Jul 9, 2016 | Flotsam
As a follow-up to our post from the other day (story here) about sailing past Sainte-Flavie to catch site of Marcel Gagnon’s statues in the tidal waters….
We now have the land perpsective, visited with friends today…
Fun with Friends
…and what better way to initiate our visitors to the fine shores of the Saint Lawrence then to treat them to their first feed of real Quebec poutine. Not the traditional fries, gravy and cheese curd but a feast of three cheese sauce served with fresh shrimp from the village of Matane.
Poutine aux Crevettes de Matane
Jul 8, 2016 | Flotsam
One of the things on our Adventure 2016 wish list was to see Le Grand Rassemblement (The Grand Gathering), creations of artist Marcel Gagnon in Sainte-Flavie. We left the security and warmth of Rimouski Marina and headed farther east past the pretty village of Sainte Luce.
Sainte-Luce
…and there they were, all those strange, and haunting wooden figures along the retreating waters of the Saint Lawrence. The Grand Gathering.
Le Grand Rassemblement
Le Grand Rassemblement
Le Grand Rassemblement
After a night at anchorage at Pointes aux Cenelles we headed back toward Sainte-Flavie again to see if we couldn’t maybe anchor closer and go ashore by dinghy during low tide, but there just wasn’t a secure place to drop our mighty Bruce so continued back a day earlier than planned to Marina Rimouski.
Misty, grey
..and cold sail.
Heater jacked up full blast, it took most of the night to dry out our foul weather gear and ourselves.
Now in the calm and warmth we can prepare for friends who are this moment travelling to our great cold north for a visit. Travel safely!
May 18, 2016 | Flotsam
It’s almost time for us to depart on yet another adventure. This time we’ll be travelling virgin territory since buying R.E.D. almost four years ago. It will also mean not only new geographic ground covered but new skills required. We will be entering areas where weather will be a challenge, tides and currents will need to be calculated, fog will be a factor. We are confident with our knowledge of weather, navigation and tides and currents learned from Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons courses. We have added a new-to-us-yet-to-be-named dinghy to our little fleet (story here). We have fixed a lot of the electrical issues (new battery, improved wiring etc.). For greater autonomy we now have solar (story here, here and here) and a generator (story here). Because of conditions we will face, a radar will be necessary. Finishing touches for its installation are almost complete. Will post that story soon.
So here you have it, our wish list. If we get to complete the list, we will be very happy and very proud of ourselves. If we get to complete only one, then it will be forever a part of our treasured memories…
1. To see the Norwegian tall ship, Draken Harald as she makes her way along the Saint-Lawrence for the 2016 Tall Ship Challenge
2. To reach Quebec City for the start of the Transat Quebec/Saint Malo
3. To experience the magnificent Fijords of the Saguenay,
4. To catch site of whales.
5. To visit the sea sculptures of Sainte-Flavie.
6.Maybe visit the Tiny House Eco Lodge, near Rimouski. Friends have already mentioned considering joining us there. Wouldn’t that be a great reunion?
7. A photo op of R.E.D. in front of Percé Rock.
8. And finally to reach the Baie-des Chaleur. On a recent train adventure with my son (story here) we passed by its beautiful waters. We have GPS and paper charts up to that point so would like to give it a try.
Chaleur Bay
It’s a fairly ambitious voyage but we are both up for the adventure. One of the great things about our little boat is that whenever we feel we have had enough, whenever we feel we don’t want to battle the tides, currents and prevailing winds back up the Saint-Lawrence, we can find a safe harbour, take train, bus or air back, collect our tow beast and the trailer and bring R.E.D. back home.
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