 We were up at 5:00am and the weather forecast for the day was very promising. Light winds and sunshine all along the south shore of the river. We left the marina before breakfast and set our course for Matane, which was about 40 miles downriver. This would not be our final destination for the day but we wanted to stop there and get more diesel fuel. |
 The cruising guidebooks we are referencing make note of the fact that the further down the river you go, the fewer ports there are which sell diesel fuel to pleasure craft. Many of the ports are focused on the fishing industry and they have no fuel docks. When a fisherman needs fuel he calls the local supplier and buys it by the truckload! Even if Ananda’s fuel tanks were bone dry we would not have capacity for more than about 300 gallons and a fuel truck carries about 2000 gallons! |
 Joan spotted the first whales about 7:30am. I was talking on the phone to Emily and Catherine at the time. We got a fantastic view of the whale’s tail fin breaking out of the water, along with several small water spouts from its blowhole. Unfortunately it all happened so fast that we were unable to get any photos of it. About an hour later Joan spotted a couple of seals with their heads out of the water and looking at right at us. This was all very exciting and I remained alert throughout the day in anticipation of seeing more marine life. |
 We maintained a course about 1 – 2 miles off the south shore of the river. This allowed us to enjoy the view of the land and the river. This part of Quebec is very picturesque with many small towns and villages along the way—each one built up along a road that followed the shoreline that is backdropped by continuous mountains and hillsides. We reached Cap Chat about 5:00pm. This community is well known on the St. Lawrence River for its dramatic shoreline, a beautiful lighthouse and a very large wind farm. We were now closing in on our destination—Sainte Anne des Monts, which was about 10 miles downriver from Cap Chat. |
 We arrived at Sainte Anne des Monts about 7:30pm. By the time we had our dock lines set and our stay for the night all organized the sun was beginning to set and the sky was ablaze with colour. We ran up to the shoreline and above the breakwater so we could see the sunset. Sainte Anne des Monts is a very pretty little community. The marina has a maritime interpretive center and there is also an excursion boat that will take tourists out to the site where the Empress of Ireland sunk. The property surrounding the marina office and interpretive center has a maritime themed playground for small children, picnic area and numerous driftwood sculptures that are very cleverly done. |
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