Sea kayaks at Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île d’Orléans 2023
Unstable weather presents two advantages for a photographer on the Île d’Orléans. Firstly, the fear of rain means that visitor numbers are greatly reduced. In fact, most of the people who come to the island are interested in the outdoor activities on offer, such as fruit picking, cycling or sea kayaking. So, we’ve got the road all to ourselves to stop whenever we feel like it!
Île d’Orléans before the storm, July 2023.
Secondly, unstable weather means the possibility of thunderstorms, with all their interesting cloud formations. It is therefore essential to check the radar and weather forecasts before setting off for the island.
Decades ago, Canadian authorities used this island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River as a quarantine site for immigrants arriving in Canada. Many Irish people, among others, made an obligatory stop on this strip of land before being allowed to continue their journey to Canada.
At one time, a section of the island was reserved for Canadian and American researchers for their top secret research on Anthrax.The most amazing thing about reading the article is realizing that the entire production of this bacteriological weapon (439 liters) was mixed with formaldehyde and put in barrels that were dumped somewhere in the St. Lawrence River when it was decided that it would no longer be useful, as the Second World War took a turn in favor of the Allies. It seems to me that formaldehyde does not prevent barrels from rusting, but hey… back to the point.
Where is Grosse-Île located? In the province of Quebec, a little east of Quebec City. It is one of the many islands that you can fly over once you have left Île d’Orléans behind. Below, a screenshot from Google Maps.
Grosse-Île in Quebec on Google Maps.
The satellite image below clearly shows that this is not an invention. Microsoft designates this runway as CYMN Montmagny: a mistake that one can easily live with, since by giving an official code to this Grosse-Île runway, the pilot can use it as a navigation point in his GPS.
Satellite view of Grosse-Île and its runway.
So, let’s use a small Cessna in US Coast Guard colors to make a virtual flight from Quebec City airport (CYQB) to Grosse-Île (CYMN). It was a bit chilly on this February day in Quebec City, so I decided to transport us to July for this flight, adding a few cumuliform clouds in the process.
Leaving Quebec City for Grosse-Île with MSFS 2020.
This short flight will allow us to fly over Île d’Orléans, Île Madame (owned by Laurent Beaudoin, former major shareholder of Bombardier), Île au Ruau (purchased in 2019 by the rich owner of the Gildan empire) to finally arrive at Grosse-Île.
Approaching Grosse-Île over the St Lawrence Seaway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.
The picture below shows the aircraft on a right base for the Grosse-Île runway. I do not know the official dimensions of this dirt airstrip, but it can easily accept a Cessna aircraft such as ours.
Cessna in base for the Grosse-Île runway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.
Below, the aircraft is on final for the runway.
On final for the Grosse-Île runway.
A final screenshot shows the Cessna taxiing down the runway after landing. As you can see, the runway can accommodate much larger aircraft. If you want to make a real flight to this island, find out beforehand about the condition of the runway and the restrictions surrounding its use by visiting pilots.
Cessna aircraft on Grosse-Île after the landing.
Click on the link for more flight simulation experiences on my blog.
Café La Maison Smith on l’Île d’Orléans and autumn colors
Not yet ready to leave the beautiful colors of Fall? Here is one of the last pictures of this season in 2022: the “Café La Maison Smith” on Île d’Orléans. When you want to take a leisurely tour of the island, this is the first place you stop for a good coffee and a croissant to go.
As soon as the visitor enters the café, the relaxation begins. Then comes the ride around the island, the “42 milles de choses tranquilles (42 miles of quiet things) ” of the singer Félix Leclerc. A few hours later, you leave the island fresh and relaxed!
The Fall colors are particularly intense in Quebec towards the end of the first week of October. Rather than sticking to pure landscape photography by framing only the trees and mountains, one can choose to include in the foreground the result of the work of one or more people. Far from distracting, the addition of people or objects related to everyday activities often increases the interest of a photo.
In the photo above, an apple grower from Île d’Orléans is spreading out his harvest.
A bee approaches a flower on the beach in Île d’Orléans
Near the Saint-Jean de l’île d’Orléans church, there is an easily accessible beach. One can observe mostly rocks with interesting colors and some plants beaten by the wind. If you look carefully, you may find tiny pink flowers at the end of the beach. As I was about to take a picture, a bee approached the flower.
