Back on the Road Again....

After a week layover in Quebec, we were both happy to finally get back underway again this morning.  If you have to wait out the tides somewhere, Quebec is the place to do it, but after 8 days we were ready to move on.  We left the enclosed Vieux Port basin at 7:00AM when the bridge first opened, and caught the outgoing tide/current for almost our entire journey.  Just take a look at the buoy in the picture.  I'm glad we are not running against that current.

Buoy Making 4-5 Knots While at Anchor

Before we left we read a number of complaints about debris in the Erie Canal.  So far, the most debris by far has been in the St Lawrence.  I'm even picking it up on my radar.  Now that's debris.

Every village along the river has a church.  That may not seem unusual, but these are really cathedrals more than churches.  Here's just one example.

Typical Cathedral in Every Village

Our destination today was Cap a l'Aigle (Eagle Point) where there is a small harbor protected by an artificial wall.  Not long after leaving Quebec the landscape quickly becomes more mountainous with the shoreline rising sharply above the water.  That, plus the large tide makes for very few ports along the way.  This was an 80 mile segment with no stopping points in between.  That's part of why you need to catch the tides right or you will be out sloshing around forever.  Here you can see our new progress in green.

Progress as of July 4th (Happy Independence Day!)

On the map, Cap a l'Aigle doesn't appear to be much, but there is a pretty sizable Fairmont Chateau right on the bluff over the water.

Fairmont Chateau Richlieu

Tomorrow we head out again in the AM for Tadousac at the base of the Saguanay River.  We should see some belugas along the way.  Seaweed on the rocks and a couple of seal sightings today reminded us that we are back in brackish water, plus the water temperature has dropped to 50 deg!