500 miles, a visit to hospital and belugas!

Arrival yesterday at Cap a l’Aigle was another milestone and yes, Dany, it does seem to be a bit of paradise. Reminds us very much of Georgian Bay, just bigger granite.

After a full day on the water we arrived at the dock, without incident, about 6:30pm. Tired but happy to have arrived at this big destination; nautical mile 500. (1100km from home, by road)

We are now in the upstream limit of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park where we are expected to observe strict whale observation regulations.

We register for two nights and returning to the boat, find the neighbours to be very friendly. We chat about the tide and best times to depart; now becoming usual dinner conversation!

After a very quiet, comfortable night at the dock, I rise early and head to the shower. Fog is rolling in and I hear the long drone of a ship’s fog horn. She appears like a ghost, just hovering between the water and the fog and I am grateful we are staying put today.

My return to the boat was a challenge - wind or tide change? Something was heaving the dock, which was already wet from the early rain. It looked like an angry serpent moving up and down and sideways as I gripped the rail and baby-stepped my way across.

I have previously mentioned the floating docks in these marinas, with the gangways that approach such steep angles at low tide, they seem almost impossible to traverse. The docks are seamed in a way so they can easily move with “the flow” but this is the first I’ve seen this! (See photos of high and low tide)

After breakfast we make the decision to head to Malbaie (sadly not to the casino) for a small medical procedure I’d hoped to have done at home, but Covid….well we all know about Covid and how it has restricted non-emergency medical procedures.

A small growth on my toe was now becoming quite annoying and wearing closed shoes a bit of a problem. We either deal with it now or face possible infection and limited medical help in a few weeks.

In just 3 hours I had the small surgery in a very modern hospital with a very friendly staff. I was treated with the greatest respect by a professional outpatient team. Harald finally got his Montreal smoked meat sandwich and kindly delivered one to me which I enjoyed while we waited for the taxi to take us back to the marina.

My recovering should be short with some attention to dressing changes over the next three days. With limited walking for today, I baked a strawberry rhubarb pie and Harald caught up on the usual boat chores.

Our neighbours left this morning for Tadoussac with some difficulty. I’m not sure if the space between the docks is too narrow or if there is a current, but we have experienced problems in almost each one we have visited. Sadly, this couple left the dock and hooked the solar panels of another boat down the way, causing damage.

The young lady who works at the marina office docked beside us late in the evening with her father in a large zodiac. She explained they had just come back from looking for belugas. We were surprised they would be so close after she told us to watch for them tomorrow at Port au Saumon, just an hour out of Cap a L’Aigle.

The tide information, and the helpful advise of other boaters, suggests we leave between 9:00 and 10:00am so we get organized after breakfast and fill the diesel tank before heading back out into the river.

By 11:30 we are sailing 8-9 knots and passing the light station at Port au Saumon, and sure enough, belugas! Their sleek, white shapes are distinctly different from white caps as they surface so briefly - too briefly for photos.

These whales are considered endangered and are subject to great protection here in the St. Lawrence River. They can grow to 16 feet long and can weigh up to 1500kg. They are noted to be gregarious as they travel in large pods, yet we are told we must stay up to 400 metres away from them.

Nearing the mouth of the Saguenay River, ship traffic increases again, as we navigate past the Prince Shoal Light: a unique structure resembling a lighthouse on top of a piano stool.

We have arrived at the most navigable time as where the two rivers meet can make for some difficult “chop” and eddies, especially if the wind is not coming from the west or southwest. Pointing toward the large sand dunes, and eventually the red roof of the Tadoussac Hotel, we make our way into the Tadoussac harbour amongst car ferries, tourist ferries and whale watching zodiacs filled with tourists in orange rain gear.

This appears to be a lively tourist spot on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, reminding us of Tobermory, Ontario.