Quebec

August 4, 2011

The Basin Louise which houses the Port of Quebec Marina is a two part affair:  there is an outer basin and an inner basin.  The inner basin is controlled by a flood gate to compensate for the 18 ft tidal difference.  It's just another lock like so many that we've come through.  The Marina is right in the heart of old Quebec and there is unbelievable artistic activity during the day and night.

Quebec: we're impressed.  The old quarter is so French that you can believe you are walking down an ancient street in the mother country.  Also, the sheer size of the old quarter and its' consistent 17th century architecture put it in a special category not to be rivaled by anything else in North America.  In the panoply of Canadian marvels, this is the "piece de resistance".  To make the whole ambiance more believable, they have local Quebecois roaming the streets in period costume.  Everywhere there is artistic activity of one kind or another.  Everywhere we are reminded of the beautiful French villages we passed through on our motorcycles back in the late 60's.  At that time we were travelling with a dear friend, Ken Hebson.  We had started in Barcelona, Spain and  heading to Istanbul,Turkey.  We had a 250 cc BMW and he had 250 cc Chechloslovokian  bike.  An amazing trip and another story somewhere in time.

I looked at the chart and planned the next leg from Quebec to Malbaie: 70 nm.  Also, I noted that we still have 1200 miles to go to make Bar Harbor, ME.  There just isn't much we can do in night sailing with the tides against us.  We have to work with them and enjoy a 3-4 kt favorable current or stand still or be set back if we try to sail against them.  If we motor against a 4 kt ebb, maybe, we can make 3 kts.  This will change once we reach the Eastern End of the Gaspe Pennisula.  There is a favorable 2 kt current running along the coast in an Easterly/Southerly direction.  The main effect of Tides will start to diminish and we can sail day and night.

There can be Wx delays from here on out:  strong NE'ly wind and fog at Tadoussac, an occassional gale warning.  Additionally, we have to plan the route to avoid the main shipping lanes.  Fishing boats will become a significant consideration as we cross over to the Southern shore of the Gaspe pennisula.  Prudence and patience and route planning  will see us through.