Up at sunrise -  Friday 16th August.

A stunning calm day again still with glassy seas no wind and 17c under the dodger.  I kept my eyes on the water for hours and spotted a few more seals and porpoises but none swam very near to us. 

Around 10am we saw some whales blowing closer into shore than the track we were taking so we changed our course and headed inland.

They were ginormous even from a distance of a couple of miles back,  we could see them coming up and out of the water, we think they must have been humpbacks.  Through the binoculars Craig spotted a hump and these whales are known for diving deep and showing their tails as they go down, and that's what we saw a huge tail out of the water we both let out a huge  "wow" at the same time when we saw it.  There were 3 of them and they seemed to be travelling parallel with the shore, miles off from where we were. We could also hear them when they breathed out, we waited for a while but eventually we had to keep moving, they must have dived a long way down, I believe they can hold their breath up to 45 minutes but the average is 15 minutes.

It was a surreal day again, motoring through these calm waters

At one point around lunchtime the wind picked up so we hoisted the sails and turned off the engine, it was only a light breeze probably the channeled air coming down the river valley we were just passing. But in the quiet we could hear whales blowing way way off in the distance behind us, we could only just see the flumes of water on the horizon, but the sound had travelled so clearly it was wonderful to know they were there.

We are now heading towards the Gaspésie Peninsula and all our stops are now on the right hand  side where as Montreal and Quebec and all the stops in between and after up until Point Mitis had been on the left hand side.

We had to buy propane before we ventured further to more remote locations, so that night we pulled in to Marina St Anne Des Mont's.  A lovely little harbour with a huge church dominating the entrance.  $1.25 per foot plus taxes $70.42. for the night. 

The Church and harbour from a distance

Behind the Break wall

The lovely guy who helped us dock and took our money hardly spoke a work of English but we managed to communicate that we needed propane, he said in broken English that there was a garage about 15 minutes walk away.  So off we went propane tank in hand (its rather heavy).  We passed the supermarket and a few cafes, we probably walked about 7 km and eventually came to the petrol station.  They had to call the boss in to use the machine, he arrived in a   couple of minutes, then off we set back to the boat.  It started to rain and we were passing a take away place that had good reviews for its roast chicken.  So in we went,  Craig ordered a Pizza and a "whole roast chicken please" - pointing at the menu board.
Here is his FB post he tells the story better than I do.

He was so disappointed if you know Craig you would know he loves his roast chicken.

Our next port of refuge is Riviere De Madeline we motored on with still no wind and calmer than calm water with Adriana's wake being the only ripple on the water, we are now passing chunks of seaweed which is exciting to see.  

The hours passed quickly as we travelled along,  still keeping a watch out for whales.

We had emailed and tried to telephone the Marina to confirm a booking but had had no response, we had read on active captain that this was normal so we were not too concerned,  we headed on in.  We had also read that this was a tiny harbour !!
That was an understatement there were buoys inside the harbour indicating to be aware of the rocks, there was literally no room to manoeuvre anywhere but into our slip.  

Once we were in the harbour we could see why we had had no response it was very rural the lady that took our money spoke no English and had no teeth.

But there was a little restaurant called Captique that had been built in the last few years and it looked rather nice.

Looking down at de la Riviere  Madeline

There is always a statue or cross overlooking the harbours 

Our concern with this Marina was the depth. These places are designed for the fishing boats and there is usually a boat ramp and the docks for pleasure craft have been built as an afterthought so not set out like an actual marina.

There were at least 3 people on the dock to guide us in and catch the lines, it was a tight squeeze.

After a quick shower we stepped off to go for a walk up the hill to look down at the harbour.  We stopped for a chat with Edwardo, on Woloomoloo who was tied up next to us, he was so helpful answering all Craigs questions about tides, prevailing winds, anchorages etc,  Margot and Edwardo were returning from their summer vacation time on the water, they usually travel for the summer months on Woolloomooloo. 

