On July 3oth, our 23rd day on the water, we departed the lovely little port of Ste. Anne de Monts en route to Riviere Madeleine, 48 nautical miles along the coast. How were we to know when we sailed out along the rocky coast that the next port of call was to become one of our favorites along the route. It really is so hard to say favourite because each port has had its own character and beauty and we felt welcome in all. However, as soon as we arrived around the breakwater we could tell Riviere Madeleine was special.
The harbour in Riviere Madeleine is one of those tiny inlets that dries in the low tied. Not completely, but it is difficult to navigate and there is no dredging equipment here. The dredging that is done must be accommodated by hauling the equipment in to do the work. So the little bay silts up pretty heavily especially along the rocky circular beach to the east of the wharf and docks.
The cape, a mile and a half to the west of the harbour, stretches itself a fair piece out into the water. It supports a large lighthouse at the tip of the land mass, numerous small brightly painted houses and outbuildings and I am told there are a few small farms scattered along the top of the flattened land above the cape. But what struck me the most at my first view was that this little spot looked so much like it could have been a small outport in Newfoundland. The mountain backdrop was quite far off in distance and although it was heavily forested the cape was raw with a sharp rocky face with very few trees. Those that were there were more like low shrubs, weathered by the wind, stunted in their grown by the struggle to remain alive in the harsh conditions. The rocks were adorned with pretty soft spongy mosses, each trying to outdo the other in their display of bloom of flowers. The waters below the cape were ragged and yet the waters in this little harbour surrounded by the L shaped breakwater that we had just recently rounded were calm with the surf gently lapping against the beach.
The entrance to the harbour is not easy. On both sides of the breakwater there are submerged rocks that are only visible at low tide. But in high tide they are still there for sure, just waiting, and will take a nasty bite out of any hull should one dare to venture to close. And one really does not want to enter here in a pleasure craft in low tide as the harbour does dry. But both of our vessels entered cautiously and without trial and we tied up safely to the floating dock.
We were greeting by a welcoming committee which consisted of one gentleman ( I found out later, a self-appointed volunteer, originally from Sudbury, Ontario not far from where I grew up ) who met us as the dock, assisted with our lines, welcomed and thanked us for coming to their community , presented us with a gift, a lovely coloured notepad with different pictures of their harbour portrayed on each page, gave us the particulars of what was there, offered a vehicle if we should need to go to a grocery store 5 klm away, identified who we would need to talk with if we could not speak French, offered to show us the salmon ladder in the village and added to the charm that was already displayed here. I could tell immediately this was going to be an enjoyable stopover.
We got the lay of the land of where we were pretty quickly and wandered around the dock and shore. A fellow in a small fishing vessel pulled in with a few small cod. Cod- we took note! We love cod and have not had a feed of cod forever. We have not been able to find good fresh cod anywhere since the collapse of that fishery. And here it was. For the second time since we arrived in this port, I thought of Joyce, my most wonderful mother-in-law. I thought of her because I knew she would feel warm and comfortable in this little place and all that it offered, too.
Marie and I hauled off some laundry to the washer located in the washrooms and the boys busied themselves with boat related chores in preparation for the next morning’s departure. We all met and chatted with others on the dock later and as we stood milling around another sailboat arrived. It now was about 9 pm and these 2 fellows, who were delivering the boat to Gaspe for its owner, pulled in for the night. But by now the tide was low, it was dark, there was not much manoeuvrability left in the harbour and they struck one of the rocks. Fortunately, no damage because they were moving so slow in the shallow water upon entry but we all heard it and cringed like it was ours that had been hurt. After they were settled and the boat safely tied, they joined in our conversation and gave us good advice about upcoming ports along our route. One of the fellows spoke highly of the Royal NS Yacht Club in Halifax where he had been while sailing a 61 foot sailboat across the Atlantic to France.
We finished our chat, wished all the other sailors “fair winds”, went back to our boat to prepare for the next day’s sail to Riviere-au-Renard.
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