the breakwater that was built from enormous round boulders, dead calm ensued and we understood why this marina is called a port of refuge!

After tying up, we explored the marina that was perched on the side of a hill with a sparkling waterfall trickling down into a stream lined with wildflowers.

Lynn did laundry while Jonny did more boat chores and sorted through our next series of maps.  Walking up to the laundry at sunset was an awesome experience as you can see from the attached photos. 

We had a quiet dinner onboard and prepared for our next day’s journey to Tadoussac and the hope of seeing the many species of whales that frequent that part of the river!