Blog Archives
Matane to Gaspe
It was a rainy night last night and the morning is a gray and foggy one. There is that damp chill in the air and we are ready for departure. Our run today is a short one but it takes us out into more of open water now fully influenced and fed by the northern Atlantic ocean. We have reached the point where the river ceases to be and the vastness of the ocean begins.
As we enter into the open waters we are greeted by big and long ground swells that are swaying the boat left and right till we turn and find ourselves more into the oncoming swells. This scenario is not a favorable one for me and definitely not one to go below at all. Looking out at the horizon and the beautiful shore lined with incredible master pieces of cliffs chiseled into forms and shapes of various nature, while revealing the exposed layers of millions of years into their creation, is a bit distracting for me.
As we move along this breath taking shore line so rugged revealing it’s true nature the skies are turning blue and the sun is coming through. If only the seas were not so rough we could go closer to investigate the crevices, caves and have an up-close picture of the majestic light house crowning the top of the turning point into the Bay of Gaspe. Nevertheless, the sights are spectacular and memorable. The other side of that rugged terrain presents itself as soft green rolling hills with meadows of purple flowers blooming and small towns emerging. As we move further into the Bay towards our resting point for tonight the swells give in and the calm waters begin. The view is just as spectacular and forever reaching. Here we even encounter an otter basking himself in the clear waters of the bay while observing the newcomers to it’s territory.
As we arrive at the marina and settle in for the night we also notice that our Canadian wifi has stopped working for us and it is very frustrating for now we only depend upon the wifi at each marina and those are very weak and you have to go to the marina building in order to connect. Keep that in mind for my blogs will be not timely any more till we have either resolved this issue or gotten to the US territory where we can connect again to the original wifi.
Since I am unable to add media at this point I promise to do so at a later date.
Till than greetings from Bay of Gaspe and than Bay de Chagrine, the Madlene islands and than Prince Edwrd island.
Quebec City to Tadoussac
Here we are on the go again. What a perfect morning this is, clear skies, cool and almost no wind. We rush to get ourselves into the first opening of the lock of the marina and be on the way to catch the tide going east to our next destination Tadoussac. As we enter the great river of St. Lawrence we are greeted by a mirror like surface of the water. What a sight to see! The river splits around the island and we are choosing the big ship channel. By doing so we are passing by a few early moving giants of the commercial oceanic transport ships. They look so out of place in this tranquil waters of a river yet very colorful within themselves. 
When choosing the big ship channel we have bypassed the scenic way of a great waterfall which we so wanted to see and experience. That we did not know at the time given and in the eagerness of the morning rush. ah well, I am sure we will see some other waterfall along the way.
As the morning is winding on and mid day is approaching we are slowly but surely moving along this incredibly large body of water that they say is the St. Laurence river. The day is simply stunning and has not changed much, yet the temperature remains in the lower sixties. The mountain ranges, peaks and valleys as well as the occasional small towns remind me of Switzerland with it’s ski slopes readily awaiting their turn of the year. The air is fresh and clear and the water has that deep green color yet clean and clear. The further east we go the more pristine the environment is getting. The proof of that is our first siting of a while beluga whale. It swam way ahead of us and kept on coming up for air simply announcing his presence. What a blessing and a confirmation to my prayers this is!
I asked and I did receive a sign of good things to come. A sign from heaven manifested here on earth. Thank you God for your constant and watchful presence in our lives and on our journeys!
Beautiful lighthouses along the shore and now rare encounters with boats of any size or any sorts. Change in current while the expansion of the waterway turns more and more into a big sea.
Mid afternoon we have reached our destination of Tadoussac town and marina. It is a quaint small marina but fully supplied with fuel (diesel) power, facilities and food (restaurant).
It is well protected and the most of the dock masters are speaking English which makes things much easier. The French spoken here and in the entire region of Quebec is a dialect of the original French language and not easy to understand, at least not for me since I haven’t had much of contact with that language in the passed 30 years. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant experience and we are looking forward to some up-close encounters with the beluga and other wales visiting this area at this time of the year.
An interesting fact to this area are the tides which average 14 feet. Yet twice a month there are extreme highs and lows which I would think are connected to the full moon scenario and can add a couple of feet to that average for sure. The main source of income is from tourism and as proudly displayed has been for the past 100 years.
The city of Tadoussac has a beautiful hotel, Hotel de Ville right in the center of town and as all the towns along this region, a beautiful richly decorated church also situated in center of town.
Kingston, Albany up to Troy, NY and beyond
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On the third day up the Hudson we are starting an early day of adventure in order to reach our destination for today, being Schuylerville, NY. It is a gray and fogy day with a slight ray of light in the distance. I seem to see such a day as magical filled with opportunities not yet visible.
Our trip takes us past some pretty country of rolling hills, quaint little towns and marinas, as well as by the powerful city of Albany, the capital of NY state. In it’s vicinity is a well known university second to MIT named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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As we get closer and closer to lake Champlain we have to pass through a number of locks which are bringing us up to higher and higher grounds, meaning that while resting in each lock the water level rises starting with anywhere from 10-19 feet taking the Contessa up with it. What an ingenious idea this was in creation and making this waterway easily navigable. Each lock is affiliated with falls and rapids, actual spillways that would make the navigation impossible otherwise. The spillways are control methods to the level of water rising or falling at each level. Thank you to the inventor and all those that tend to the functionality of each lock!
As I understand we are to pass through 10 lock all together in order to reach our destination. Interesting, challenging, yet invigorating!
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We have gone through 4 major locks today and are on our last leg to the resting point for tonight, being Schuylerville, NY state. Each lock had it’s own characteristics and layouts making it an interesting adventure. The first challenge was with our 1st lock just north of Troy where a barge making repairs was located at the entrance to the lock making it a challenging one after all. I wonder how are the rest of them going to be?
At Lock C4 we had to wait for beautiful Bernadette to arrive and make the same crossing with us. She certainly was a beauty and worth waiting for. 
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