8 Jul 15
It was stormy during the night (not in the forecast, by the way), so it was just as well we were tied up happily in the marina, rather than swinging on an anchor somewhere. We slept in, then, after breakfast, I got a bit more wax on the starboard side, before it was time to go. We cast off at 11:00 and pulled back out into the stream, motor-sailing most of the way. The Richelieu Rapids (advertised with 5 to 8 kn currents and whirlpools) was a complete non-event; 1.0 - 1.5 kn current. The current was much stronger (4+ kn) coming into Quebec City, which we reached at 18:00. You have to pull into the Lower Basin at the Port of Quebec and wait for the lock and lift bridge to open; then you lock up about 5 meters into the Inner Basin and are not bothered by the 5.1 m tidal range outside - excellent. We were tied up at our slip by 18:30. This is a beautiful marina with all new floating docks and facilities within spitting distance of Vieux Quebec - way cool. After our second long day of travel, we had a quiet dinner aboard and will hit the town tomorrow.
The following link will take you to a time-lapse movie of our voyage from Montreal to Quebec City via Trois Rivieres:
http://youtu.be/ebCkXQR4fpo
46-49.206’N, 071-12.296’W
9 Jul 15
When we got up, there was an e-mail from Sharon, a friend of a friend of a friend, and a resident of Quebec, who offered to pick us up in her car and take us on a tour of Ile d’Orleans and the Montmorency Falls. She picked us up about 10:30, collected another friend of hers and we were off to the island, which is only 10 km from downtown Quebec, but is like a step back in time. First stop was Monna et Filles Cassis Economuseum; it is a working cassis farm and bottling facility. Cassis is the stuff you add to wine or champagne to make Kir or Kir Royale, respectively. They make all kinds of liqueres, jams, salad dressings and even mustard. So, we bought a few bottles for boat supplies and also had lunch there on the patio overlooking the north channel of the St. Lawrence and a bit of Montmorency Falls. Next, we went to the chocolaterie for ice cream, then drove up the south side of the island, stopping at an art gallery for Quebecois artists (we did not buy anything), followed by a stop at a lovely patisserie for coffee and croisants (for breakfast tomorrow). On the way back, we stopped at Chalet Montmorency for a viewing of the Falls, which - at 83 m high - are 30 m higher than Niagara Falls, although not as much water. Finally returning to town, we invited Sharon to join us for dinner. We parked at her club and walked down to the Chateau Frontenac for a look at this classic old Canadian Pacific railroad hotel and decided to dine in Le Sam, which has a gorgeous view overlooking the narrows of the St. Lawrence and Point Levy on the south shore. After dinner, we walked around town a bit and enjoyed the lights of the city and the pleasant evening, including a look at the beautiful fountain beside the Parliament building, which is also pretty impressive. We finally made it back to the boat just after midnight.
10 Jul 15
Quebec City beckons, so we hit the touristic trail and walked up the rue Cote de Montagne to the city center. We wandered aimlessly around this beautiful walled city and eventually stopped for a sushi lunch on the Grande Allee. The Museum of the Plains of Abraham was nearby, so we toured the museum, which included a guided bus tour of the Plains. Afterward, we walked along the city walls, then walked across to the rue Petit Champlain, with all its shops and sidewalk cafes and bars. Eventually, we selected Cochon Dingue (Crazy Pig), on the basis of Sharon’s recommendation, for dinner. We got back to the boat about 20:30, did a bit of laundry and cleaned the boat.
11 Jul 15
The Admiral had a hair appointment at 10:30, up on the Grande Allee, so she left for that and I went round the local marine hardware store to get some supplies, but they do not have much. We rendezvoused for lunch and then rode the bus out to Place de Ste. Foy, one of the local malls. We did some grocery shopping and finally got an unlocked Canadian cell phone with a small data package, so now we can make phone calls in Canada, receive and send texts here and to the States, and receive up to 2 GB of data monthly (hope that is enough). We finally got back to the boat about 17:00 and had dinner. And then the thunderstorms rolled in; from 19:30 - 21:30, it rained buckets, blew half a gale and thundered and lightninged to beat the band. Early to bed.
