Friday, September 14, 2012

Chandler QC to Shediac NB




July 29, Another beautiful day with clear skies.   Left at 6:15am and arrived at 2:40, now in Atlantic time zone. Winds were light, 5 - 10kts and from S - SW, which meant motoring all day as my heading was S - SW.   Headed to Shippagan where I was hoping I would be able to get through the bridge and gully which would split the trip to Escuminac or Miramishi into two manageable days as opposed to one long 18hr day.  We sent an email to Janie and Guillaum of "Terrien2" to see if they are in the NB area.  We had initially met them this past Christmas when we were in Cuba @ Marina Hemingway and they arrived on their Alberg 30 as part of their trip to the Caribbean. Visit their blog @ http://terrien2.blogspot.ca/



planning for the next leg of the trip
July 30, Got an email back from Janie to say that they are actually in Shippagan with their boat, which as it turns out I passed on my way in, and that Guillaum would meet us.
We met with Guillaum, who first assured me that the bridge is no problem to get under and if I head through the bridge and gully at least an hour before low tide, I would have no problems.  He showed me which markers to stay clear and what path to take when we went for a car tour of the area.

Two Alberg 30 captains

Lobster dinner in Shippagan
July 31.
Clear skies and light winds started the day.  Left an hour and a half before low tide.  At that time the bridge had a clearance of 47' so no trouble clearing the bridge. The tide against me was running around 3kts making for slow progress through the "Gully" but manageable.  What makes it difficult is where the Gully meets the ocean.  There it can be quite rough when the tide and ocean are in opposition.  There is a reason it is called the "Gully", it is narrow and shallow. At low tide you can see the mud banks on either side.  The depth ranges from 11' to 13' although the shallowest part was once I passed the last marker which is on the ocean, it read 5'.  A big thank you to Guillaum who put me at ease allowing me to travel through the Gully.

Once out on the open the winds gradually increased and started to come from the SE. This was the heading I was going and therefore ended up having to motor again. With the strengthening of the wind came an increase in the wave height, 1-3ft waves.  Tried to pinch and motor sail but ended up having the engine temp rise drastically so I went back to my slow motoring into the wind and waves. Managing a mere 3.5 - 4.5 kts with the higher waves.  Closer to shore the waves would decrease and I could motor sail a bit a 5kts.  Reason for the temperature increase on the engine, the warm waters of the Northhumberland Straight. The water temperature in this region is around 25C in the summer and waves usually are never over 3' thanks to PEI which acts as a giant break wall.

Finally reached the little fishing port of Escuminac @ 6:00pm. Plenty of room to dock as there were few fishing boats, it was in between fishing seasons. Dinner at the wharf dinner, deep fried clams, very good and inexpensive.

low bridge

Shippagan Gully

August 1st. Stayed an extra day in Escuminac as it was a rain day. Breakfast at the dinner, again inexpensive. No facilities at the wharf and poor cell reception, that was the downfall of the area. Went for a drive towards Ricchibucto. Lunch of deep fried clams, then back to the boat and hang out.
Escuminac
Rain day in Escuminac = road trip again

Escuminac tucked away amongst the lobster boats
August 2.  Partly cloudy.  Left @ 8:10. Had to wait a while for the the fog to lift.Winds were light from the SW so had a pleasant sail until I got to the point and has to head SW.  Back to motoring into the waves and wind. Had thought about making it a very short day and putting in at Point Savin fishing harbour but as I was passing the range to enter the harbour the waves subsided.  The skies still looked menacing as thunderstorms were in the forecast, but only ended up with some light rain. Got to Ricchibucto in good time.  The guide book says to pay close attention to the markers, but the harbour is very clearly marked and very easy to follow. Small but friendly marina, with one shower/bathroom. Everything is close by.  Decided to stay an extra night as we were going to meet Janie the next day and we were early in meeting up with Mike in Bouctouche or Shediac. Time to do an oil change. More fried clams and scallops.

preparing dinner

Cottage fest at Roy and Marcie's home in Cocagne

August 3. Stayed in Ricchibucto. No thunderstorms as forecast, instead a nice summer's day.  Oil change in the morning and then met up with Janie and her parents. Quiet evening on board.