To counteract the effect of the strong winds, I opted for a high shutter speed, which at the same time helped to freeze the moment when the insect suddenly appeared in the viewfinder. Because of the very small size of the flower, a lot of cropping was required to enlarge the details.
First of all, I admit that the Cessna 170B’s windows are dirty. For realism, the designer Carenado left a little dirt here and there to show the wear and tear of this very old aircraft.
The picture above shows Île d’Orléans as seen from the Cessna. Since there is no landing strip but a golf club in the area, we will use the open fairways to land the aircraft. If there is a golfer on the course, I will open the window and yell, as is customary, “Fore!” (Falling Object Returning to Earth).
On final for Île d’Orléans
We are established on final for the small portion of open ground ahead. With 40 degrees of flaps, the stall speed is particularly low and the landing should not be too difficult.
On Île d’Orléans ready for take-off.
Although the available strip was not very wide, it was long enough for the landing, the taxiing and the maneuvering to turn the aircraft 180 degrees for its take-off to Quebec City.
Airborne from Île d’Orléans with a Cessna 170B
Back in the air, direction Quebec City. The take-off on soft ground requires about 20 degrees of flaps.
Enroute towards Quebec City.
Quebec City is in sight. In the Cessna C-170B I flew in 1981 across Canada from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Edmonton, Alberta, there was no modern navigation aid installed on board as in the photo above, where the GPS helps the pilot find his way. The flight was flown using 14 VFR charts and nothing more. (If you are interested, click to read more about real-life flying stories on my blog).
Hôtel le Concorde and its revolving restaurant, visible on the right.
We are now above the Plains of Abraham. On the picture above, on the right, you can see the Hotel le Concorde and its revolving restaurant. We will possibly disturb the quiet atmosphere of the meal as we fly by…
The MNBAQ and the Battlefields Park are in sight.
Above, straight ahead, the gray buildings represent a portion of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts de Québec (MNBAQ). A little further on is the open area of the Battlefields Park. In 1928, Lindbergh landed on that field to bring badly needed medicine for his friend Floyd Bennett. Can we normally land on the Battlefields Park, in the heart of Quebec City? Of course not. But that’s the beauty of a flight simulation; you can do whatever you want!
Cessna 170B on the Battlefields Park in Québec City.
Once landed, the aircraft is allowed to decelerate gradually and then turned 180 degrees for the next takeoff. When winds are light, there is no need to worry about the direction of the takeoff.
Aerial view of Battlefield Parks with the Cessna 170B under MSFS 2020.
Above, an aerial view of the Battlefields Park, with the virtual Cessna C-170B ready to take off again.
Partial view of Quebec City in flight simulation with MSFS 2020
One last picture, this time with some additional buildings. The realism of the virtual scene with FS2020 is amazing!
I hope you enjoyed these two short flights. Whether you use the short landing technique for the Battlefields Park is really up to you, as there is enough space for a normal landing. But it is good to practice landing in the shortest distance possible. You never know when your engine will quit!
Economical version of a third link between Québec and Lévis.
In Quebec, there are currently political debates on what should be a third link that would link Lévis to Quebec City. The current solution is the creation of a tunnel under the St. Lawrence Seaway that would cost at least $ 10 billion.
Following numerous comments from citizens regarding the exorbitant costs associated with this new future link, new, more economical formulas will have to be studied. I was passing over the Île d’Orléans Bridge recently and saw a bus on a floating platform. This is possibly a prototype whose testing has now been revealed.
In the above concept, up to 40 passengers at a time can be transported from shore to shore by a relaxed driver whose seat has been completely redesigned and relocated outside the vehicle. This gives him unparalleled air quality and he can end his working day much more rested.
The container ship Hapag_Lloyd Quebec Express and the container ship MSC Paola are sailing around Île d’Orléans near Quebec City.
Those two container ships that sailed near Quebec City in July 2019 reminded me of recent news regarding the Port of Quebec‘s installations and the will to receive always bigger container ships.
To take the picture, I waited that the Quebec Express had completed his turn west of Île d’Orléans. From that moment, the photographic distance between the two container ships started to diminish. The MSC Paola’s bow became an artificial frame that included part of the Quebec Express.
