29 July - 1 August 2011 Cruising in the province of Quebec Part 2 of 2

29 Jul 2011  0601-1053  Riviere-au-Renard to Gaspe  35 nm

The Gaspe peninsula is really picturesque.  We cruised a couple miles off the coastline.

Beautiful Gaspe coastline

We decided to rent a car in Gaspe and drive out to see Perce Rock and the gannets on Ile Bonaventure.  This is probably the best place in the world to get close to this many gannets.  National Geographic Traveler rates the Gaspe as the #3 best rated travel destination in the world.  It was amazing, to say the least.  Have a look....

Perce Rock

You have to take a boat ride to get out to the rock (or walk out from the left at low tide).  The boat ride includes a trip to Ile Bonaventure, home to millions (?) of nesting gannets.  You walk a minimum of 5 miles from the dock to the other side of the island where you are literally spitting distance from the gannets.

View from the boat - back side of Ile Bonaventure

Up close and personal with the gannets

Mating gannets stretch their necks and tap their bills together

Gannets, gannets everywhere...

There is a rope between you and the gannets.  Otherwise you'd be walking among them.  No telling what impact that could have on them.  The experience was surreal.  I've never experienced anything like this!

The walk back

Wild flowers on Ile Bonaventure

Gaspe Rock (on the right) from Ile Bonaventure

31 Jul 2011  0559-1033  Gaspe to L'Anse-a-Beaufils  31nm

So today we get to cruise by the rock ourselves.  It happens to be low tide so you can also see the people walking out to the rock.

Approach to Perce Rock

Low tide - walking out to Perce Rock (not in photo)

Perce Rock and Captain Ted

Approaching the next marina...

Approaching the marina at L'Anse-a-Beaufils

L'Anse-a-Beaufils marina

Aloha Friday alongside dock

Lise DuBois on Kogia

 We met some wonderful folks from Quebec and wound up cruising a bit with them.  We met Lise and Jacques DuBois in Rimouski after we both went through that horrible squall on the St Lawrence.

Tour boats from Perce Rock moor in L'Anse-a-Beaufils

1 Aug 2011  0545-1525  L'Anse-a-Beaufils to Shippagan, New Brunswick (Atlantic Daylight Time)  56nm

We leave the province of Quebec and cruise into the province of New Brunswick today.  We also advance the clocks one hour ahead.  Now that we are in New Brunswick, English is as common as French.   The reason we still hear French is because the early settlers in this area and others to follow came from Acadia, France.  They call themselves Acadians.

Shippagan marina

We weren't off the boat 20 minutes chatting with the locals before we headed into town.  One of the men handed me his car keys so we could use his car.  Unfortunately, as it was "New Brunswick Day", next to nothing was open!

Fishing Fleet

Since there are quotas for certain catches within a season, it is not totally uncommon for a fisherman to meet his quota within several weeks.  When that happens it seems like a lot of boats are idle.  In some areas, fishing is no longer profitable if any area has been over fished.  Cod fishing is a good example where over fishing has depleted the stock in Canadian waters.

Monster lobster in the aquarium

Shippagan lighthouse (for show)

We find 30 amp power frequently and 15 amp power a lot.  15 amp power is useless to us.  Sometimes we find that all of the power outlets on the dock are electrically wired to one power source.  When everyone is putting a load on one source, we notice that our breakers pop.  An interesting way to wire the marina, to say the least.  You can see a power pedestal below with at least 3 cords coming into it.  We are the big boat in the picture.