QUEBEC TO CAP-A-L-AIGLE

August 6, 2010

We left Quebec this morning following the instructions on the Tide Tables: Depart Quebec 2-1/2 hrs before High Tide.  We gave ourselves an extra hour just to be sure.  The trip down the River was beautiful with a following SW'ly wind.  The first few hours we were motoring against a Flood tide and I should have put on a few more rpms to make the instructed 5-6 kts.  I didn't and paid for it during the last few hours in approaching Cap-a-l'Aigle (Cape of the Eagle).  When we were sailing with the full Ebb Tide we were averaging 10-13kts.  With Tides running 14-18 ft, that's a lot of water moving.  On the contrary, trying to motor against a 4 kt current is tough and slow.  Our last hour saw us making only 3.5 kts.  The wind was starting to blow and gust to 25 kts but we made the Marina and were all fast at 1906 hrs.  It's pretty impressive to watch the drying out of the Marina on a 14 ft drop in water.  All these marinas have floating docks so that one doesn't have to be continually adjusting lines.

Cap-a-l-Aigle is a quaint little village nestled under the Laurentian Mountain Chain whose height can approach 2500 ft.  Also, we are now starting to see areas of Tide Rips on the charts.  These are to be avoided because of the turbulent water swirling in all different directions.  They are well marked on the charts so good passage planning is essential.

At long last we have run into another sailing boat that is going in the same direction as ourselves.  We met them in Port Colbourne and started the transit of the Welland Locks, when we had the raw water blockage and overheating of the engine,
and had to turn back.  In Quebec we met up with them again.  They have a Tayana 37' called "Auburn Angle".  Beautiful boat built in Taiwan and designed by Bob Perry who created the Valiant and Passport yachts. 

A note on getting medicine in Canada:  ours never arrived!  We were passing by a pharmacy so I decided to go in and ask about getting medicine.  I had an empty container with the Rx number on it.
Yes you can get a refill.  There is a Doctor on call and the pharmacist makes a call and you speak to him and indicate what you need: $64 CAD for paperwork and being a Doctor.  Next comes the refill money:  In this case $140 CAD for a 30 day supply.  And I walked out into old Quebec with a modern man's means of prolonging life.  As I ponder this, at some point in my life, I might boycott the phamaceutical industry:  I'm old enough to die!!

Engine Tachometer is working once again.  I went below and jiggled around some wires on the sending units. Found a loose wire and secured it with electrical tape.  Must have been the right one.