Day 116 - Tue 21 Jul 2015
Docked - Cap-a-l'Aigle, QC

[photo: The Montmorency Falls (higher than Niagara) on the N shore just after leaving Quebec City]

Awakening by 0600, the second thing on my mind besides the head (bathroom) was the weather forecast and current conditions. Despite the wind still being out of the dreaded NE, it was not too strong and the forecast called for it to switch to the desirable SW by noon. So, we got all prepped to depart, said goodbyes to our dockmates, and cast off about 0900. I was anticipating a 30 minute delay getting through the lock, but because the inside and outside basin water levels were essentially even, lock was completely open for passage and we were out earlier than planned.

As expected, we were bucking about 1.5 kts of adverse (foul) current at first, which diminished over the next 1.5 hours to nothing (slack). Not too long after we departed and were ready to enter the N channel around the Ile d'Orleans, I decided to hail Golden Trawler, another PDQ 34 like ours, because I knew from their blog and SPOT tracker that they were already underway and headed towards us. When Mike answered so clearly, I knew they could not be too far, and in fact they had decided to take the N channel specifically so we could pass and wave hello. How nice. They got some nice photos of us, but I am afraid the one I tried to take of them was not very good.

After a while, we started seeing more and more favorable (fair) current until we were zipping along at over 11 kts compare to a nominal 7.5 kts. It continued to increase in some spots until at the Ile aux Coudres (hazel tree island), we saw 6.9 kts of fair current, almost doubling our speed, for free! I no longer wonder why so many Canadian boaters, in this region at least, have fast boats. If you have a typical 7-8 kt trawler, your ability to go many places is severely time limited by when the tidal currents are running in your favor.

We had heard so much about the natural beauty up here and have seen photos by other cruising friends (especially Golden Trawler) that it was quite disappointing to be traveling on a gloomy day with low visibility and a low ceiling with the mountain tops were obscured by low clouds. What we could see was very nice and we can only imagine how beautiful it would be on a clear day. We may see some sun here and there, but the forecast for the entire week is for overcast skies.

We were passed by just a few fast cruisers and 2 large freighters going the opposite way, but we could stay far away from them and the wakes were no issue at all. For a short while, it started to clear up, but that was very short-lived. Mostly, we faced winds that were not as forecast that kicked up a slight chop. It was not enough to be uncomfortable, so we were grateful for that. We got very little rain, but it happened to come for the half hour it took for us to come into the marina and tie up.

I had been told that the staff's English was poor, so I used solely French on the radio when I contacted them. I really did not understand all that he told me, but I got the gist and it worked out fine. Once tied up and the power was connected, I thought I would get the sign-in and payment out of the way. Well, just as I got to the office about 5 minutes away, they had an emergency with a disabled boat being towed in, so I had to wait about 30 minutes for them to sort that out and open up the office again.

The office, restaurant, and baths/showers are essentially brand new and everything looks great. After returning to the boat, Diane and I grabbed our stuff and walked back to use the showers, which were delightful. The bad part was walking back in the rather cold, damp conditions, with a light drizzle just starting again. At least it was warm enough, and certainly dry, on Diva Di.

Supper was the previously made hot Italian sausage with onions, peppers, and mushrooms over pasta. With Diane's salad and my garlic bread, it made for a tasty meal. By 1930, it was time to relax and read for a while before an early bedtime. The captain of the smaller boat in front of us is very anxious about his ability to squeeze past us when he leaves before 0600, so I want to be up extra early to help him.

Tomorrow, the current will let us leave about 1030 for a 4 hour run to Tadoussac. They do not take reservations, so we have to hope there is room for us. We plan to spend a few days there and probably will have Zendo for company on Thu evening.