Today on our sail from Cap a L'Aigle to Tadoussac the air was cold, crisp and clear of mist. Shortly out of the marina I was completely overwhelmed with excitement when I spotted a whale! And not just any kind, but an endangered beluga. White and sleek it skimmed the surface of the water as it passed behind us. So awesome! My first reaction was a loud "Oh my gosh!" and of course Mom and Dad freaked out thinking something bad had happened. Throughout the morning we settled in at a nice sailing pace and kept spotting more belugas just along the edge of the waterway (sometimes mistaking whitecaps for them as the wind picked up).
Unfortunately a relaxed attitude never lasts long on a sailboat. Peace is fleeting. All of a sudden the wind came ripping down the hillsides, buffeting us, causing some intense heeling. At that point we lowered the main and sailed through the gusts under genoa for the rest of the day. To add some excitement to that, Mom yelled "Oh! Oh! Sea Lion!" as she glimpsed a seal right beside the boat as we neared Tadoussac.
Coming in to Tadoussac at the mouth of the Saguenay River around two o'clock we encountered some strange waves. The tide coming in and wind blowing out created choppy eddies and ripples along the surface. We also saw the water change from a nice sea green to an intense black as we neared the Saguenay. The water gets as deep as 400 feet just at the entrance to the river! The experience of pulling into the anchorage behind Club Nautique de Tadoussac allowed Dad to come up with the line: "Where should we anchor today? Oh, how about over there behind that whale." Our heads were spinning as we searched for a good spot and a whale surfaced about 30 feet in front of us! We're not sure what kind it was but it had a dark dorsal fin, so wasn't a beluga.
It's pretty cool to encounter these kinds of creatures already when we are only just nearing the ocean itself. So far tonight the wind is still howling and we have had to reset the anchor, so we're all looking forward to a good dinner and wrapping ourselves in lots of blankets for the night (it's cold today!).
Hoping everyone back home is well,
Nicole. xo. (Since we can't find internet to connect to tonight this post is going to my first sent to the blog through our marine SSB radio to a station in Lunenburg, NS, so hope it turns out ok!)
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Sounds incredible! An experience of lifetime. So rare to see s beluga in the wild and in the seaway!
ReplyDeleteI am loving all this great news. So glad you guys are all doing well. Yes, stay warm! Sleeping on a oat with lots of blankets sounds fun. Like a fun sleepover! :) Wish katiebearths was there! That is so exciting about the whales! Love you all and take care. And yes, it was a chilly day here in London too. Night xo
ReplyDelete