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St. Lawrence River If you have traveled the Hudson or Richelieu Rivers you are certainly familiar with river travel. The St. Lawrence has much in common with these waterways, however, on a generally much larger scale! It is wider, deeper, contains stronger currents, its riverfront villages are farther apart, and it is host to many large commercial vessels. It presents more of a boating challenge. It also has great scenery and a wonderful sense of history. On the Saint Lawrence you truly have the feeling of being on one of the world’s greatest waterways, a nautical super-highway. It is home to two of North America's most exciting boating destinations: Montreal and Quebec City. The Saint Lawrence begins at Lake Ontario and joins with the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. For most of its distance from Montreal to Quebec City it varies between 1 and 2.5 miles wide. Downstream from Quebec City, where it is constricted by the heights of Quebec at Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond) and is only .3 miles wide, it expands rapidly in width. At Riviere du Loup, 95 miles downstream it is 16 miles wide. At Gaspe, at the very eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula that forms the river's south shore as it enters the Gulf of Saint Lawrence — it is 87 miles from the shore to shore. It is over 600 nautical miles from Kingston, Ontario and the Thousand Islands, where Lake Ontario empties into the Saint Lawrence, to the rugged shores at the tip of the Gaspe . This guide covers the portion of the Saint Lawrence from Montreal to Quebec City, a distance of 138 nautical miles, or about 23% of the river’s total length. During the era before steam propulsion and the construction of locks upstream from Montreal, this portion of the river was the key to the shipment of fur and timber from the interior ports of Montreal and Trois Rivieres to the Port of Quebec City, for export to Europe and the east coast of the Americas, as well as the importation of goods from overseas. The main channel at Sorel, where the Richelieu joins the Saint Lawrence, is .7 miles wide; just downstream in Lac St-Pierre (Lake St. Pierre), the shores are ten miles apart. River currents reach speeds of 6 knots or more. With these distances and currents in mind, it is necessary to rely on your piloting and navigation skills. Plot courses, take bearings, and use GPS/LORAN to keep track of your position. The main channels are well marked and there are many ranges. The numerous navigation aids are intended to meet the needs of the large commercial vessels; at times the complexity of the markers can be confusing, another good reason to follow the charts and keep track of your position. Between the Port of Montreal and Quebec City there are three distinct regions of the river. Beginning at the Montreal's Vieux Port (Old Port) and the Seaway’s Saint Lambert Lock, the river flows between the industrial port facilities on the west bank and the residential and undeveloped shores and islands on the east. Once downstream of the port, the channel passes beside small villages and farms with only occasional industrial sites. Between Montreal and Sorel, the next large city and port, there is a downstream current of several knots. At Sorel the second region of the river begins, un-riverlike, it consists of two portions: the river delta that forms the Iles (Islands) de Berthier et Sorel and Lac (Lake) Saint-Pierre. The islands provide a pleasant cruising ground of small channels, islands, and anchorages on both shores of the river. Lac Saint-Pierre, which is immediately east of the islands, is a 16 by 7 mile wide spot in the river. With a well marked channel in its center; its shallow waters are popular for fishing and sailing. The city and port of Trois-Rivieres is located where the river narrows east of Lac Saint Pierre and is generally the upriver limit of ocean tides. The region of the river from Trois Rivieres to Quebec City is dominated by the tidal currents, which can be as high as 7 knots. Generally wider that the portion of the river upriver from Sorel, this portion of the river makes several pronounced turns, often beside prominent cliffs that form the shoreline. Small villages and farms frequently line the shore with only a few industrial sites. At locations such as the Richelieu Rapids and at the bridges upstream from Quebec City, the river narrows and its turbulence increases. Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond) forms the distinctive backdrop for historic Quebec City, the limit of upstream navigation for ocean-going vessels in the days of sail. |
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