We left Cap à l’Aigle and enjoyed a perfect sail with the spinnaker for the first few hours. Although it wasn’t forecast, the sky to the Northwest began looking ominous, so we doused the spinnaker and furled the mainsail, just in time for a violent thunderstorm to hit. Visibility was minimal, winds gusted up to 40 knots and waves built. True North handled it well and when it cleared, our consolation was arriving at one of the highlights of the trip… the Saguenay River and the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
The Sagenay River is a beautiful mountain-lined Fjord that extends almost 60 nautical miles West from the Saint-Lawrence River, with the adorable town of Tadoussac at the mouth. It is extremely deep, cold brackish water, offering ideal conditions for whales to feed and reproduce. Due to the endangerment of most whale species, due to pollution and global warming, the Marine Park offers protection and the rules for keeping distance are very strict. So far, we’ve sighted numerous Minke whales, a lone Beluga whale and numerous seals on entering the Saguenay River. We plan a hike and dinghy ride today so hopefully we’ll have more whale experiences to share in the next post.
Tadoussac is a lovely village perched over a bay on the North side of the Saguenay just off of the Saint Lawrence. It was historically inhabited by indigenous Innu people who used it as a seal hunting base. Europeans first arrived in the 16th century and used it as a whaling base. Today, it is as popular tourist stop with a fantastic beach, kayaking, hiking and, of course, whale watching.
