The Cruising Guide to the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Updates from the Summers of 2007 & 2008

The Current edition of this guide is the Second Edition and pages referenced in this update are from this edition.

La Cote du Nord - from Sept-Iles to Blanc Sablon, including the Ile d Anticosti

Sept-Iles (page 15)

50° 12.1'N, 66° 23.2'W; Chart 1220

Jim Evans 2002, Dave Heffler 2008: Dave Heffler said "it was a big ugly marina. I went for a walk ashore and decided that someone built a town and no one came."

Anticosti Island, Port Menier (page 21)

49° 48.9'N, 64° 21.8'W; Chart 4026

Dave Heffler 2008: Port Menier gives good shelter from everything but a south easter and they never blow in the summer. The south easter we had made for good sailing but poor shelter. We arrived mid afternoon on a beautiful day and hoped to find some shelter north of the big dock where they were loading a timber barge. No luck. It was too shallow.

Baie Johan-Beetz (page 28)

50°17N, 62°48.6W; Chart 4455, 4452

2008 Dave Heffler: The cove was well marked with an easy range to get in and a moderate protection from the east wind but not much protection is the wind swung anywhere south. We visited the famous house (Johan Beetz House, look it up on the Internet) which was closed but we chatted with the owner. We checked out the wharf on the east side of the cove and decided that didn't look as good as our anchorage. Then we had a good look at the charts and the cruising guide (thanks to Jim Evans). Jim has a little less draft and way more nerve than I do.

Prince Edward Island, including the Northumberland Strait

The marinas of PEI have got together and now have a website (www.boatingpei.com) with detailed information about each of the marinas on the island. CAUTION: Bear in mind that some of the descriptions in this guide are a little optimistic regarding minimum depths in the approaches and alongside.

Charlottetown (page 57)

46º13.8N, 63º 07.3W

Jim Evans 2007 & 2008: If you look for the Charlottetown Yacht Club in 2008 you will find it gone – at least, gone a few hundred yards up river to the Marine Terminal, where shelter will be better and access to public transit and visitor information should be improved. The clubhouse will be moved on a large barge in early 2008. But it didn't happen in 2008.

The photo below shows a tanker (a regular visitor) docked at the dolphins just below the bridge. This mooring will be changed to an alongside dock in 2008.

Launching Pond was dredged and the entrance improved in 207 but we do not yet have reports of conditions. It is still a shallow and narrow entrance and I’m waiting the right day to check it out.

Victoria (page 58)

46º 12.7N, 63º 29.3W; Canadian Chart 440502

The bridge east of the village was closed to traffic in late 2008 and may or may not be open to foot traffic in 2009.

Summerside (page 60)

46 23.25N, 63 47.2W

In 2008 the large mall just outside the Yacht Club has been turned into condominiums and the nearest supermarket is now Sobey's on Granville Street.

David and Kim Hartman 2007: "Anchored just out side the markers directly opposite the main shipping dock. The marina has Gas and diesel and we were able to get in with 6ft depth."

Cardigan River, PEI (page 71)

Gardiner Schneider 2007

Directions: Entrance is straightforward from the chart. There are numerous mussel farms, particularly on the starboard side on entering. Unfortunately starboard has the deeper water in many places, but there is adequate space. Where there are mussel farms on only one side of the river, it is well to stay within fifty feet of the line of buoys even though there may be a mile of water from the buoy line and the shore. The leases seem to come close to the middle of the navigable channel. Splitting the distance twixt the line of buoys and the opposite shore for your route will likely run you aground, especially towards the lower end of the tide.

Anchorages and/or Berths: There is a buoyed channel at the head of the River which leads to a marina and wharf. We saw several small sailboats alongside one dock and a number of fishing vessels along another side. A small store appeared across the way. Having provisioned in Montague our needs for dockage were minimal, but as we were about to reverse course having viewed the river a fisherman kindly offered to guide us into the facility and assist with our lines. There is room to anchor in several locations along the river. We found room at 46 13.43N 62 22.93W.

Remarks: The scenery along the river is rural, with signs of haying and farming that are fast disappearing along many coastlines. Some newer dwellings are appearing, but the shoreline is still relatively uncluttered in most places.

