I’m anchored here just above the old city reading about tidal estuaries. Will stay here overnight.
I woke today to a brisk easterly wind, grey and cool. High tide was at 1000 and I was sitting in the pilothouse at about 0930 drinking coffee and thinking of getting underway when a smaller trawler came past and headed downstream. So I upped anchor and followed.
It wasn’t that bad. Short steep waves on the bow, but Escapade plows through that without too much bother. I had a 2-3 knot current helping. It’s nice to be making 10 knots burning 4l/hr.
I had pretty much decided to pass Quebec and anchor off Ille d’Orleans, but the current reversed just as I was going by this anchorage. I was sort of expecting it, as the tide had changed in Quebec about 90 minutes earlier, but it went from 2 knots downstream to about 1 knot upstream pretty quickly.
The tidal range here is 13 feet. I don’t think I’ve boated anywhere with that range. Weird and novel. The downtown marina is inside a lock.
Tides look good for a mid-morning departure tomorrow. I’m going to skip the old port marina and carry on downriver. Heavy rain forecast for overnight, clearing later tomorrow. No big winds forecast.
I didn’t meet any ships today. I wondered if they time their passage through the Richeleau Rapids, but none have come by since I stopped.
Boating Adventures 