OCT 27: Cruising Towards the St. Lawrence River

 

We had no port call today as INSIGNIA traveled from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, to Saguenay, Quebec. This passage crossed the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, passed north of Anticosti Island in the Strait of Jacques Cartier, and entered the Saint Lawrence River. 

Entering the St. Lawrence River was not the same as entering the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Seaway extends from Montreal to the eastern end of Lake Erie, as indicated by the red box on the map.

We had hoped to enter the river during daylight hours, but that did not happen. The Jacques Cartier Strait was a whale habitat, so the ship was required to cruise at a sedate 9 knots or more until West of Anticosti Island.

Past the island, as the ship picked up speed to about 14 knots, the seas got significantly bigger. They were generally on our stern quarter, giving us mostly pitch, but with enough roll that between the two, there were likely some unhappy campers aboard.

Today, they asked passengers to be conscientious of water consumption while in the St Lawrence River, not because of problems generating it, but due to a limited capacity to store dirty water that, once treated, would normally discharge overboard.

Pam had talked about swimming in the heated pool today, but the outdoor temperature, the overcast skies, and the constant light rain throughout the day discouraged her from doing it. 

We hope for better weather tomorrow as we proceed up the narrow Saguenay River for a port call in Saguenay, Quebec. A front is forecast to pass over the region tomorrow, bringing a sharp temperature drop. Looking at the long-range forecast, this colder weather will be with us for the remainder of the trip.