August 4. Left early as there were high wind warnings for the afternoon with the possibility of thunderstorms again. Left at 6:45 under clear skies with winds from the NW to NE at around 10kts.  Winds decreased a bit around mid trip and then picked up as I was going to enter the channel leading to the harbour. As with the previous harbour, it is a long winding way in.  The previous harbour had range markers to guide you past the sand dunes and the shallows, this harbour had a narrow, private, staked path that winds its way up the river to marina entrance. A well maintained marina right in the town again. There we met with Mike and followed him to their friends place in Cocagne for "Cottage Fest"

Matane to Chandler

July 22. Left Matane at 5:25am.  The wind has been consistently from a westerly direction, either southwest or northwest' and less than 10kts, enough to fill the sails and combined with the current and tide they help make good progress.  The  waves are on average 1' - 2' unless the tide is against the current then it can become uncomfortable and skies have been a mix of sun and cloud. The average run these last few days has been approximately 40 to 45 nm, an average of 8 hrs on the water.

Today was my first close encounter with a large whale. By close I mean a couple of hundred feet away. What caught my attention was what looked like an explosion in the water.  A short while later another explosion and the whale gently came to the surface and slowly slid back into the water.  I was about the same size as my boat.

whale off in the distance


Catherine with painted driftwood sculpture in St. Anne des Monts
Forecast predicted a front to come through so I decided to stay in St. Anne des Monts.  This was a welcome break as I had been traveling several days in a row without a break.

St. Anne de Monts has some very interesting driftwood sculptures.  Each year they have a competition in creating driftwood sculptures.

On one of the rest days we got to see the first boat of the Transat race go by.  This is an event that takes place every four years.  Boat race from Quebec City to St. Malo, France non stop and round several marks outside of some of the cities along the Gaspé before they head across the Atlantic. Initially the boats were to round the mark at St. Anne des Monts around noon but because the winds died down it was not until much later that the first place boat crossed the path with the bulk of the fleet coming through in the middle of the night and the last two, early in the morning.
driftwood sculpture in Sainte Anne des Monts
Transat race boats enroute from Quebec City to St. Malo France pass by Saint Anne des Monts check point.

Transat race: Quebec to St. Malo
rain day = road trip

The next day was a rain day which meant that I was not going anywhere.  Instead it was a road trip day. I got to experience some of the beautiful countryside from the shore.



2m + following seas and 20-25kt winds

July 25.  Left at 5:35 with winds from the west at 10 - 15kts. A great day for sailing.  What I didn't know was that the forecast changed an hour after I left. Winds ended up being 20 - 25kts and the waves became more than 2 metres.   I started out with the full genoa sail out but found it too powerful  once I was doing more than 9kts with the wind and current. When the waves started to come in over the stern, I reduced the sail somewhat.  I called Catherine wondering if it the conditions were better at the destination to see whether I should find a place for the night earlier.  She assured me that things were fine at the next stop, Riviere de Madeleine and so I continued with my surfing.  It became very tiring trying to control the boat, sail and surf down the waves.  The harbour that I was heading to was not on the charts so based on the instructions in the guide book and instructions from Catherine I headed into the harbour.  A little tricky as the waves as I entered the harbour were on the beam causing the boat to rock violently. Once inside the break wall everything was calm and serene.

I was now at the northern most part of the trip.

Later the day we went for a drive to find a gas station for some fuel. It was at that time that I got a call from my mother with the sad news that my cousin in Italy, Christina, had passed away that day. She had lost her battle with cancer.

