Sailing Again on the St. Lawrence (River and Gulf), June 22-24, 2014

When Kelly IV and I sailed south from Canada in 2011, I thought that would be the end of my sailing in those waters, especially north of Nova Scotia.  And I assumed my northernmost point of sailing would remain at N49º19.265' W65º42.224', a location just a few miles offshore, north of the Gaspe' peninsula.  Thankfully, I was wrong about that!

In April 2014 I got an email from a friend who sailed the St. Lawrence River on his own boat, Old Hand.  Old Hand is a 1988 Beneteau First 285. 

Her owner, Ron, has fitted her nicely for cruising, including radar, chartplotter, ESPAR diesel heater, mainsail pack and lazy jacks.  There isn't much difference in room down below between Ron's Old Hand and my Kelly IV.  Both are small boats so space is at a premium.

Ron's email invited me to join him sailing on the St. Lawrence in late June 2014.  It was clearly an opportunity I could not pass by.  I had enjoyed myself immensely when cruising these waters in 2011 and knew I'd have a great time sailing with Ron.  We had chatted via emails before we departed for our respective trips in 2011 and even spent a day at the Toronto Boat Show in January 2011.  Then enroute we kept in touch including meeting at a marina in Montreal for a night while he was returning from his trip and I was still headed downstream.  We felt we knew enough about each other to be comfortable for a few days on board a small sailboat.  That proved correct!

I drove from Annapolis to Matane, Quebec over the course of three days.  The driving trip is over 1,000 miles, one way.  Arriving in Matane on a rainy, grey afternoon, I found Ron and Old Hand in the small marina and yacht club.  It was my first time at the yacht club since in 2011, I never disembarked from Kelly IV.  Already I was expanding my experience from 2011 and we hadn't left the marina!  After packing my seabag with sleeping bag, clothes and my GPS, I moved aboard Old Hand, leaving my car in the yacht club parking lot under the watchful eye of the local staff, a young woman, bilingual and smart.

St. Anne des Mont

The next morning, Ron and I headed out of the marina into a beautiful, sunny day.  No breeze to speak of, but a great day to be on a boat on the St. Lawrence River.  We sailed by the same coastal towns that Kris and I had sailed by in 2011, but this time we could see the homes and churches on shore.  Old Hand's destination was St. Anne des Mont, QC, a port that Kris & I missed in 2011.  Ron and I sailed into the small, well-protected harbour, tying up on the long pier just aft of a boat being sailed by new friends Ron had met a few ports west/upriver.  Also, there was a sistership, another Beneteau First 285 in the little marina, so Ron and the other owner swapped ideas and stories. 

That evening as Ron and I were walking through the quaint hamlet, we crossed paths with 3 young people who asked us a question in French almost as weak as mine.  When we asked if they spoke English, they happily acknowledged they did, but their accent told us that English was not their primary language.  When Ron asked where they were from, they responded “Netherlands” and Ron immediately broke into conversation speaking Dutch!  Ron's parents emigrated to Canada before he was born, yet raised him to speak Dutch, as well as English.  He is quite fluent and the trio and Ron enjoyed a great time discussing the success of Dutch World Cup team up to that point.

Sunset, St. Anne des Mont

The next day our destination was first set for Mont Louis, QC, but we had a nice lift from the current and were making excellent time.  As a result, we reset our destination for Grande Vallee', a picturesque burg that I was happy to revisit.  And I hoped to be helpful sharing what I recalled about the entrance and facilities.  As it turns out, we found they were nearly complete in their building of a new marina (none there before) so we had a great place to dock for the night at the new floating piers.  A local gent let us know that they expected to complete the marina within a few weeks, as it already sported a nice, modern, floating breakwater that hung perpendicular to the government wharf, providing excellent protection in any weather.

Old Hand secure in Grande Vallee, QC

Ron and I were up at 3:30am local time as our next trip would be a long one (65nm) across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, passing Anticosti Island as we made our way to Riviere au Tonnerre, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence.  It was quite breezy as we departed the marina, but the wind died as we moved offshore making us decide that the wind was merely a local land effect breeze.  Our efforts to use the mainsail and jib were dashed and we furled the main, but got a bit of benefit from the jib as we motorsailed.  A few freighters were seen using Ron's AIS as we crossed the shipping lanes south of Anticosti Island.  The prevailing southwesterly breeze was enough to create some 1-2 metre waves, but these diminished gradually over the day as we distanced ourselves from the shore breeze and the calm day had its effect on the water.

Sunrise off Grande Vallee

The landmarks shared in the cruising guide finally came into view and Ron steered us through a narrow opening into the natural rock harbour.  We were surrounded by smooth, red boulders and slabs forming a nearly perfect circle of a harbour with an L-shaped government wharf at the western side.  We rafted up to one of the fishing boats as all the positions on the wharf were taken up by the local fleet.  Old Hand was the only recreational boat in the harbour.  At 50*16' north, they don't see many cruisers!

Old Hand in Riviere au Tonnerre

Yes, we attained a latitude that was 60nm further north than I had ever sailed before!

Riviere au Tonnerre

We had enjoyed three beautiful, sun-drenched days and now the forecast called for weather much less enjoyable.  Ron was at his turnaround point and expected to stay put a few days waiting for the weather to clear, so the next morning I took my leave, boarding a bus to return to my car in Matane.

Spending three days sailing with Ron was terrific.  He is a first class gent and sailor, as well as a superb cook!  It was definitely a worthwhile trip to sail with Ron and I'd do it again, anytime.