Lower Montague

Gardiner Schneider 2007

Directions: Enter the Cardigan Bay area from the east and pass MC3 enroute, which marks a shoal to the south. There are range lights to follow that lead to the Georgetown area. You will find the southern (port) side of the passage well marked with green markers and mussel farms in abundance. Georgetown appears as a commercial harbor on the north, and we headed towards the Montague River seeking evening shelter from a thunderstorm.

Anchorages and/or Berths: Mussel farms lined both sides of the entrance to the Montague, and we were pleased to finally find a break in the farms off Lower Montague. The public wharf there had numerous fishing boats berthed alongside, and a scattering of vessels on moorings further in. There was plenty of room to anchor off the harbor in mud; our plow took immediately, and carried mud back in the morning – happy are those who have a washdown pump.

Remarks: The “ruins” shown on the chart now appear to have a new building and a lot of working boats tied up and moored. (Editor’s note – this is a busy mussel aquaculture facility)

Facilities: The public wharf is reported by the Sailing Directions to have nine feet along the outer edge and one to nine along the side with gasoline and electricity available. We did not venture to shore to confirm those details.

Montague (page 72)

46° 10N, 62° 39W
Gardiner Schneider 2007

Directions: Montague River is lined with buoys and in the northern sections a quantity of buoys also marking mussel farms on either side of the river. The farms diminish further up the river. The channel curves a bit, and buoys are moved as needed, so attention to the depth sounder is useful. Were you to venture up the river in fog you might succeed, but you would find several of the markers differ from the locations on the chart plotter. We carried seven feet into the harbor at near low. There are several small triangular and square plywood markers on posts at the upper end of the river as one approaches the end. The last markers to starboard take one to the first wharf. To access the fuel dock at Montague Marina keep to port past this first set of docks and look for a small building with floating docks within the next starboard set. The entry is tight and the launch ramp is right nearby as noted.

Anchorages and/or Berths: Montague Marine called us as we approached the end of the river, and asked to switch to channel ….. With the fuel dock approach unclear, we considered docking on the fishermen’s side to port where a white Diesel tank was clearly visible. (Editor’s note: unless you could persuade a fisherman to fill you up on his card you’d be out of luck). The dock had many fishing vessels and little space in that vicinity; however, we could probably have rafted alongside for that purpose. However, with time available we re-approached Montague Marina where our dock lines were awaited. It is rare for Rising Wind to be at a dock for the night, but we found the dock comfortable, and services readily available. 110 volt electricity was included in the 70 cent per foot dockage. Excellent town water with a touch of chlorine and good pressure were on the dock at each slip from a new hose with a nozzle that did not leak! We were provided with keys to the washrooms/showers and to the security gate that bars any but boat owners from the floating docks and fingers. Fenders are needed on most of the floats. Harbormaster Jock Beck was most helpful and discussed the various attractions in the area and forthcoming events. Even with the Canadian GST tax the berthing cost was modest thirty dollars per night for our 43 feet.

Remarks: The current runs strongly at the head of the harbor and on swinging to make the second approach, we quickly found ourselves broadside to the current and heading down stream.

Facilities: A walk to the right from the main road to the harbor will bring you to the post office, the bank, hardware and two food stores. Propane tank exchange is available at the Irving fuel station, at grocery stores and for purchase at the hardware store. We passed several restaurants en route. Our wifi worked on the boat. Laundry facilities were pointed out as we registered, at Lane Cottages just past a small ice cream stand; For 1.25 in quarters one can use the “public laundry” at the cottages; four washers and dryers were available. Lane’s also could accommodate visitors if crew were coming in advance of a boat. Perrin’s Marina Villa, which adjoins the marina, is now operated as a seniors’’ facility. The old railway, now the Confederation Trail, is right near the marina and offers good hiking/ biking possibilities for those inclined.

