Mile 513: Chcoutimi (Saguenay)

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Chicoutimi (Saguenay) Current Location: Club de Yacht de Chioutimi Date: June 6 Mile:  513 Locate:  Ramble On Locate: Finnish Line 2.0

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We are currently as far north as Thunder Bay is. This isn't the furthest north we will get. When we are at the top of the Gaspé peninsula, then we will be as far north as lake Nipigon or almost as north as Whistler.

Travelling from La Baie, meant heading ENE, then turning back around cap-ouest, then back WNW.  We put up sail and had a nice wind that built steadily from a light off-wind leg, to some nice upwind sailing.   Once we were about 8 nm from Chicoutimi, the Fjord becomes a river and the river becomes very narrow.   We dropped sail, and had to pay close attention to the buoyed channel as being outside the channel had single digit depths in most places (or at least would have at low tide).

While we didn't see any evidence of shipping or commercial traffic in this section of the river the navigation was assisted by a number of range lights and beacons.  The final approach to the town was guided by a sector light.  This is in addition to the continuous pairs of red/greens marking our path.  Notably, this narrowing stretch of river presented increasingly strong current against us.   This is from Lac Saint-Jean about 30nm WNW from Chicoutimi.


Our destination, Club de Yacht de Chicoutimi, was the only place in town to bring your boat.  Primarily a motorboat club (which is probably due to the distance and current strength from sailable waters).

maybe 3 knots?

Our arrival at the dock was a little tricky as the water was rushing and surging along the dock, at times at 3 knots.  The current was primarily parallel to the dock, but every few minutes, a large eddy would swirl by the dock, and rush underneath, through between the floats and surge out the other side (where our boats were).

Our departure was also unique!   It has been on my list to add some air to all my fenders. Because of the cool weather they were all a little under inflated.  Well, that task caught up to us upon departure.   After a fuel up and pump out, we returned to the dock (as pictured above) to wait for Finnish Line to do the same.   With the current we were pegged to the dock, fenders compressed to almost nothing.  The dock hand helped push us off as we motored into the current, but rather abruptly we came to a complete stop.  I was on deck and couldn't see the cause of this until jumping back onto the dock.   Turns out that one of our "under inflated" fenders had hooked into one of the dock cleats, been completed pierced and then fully snagged.   It was not going to give up its hold on the cleat until we backed up a bit to free it up.   Add "fender" to the list of boat bit to buy when we get to Rimouski.

You can see the current in the water

Docking involved approaching the dock parallel, matching the current speed, and then crabbing sideways until the dock hand caught our lines.   We needed to keep it in gear and driving forward until the lines were well secured.  From then on, particularly on the ebb tide,  our boats would surge at the dock, making their own bow wave.   If you play the wheel you could steer you boat at the dock.  When inside the boat, there was the sound of continuous water past the boat.  Very weird.   They probably get very little growth on the bottoms of their boats.


Anyway,  Chicoutimi is where John and Nanci depart, and Debbie joins out little expedition.    John and Nanci take a bus back to Quebec City to enjoy a few more days off.   Debbie joins Finnish Line until Gaspé.

We spent a lay day in Chicoutimi.   The internet connection at the club was close to non-existance, hence this post being a little late.  We did some provisioning in preparation for the next legs and also enjoyed some dinners on the town.  Both restaurants were good, but in a sign of age setting in, they were way too loud.