Monday 17th September 2012 ­ Canada At Last! Port Saguenay -5hrs BST

Well you will be pleased to know that we survived the hurricanes and in fact had a very smooth ride across the Grand Banks finally siting Nova Scotia on Sunday 16^th September.  After nearly full 6 days at sea, or really 10 if you discount the short stopover in the Azores, many were close to suffering cabin fever!  We have, however, had some entertaining and informative lectures on Canadian Maritime Culture from Professor Brent McKenzi of Gualph University Montreal – so I certainly know more about Hockey (Ice Hockey) the Canadian National Sport, the food and inparticular Poutine – chips topped with cheese curds and beef gravy – and music which has a strong Celtic Irish and Scottish origins with plenty of fast fiddle playing and story telling by song.

Peg and I broke the routine of consecutive sea days by indulging in a Traditional Afternoon Tea with real tea leaves, cucumber sandwiches, squidgy cakes – of which Peg ate both éclairs!!  - and finally warm scones, jam and cream, all served by white-gloved waiters and waitresses and most enjoyable it was too.  I have said to Peg that when she gets home she should do a talk to the people at Cedar Court where she lives on “How the other half live”.  Whether she will add that at the tea one of the waiters has christened her “cutey’ is another matter!!  All in good fun and I have to say I quite like being called Sir Terence!!!

Having picked up the pilot at the entry to the St Lawrence Estuary at midnight we then gently steamed down the St Lawrence River to the tip of a majestic fjord to where the waters of the Saguenay and St Lawrencerivers meet to Port Saguenay.  The seventh largest city in Quebec, Saguenay is surrounded by three National Parks and the Saguenay fjord, which was discovered by Jacques Cartier around 1536during his second expedition to the St Lawrence River.

Saguenay has been subject to two natural disasters in recent years: a flood in 1996 and the Saint-Jean-Vianney landslide in 1971.  The Ha-Ha Pyramid, shown in the photo, is a monument to the great flood of 1996 that devastated the region and has proved to be one of Canada’s natural disasters to date. The Pyramid is constructed of aluminium ‘Give Way’ road signs, signifying that you cannot halt the waters but must give way to them.  Aluminium is a major employer in the region with three Alcan smelters fed by bauxite from Brazil brought to the deep-water harbour at Le Baie – Port Sagueway.  One side of the wharf deals with the bauxite ore whilst the other loads smelted aluminium bars.

Until 10 years ago the other major employer in the city was a pulp and paper mill.  Its closure brought economic hardship that explains why the city has turned to tourism and invested in a new cruise terminal capable of taking the largest ships afloat and completed 5 years ago. This fall some 20 cruise ships are expected withmore visits booked for next Spring and the rest of the 2013.

We arrived at 8.00am to clear skies and sunshine and a very warm welcome by locals dressed in Edwardian clothes and offering local delicacies such as iced maple syrup lollipops.

My first excursion, however, was to Tadoussac where the Saguenay fjord meets the estuary of the St Lawrence, to go whale watching of which more in my next post.