I'm the tiny little speck in the distance

Riviere de Madeleine

Riviere des Madeleine, northern most part of the trip
July 26. I was now heading south (actually southeast) looking forward to getting back into summer like conditions that I am used to. It has not been warm enough to wear shorts since I left Quebec City.
Music festival in Riviere au Renard
The regular weather pattern has returned, clear skies, winds <10kts out of the SW shifting to NW and waves less than 1m.  The current was still noticeable providing an extra 1 - 2 kts and the high tidal range was no longer and issue. All of this allowed for a comfortable motor sail with the genoa at an average speed of 7.5kts. This also means I arrive at a destination early enough to enjoy the day ashore as well.  That evening were entertained at the marina of Riviere au Renard with live music.



sailing past Gaspé
July 27.  I was able to leave a little later as the distance for the day was the shortest in a long time, a mere 37nm. Winds were light and constantly changing direction. First NW then W then back to NW and finally to NE allowing very little sailing instead mostly motoring. Early in the morning it became overcast and I was able to watch the rain clouds approach. Rain was light to moderate along the north side of the Gaspé bay and finally cleared up just in time so I would have great photo ops as I sailed past Percé Rock.
Catherine had driven on ahead as usual and secured a spot on the wall at the tiny hamlet of  Anse de Beaufils.  -->

Once there I found out docking is at a first come first served basis and boats are moved around to accommodate as many as possible. Initially we had another Alberg 30 raft next to us, who then moved behind us and then back next to us to make room for two other boats, one of which was quite large and whose owner did not look impressed when another boat that had children and dogs on board raft next to him.

Everyone was charged $1per foot, even boats that rafted, and the harbour was full in the evening. The washrooms/showers were inside the museum/restaurant and were closed overnight.
Percé Rock


Chandler, on the Baie de Chaleur, done with the St. Lawrence
July 28.  Another short day and therefore did not leave until 7:45am.  The skies were clear and the winds were light, 5-10kts from the SW. I no longer had a current to help me move along, speeds would now be much slower.  I ended up motor sailing on a beam reach to Chandler QC on the Baie de Chaleur.  This would the last stop in Quebec.  The next day I would be in New Brunswick.

Again Catherine had arranged a spot for us and as it was early when I arrived we went for a short drive in the afternoon.  Found a florist and arranged to have some flowers sent for Catherine's mother who turned 80.  Once we got back we treated ourselves to some marinated salmon and sangria at the marina. Very tasty.
Marinated salmon and sangria in Chandler

Quebec City to Matane

St. Laurent at low tide
July 17.  I left Quebec city with overcast skies and periodic light rain and headed to St. Laurent so that the next leg would be shorter and I would not have to leave at 1am and go against the tide for several hours. Starting in Quebec city the tides are enormous, ranging from 12' to 16' and finding a marina that has enough water at low tide is limited.

Isle d'Orleans at low tide
July 18. Left St. Laurent at 4am and motored into the tide for 2.5 hours averaging a mere3.5 kts until it changed and then got to enjoy the current and tide moving me along at 8 to 9kts. During that time the wind was constantly on my back and rarely was stronger than my boat speed thereby requiring me to motor.  Each time the wind picked up I would toss out some sail to help my little engine which has been running erratically since day one.

The area of Isle de Coudres has the strongest current.  In this stretch I managed an average speed of 11kts with peaks as much as 13.4kts.

watching the sunrise while under way
It was in the area of Cap de Oies that the wind started to pick up and I was able to motor sail. This was good as now the tide was against me and the engine had bogged down a bit after having run quite hard for such a long time. With the increase of wind also came an increase in the size of the waves as I was now traveling against the tide. Cloud cover also started to increase and it was not until I was safely tied up in the afternoon at Cap a la Aigles that it finally started to rain. 




knot meter reads 13.4kts

Picture taken by Veronique and Steeve who saw me sail past while they were on holiday in the area and having lunch at the Le Manoir Richelieu

