Sainte Anne Des Monts, QC
49 08.10N 66 29.25W
When you cannot find the words it is difficult to write the blog. Not even in French can one define the experience of sailing the St. Lawrence.
I am not going to try.
We are in Sainte Anne Des Monts,
pictured above as Meredith approaches the marina
(behind the big pile of rock in the foreground).
Since leaving Quebec City we have braved the Richelieu Rapids, the Isle aux Courdres channel, crossed the fearsome Saguenay, sailed through three days of squall lines delivering winds of 50 nmph and horizontal rain. Left with no tenable anchorage at the end of a 16 hour day due to our notoriously unreliable guide we crossed the St. Lawrence to drop hook in what appeared to us, and in fact was, a wonderful calm protected anchorage not mentioned by said guide.
We have entered anchorages with channels only 2 boatwidths wide while fighting river and tidal current to guide our Meredith to safe harbour. Five foot waves have attacked us in our anchorage coming around a 20 foot high rock wall to do so. We have pretty much frozen to death 3 days in a row.
Meredith has sailed with the whales, pods and pods of them and frolicked for 20 minutes of unadulterated fun with a lazing sea lion.
In our wildest anticipation never did we dare imagine that which we have done and seen and experienced.
This has been the time of our life. Sailing the St. Lawrence alone together has been life altering. And at our age that does not happen often enough.
At Riviere de Loup the water temperature drops likes mad.
Mind, this meter reads 2 degrees warmer than things really are.
Normal air temps here are low 10, high 15.
We have met scores of wonderful, helpful people.
Future posts will contain a more detailed guide for those of our friends, like Ian and Joy, who would someday like to do this trip themselves. Don't wait is the best advice we can give.
Tonight is our first marina in 5 days. The heat is turned on and tendrils of warmth grab at what is already a weakened consciousness. It is 8 p.m. and I am going to bed.
Wonder what tomorrow brings.
Rarely do we stop having fun to take pictures. It always seems to us that we will remember the good bits and if we do not remember well then... Pictures do not convey what this is about. Here are a few sad offerings shot when we grew bored.
Lost in the Estuary of the St. Lawrence
Another view of Sainte Anne Des Monts
Isle Rouge Behind Which the Saguenay overwhelms the Flow of the mighty St. Lawrence
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