Cap-à-l’Aigle is one of my favourite ports. It feels like a real sailor’s port of refuge. It’s always full of interesting boats like the 2 million dollar Hinckley I docked next to. But way more up my alley were the hardcore bluewater cruisers. I departed Cap-à-l’Aigle at 1140hrs on Wednesday, August 4. Sailed for the first 2 hours then it was all ‘murdering’ (my new word for motoring) for 8hrs straight to Gros Cacouna harbour, a distance of 35nm, where I anchored at 1930hrs for the night with one other cruiser.
August 5 happened to be my 52 birthday and I was gifted with the sighting of a pod of minke whales! It was a long calm day murdering again. But just as it got dark the wind started up and by the time I arrived in the crowded dark anchorage of Anse À L’Original at 2300hrs the wind was howling 20kts and continued through the night and next morning. I awoke to one of the most beautiful anchorages I’ve ever been to. This is the cove on the other side of Baie des Ha! Ha! where I anchored last time.
On Friday August 6th I left Anse À l’Original at 1234hrs on my way to the mystical, magical fjard, St. Pancrace. I arrived at 0130hrs in the inky blackness of night. I had to use the radar to find the floating dock. There were 12 other sailboats all stacked up at the end of the very long dock. I docked next to them in 14 feet of water wondering why they were rafted up when there was so much dock. Pay attention to the 9ft tide, Cpt. Dave! I woke up at 0830 (low low tide) to the sound of Zee touching the sand bottom. I scrambled on deck and luckily the couple in the boat ahead of me were just waking up and helped me raft Zee up on them. In the rain no less. The boat in the best spot left that morning so I moved there and had the ultimate cockpit view for the rest of my stay. St. Pancrace was the most beautiful place I’ve ever sailed to. I swam in pools beneath waterfalls and hiked daily to clifftops and once to a glacial lake. I ate urchin gonads on the dock and saw bioluminescence for the first time (and it blew my mind!!) I wanted to stay forever.
I left St. Pancrace at 0730hrs under a thick blanket of fog on my way to Sainte-Anne-Des-Monts. The marina is part of the Exploramer museum institution. Which essentially means the you have to pay a loonie for 4 minutes of shower time. I went to a great pub, Chez Bass, for my first poutine of the voyage.. avec crabe et crevettes 🙂
Friday August 13th at 6am seemed like a good time to head for Rivière au Renard and sure enough I got there, at 2323. It was a 90nm trip of half sailing half murdering. I was able to fuel up with 4 jerry cans from the shed when I arrived.
On Sunday, August 15 I sailed out of Rivière au Renard at 0800 in 20kts of NW downwind breeze on what would be an EPIC 33hr, 164nm sail to Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. I saw 2 whales breech. I saw dolphins launching out of the waves rigtht alongside Zee. And seals frolicking in the waves just for the absolute joy of it. But along with that I endured huge cross seas, gusty shifty winds, and sun showers. I came in to Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine at the southwest end, Havre-Aubert. Tricky to get in because not only was there 10kt headwind and waves but there was a 2kt tide setting current against me as I entered the channel between L’Île-d’Entrée. I hoisted my staysail and tacked up the last bit at full throttle just making it. I can’t wait to get that new prop on.
The Maggies stole my heart. I spent the first 4 days anchored in the beautiful and well protected anchorage next to the marina and moved into the marina for a week after that. I beach-combed, snorkeled, mountain biked, explored every shop, ate at all the cafés, and swam at the beach -all day every day- I met some really great people. One night after partying at the bar across the street from the marina, La Gabarre (translation: the barge ha ha), I found myself jumping into a packed car and ending up singing, stomping, and clapping along with a kitchen full of guitar playing Madelinots who knew every word of every old French song. I stumbled into Zee at dawn smiling from ear to ear.
I had to force myself to leave. My sister and brother-in-law were riding their Harley from Barrie, ON, out to Souris, PEI, to visit my niece in PEI and I was to meet up with them there. So I hoisted the sails at midnight and set out on a 19hr, 80nm light wind sail to Souris. I had been waiting for the perfect port to haul out and put the new prop on. I also needed to get an out of water insurance survey and put a new bottom on Zee as she had been in the water for 2 years. Literally within a half hour of arriving I had arranged a haul out for the next morning. Souris is the perfect place to get things done on your boat. The huge fishing fleet needs upkeep and so they have everything you’d ever need. Knowing I’d be in this port for a while I set up my engraving studio and the first thing I did was carve Zee into a Canadian ‘Silver Maple’ coin. 🙂