Saguenay fjord in Quebec

theflyscot · Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:10 am Post subject: Saguenay fjord in Quebec

Hello, folks,
This is Michael and Aurhelia on another trip on The Flying Scotsman. Many of you kindly helped us when we took our 22 foot C-Dory Cruiser 2000 miles from Minneapolis to New Orleans - much appreciated.
A few days ago we set off from Albany, NY and we are now in Montreal. We are toying with going into the St Lawrence Seaway and ending up in Chicoutimi at the north end of what we understand to be the only fjord in North America.
Clearly the weather might be an issue, but have any of you done this (or tried to!) and what are your observations?
Any comments welcome!
With thanks and best wishes,
Michael & Aurhelia

Morning Star · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:38 am Post subject:

I have never done it-in fact-I had never heard of it. I looked it up online and it looks like a really beautiful place. There are a couple of video clips on Youtube that give a decent feel for what it is like. One of them shows Beluga whales swimming with a boat similar to how dolphins do. Good luck on your trip if you decide to go. Post some pictures if you can. Hopefully, someone with local knowledge will post and provide you some useful information. (This will put it back to the top of the recent posts.)

theflyscot · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:08 am Post subject:

Thanks, Jim, for your response - very much appreciated.

theflyscot · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:42 am Post subject:

Dear Jim,
Thanks to your drawing to our attention the YouTube clips, we've read a fascinating blog by someone who sailed the trip in 2008. On this occasion we've decided to take on a less challenging trip and travel to the Thousand Islands.
Safe sailing!

Captains Cat · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:44 am Post subject:

Several folks have made the Thousand Islands trip this summer. Check out the TugNuts website. I'd be surprised if there isn't any place that Bil and El have NOT been on HALCYON. I think they're out of internet range right now somewhere in the mid Northern part of the US or Canada.

We used to go up there on vacation (but not by boat) and stayed on the lake near Clayton NY (Home of the greatest Wooden Boat Museum I've ever seen!), near the home of the 10th Mountain Division at Ft Drum. Stayed at a little (I kid you not) motel called the "Breakin' Wind Motel and Cabins"....

Charlie

Dennis Meyer · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:12 am Post subject:

We lived in Chicoutimi for 5 years, but didn't own the boat at the time. It's definitely worth going up to where the Saguenay river joins the St. Lawrence (Tadoussac). Belugas and a whack of other whales frequent the area, and you could follow any of the many guide boats to them. It's scenic country from Tadoussac to Chicoutimi as well, and the waterway should be easy to navigate- big ships make the trip regularly. La Baie is a beautiful spot, not far from Chicoutimi. There's a pub (the Victoria) right on the bay that brews its own fantastic beer- worth visiting.

El and Bill · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:08 pm Post subject:

Wow! Looks marvelous - no, we've not been there. Been reading about the marine life and studying the charts - DEEP! As fjords are.

Not the only fjord in N. America - many others, particularly along the west coast of BC and Alaska - but it looks like a VERY impressive place to cruise. Like in the Alaska waters, often hard to anchor when the shores drop so precipitously to great depths and not many shallow coves or creeks for anchoring. Let us know if you are going to do it - looks like a great spot albeit a bit tricky being a fjord. Good luck.