3 July, 2015 Willie Goes to the City

      "If your boat speed is 5 to 6 knots, plan to depart Portneuf 2 to 2.5 hours after high tide in Portneuf."  That was what our guidebook read.  So that's what we did. It was perfect day, with a 12 to 15 knot following wind right down the river with us.  The river was choppy, and at the very first, a slight current was against us.  It soon turned in our favor and slowly our speed increased from 4.8 knots to over 11 as we passed under the two bridges four miles above Quebec City.  Most of the traffic in the river was heading upstream except for one small Canadian cruise ship.  Near Quebec, traffic picked up as more and more sailboats were coming out to try their hand against the 4 knot current off the city.

      After pinching ourselves that we were actually in Quebec City on our own boat, we headed in to the outer basin of the Port of Quebec Marina.  Right behind us was the motor yacht Melodie, which had also been in Portneuf the night before.  Now, this marina is pretty special; first you enter the marina through a lock, ascending eight feet which puts you in their little pond with an estimated 540 boat slips.  And this, right on the doorstep of the old city of Quebec.  It is really quite a scene.

Melodie's skipper gives Dan some local knowledge.

Melodie exiting the lock.

      After clearing the lock,  we received our slip assignment: G-12-Est (East).  Like finding our seats at a football game, we chugged down the rows until we found row G, turning right and heading down the alley to turn into slip 12.  Lickety-split, just as if we knew what we were doing.

     We tidied up a bit, paid our respects to the marina office, and dove into town.  We walked the streets of the lower town, checking out a few galleries and other shops, mostly watching people.  We also got a look inside a couple of old Catholic churches with stunning ornamental work and stained glass windows.

     We sat down at a sidewalk bistro, enjoyed a drink and a sampler plate of different sausages, cheese, and cranberry chutney.  Very tasty, and the street side atmosphere was the best.

      After wandering through a few more streets, we made our way down the hill and back to the marina.  Lots of activity here, as there are many locals that come to party and barbecue on their boats, and it is Friday night.

      We plan to spend the whole day in Quebec City tomorrow.