While it is not reasonable to expect such treatment at all times in the future, we were very taken with the helpfulness and generosity of the residents of the area. As we were having some trouble fine tuning the alignment of our new engine, we asked at King’s Auto Store on the main road if they had a small hydraulic jack that we could buy. They did not have one in stock but called around and found one at a rental place a couple of miles out of town. One of the gentlemen at the counter then jumped into his own vehicle and retrieved the thing for us at no charge! When we inquired at the marina desk as to the location of the nearest liquor store, the kind lady by the name of Lily MacLane, told us it was three or four miles out of town up a steep hill and insisted that we take her car and drive out to it. This is the sort of kindness that we experienced in Eastern Maine when we moved there forty years ago but which has pretty much vanished today. Both the motionless docking at the head of the river and helpfulness of the people made it possible for us to accomplish a number of bits of ship’s work during our three days in Montague. We highly recommend it as a stopping point to other sailors.

Murray Harbour (page 74)

46º 02.1N, 62º 27.1W

A small green buoy was added to the south side of the channel close to the entrance in 2008. Once inside there is a shallow spot about half a cable from the green buoy NM16 which continued to shoal in 2008 to about 6ft. low water. Efforts are being made locally to get some dredging done.

Dredging was carried out at the marina in 2008.
A machine shop (East Coast Engine and Machine), situated a few yards west of the village, is equipped to do major engine rebuild and installation work. They provide a manufacturer's authorized sales, warranty, parts and service center for: Deutz*, Lister Petter, Daewoo/Doosan, Iveco, Yanmar* , Hatz*, Ford power products*, Kohler diesel*, Robin, Subaru*, Mann filters* , Lofa control panels, and Farymann*.(*Exclusive to PEI)

Contact Person: Alan Baker or Scott MacNevin
Telephone: (902) 741-3500
Alt. Telephone: (902) 741-3501
Toll-free: 902 460-3501
Facsimile: (902) 741-3502
Email: ecem@eastlink.ca

Murry Harbor was subject to a detailed survey by the Canadian Hydrographic Service in late 2007, but there is no news yet as to whether there will be dredging and/or a new chart.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Sides of Northumberland Strait

Havre Boucher (page 81)

45° 41.3N, 61° 31.6W; Chart 4335, 4448
Jim Evans 2007 & 2008

Directions
The entrance is well marked by a lighted range (194 ½°) and a pair of buoys in the entrance. There is ample depth until one passes the green buoy, when several spots of six feet are found in the channel. There is deeper water on the west side of the channel.

Anchorages and Berths
There is ten feet or more on the outer face of the government dock, although the inside is shallow. The bay is protected from all directions and there is ample room for anchorage in about 1 ½ fathom, mud. There is also a quiet anchorage between the island at the south end of the harbor and the mainland, in about eight feet.

Facilities
There are no facilities at the dock. There is a railway line and freight yard along the bay and it can sometimes get noisy.

Remarks
Havre Boucher is about five miles west of the Canso Causeway - a useful bolt-hole if you don't like the conditions after you've left, as returning to the lock with a tailwind often isn't an attractive prospect.

Canso Lock
(located in the Strait of Canso, which separates Cape Breton Island and the mainland)

Remarks
Canso Lock operates 24 hours - call Lockmaster Canso on Ch 16. The lock walls are high so if it's windy it may be easier to simply hold the boat under power in the middle rather than tying up. Wind and sea tend to funnel into the Strait from the west, making it a rough and tumble into the canal although the last few yards are sheltered. Be prepared for a rough ride going west exiting the canal if the wind's westerly. Havre Boucher is a useful bolthole if it's rough.

Cheticamp Harbour

46º38'N, 61º01'W; Charts: #4449, #4464

Directions
Chart #4449 is far preferable here, as it is a large-scale chart for the harbor, although it is possible to get in using Chart #4464 and following the buoys and ranges precisely. At the north end of Cheticamp Island, there is a range bearing 109º (true) which will bring you to a point where the harbor opens up to starboard. You will see a RWG sector light bearing 190¡ (true), with white marking the center of the channel. Alter course to the second bearing. The water is very shallow around the last pair of buoys.

