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Thursday, May 27: Ferry from
Natashquan, QC to Blanc-Sablon, QC - Day 1
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Today's story revolves around the
ferry - the Nordik Express operated by
Relais Nordik out of
Rimouski, QC, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. This is a working
boat, hauling
passengers and freight to the communities east of Natashquan on the
Lower North Shore
that have
no access
by road, an area stretching some 300 miles. The 14 communities
are
populated
by some 5,600 native Innu and French-speaking residents.
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We had to be at the dock by 5:30 a.m. so we set our
alarm at the B&B for 4:15 a.m. When we woke up the sun was already up,
and it looked about like 6:30 a.m. in Cleveland! We packed up and rode
the short distance to the pier, and waited... The ferry would be
an hour late today, and with the unloading and loading of freight we
didn't leave Natashquan until 9:00 a.m.
Of course, my main concern was the motorcycle.
Would they know how to tie it down? Would they treat it with care? Would
it survive the trip intact? Well, I can say now they did a good job on
the first two - we'll have to wait another 24 hours to get the answer to
the third.
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They had me ride into a container
reserved exclusively for my
bike, and a gentleman tied down
the frame in four corners. |
Then they closed the doors,
attached the container to the
ship's crane, and lifted it on
board - the third level in last row. |
When we stopped in La Romaine
they unloaded a lot of the freight
and rearranged the rest of it. My
bike got moved down to the
first level in the 2nd row. |
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I cringed a little while watching them move my
container. When the container bumped into its neighbors while being
lowered I could just imagine the jolt to my bike inside. These weren't
harsh, wham-bam bumps - just "gentle" ones. Yet I could see the effect
on the cars in open container frames - they would rock pretty good on
their suspensions We'll have to see how it turns out - no point
worrying about it now. |
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We got to La Romaine (pop. 120) at
4:00 p.m. The container holding passenger baggage comes off first and
gets carted to the terminal. Then the gangplank comes down and the
passengers get off. Then they unload the freight and rearranged what's
left to even the load. |
| We had quite a number of native Innu on the boat,
I'd say perhaps 50. All but 1 or 2 got off here, and probably a third of
the freight. This is how the local store gets stocked, how people bring
their purchases home and take their cars and trucks back and forth, and
how the local industries get supplies. Some of the containers are
refrigerated to keep food fresh. |
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I got a kick out of seeing this van being
unloaded. It took 3 hours at La Romaine to handle all the freight. There
are two pieces of heavy construction equipment to be unloaded further
down stream. I expect they'll make the boat list pretty good, judging
from how it does when the containers are lifted out over the pier. |
Friday, May 28:
Ferry from Natashquan, QC to Blanc-Sablon, QC - Day 2
| We stopped at Harrington Harbour around 1:00 a.m.
this morning. Harrington Harbour is reputed to be the most scenic and
unusual settlement on the lower north shore so most of us on the boat
got off to explore. The village is on an island and has board walk
"streets" in place of the usual asphalt or concrete. Actually, they just
use boardwalks to bridge from boulder to boulder - and the boulders
serve as streets or sidewalks. You can see this in the photo of the
church below. There are almost no cars on the island - none are needed
since it is so small. |
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| About mid-morning we stopped at La Tabatière
for what turned out to be about 3 hours - unloading and loading
refrigerated coolers. Tabatière Seafood
is the largest processing company on the lower north shore, so a lot of
seafood is shipped here for processing, and processed seafood is shipped
out. They process shrimp, lobsters, crabs, salmon, and maybe mussels,
too. Fishing is one of the three main industries of the lower north
shore. |
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This colorful home sits on a point near the entrance
to the harbor at La Tabatière. This
type of design (contemporary?) and the use of bright colors is common
for homes in this area, many of which are built right on the boulders
along the shore. |
| Here we are at Saint-Augustin, the last stop
before Blanc-Sablon. I was waiting for this stop for the entire trip
since this was where the heavy construction equipment would be unloaded.
You can get an idea of the weight of this backhoe by noticing how much
the boat lists - probably several feet along the side. Some kind of
construction project is going on near here - I'm not sure if it is a dam
or what. I calculated that the boat could carry up to 76 containers at
one time - four across and five deep on each level, and 4 levels. We probably loaded or unloaded up to 30 containers at some
stops. |
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This is a typical scene along the shore. Most of
the homes are located in proximity to villages, but these were fairly
isolated - miles from the closest village.
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| Dinner this evening included lobster, scallops,
crab legs, shrimp, mussels and salmon - all fresh from the fisheries
along the lower north shore! At noon today we had fresh cod. The food on
the boat was just outstanding - one of the plusses of the trip. We ate
in a dining room with other passengers and got to know some of them
fairly well by the end of the trip. |
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We spotted this iceberg from the ferry as we were
nearing Blanc-Sablon. We would soon see many more... |
| Here we are at Blanc-Sablon, QC, the end of the
ferry ride. It's around 9:00 p.m. First off was the passenger baggage,
then the gangplank, then the two containers on top of my bike, and my
bike. The foreman came over to explain that my bike would be off in
about 5 minutes. The guys loading and unloading the freight were very
careful and competent. I was impressed. |
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Just as soon as the container was on the pier the
guy who keeps track of the freight opened the doors and I snapped this
picture. The bike came through without a scratch!
We rode the 3 miles to our motel and called it a
day. The ferry trip was the high point of our trip thus far. A little
pricey, but worth it. The Basse-Côte
Nord (lower north shore) is a beautiful, unspoiled part of North
America. |
| Reservations for the
Relais Nordik Express.
I had been planning this trip since last summer
and knew reservations were necessary at least 2 months ahead of time. To
be on the safe side I called last October (2009) and the lady said I was
number 586 on the list for reservations for the 2010 season - she would
call early in 2010 to let me know if we could get on. She called back
and we got on without difficulty. Had we wanted to sail in July it
likely would have been a different story. As it was, the ferry had very
few passengers, but was apparently filled to capacity with freight. A
resident of one of the villages was returning home and wanted to get his
car on the boat but was told there wasn't room.
To make reservations, just Google for Relais
Nordik, or Nordik Express, and you'll find what you need. |
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