The chilean vessel Esmeralda and its crew during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In July 2017, the four masted Chilean sailboat Esmeralda arrived in Quebec City for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. The arrival was quite spectacular, as the whole crew sang together for several minutes for the people standing along the pier.
In order to avoid any distraction, the full frame picture has been taken in the portrait mode and the cropping was tight enough to bring forward the crew members standing up high away on the masts.
The picture below offers another point of view of the sailboat masts but this time the importance is given to the colored chairs directly installed in water, allowing the tourists to cool down during a particularly hot summer day. The wide angle lens used for the shot was a Canon 14mm f/2.8L. Two diagonal lines created by the pool in the foreground progressively meet with each other in the distance, in front of the sailboat.
The vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
When the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 ended, several small boats approached the Esmeralda and other sailboats to slowly travel with them from Quebec City until they cleared île d’Orléans. In the picture below, you can see the cruise ship Maasdam, which has been repositioned to a new pier in the Port of Quebec in order to accomodate the sailboats.
The ship Maasdam and the vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In the picture below, the sailboat Esmeralda his heading towards the north of île d’Orléans as the final parade is completed. On the left, you can see the Château Frontenac and, directly behind, the Hotel Le Concorde Québec, with in its upper ring a revolving restaurant offering a superb view of Quebec City. The hand held photo was taken from île d’Orléans with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. This lens is equipped with an integrated stabilizer.
It would nonetheless have been quite difficult to succeed with such an important cropping without the performance of the 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor used in the Canon 5DSR. Considering the great distance over water that is present between the camera and the sailboat, it is possible that you notice a mirage effect, even with the small picture presented here.
The vessel Esmeralda in Quebec City during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background, the Château Frontenac and the hotel Le Concorde.
I thought the crew would use all of the sailboat’s sails once passed île d’Orléans, but it was not the case. The picture below was taken from the top of a wooden tower installed at the north east extremity of île d’Orléans, while the Esmeralda is still navigating using its engine.
Even without the sails, the photographic composition benefited from a yellow field, a merchant ship and a lively horizon line showing the Appalachian mountains. No tripods were used for the shot as the wooden tower was constantly moving. The telephoto lens used was a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and a slight cropping was necessary.
An approximative rule of thirds is behind the composition of the photo : you can imagine three fictive horizontal lines dividing the frame. The sailboat also finds itself on one of the rule of thirds vertical line on the right.
The vessel Esmeralda, from Chile, sailing on the St. Lawrence Seaway after its departure from the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec.
For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.
The Havelstern is a chemical tanker sailing under Canadian flag which was built in 1994. Its draught is of 8.5 meters. It is photographed here on June 3rd 2017 in front of Quebec City, with Lévis in the background, heading to Point Tupper in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Havelstern between Quebec City and Lévis on June 3rd 2017
Several vessels are visible in the picture above. In the foreground, it is possible to see the two chimneys of the Louis Joliet, a boat essentially used for tourist excursions. Then there is one of the two ferries constantly traveling between the south and north shore of St. Lawrence Seaway between Lévis and Quebec City.
The small boat riding by the Havelstern is used to carry one of the St. Lawrence Seaway pilots. A pilot who masters the navigation specifications on this part of the seaway boards the ship and takes control until he can transfer the control to another pilot farther down the seaway ( Pilotes du St-Laurent ). In the background is the second ferry used to carry passengers and cars from one shore to the other.
The full-frame camera used to take the pictures was a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. With a 5.0 aperture and the ISO set at 200, the shutter speed allowed was 1/1000 sec.
The Havelstern ship and île d’Orléans in the background, June 2017
While the tourists are having fun in Quebec City, the picture above shows the Havelstern heading to Île d’Orléans in a rain shower.
The picture below represents the Havelstern making a wide turn to navigate around the southern portion of Île d’Orléans. The ship was quite far away and some serious cropping would have to be done in order to enlarge the image. In order to get a picture that would not be blurred, I had to increase the shutter speed a bit.
The Havelstern ship is approaching Île d’Orléans in June 2017, heading to Point Tupper in Nova-Scotia
The ISO was adjusted to 200 and the focal length was set to 200mm. The aperture was only 4.0, allowing a shutter speed of 1/2500 sec.
For other pictures of ships on my website, click on the following link : Ship photography.