July 19.  Left early again, 5:45. It gets light very early. QC has the same time zone throughout the province even though   it goes into the Long. as the provinces that in the Atlantic time zone.  Winds were again, light in the morning and then increasing to 10 to 15kts in the afternoon. Crossing the river was fine. The water was flat and the tide and current were in the same direction allowing me to motor sail with the genoa only at a speed of 8 to 10kts.  Saw my first "sea monster" today.  A seal kept peeking up to see what I was and where I was going.  I arrived at Riviere de Loup an hour before low tide and the marina was totally dry.  In the guide book it didn't say that the marina is totally dry at low tide. The service dock was the only place where there was enough water. Luckily I was able to convince both the harbour master and then the owner of the tour boat operation, which owns these docks, that I could stay there as I would be leaving there the next day before the tide was up again.

12' tide: low tide, the marina is dry

high tide

seals of in the distance
July 20.  Left at 4:45am. Light out already, but cold. had several layers on, t-shirt, sweater, fleece sweater, fleece vest and foul weather jacket.  Another beautiful day with clear skies. Winds were light again and from the SW10kts and tide was with me and therefore enough to sail with the genoa at an average speed of 6.kts.  In the afternoon the wind became lighter and changed to the west, needed to run with the motor only. especially when the tide changed. Change in tide and opposing current created short choppy 1' - 2' waves.  During this time I also had the engine backfire three times. After which for the first time on the trip it ran without any problems.

cold weather sailing in the middle of July
During this stretch of the journey  I saw numerous whales and seals.  The whales were far off in the distance, the seals on the other hand were always close by, very curious creatures.  The water temperature is quite cold now.  The beer cans in the bilge are changing colour, cold certified beer.




July 21.  Ever since the engine backfired it continued to run fine.  Today was mostly motoring and some motor sailing as the winds were light and from the west.  Arrived outside of Matane just after noon but had to wait outside of the harbour for an hour until the tide was high enough to cross a sand bar in the entrance. As it was sunny, warm and the winds were light, at this time it was not a problem. Once in the harbour I was met at the dock by Catherine who had driven from Montreal that day to meet me. Catherine would be my ground support, interpreter and company for the trip.


Brockville to Quebec City


July 7.  Left Brockville with some light rain and light winds so therefore ended motoring to the first of seven locks on the St. Lawrence, the Iroquois Lock. After transiting the lock around noon the skies began to clear and the rest of the day was another sunny, hot and humid day.  Ended up stopping for the night at Chrysler Park Marina. No more free docking.

July 8. A clear day, sunny and hot again. The winds were from the NE at approx. 10kts and therefore had to motor into it.  Had a relatively short wait at the Eisenhower Lock as the lockmaster was waiting for another boat which never cam.  After the lock we continued to motor.  This time we had a current push us as well and averaged 8kts through Cornwall and 6.5 to 7.5 for the rest of the way.

An increase in wind allowed for some sailing for a few hours prior to heading to Valleyfield.


Tried to call Valleyfield Marina but got no response.  Figured that maybe no one was monitoring their radio even though it was a Sunday with many boats racing in and out of the marina. Once we arrived we noticed that there was a lot of conversation on the radio, apparently they only answered calls that were in French.  Although once moored the people in the marina were friendly.

July 9.  Again a hot and sunny day with light winds to start the day.  Motored to and passed through two bridges with little delay, had to wait a half hour for a freighter.  It was when we got to the locks that we had our longest wait. Two and a half hours as several freighters went through.

Rafting party in the locks
During that time several other boats joined us, four  powerboats and four sailboats. 
The sailboats were all travelling together.   They were from Kingston and were heading to Montreal.  After some conversation they suggested that we should try to go to the Royal Saint Laurent Y C instead of the Point Claire Y C as it had more water and could be easily accessed.  That was where they were heading.  So I went down below and called the club.  Ended up being on hold for some time because as I found out afterwards, they were talking to one of the people from the other boats that were calling in for us and added us to their group.

Once in the lock all the boats ended up rafting with each other.