Anchorage and Berths
Approximately 0.1 mile south of the channel buoys VD 13-14 you are in the main harbor and can anchor anywhere. The holding ground is good mud. There is a depth of 11 feet at the last pair of buoys. The harbour has been dredged (2006) and there is 10ft or more water up to the public dock. The T-shaped government wharf (foreground in the photo) is very much available for visiting yachts. However, there may be a lot of activity in the wee hours of the morning when the crab fleet heads out to sea. After entering the harbor, there is a fishplant on the port side. If you are following the buoyed channel, it ends at a small wharf that is also a good place for yachts to tie up. The "lighthouse" painted like an Acadian flag - red, white and blue stripes with a gold star, identifies this wharf - there is a tiny marina here. The dock is part of the waterfront boardwalk in the middle of town; it is very handy to the grocery and hardware store as well as other shops and restaurants. In 2004, there was a very good there was seafood restaurant just above this wharf.

Remarks
Cheticamp (pop. 3,000) is a French-speaking community, though cultural imperialism has forced it to be bilingual. The road through the town is part of the Cabot Trail, and aside from the fish factory, the main industry seems to be tourism. The town consists of houses strung out along the waterfront for a considerable distance, but not extended back. The land is fairly high. There is a flourishing craft industry here, the main product being hooked rugs, which are acclaimed to be very good.

Facilities
This is a good place to provision, as most needs can be found within walking distance- a large grocery store, bank, post office, liquor store, laundromat and some restaurants. People are friendly and helpful. Water is available at the small-craft basin as you enter the harbor on the south, facing the pier. There is no dockside fuel.

Margaree Harbour

46º21.9'N 61º11.4'W; Charts 4449, 4464

S. Dumaresq 2004:
Surprise followed the range lights into the harbor just after high tide. Between the red (QR) buoy and green (QG) buoy, our sounder went down to 7 feet. This happened again at the end of the breakwater. Although not shown on the chart, there is a red buoy at the end of the breakwater. There is lots of water at the Fisherman's Co-op Wharf, although we were advised not to go all the way to the northerly end of the wharf. We were able to get fresh water at the wharf. As this was a short lunch stop, we did not explore any further.

Mabou Harbour

46º04.6'N, 61º25.5'W;
Charts: 4448, 4462, 4463

Rewritten and condensed from earlier material by P. Pereira, C. Bartlett, L. Brunton H. Sullivan S.Dumaresq and J. Evans 2006, 2008

Directions
This harbor can be entered using Chart #4463, but Chart #4448 is preferable. This entrance (in the far distance in the photo) can be seen clearly from quite a distance offshore. Mabou Highlands to the north noticeably slope down to Green Point and then suddenly drop off. In comparison, the low land to the south of the entrance is quite conspicuous. When one comes a little closer, one can see Green Point is well named. Its large expanse of open pasture is invaluable for identifying the harbor entrance during the summer. Pick up the range of 107.5º (true) and follow it in. Mabou has finally been dredged and S. Dumaresq reported a minimum of 7ft two hours after low tide. There is a fierce tide in the harbour mouth: slack tide is recommended. Jim Evans 2006: It is pretty shallow (less than 7 feet) in a direct line into the harbour but I found on the way out that keeping to the north, as on the attached sketch it's much better. I got right up to the village, where there is now (2008) a substantial dock at the end of a staked channel right by the road bridge (in the foreground in the photo).

Anchorage and Berths
This harbor is well protected from every wind, and it is safe to anchor anywhere. If you must come ashore for supplies, it is best to anchor 1/2-mile west of the Mabou River, so that you may take a dinghy under the highway bridge and beach it on the north side of the river and walk to the village.

There is a government wharf at the base of the inside range lighthouse with a minimum of 6ft feet on its face. Upriver at the village of Mabou, there is a floating dock just below the highway bridge. There is lots of water at the dock. Passage to the dock is well marked by stakes driven into the mud banks. Surprise made this run to the dock within two hours of low tide and the shallowest point they found was 6ft under their sounder.

Remarks
This is one of the most beautiful harbors on Cape Breton and a very pleasant place to spend a few days. To the south of the entrance is one of the few sand beaches on Cape Breton. It is peaceful and you may very well be the only boat in the harbor. St Mary's Church is a stunning piece of architecture that dominates the beautiful Mabou countryside.

Facilities
Basic supplies may be had in the village. There is no fuel or water available. The Red Shoe pub has good food and great live Celtic music.

