Whales and More

 

The view of Quebec's old city from the marina where we stayed.

Salty Paws in the marina.

Molly may be to be on terra firma for the next
two months.

We disconnected the power cable and uncleated the three port-side lines securing Salty Paws to the dock.  I put the motor into reverse and eased the boat away from the dock.  Then the movement stopped.  I slightly increased the throttle.  Again no movement.  Then it dawned on me that there was one starboard side tie, and our boat wasn't going anywhere unless I pulled the whole dock with me.  I had never done that before in all my years of boating, but that was likely no consolation to my new boat partner, Dick Klain.  He was, no doubt, wondering what he might be getting himself into.

Molly and I went out to eat with Dick  
and Ellen Klain prior to inauspicious
start to our cruise.

You see, Dick took Molly and Tory's place on the boat in Quebec City as Molly no longer wanted to participate in any open water crossing where the sight of land disappears.

Molly's last day cruising as we approached
Old Quebec from the water.
The tower is the Hotel Frontenac.

Dick only has to put up with me for another 2,000 miles or so, and in another 130 miles down the St. Lawrence we would be in whale country.  Maybe that would take my piloting skills off Dick's mind.

There are almost 100 different species of whales, many endangered by warming ocean waters, declining food resources, and overfishing.  According to some estimates, whale populations worldwide are 1.5 million, but number today is, perhaps, only 25% of what they were 200 years ago.  The North Atlantic right whale is among the most endangered, and scientists place their numbers at no more than 350.  A few whales, including humpbacks and fins have made remarkable recoveries, largely because of a ban on commercial whaling that is honored by all but Norway, Iceland and Japan.  These countries would argue that they are harvesting whales at sustainable levels.

In reading about whales, I learned that whale waste is a major fertilizer to promote the growth of phytoplankton, which absorb carbon dioxide and reduce the level in the atmosphere.  So, aside from wanting the largest mammals on our planet to live, their survival is also part of our response to global warming.

Approaching the mouth of the Saguenay River.

The Saguenay River is a spectacular 50-mile-long fjord that flows into the St. Lawrence River, 120 miles east of Quebec City.  The river is lined by 400 to 1200 foot cliffs on both banks.  Depths are typically 500 feet and can be close to 1000 feet.   It is a prime spot for whales to congregate during the summer months.  Food is abundant, and water temperatures, while often in the 60s on the surface, quickly get down into the 40s in the greater depths.

Dick and I approached the river mouth with great anticipation.  We have already seen in the St. Lawrence from a distance some beluga whales, which are mostly white.  Almost immediately we saw a couple of humpbacks, a fin and a number of pods of belugas.  A humpback came out of the water close to the boat.  I shouted "Dick, you got that one on your camera, right?"   Unfortunately, that 1.2 seconds of wonder did not give us enough time for Dick and his 300 mm lens camera or me with my iPhone any chance to take a picture.  We learned quickly that cameras must be at the ready for the unexpected.  

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Finback Whale

We will likely see additional whales later in our cruse and hope that we can improve on these pictures.

Pod of Belugas.  Can you see the
water spout?

We proceeded up the river 35 miles to Baie Eternite, one of the most picturesque anchorages anywhere.   One of the challenges is where to anchor as depths can still be in the hundreds of feet close to the shore.  We found shallow waters at a stream outlet and needed only 50 feet of anchor chain for a very secure and comfortable spot. 

Salty Paws at anchor in Baie Eternite.

Can you find Salty Paws in the anchorage?

We were alone surrounded by the mountains.  Our late afternoon hike was followed by a nice swim from the boat in the mostly freshwater.  As I post this, we are at a marina in Tadoussac, a cute little town at the mouth of the Saguenay.  Soon we depart for adventures further east into the Gulf of the St. Lawrence.

School kids cheered for us going through
the Chambly Canal with our buddy boat, Taku..

Jon and Liz accompanied us in their boat,
Taku, for the first week.

Prior to Dick coming aboard Salty Paws, Molly, Tory and I cruised from Lake Champlain into the Richelieu River, that flows north to the St. Lawrence, and then down river to Quebec City.  We went through a long canal and 10 locks that parallel the Richelieu as much of the river is shallow and has several rapids.  (More pictures of this section of our trip are included at the end of this blog.)  As the canals were first built in the 1840’s, I am in awe to think about how Revolutionary War ships of up to 150 feet in length used skilled shipwrights to build the vessels on land adjacent to the waters where they would be used.

Quebec was established as a French colony, and the French language and customs remain strong today.  There are places where residents only speak French, but we have found everyone accommodating, and Google Translate has come in handy at times.   Canada has worked hard to accommodate the French minority, but there are some things that still might gnaw a Quebecer, such as Queen Elizabeth being prominently pictured on the Canada dollar.  No one yet knows whether King Charles will be on the new bills.  There were unsuccessful referendums in 1980 and 1985 for Quebec to secede from Canada

One of the many Catholic
churches we saw from the
St. Lawrence River.

Initially, virtually all of Quebec was Catholic.  Now, as in the US, people are becoming less religious and immigrants are bringing Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism to the country.  Still, the French Catholic culture dominates, and the main structure in every town is a seemingly well-cared for Catholic church.  One example of the traditional faith of Quebecers took place on the Saguenay River in 1878.  A Quebec City merchant, along with his horse and merchandise fell through the ice on the river.  As the story goes, he implored the Virgin Mary for help.   He was able to pull himself out of the icy water, but became quite sick.  Once again, he pleaded with Mary to let him life so he could support his family.  Three years later, after returning to good health, he honored the Holy Virgin by commissioning and having erected a 33-foot statue of her to watch over sailors high above the water near our anchorage. 

Dick made it halfway to the statue, and was kind enough to wait while I continued climbing to the Madonna of the Saguenay.  

The Madonna of the Saguenay stands over the river.

We stayed at the lock wall in Chambly, a town with wonderful restaurants and parks.

Taku and Salty Paws tied up for the night at the St. Oars lock wall. We had a great cookout in the
adjacent park.

Sorel, QC, was our first stop on the St. Lawrence River.  Before we even had a chance to order a squall
came up, knocking out power and blowing any lose items around.  We were able to have drinks, but that
was it.

We anchored near the popular Parc de l'ile Saint-Quentin in Trois Riviere, just off the St. Lawrence.  We would have been better off not being there on a weekend as the jet skis were pretty active until dusk.

Eating at the marina restaurant in Portneuf.  We ended up staying an extra day because of thunder storms.

Tory was very curious about the ducks.

We benefited from the current in the St. Lawrence.

Farms dot some of the river waterfront in Quebec and much of the land behind houses on the river.

Cocktail time on Salty Paws.

The admiral is now first mate for inland waters only!

We went grocery shopping in Tadoussac.  The nice marina is in the background, and the entrance to the Saguenay River
is around the corner.

It is hard not to be in awe of this beautiful fjord.  The Virgin Mary sculpture is on top of the smallest peak.

Outside of the whale museum in Tadoussac are a number of whale sculptures including this one
depicting a beluga whale with her young.