People Can Make The Difference
Scenes around Portneuf, Quebec
Departure day from Trois Rivières has us up at 6:00am for a 7:00am departure, after a bit of a rolling night as ships passed so close to where we were anchored.
The sunrise is gorgeous, and I note rises much earlier the further east we travel.
The short journey to Portneuf is filled with the anticipation of “riding the Richelieu Rapids”. We have heard stories of boats similar to ours doubling their hull speed going through this narrow area in the St. Lawrence. More ships pass us going upriver as we near the spot on the chart that shows up to 7 knots of current. We move at the same speed. Then a slight nudge of about 2 extra knots of speed…..where’s the rush? Did we calculate this wrong? We know we had to leave 8 hours before low tide at Quebec City. We keep moving, but with little change in speed.
With great disappointment we realize we forgot to add the extra hour for Daylight Savings Time. We are too early! Still learning.
We travel northeast for the last leg of this short day and arrive at Portneuf (at a great curve in the river) just before noon and head to the gas dock. We made the wise decision to get all services here while we can, prior to arriving in Levy.
(Later as I’m writing this post, I can say we have learned a few tricks about entering marinas and using their services.)
A lovely, sheltered basin, where we were greeted by Kane, a very capable, friendly dockhand who is a true ambassador for Parc Nautique de Portneuf. He fills our diesel and pumps our holding tank and then meets us at the long pier where we will dock for tonight. At our arrival there he then says, “most importantly I forgot to say, welcome to Portneuf”. (Kane, you are indeed an asset to the marina at Portfneuf.. We wish you all the success in your upcoming adventure - maybe we’ll see you in Sydney or somewhere on the water as we continue on our journey.)
But no fault of his as we were deep in conversation with a nice couple we met while Kane completed his services. It seems conversation begins with, “where did you come from?” Sometimes in French, sometimes in English. When we ask “parlez vous Anglais?” most break into perfect English.
Dany and Nancy call Portneuf their home port for their Niagara 35, Blue Note. They have cruised extensively in this region and are happy to share much advice on places to visit and the ever-present tide and current. It is their dream to also visit the Maritimes so we share our website address and we agree to befriend each other on Facebook. (Dany and Nancy, if you are reading this, please know it was a real pleasure meeting you and do appreciate all your offerings. Merci!)
With an early arrival and good laundry facilities, I quickly gather our loads and head to the office to start the task.
According to the notes in the “Down East Circle Route”, the restaurant above the marina building serves the best food on the down east circle route. Our dinner reservations are set for 6:30, so after showers and changing into “acceptable” dinner attire, we arrive at our table on the balcony.
Dinner is baked seafood coquilles for me and a steak for Harald. We even shared a warm brownie with caramel sauce for dessert. (Dinner was delicious but we later learn the restaurant has changed hands so may not be the same food and service as noted by Captain Cheryl Barr in her book.)
A walk down the pier to see the bay at low tide ends a lovely day.
July 12 begins as another warm, sunny day. We walk the long road connecting the marina basin with the town shore to find lovely small homes and cottages with some of the loveliest private gardens we have ever seen. Pride of ownership seems important to these Quebecers.
We don’t locate a grocery store, but a small “marche en plein” where we delight in the fresh strawberries, carrots and corn on the cob. Dinner is set for our arrival in Quebec City.
We depart this lovely stop at 1:15 pm, with the mermaid and the dolphin waiving us “adieu”.