Catherine's mother 'Mama" visiting
By the time we exited the lock the wind had picked up that we were able to sail close hauled with both main and genoa.  We had such good speed that we remained ahead of the group for the distance from the lock to outside the yacht club.  There we waited for the others to pass us and enter the club first as they had booked for us.

There we were met by Caroline and Mama.  Caroline picked up Oliver to go back to their house for Nicolas’ birthday celebration and Mama stayed behind for a while to enjoy a glass of wine with me.

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July 10.  Sunny and hot again.  Left later than planned as Oliver arrived late from the party, but it made no difference as we arrived at the last set of locks around noon only to find the boats that left earlier that day still waiting to go through the locks.  By this time the wind had picked up and made docking by the lock difficult. First time in a long time I had to try a couple of times to get to the last little space that was available, next to a work barge in front of all the other boats with strong winds and current.

After a two and a half hour wait we finally were let through. Again we rafted with the sailboats from the previous day.  As we left the lock one of the members of their group had engine trouble so they did not continue, all the other powerboats raced on ahead. We puttered along at our average speed and again caught up to the power boats as they were waiting to go through the last two locks.  This time the wait was only a half hour.
South Canal
Saint Lambert Lock and Bridge, Good Bye St. Lawrence Seaway

Once through the last lock and bridge we headed to Longueil Marina for the night.

Longueil Marina
 
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Good-bye Montreal
July 11. Waited for the marina to open so that we could get the deposit back for the washroom key. Another sunny and hot day with little to no wind. Fortunately the current averages 2kts, which really helped our progress.  Prior to Sorel we did get some wind from behind us allowing us to fly the spinnaker for the first time.

1966 original spinnaker
At Sorel marina we bumped the bottom a couple of times as we approached the fuel dock.  After checking in we were told that we could go to the other side of the marina for the night. As we approached the dock we ended up getting stuck in the mud just 15 feet from the dock.  After standing around and looking on, it finally occurred to one of the people on the dock that the marina staff could pull us off the sand bar with their work barge.  An hour later we were off the sand bar and moved back to the other side. 

The marina staff informed us that the water level has been dropping rapidly due to the lack of rain and hot days.

Sorel had a Metro within walking distance where we were able get some provisions i.e. Beer

Lac Saint Pierre

July 12.  6:00am Decided to get an early start as stronger winds were predicted that could make for uncomfortable sailing on the shallow lake St. Pierre.  Again we got stuck leaving the marina, though Oliver was able to push the bow of the boat so that we were able to motor out.

As forecast, the winds did pick up and once we were near Trois Rivieres we were able to sail without the engine running using only the genoa. 

The guidebook suggests that one should leave Trois Rivieres several hours before low tide in Quebec City. Based on our boat speed that would have been the time we were to be in Trois Rivieres and since it was early in the day and everything was going so well we decided to continue on to Quebec City.  With 15kt winds and the current and tidal flow we were able to do 10kts with only our genoa sail.  We continued like this for half the way when we started to fall behind the tide.  At that point we began to motor sail and maintained an average speed of 7 to 8 kts.

A couple of times along the way we encountered some freighters that left such a large wake behind that we got soaked in the cockpit as we crashed through their waves. 
Quebec City YC
By 8:30pm we arrived at Quebec City YC. We covered 98nm that day, our longest run so far.  There we were able to negotiate some reciprocal privileges, one night free and $30 per night for the rest. 

Quebec City
The next day we went into the city where I said good-bye to Oliver, who headed back to Montreal, and I did some shopping at the waterfront Marché.  After the trip into the city it was pool time.
Because of the tide and the current in the next stretch, I decided to wait a couple of days so that I would not have to got through the night, but would be able to travel in day light. This allowed me to enjoy a couple of the hot days by the pool of the club.

Race night @ QCYC, fleet races and tacks through the mooring field then heads accross the wake of a freighter and up river with the tide and then back against the tide, very entertaining.

Good-bye Quebec City