Port Hood

46º00'N, 61º33'W; Chart #4448
Wallace Feldman, Brian Dalton, and S.Dumaresq 2004, Jim Evans 2008

Directions
The harbor is south of the breakwater here. (Never be tempted to anchor north of the breakwater.) When entering from the north, round the green flasher at the southeast corner of Port Hood Island and proceed northeast to the second green flasher, leaving it to port. Then head north to the red buoy VM6 (not the red buoy to the northeast (VK14).

The snug harbor on Port Hood Island is to the west and south of the breakwater toward Cape Breton. The three timber wharves encompass a square basin of about 40 square yards (see chartlet). The harbour was dredged in 2007 and was a minimum 7 feet deep in the basin and entrance. The "breakwater' on the chartlet is really the remains of an old causeway. The gap in the causeway is a government dredged channel and is marked by one pair of tiny white buoys.

Anchorage and Berths There is a fine anchorage off the wharf near the light, well-sheltered from west and southwest winds. There is also room for one or two boats to tie up at the wharf which offers good shelter from winds in any direction. If you don't want to go up to the harbour there is good anchorage off Spihead - the sandy point to port heading north inside the entrance to the bay.

Remarks This former fishing village has become a small summer colony, occupied by U.S. and Canadian residents in equal numbers. The former government wharf noted above is now well-maintained privately. If one wants to learn about the fascinating history of Port Hood Island, it is worthwhile to seek out Earl Smith, a direct descendant of the Bostonian who settled there in 1786. In 2008 there was a huge pod of pilot whales a mile or so offshore here - at least 50 individuals.

Facilities In 2007 there was "Dave's Canteen" by the harbour, but as far as we could tell, nothing else on the mainland side either.

Merigomish (page 96)

45º 39.2N, 62º 28.3W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“Anchored off the beach off Roy Island. Well protected for the light SW  wind that I had that night.”

Pictou (page 88)

45º 40.5N, 62º 42.3W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“Anchored close to one of the race marks just off the yacht club.  Anchored through a 40+ knot blow for 24 hours, no problem. The wind  during that time went from SE  to SW. Yacht club very friendly. Their race night is Wednesday and the bar  is open to visitors it is also open on Friday nights. Club member were extremely friendly and helped drive me out to the  gas station to get fuel it is well outside town. The marina has  Gasoline but no diesel. By the way Nooks video store is happy to rent  videos to cruisers - not always the case.”

Miramichi Bay to Baie des Chaleurs and Cap de Gaspé

Escuminac (page 96)

47º05.19'N 064º56.12'W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“Was concerned about the depth in the marina so anchored instead just  off the beach in 5 m water. the ground was a bit hard and took a  while to dig in. It was well sheltered for the wind from the SW.”

Ste Thérèse de Gaspé

48º24.84'N 064º23.54'W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“This was a welcomed shelter after 14 hours in strong SW winds. Very  busy commercial fishing harbour with two inter-linked basins. In my  tour through the basins I saw 3.5m+. Ended up tying on to a large  long-liner. Fuel could be got from a fuel truck which visits the harbour for the  fishing boats.”

St. Lawrence River

Riviére au Renard (page 118)

48º59.87'N 064º23.21'W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“Depth 4+m . Large commercial fishing port plus Coast Guard station. Marina brand new 2006. Floating docks with finger docks 35 ft long.  Laundry and dryers ($1 ea/load) hot water, showers. $1/foot length of boat. People very friendly and helpful. Fuel - they carry jerry cans of gas and diesel - someone  from the marina drives to the gas station to refill the jerry cans. Shopping: grocery store 200 m from the dock; well stocked. There was  also an auto store. On the dock at the marina are two chip wagons with the usual burgers, poutine through to icecreams.”

Mont-Louis (page 117)

49°24.86N 065° 23.62W
David and Kim Hartman 2007

“Anchored in the middle of the bay between the piers in 5 m water.  Great until the SW wind picked up (25+)and the swell wrapped around  the western point.

Upped and moved anchor to 100m from western pier at 49 14 05 N 6544 14 W There were fishing boats plus 4 Quebec cruising boats tied off to the  wharf, rafted in pairs as there was not enough room.”

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