The Gaspè and Gannets

I do not recall ever being so in awe of what I have seen in nature - 45,000 nesting pairs of gannets on the cliffs and cliff tops of Ile Bobaventure off Percè, Quebec.  The nests are almost exactly 2 1/2 feet apart, and the same pair returns to the exact same spot every year for their partnership, the last 15-20 years of their lives.

This is the largest gannet colony in North America.  The adults winter in South Carolina and start returning to Ile Bonaventure in April.  The nests are no more than a place in the dirt, and once the single egg is laid, both parents take turns keeping it warm.  There is roughly a 50% mortality, and the chicks that we saw were healthy and all born by mid-June.  They begin trying to fly in September, and once they fly successfully to the water, they will not return to land for three years.  The chicks learn to dive, swim, and catch fish.

By November all the birds have headed south, the adults ending up in South Carolina, and the young going to the Gulf of Mexico.  At three years old, the young gannets will return to Ile Bonaventure for the first time, living at the edge of the colony and learning by mimicking the adults.  At five years old, these birds pair up and are ready to mate, taking one of the open nesting sites.

Any picture would only capture less than 20% of the birds there.

Here an adult is grooming its chick.

Watch the video with sound on and until the end.  This landing was right on target, but we witnessed some that were off a few inches, and, boy, did the neighbors squawk!

One of the cliffs and rocky beaches on Ile Bonaventure.

Approaching Ile St.Bonaventure,  many of the buildings were
once  part of the island community that peaked at 35 families,
By the 1950s most structures were only used seasonally, and the
Provence bought the island in 1971. It later became a 
National Park.

Dick and I saw several other birds on Ile Bonaventure including cormorants, guillemots, black-back gulls, a northern harrier hawk (with a distinctive white stripe across the top of its tail) and, perhaps, one puffin from a distance.  I was told that the puffin colony here has declined because of preferred food source is no longer close to the island.  There are no more than 10 nesting pairs left.  Newfoundland may offer another chance to see and take a picture of a puffin.

Percè Rock from Ile Bonaventure.

Salty Paws previously crossed the St. Lawrence River to Saint Anne des Monts. The following day (7/26) we headed east, south-east along the shore, planning to cover 100 miles at roughly 9 mph to Rivière au Renard, a popular destination.  Part way into the trip, I went down to the v-berth for a nap while Dick was at the helm.  I put my head as close to the bow as a I could get and quickly fell asleep to the sounds and motions of the boat.  Upon awaking, it was clear that conditions had worsened.  Coming up from below, I find that Dick trying to control a bucking bronco as Salty Paws is surfing down the larger swells.  

The protected harbor in Madeleine.

A quick look at the chart shows a harbor of refuge at Rivière Madeleine.  We were both relieved to arrive there mid-day and ended up spending the night.

I walked 6 miles round trip to visit the
Lighthouse in Madeleine.

 A 4:30 am start the next day has us making great progress, passing villages in mountain valley that reach the shore.  Each village has a small harbor protected by a seawall.  In many of the harbors, commercial fishing has given way to charter boats for fishing, sightseeing and whale watching.  Lighthouses are common.

Approaching Cap Gaspè 

The point at the end of Cap Gaspè.

We finally reach Cap Gaspè with its particularly dramatic cliffs of unstable sedimentary rock lining its northern shore.  The Cape is thought as Quebec’s Cape Horn, and shortly after we pass the point, sea conditions start deteriorating.

Cap Gaspè Light, the highest in Canada.

 We postpone our plan to anchor at and visit Ile Bonaventure.  Instead we pass by Percè Rock and head to the nearest protected harbor, Anse de Beaufils.

 

Sea conditions deteriorating near Percè Rock.  We didn’t need the Acetaminophen, however!

.

Salty Paws at the pi

The Anse de Beaufils pier is lined with commercial lobster boats.  We were fortunate to find an open spot on the high wall.  In order to step off Salty Paws,

Lobster boat on the pier outfitted with
    outboards, allowing faster speeds and  
fishing in shallower waters.  The lobster
season here is only 68 days, and this
Ahead ended in early July.. 

however, we must climb to the roof of our boat!  The accommodations are rustic, but we decide to stay here for three nights, really a vacation of sorts.  You see, long-distance cruising is an adventure, for sure, but not a vacation.  Dominique, the bi-lingual harbor master, gives us a hearty welcome.  Later he offers us his hotspot and volunteers to drive us next morning into Percè, where we will cactch the first boat to Ile Bonaventure carrying more park employees than tourists.

Pierre, a sailer, waiting for a weather
window to Ile de Madeleines,
Donimique, the harbormaster, and Dick.

One shot of beautiful Percè Rock.

Another picture of Percè Rock.

So, yesterday was our beautiful day on the island, and to top it off, the ticker agent for the boat volunteered to bring us back to Salty Paws.  Today is a relaxing day in harbor as wind and swells would make for a very unpleasant cruise,  Tommorrow conditions return to calm seas.  Salty Paws will then enter Chaluer Bay on our 2-day cruise up the bay to Carlton sur Mer.  Here we will meet up with a Facebook acquaintance who owns a Rosborough and only speaks French.  We have been communicating via email using Google Translate.