We ended up having dinner with them the meal was ok Craig had Cod and Chips and I had Roast BBQ Chicken, nice homely meals.  But Craig nearly fell off his chair when the couple next to us were served a platter of mussels and grilled fish topped with huge Crabs Legs I think he would have preferred the fresh seafood platter.
We enjoyed Margot and Edwardo's company very much, it was nice to have new people to talk to, they are both in their 70's very well travelled and have been to Australia twice.

When we returned from dinner the tide was at its lowest and Adriana was actually sitting on the seabed she was sitting on mud/sand so no damage but we were really aware that we had to leave on a high tide.

Getting up at 5.45am we were out and on our way by 6.10am we had 1.3mt under the hull and the tide was going out so we could not muck around.

The water and scenery was just stunning

Crossing the 49th Parallel this is as far north as we will go

Still no wind and the weather is really mild for this part of the world - In Winter it is normal to get as low as -30c, the landscape is so rugger and raw.  All the harbours have HUGE protective walls, so yes we are blessed so far - no wind means we have to motor which costs money is noisy and smelly - sailing is free quiet and if there is not too much wind very relaxing. For this rugged part of the world I'm happy to be motoring for now.

So the best laid plans !!

We motored into Riviere Au Renard outer harbour, after a nice quiet uneventful passage we were not sure whether we were going to anchor in the outer harbour or take a spot on
the dock so we came in with anchor ready to drop and fenders out ready to tie up.  The entrance was a bit windy and choppy I may have jinxed us by talking about the beautiful weather and lack of wind but I think we are turning the corner on the peninsula and facing a new direction and the weather is about to change.

The outer harbour seemed nice and sheltered as there were some strong winds forecasted and the harbour was surrounded by huge rocks and man made concrete rocks, nice and protected so we dropped the anchor , I had gone out and put down the anchor and 20mt of chain but when Craig went out to put the snubber on and drop another 10mt the windlass or anchor winch stopped working.  

Luckily we had set the anchor and dropped enough chain so we were secure but we knew we could not use the winch to pull the anchor back up and if the anchor dragged we would be in trouble.  and looking at the huge rock walls we could see it was an extreme weather location.  Craig went forward and pulled the windlass out then worked on it for a couple of hours pulling it apart. 

After we had trouble with the winch in Little Current we knew it was not working 100%. 

On inspection the cogs were wrecked/stripped the whole thing looked like it had not seen new oil or a service ever.

working on the windlass motor

Being Sunday afternoon there was nothing we could do until the next day. We txt Eduardo who had just arrived at the marina and told them of our predicament Eduardo spoke to the Harbourmaster and promised to help us in the morning. Remember we are still in a 99% French speaking province so it was a godsend we had met Eduardo and Margot and they could translate for us.  

These harbour walls are huge maybe 20 feet high !!

Probably not very informative without something as a reference for size

We were safe for the night but if the anchor lost hold we would be in trouble. We did swing around a lot and there was a big swell even though there was no wind, so it was not the most comfortable location.

Just a photo of the rock wall at the entrance to the harbour, see the man made rocks

This one is from inside when we were tied to the dock

Next morning Craig jumped in the dingy and met Eduardo, they walked to two different

mechanic shops this is a big bustling fishing harbour with whole fleets of fishing boats coming and going, so not a bad place to break down, but it was as Craig already knew we would have to order a whole new motor. So on the phone to Binnacle in Halifax they sourced the motor, it was going to be sent to them,  then on to us "it should be there by Friday" they said. We are in a fairly remote location so nothing is going to be delivered here quicky !!

Back  on Adrianna that afternoon  Craig hand winched up 30mt of chain and our 85lb anchor.  I had to stand at the wheel and keep the boat to the wind following Craig's hand signals so we were above the anchor. That was a huge physical work out !!
It all went really well and we limped into the harbour with our anchor dangling just above the waterline.  

Riviere Renard was going to be our stop for a few days at least.  We had Eduardo and Margot for company then we were joined by Belinda and Kitt, an English couple
who have been cruising for 13 years. 
We have now passed the 49th Parallel

and our direction from here on will be South.