12 Jul 15
And apparently, the storms did beat the band: we heard on the radio this morning that “Foo Fighters” got blown off-stage after only 4 songs and were unable to come back on - good thing I’m not a fan. But it was all fine this morning. After breakfast, we wandered up to the Notre-Dame des Victoires at Place Royale, then took the Funiculaire up to the boardwalk (or rue de la Terrasse-Dufferin), took a self-guided tour of the foundations of the old palace, watched a few street performers, had lunch at a sidewalk cafe, checked out an organ and voice concert at Basilique Notre-Dame de Quebec, where we bumped into our new friend Sharon, then walked up to La Citadel, back to Grande Allee for a refreshing drink and snacks, and finally walked back to the marina for showers. Another 8 mile day.
13 Jul 15
Having booked a guided walking tour of the city starting at 10:00, we got up kind of early for us and once again scaled the heights of Cap Diamant to the coeur of Quebec City. The tour was very good and gave us further insight into this fascinating city. We lunched at St. Patricks Irish pub - fish and chips of course - and then came back to the boat so I could run to Canadian Tire to refill the propane bottle and buy spare motor oil, which required a taxi. While I was out, the Admiral started the laundry. After we finished our respective chores, we showered and walked back into lower Quebec City for dinner, finally settling on Lapin Saute, where we, of course, had rabbit, prepared in a lovely pastry-covered pot-pie: very tasty. Especially, along with the bottle of very nice Italian red wine, whose name I wish I could remember.
14 Jul 15
Happy Bastille Day. Vive la France!! When we awoke, an e-mail from Sharon was waiting, offering to meet us for lunch, etc. So, we climbed the hill again to haute Quebec and had a quick tour of the Musee de Amerique Francophone (Museum of French-speaking Americans), starting with a guided tour of Seminaire de Quebec, started by Monseigneur (now Saint) Laval, and the basis/starting point for the present-day Laval University. Then, we marched back down to lower Quebec to meet Sharon for lunch at Panache, which was just superb; beautiful building and ambience and a wonderful meal. Afterward, Sharon took us for a drive around the west side of Quebec, including a quick stop at the Yacht Club de Quebec for tea. We also met a couple of her friends, who she picked up on their collective way to a concert at the Plains of Abraham venue, although they probably got wet - it started to rain just about the time we got back to the boat at 19:00. We stopped off on the way home for a pint at St. Andrews pub and heard some local guys playing some pretty good acoustic blues music. By the way, we did not leave Quebec this morning, as originally planned, as the optimum departure time is 2 hours prior to HW Quebec, which would have meant an 03:00 departure, which is just way too early. So, we have decided to stay put for another 2 days and depart at 04:48 Thursday morning, headed for Cap a l’Aigle, about 70 miles downstream from Quebec on the north side of the Fleuve St. Lawrence.
15 Jul 15
To prepare for our run down the St. Lawrence, we did a big provisioning run in the morning to the grocery and liquor stores. Then, because the tide dictates that we leave tomorrow morning at 04:48, we moved from the Upper Basin to the Lower Basin (the lock only operates from 07:00 to 24:00), so we are not constrained in the morning. After we got tied up on the temporary dock, we made one last run to the museums, hitting the Musee de Civilization (at least from the French Canadian perspective) and the Musee Place Royale. Both of the these museums expend a lot of energy discussing the French Canadian history in a (ultimately) British-run colony, including multiple attempts at independence or separation. All good stuff. Turns out that the Acadians (now Cajuns in south Louisiana) were expelled from Acadia (now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) by the British in 1755, a whole year before “what went down on the Plains of Abraham” (i.e., Quebec). Glad we got that little question mark of history cleared up. We met Sharon again on board for happy hour and then went for dinner at La Brigantine in Lower Quebec. Back to the boat and in bed by 21:00.