Secrets of the St. Lawrence

Quebec-Pointe des Monts (PDF; 154 KB)

The St Lawrence is the Beethoven of rivers. It has nothing to do with music. We're referring to its temperament! The St Lawrence is anything but a long and lazy river. It leaves that role to others. From Québec, the strong tidal currents, the high cliffs, and the mountains lining the shore all make it an ideal starting point for transatlantic races.

The Québec - Pointe-des Monts section is an immense Southwest-Northeast corridor, basically walled in by the Laurentides and the Appalaches mountain chains. The wind has no choice but to follow that corridor.

Although the 2 shores are close together, they each have a different face: gentle to the South, and steep and dotted with valleys to the North, where the wind whips along the cliffs and valley openings.

Québec to Tadoussac

Mariners encounter the most trying conditions in this area. The tides are the highest and the currents, the strongest and most turbulent, in some places reaching up to 8 knots.

Moreover, islands and shoals abound, making some areas barely navigable in strong winds, given the gusts of wind and choppy seas they produce.

Downstream from Tadoussac

The majesty of the St Lawrence becomes apparent from Tadoussac to Pointe-des-Monts or, if you prefer, from Cacouna to Les Méchins. The river there is calmer, but even more aweinspiring in its more ocean-like nature.

While the North shoreline doesn't reach the same heights as upriver, the bottom is deeper. An interesting phenomenon occurs near the mouth of the Saguenay: extremely cold water accumulated deep in the river over the winter months periodically rises to the surface.

Even in mid-summer, this tidal phenomenon keeps the surface water temperature between 1 °C and 7 °C, and causes frequent fog.

In this part of the estuary, the largest islands are all located along the South shore, between the Rivière Saguenay and Rimouski, with the exception of Île Rouge.

Around Rimouski, the river current stabilizes at about 1 knot and is known as the Gaspé Current.

1. Portneuf to Québec

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly, against the current
Short, choppy seas.

Difficult.
Strong downstream current.

2. Québec bridges

Winds Southwesterly or Northeasterly, even at 15 knots, against the current.
Short, choppy seas. Strong current.

Difficult.

3. Québec to Île aux Coudres

Winds Northeasterly
Wind accelerates strongly, reaching maximum strength in the Île d'Orléans area. Funnelling effect.

4. Pointe Saint-Jean to Cap Tourmente

Haze or fog
Visibility often reduced because of colder water in the Chenal Nord.

5. Pointe Argentenay

Winds Southwesterly
Stronger winds to the North of and off the point, and cross seas. Corner effect around Île d'Orléans, accentuated by the barrier effect produced by Cap Tourmente.

6. Cap Tourmente to Saint-Siméon

Wind frequently turbulent close to shore.

Winds Westerly or Northwesterly
Wind follows passes and valleys and gusts out over the river.

Watch out for sudden gusts of wind.

7. Petite rivière Saint-François

Winds Northeasterly, against the current.
Strong chop.

Winds Southwesterly, even at 15 knots, against the current.
Strong chop. Area should be avoided in strong winds.

Dangerous.
South side of channel is calmer.

8. Baie Saint-Paul

Winds Northwesterly
Wind accelerates.
Channelling effect produced by the Rivière du Gouffre valley.

9. Passage de l'Île aux Coudres

Winds Easterly or Southwesterly, against the current
Strong chop. Strong tidal current.

10. Traverse de Saint-Roch

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly, against the current
High, steep waves. Chop. Very strong tidal currents. Shallow area.

Navigation very difficult.

11. Pointe du Bout d'en Bas (Île aux Coudres)

Winds Southwesterly
Cross seas from the Southwest and the West, offshore. At rising tide: breaking waves.

Dangerous.

12. Banc des Anglais

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly
High, breaking waves.

13. Cap aux Oies to Pointe aux Orignaux

Significant chop, particularly at ebb tide.

Winds Northeasterly, even at 15 knots
Special case: close to Cap aux Oies, immediately after low tide, very strong chop.
Tidal currents cross.

