August 12-14                                  Cap-a-l’Aigle, Canada

Monday was a day of preparation.  David had work to do on the boat so I walked the short distance to Metro Plus, a local supermarket.  Since David has a tendency to read every label on products he is buying or considering to buy, shopping can take hours.  Without him in attendance, I checked out in about thirty minutes with supplies to last us until we reach Halifax.

To my surprise, the check-out person asked if I wanted delivery at a charge of $2.00.  I had planned to take a taxi but thought this was a better option as delivery would be within an hour.  I returned to the marina and within a brief period, the groceries arrived as scheduled.  David was engrossed in issues at the office so time in port was essential.

Efforts to repair the leaking dinghy were not successful.  A fellow marina dweller gave us the name of a local Zodiac distributor who agreed to come the next day.  As weather reports were not favorable, we would spend another day in port and concentrate on needed repairs

.

Wednesday morning the dinghy repair crew arrived before 8:00 AM.  Within a short time, they had discovered a leak and repaired it.  Afterwards, we re-fueled only minutes before the rain began.  It continued all day without pause.   We were delighted to finally receive via UPS the two connections needed to use either of the ladders.  David had a very bad cold.  He needed lots of rest and TLC.  We took advantage of the weather delay to help him recuperate.

Thursday morning was still rainy but the wind was slight.  We decided to start the second part of our journey.  After a brief wait for the lock to open with the high tide at 7:30 AM, we once again entered the St. Lawrence River and headed eastward.  My new charts were unfolded next to the GPS.  Our route was charted to Cap-a-l’Aigle about 70 nm from Quebec City.

With light rain, little wind, and limited visibility, we left the marina.  Following the northward route around the Ile d’ Orleans, a large island often referred to as “the breadbasket of Canada” because of the abundance of produce it grows for the province, we passed numerous small villages adorned with high-steepled churches on the lush green adjacent hills.   We were delighted to have a good view of the magnificent Montmorency Falls just past the huge span of the Pont Ile d’ Orleans.  Taller than Niagara Falls by more than 90 feet, the falls are clearly visible from the river.

After leaving the sheltered north passage around Ile d’ Orleans, we entered the wide span of the St. Lawrence and immediately experienced a dramatic change.  The water became very choppy and, as noted on our GPS, we were experiencing tide rips.  David’s plans to nap were aborted several times when I called him back to the helm due to the rough water.  The stabilizers on the boat were no match for the strong waves that lifted us and then dropped us with a resounding crash.  The rain continued and visibility was limited.  At 2:25 PM, we finally arrived at our marina at Cap-a-l’Aigle .  Sheltered behind a formidable stone breakwater, this small marina was a welcome haven for two weary travelers who had been buffeted by hard hitting waves for more than three hours.

To our dismay, one of the dock helpers accidentally dropped one of the ladder connections into the water.  Fortunately, we had ordered two but now we had no spare.  David will work on a solution for this very difficult and expensive problem.