Bella!!

For starters I apologize for the lateness of this update – as I write this I have no idea HOW late this will be other than it will definitely be late. (Update: I now know it’s about two days late).

This is the update for Wednesday, July 30th.

I woke this morning to an unexpected beautiful sunny day. So much for The Weather Network. It was even mild. 23 degrees by 10:00. This was shaping up to be a good day, even though it meant leaving Natashquan – which is a really nice village.

The boat was scheduled to arrive at 1:00 and depart an hour later. Unfortunately, the boat’s online tracking website wasn’t working so I was unable to confirm that it was in fact on time. I assumed it was (even though it hasn’t been for most of the season) and my travel instructions indicated I should be there between 11:00 and noon. As such I had a very lazy morning, a leisurely breakfast, and eventually loaded up my bike. I paid my bill for my two nights at Pension chez Renée and was ready to move on. While settling up with Michel (Renée was out) we discussed various things including his photography skills. He showed me some of his photos of Natashquan and the area and they were incredible. Included were some of winter in Natashquan – definitely a harsh time to be here.

With everything settled, I moved on up the road to the wharf. As I mentioned previously, it doesn’t take long to get anywhere so I was a bit early.

I chatted with a few people about my bike and the big trip – one couple had also done cycle touring but this time they were travelling by motorcycle, and another gentleman who has done quite a few trips – although, not all self-supported tours. Apparently Spain is a good place to go.

At around 1:00 the Bella Desgagnés pulled in. It’s a really interesting boat. It’s part cargo ship, part ferry. Cars don’t drive on like a regular ferry, but instead they are put into their own shipping containers and a crane lifts them onto the boat. Very interesting to watch. My bike also got put into one of the containers.

We were a bit late getting away but by 3:00 we were headed towards Kegaska. The trip from Natashquan to Blanc-Sablon takes about a day and a half and makes seven stops along the way. As far as I can tell the routine at each stop is essentially the same. The crane unloads the containers for the destination, loads up what needs to be loaded and set sail for the next stop. This happens around the clock so for the stops during daylight hours the passengers can take a brief excursion while the boat is unloaded/loaded. We’re scheduled to arrive in Blanc-Sablon early on Friday morning.

As I type this we just left Kegaska – stop #1. The sun has pretty much disappeared so I would expect the view to disappear shortly. I don’t expect the constant swaying of the boat to go away anytime soon though. Hmmm … maybe that poutine and Pogo combo wasn’t such a good idea. Who am I kidding? Poutine is always a good idea – and since my days with my beloved food are quickly coming to an end I have to enjoy it as much as I can. Anyway, getting back to the scenery, earlier in the day the view included some dolphins and seals – no whales though. Maybe tomorrow the whales will make a return appearance.

As for this update being late … well, the Bella Desgagnés normally has internet service but it would seem not on this voyage – at least not at this time. The location of the boat can be tracked on the Relais Nordik website (www.relaisnordik.com) however, that stopped working shortly before it arrived in Sept-Îles and it hasn’t worked since. I don’t anticipate they’ll be able to fix it before we reach Blanc-Sablon (yes, you guessed it – First World problems).

And the image on the left SHOULD be another image gallery.