Our visit to Quebec City was marred by torrential downpours for several days delaying our departure. And then it rained some more. The morning of July 8th rolled around and the rain and winds stopped. We targeted a big jump from QC to Tadoussac, 125 miles.
With expectations of smooth waters and easy cruising, we caught the first locking out of the marina at QC and headed, ready for this, North - DOWN River. Yes, this river flows south to north.
Our expectations were not met. The first 25ish miles were 3 - 4 foot seas in a 2 - 3 second period. The boat did fantastic, but none the less - the Admiral frowned. But, once we cleared some islands that were confusing the water, it smoothed out beautifully and did in fact make for a nice run. The admiral smiled!
Lighthouse in the middle of Nowhere
Tadoussac
Oh, we are SO back in the saddle again. Tadoussac is a stunning little town just off the St. Lawrence River at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. Whales everywhere. Mostly Minke Whales. Unfortunately, they require a significant distance from the whales so getting a good picture was difficult. But, they were there and so were we!
The Saguenay Fjord
This body of water's beauty is matched by only a few other places in the world. It is ~60 miles of stunning bliss. It is so pretty that the Shorebilly speed was set to 9mph and we drove the entire way from the bow. It was as nice a way to spend the day as imaginable.
Endangered Beluga Whales
And to close this post, we are now in the very serious waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is spectacular. We have to be VERY careful understanding the go/no go conditions and most days we wake to intense fog. Piloting in fog is not fun but very possible due to the electronics on the boat. Usually the fog is burned off by ~10:00AM. We tend to leave at ~8:00ish so the first few hours are focused, but after that, it is all fun and games!
Each town is yet another cultural experience as we are really getting into the Canadian, non touristy, areas. Everyone speaks French but with Google Translate and the occasional English speaking employee, we are doing just fine.
Three more towns we hit, Chicoutimi, Rimouski and St. Anne du Mont.
Chicoutimi Wine Festival
Rimouski Town Festival
St. Anne Du Mont
The Incredible Happens
Terri's career as an OTA was made spectacular by the team she worked with. She loved them and they loved her. Now years after retirement, they stay in close touch with reunions being more like family than colleagues getting together. The woman that ran the team and is her dear friend is named Kerry.
Kerry is currently cruising from Raleigh through the Canadian Maritimes in a self made camper van.
We were cruising down the St. Lawrence when Terri and Kerry realized they were passing each other. Kerry actually saw us out the van window as they drove the highway. We quickly found a marina and pulled in and they turned around. The interaction between Terri and Kerry was not dissimilar to Yudee's reaction after I have been gone a week!
By the way, Yudee went on a really nice hike. Yudee has not lost his touch. He LOVES it.
Next posting will be once we round the Gaspe peninsula. Wish us luck!
August 14, 2025 Nova Scotia! WOW. But First - A Story There are far fewer good pictures to provide for this blog than others. My "boatographer" had an "oops". We were anchored in the most spectacular "gunkhole" imaginable (more on that below) when she went to the bow to catch pictures of the beauty. So excited was she that she forgot the cardinal rule of electronics tightly secured (like in a pocket). Splash. Being the loving, dear, studly, brave, brawny, bold husband I am, I grabbed the googles and overboard I went. Unfortunately, I had done to good a job anchoring and managed to find the only deep spot in the gunkhole. On my best day, I could not free dive 22 feet. The phone is now with the gods of all electronics having served its useful, but short, life along with so many pictures that were waiting for a wifi connection to back up. Back on topic Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Leaving the Madeleines (AKA, Mags) was a s...
September 14, 2025 I want to start this article with an apology. If the writing is not properly revealing the beauty and enthusiasm of the trip, it is because we received some bad news. A dear friend of 50 years has fallen ill with some serious issues. Amy, we love you and you are in our thoughts and prayers. Dear Lord, please help this wonderful woman. Belfast Maine I completed the last article from a marina in Belfast, Maine. Little did I understand that after hitting the publish button, the best part of Belfast was going to reveal itself. Pre-trip expectations were that the seafood would be fresh, abundant and affordable. For the most part, it was fresh and abundant, so much so that we started looking for menus with a good old fashion chicken sandwich or quesadilla instead of Lobster this and Lobster that. The challenge became on the affordable front. A Lobster roll was anywhere from $25 to $40 and only contained 4oz o...
August 29, 2025 Crossing the Bay of Fundy Our crossing back to the East Coast required a 105 mile open water run from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The path was straight across the mouth of the Bay of Fundy where it meets the Gulf of Maine. These are notoriously rough waters with a reputation for some of the stronger currents in the world. The tide changes in the Bay can reach 22 feet or more. We picked well on the weather window only encountering an odd rough patch in the middle. My assumption is that the currents were somehow colliding to create a 15ish mile stretch of hell. The Shorebilly ran through it just fine; uncomfortable ... but fine. Our buddy boat, Faith, was trailing behind us and said "We leaned so far over that we didn't think it was going to come back. Scared the bejeasus out of us." But the crossing wasn't without it's rewards. More WHALES! The boat I mentioned above, Faith, was abl...
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