August 17                                         Sainte Anne des Mont, Canada

After our previous arduous day, we elected to make a short cruise of six hours to Sainte Anne des Mont, one of Canada’s premier winter playgrounds.  We had a great day for cruising with sun and little wind.  The scenery was spectacular.  The verdant hills were dotted with small villages, red-roofed cottages, and steepled churches. 

Behind a formidable breakwater of huge granite boulders, the marina provided excellent shelter and great docking facilities.  With only 15 amp electricity available, we kept our generator running.  As it is very quiet and uses little fuel, this is not a problem.  Docking was again facilitated by the aid of several boaters who assisted the lone harbor master.  Dockage fee was only $1.25 per foot!

We left the boat to explore the adjacent area with its locally renowned seafood restaurant and enormous Catholic Church made of native stone. The area was nondescript with a few stores and government offices.  Most of the businesses were located on the long highway that extended for miles along the mountainside.

 Two blocks past the marina, we found a Metro Plus, one of Canada’s largest supermarket chains.  

Supermarkets have the same emotional appeal to David as art museums do for me. He likes to walk slowly through each aisle (he will skip baby food and pet supplies) and peruse every label.  This can take a very long time. I have always vowed I would NEVER follow a man through the aisles of a grocery store as I have often seen others do at home.  When I caught myself doing this, I quickly walked away and told David to meet me at the cashier station.  Fortunately, his choices and quantities were limited by the fact we were walking and carrying whatever we bought. After reading the menu of the restaurant, we opted to have dinner on the boat.  David made a wonderful clams and spaghetti dish that would rival any others.