Blog Post 30
Day 53
and 1800km from home if anyone wants to visit.
Leaving I’le Quarry was difficult. We were so comfortable, so used to the routine of park staff arriving followed by excursion boats and campers and so intrigued by the beauty of the area.
It was a little escape from our engine worries but we must carry on so after the fog lifted on Friday August 6 we raised and secured the dinghy and headed just 8 nautical miles east to the town of Havre Saint Pierre. The water was flat so we motored in 2 knots of wind, being mindful of the many fishing nets and the occasional harbour seal. We didn’t need to push the engine so we just enjoyed the ride.
I have not yet been able to capture a good photo of a loon but I must say, they are very large here, as are the gulls - well-fed I assume on seafood rather than french fries and garbage.
Approaching from the west, first we see the large piles of ilmenite waiting to be delivered by freighter up the river. These are deposited by rail car coming from the Quebec Iron and Titanium Company mine about 40km further north.
The hospital is the area’s largest employer but it is clear during our stay that tourism is also a major contributor to the town’s livelihood.
Passing the freighter wharf we then pass the public dock and then enter through the two break walls into the very protected Parc Nautique. This is also home to the many excursion boats we saw delivering day users to the Archipelago.
Seabiscuit at the dock at Havre Saint Pierre.
Our calls to the gas dock are not answered, (and we still don’t know if we have a slip for the night!) but we dock ourselves with ease and wait for “Maxime” to welcome us and fill our diesel tank and four jerry cans. Club members fill their own fuel tanks after using an account number through a machine that is similar to a fuel pump - assuming they are billed later. Once again, we are surprised when told the gas attendant cannot come on our boat and Harald pumps the gas himself into the main tank.
We are told the transient dock is immediately beside us, just across from the gas dock so another easy docking and we are “home” for a couple of days.
Shortly after our arrival we are pleased to see Claude also arriving and docking just three slips from us.
After registering, receiving our keys ($75 deposit!) and getting some restaurant suggestions, we meet a gentleman who is about to leave on his Campion 30. (Paul and Lex, we thought he must be worth speaking to!). We mentioned our recent engine rattle and if he knew of a mechanic in the area. Who does he suggest? “Well, Claude is the best!” Can’t believe our luck again. The gentleman also adds to Maxime’s restaurant suggestion confirming if we want to go to Chez Julie, we need to be there by 4:00 because that’s when the diners begin to line up. We are hungry so we secure the boat, put on some clean shirts and walk the 15 minutes for our “lupper”
We are not disappointed! The food is delicious and “Naseem” our waiter is exceptional. You just never know what you might find in a small town. But the biggest surprise was the large line of people waiting outside, with about 150 already dining! We wander the neighbourhood as the evening is still young, venturing down the shore and to the gazebo to watch the yacht club members head out to points unknown for the weekend. Just like at home. The many fishing boats return to their berths - lobster, snow crab and scallop being the primary catch. We are entertained by a pair of seagulls as they use their beaks to break open a crab. Now we know why we have to step over so many empty crab shells on the docks. This is also home to the Coast Guard vessel Cap Rozier and all Parks Canada boats servicing the Archipelago.
We connect with Claude who promises to come by at 10:00 the next morning - but only after he also offers us a ride to get our groceries. The kindness continues.
A very quiet night ends with another 4:45 sunrise and I am awake and ready to start my “dock” chores. Laundry is sorted so I head up to the very modern facilities that are housed in the National Park building, for a shower and to start the laundry before returning for breakfast.
Realizing we have two hours before we expect Claude, we pack our grocery bags and walk the 15 minutes to Les Marche Tradition (Sobey’s at home). Most of the staff speak excellent English, except the one I asked for hot dog buns. Sign language wins again! I held up the wieners and remembered “pain”…but it still wasn’t clear, so I held up the wieners AND a loaf of bread. We later learned the French here is an Acadian French dialect, coming from the settlers who came from The Magdalen Islands in 1857. The Acadian flag is flown more predominantly here than the Quebec flag.
Claude and two others are on deck at the promised 10:00 - one has an underwater camera who determines the shaft appears ok but perhaps there is something amiss with the prop. For the next three hours Harald works with these kind, unassuming gentlemen who will take nothing for payment - not even a sandwich or a cold drink. In the end it is decided we are ok to continue on our journey and to have the shaft and prop re-examined once the boat is hauled out for the winter.
Once I finished the laundry, I enjoyed a coffee and cloudberry muffin at the Cafe Chez Julie after explaining to the baristas why in Newfoundland this lovely orange berry is also called “bake apple”….derived from a missunderstanding in translation when asked “baie qu’appelle?” (“What is this berry called?”)
From there I visit the local artisan gift shop, the poissonnerie and am delighted that a visit to the museum costs only $1.50 for anyone over 55!
