After a week in the hustle and bustle of the city – any city, even Quebec – we are ready to get back to our quest for the prize: the Saguenay. We have logged 680 miles so far, but Tadoussac, the mouth of the fjord, is another 130 miles away. However, there’s nowhere to stop between Quebec and there other than Cap A L’Aigle at Malbaie (site of the infamous 2018 G7), other than Ile D’Orleans, a mere 10 miles into the trip, because there’s nowhere to anchor. Starting from Ile D’Orleans will allow us to knock up to two hours off the longest sector of the journey, so, after supplying the boat, topping up with water and brewing several cups of our Balzac’s coffee we depart Quebec marina on Tuesday July 10, the winds and tides having at last come into harmony for us.
After the jog, we tie up in the basin of Ile Bacchus de Ile D’Orleans in the afternoon, bucking a major current at the harbour mouth, and on a rising tide to avoid the bit in the middle that causes grief at low water.
The harbour is completely different from the fancy, comfortable marinas we have been staying in. Already, there is a no-nonsense salty flavour, and add in the 12 foot tide and you start to feel like you’re heading towards the Atlantic. ‘Cos you are.