Very difficult conditions.

14. Haut-fond Morin

Winds Northeasterly
Breaking waves, refraction and cross seas to the South. Phenomenon accentuated by tidal currents.

15. Îles de Kamouraska

Winds Westerly or Northwesterly
High waves and breaking waves near the flats.

16. Gros Cap à l'Aigle and Cap au Saumon

Winds Northeasterly and Easterly
Near the points of the capes: cross seas. Wind deviates and accelerates as a result of corner and barrier effects. Chop and eddies at certain points in the tide cycle.

17. Passe de l'Île aux Lièvres

Winds Easterly at ebb tide
Strong chop on top of swell waves.

18. Île Blanche

Winds Northeasterly against the current, on the Northeast side of the island
Navigation difficult.

19. Pointe de la rivière du Loup

Winds Northerly or Northeasterly, at ebb tide
High waves near the wharf.

20. Brisants Barrett and Hauts-fonds du Milieu

Winds Northeasterly
Breaking waves, especially at ebb tide.

21. Rocher de Cacouna to the South tip of Île Verte

Winds against the current
Strong chop. Strong tidal eddies.

22. Mouth of the Saguenay

Winds Easterly, at ebb tide
Dangerous conditions. Avoid this area.
Current 7 knots.

Winds Westerly or Northwesterly
Extremely strong gusts of wind reaching or exceeding 60 knots. Channelling and funnelling effects. Frequent fog, particularly in August, because of cold water.

At the mouth of the Saguenay, Northwesterly winds may be 10 to 15 knots stronger than those observed at the Île Rouge automatic reporting station.

23. Île Rouge

Winds Northeasterly
Cross seas Southwest of the island.

24. Bancs de l'île Rouge

Winds from any direction
Very confused seas. At all times: strong chop, particularly on the West side.

25. Île Verte to Île aux Basques

Strong chop, particularly between Île Verte and the Bancs de l'Île Rouge.

Winds Southwesterly at rising tide
Short, steep waves near Île Verte.
Convergence effect.

26. Cap de Bon-Désir

Winds Northeasterly
Wind accelerates and deviates, cross seas offshore from the point. Barrier and corner effects.

Difficult to make way.

27. 48° 21' - 69° 20' - Point 6A

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly and when gale force
High waves.

Difficult seas.

28. 48° 21' - 69° 07'

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly and when gale force
High waves. Underwater mountain.

29. Île du Bic - 5 nautical miles to the West

Winds Northeasterly or Southwesterly and when gale force
High waves produced by underwater mountain.

30. Île du Bic

Winds Northeasterly and at ebb tide
High waves in the channel between the island and the shore, caused by the wind blowing against the currents.

31. Île du Bic - Northern part and close to Île Bicquette lighthouse

Winds Northeasterly
High waves.

Difficult conditions.

32. Rimouski (harbour)

Winds Northeasterly
High waves over shoals, up to about 3 nautical miles offshore.

33. Pointe à Michel

Winds Southwesterly
Strong seas offshore.
Shallow waters.

Winds Easterly at ebb tide
Strongly breaking seas. Wind opposing
current at mouth of Rivière Bersimis.

Difficult.

34. Battures de Manicouagan (flats)

Winds Easterly, Northeasterly, Southeasterly or Southwesterly, against tide
Short waves, accentuated by shoals.

Navigation difficult.

35. Baie-Comeau

Winds Easterly and Southeasterly
Impressive swell flowing into Baie des Anglais.

Navigate with caution.

36. Anse Saint-Pancrace

Winds Southeasterly and Southerly
Impressive swell flowing into bay.

Navigate with caution.
Watch for katabatic winds.

37. Matane

Winds Northerly or Northeasterly
Steep waves and very strong swell at entrance to pleasure boat harbour. Caused by channelling of waves between two wharfs and outflow from Rivière Matane.

Frequent fog.

Conditions may become dangerous.

38. Godbout

Winds Easterly or Southeasterly
Impressive swell flowing into bay.