While in L’Islet, a stop at the Musée maritime du Québec is a must. Above, the icebreaker Ernest Lapointe, responsible for clearing the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Trois-Rivières for 37 years.
The Bras d’Or hydrofoil at the Musée de l’Islet
Also on the grounds is the famous HMCS Bras d’Or. This hydrofoil was created in Canada during the Cold War to monitor Canadian waters against possible Soviet submarine intrusion. As this museum boat explains, “it was compulsory to have a dual pilot’s licence for aircraft and navigation in order to operate this self-supporting winged craft“.
HMCS Onondaga submarine museum in Pointe-au-Père, Québec 2023
A little further east, we reach Pointe-au-Père, in the Rimouski region. Here you’ll find Canada’s only submarine museum.Visitors can tour the interior of the HMCS Onondaga, used until 2000. Travelers pass through 17 stations to learn about life aboard a submersible.
Inside the canadian submarine HMCS Onondaga in Pointe-au-Père
The mechanic worked for periods of two months at a time, monitoring the engines in this noisy, diesel-smelling environment. A German spy disembarking from a submarine at night in Gaspésie was spotted in a bus because it smelled strongly of diesel.
Empress of Ireland museum in Pointe-au-Père, Québec 2023
Above, a shot of one of the rooms in the Museum of the Empress of Ireland. Her sinking in the St. Lawrence River was the second most costly in human lives after the Titanic. Among all the objects recovered from the wreck is this porcelain skeleton that one of the passengers had in his cabin.
A “pilote du St-Laurent” leaves the Quebec harbour and heads towards the Explora 1 cruise ship in 2023.
As the St. Lawrence River is a fairly difficult waterway to navigate, Canadian law obliges the captains of certain large vessels to accept local pilots, who are fully conversant with the particularities of the seaway, on board for the riskiest journeys.
Once the Quebec pilot has helped the Explora 1 captain, the ship continues on its way to Quebec City, rounding the Île d’Orléans, as shown in the photo below. After playing its role as a sea cab, the little boat belonging to the St. Lawrence Pilots pulls away from the ship and returns to the Bassin Louise in the Port of Québec.
The Explora 1 cruise ship sails around île d’Orléans and a “pilote du Saint-Laurent” comes back to the Québec harbour in 2023.
Returning to Quebec harbour after a change of pilot in the Explora 1 cruise ship. 2023.
Serena Melani, “the first woman in the world to steer a cruise ship out of a shipyard“, ensures a smooth approach for the Explora 1 to Pier 30 in the Port of Québec. This brand-new vessel completed its sea trials in April 2023, and Quebec City is among the first destinations scheduled for 2023.
The Explora 1 approaching Quebec City with Mont St-Anne in the background 2023
Every captain would love to dock at the popular Pier 22, as it offers a perfect view of the Château Frontenac. But on this fine October day, the Norwegian Sky is already occupying the spot.
The Norwegian Sky cruise ship docked in Quebec City.
The Norwegian Joy cruise ship docked at pier 22 in Quebec City in 2023.
The Norwegian Joy cruise ship, which weighs close to 168,000 tons, is one of the biggest ships to dock in Old Quebec in autumn.
Le navire de croisière Norwegian Joy amarré à Québec à l’automne 2023.
It can accommodate 3,852 passengers and, for onboard service, there are 1,851 crew members – almost one employee for every two holidaymakers. The ship was built in 2017. Despite its young age, it benefited from renovations in 2020.
Sliding down the tube on the Norwegian Joy cruise ship
In the photo above, you can see a transparent tube raised above the upper deck in the top left-hand corner. With an enlarged photo, you’ll see that people are sliding down this water slide upside down. The shot below will help you get a better look at the guy in the red and blue swimsuit speeding by. The camera’s shutter speed had to be set to 1/2000 to avoid motion blur.
Sliding down the tube on the Norwegian Joy cruise ship 2023
That day, I was only carrying a Canon EF 11-24 mm f/4 USM zoom lens. I had to crop the photo a little to enlarge it, but you can still see the scene quite well. Part of the tube gives the sportsman the impression of suddenly plunging to the ground, as the installation protrudes over the sides of the ship.
Looking for dangerous goods on the Norwegian Sky cruise ship in Quebec City
While people are enjoying themselves on the upper deck, a whole team is busy refueling the ship and ensuring its safety. In the photo above, a dog can even be seen going around the pallets to detect any dangerous or illicit products.
The Norwegian Joy cruise ship in Québec.
Here’s a final photo of the Norwegian Joy, taken from inside a recently built cedar gangway near Quay 22 in the Port of Quebec. The sun filtering through the rungs provides a beautiful play of light, all captured by a Canon EF 11-24 mm f/4 USM zoom lens set to 11 mm. The effect is further enhanced by the pseudo HDR mode offered by digital processing software.
The cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 docked in Quebec City in 2023.
Autumn in Quebec City heralds the arrival of cruise ships in large numbers. Some days see the arrival and departure of as many as five ships. All these passengers disembark by the thousands in Old Quebec and delight the merchants. For the first time in Quebec City, the liner Mein Schiff 6was recently seen moored at Quay 22 in the Port of Quebec.
The Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship docked in Quebec City in 2023.
The inscription “Mein Schiff” on the side means “my boat” in German. Note the obligatory capitalization of the common noun “Schiff” in this language. Common nouns are written in lower case in English. There’s also the word “Wohlfüllen” on the side, evoking something like “feeling of well-being“.
This cruise ship from Europe has 15 decks and can accommodate 2,517 passengers. More than 1,000 employees provide onboard service. For this trip to Quebec City, it carries mainly Germans. The company supplying the liner in Quebec City is called Hapag Lloyd. It has an international reputation and is also German-owned.
Hapag Lloyd and the Mein Schiff 6 in the Quebec harbour in 2023.
Hapag Lloyd also owns container ships and cargo planes. I was working in Iqaluit (airport code CYFB and formerly known as Frobisher Bay), Baffin Island, when I spotted a brand-new Boeing 737 in the company colors. It was arriving from Boeing Field (KBFI) and passing through Canada for customs clearance and fuel before continuing on to Germany.
Hapag Lloyd D-AHLO B737-4K5 in its delivery flight in 1989, from Boeing Field (KBFI) to Iqaluit, and then towards Germany. It is being refueled during difficult weather conditions. This type of aircraft did not experience much problem with the cold weather, but it was not the case with smaller business jets
The Mein Schiff 6’s next destination after leaving Quebec City is Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.
Sea kayaks at Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île d’Orléans 2023
On Sunday, September 24, 2023, the company Quatre Natures organized a certified level 1 sea kayaking course the St. Lawrence River, starting from Île d’Orléans. As registration was done well in advance, we had to be a bit lucky during the activity, as it would take place as much in good weather as in bad.
So, I take a chance. Fortunately, an incredible day awaits the six students: full sun and twenty degrees Celsius. How should we dress for the circumstances? We know that the human body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. The kayaker adds up the water and air temperatures and compares the total to the temperature of the human body. With the river that day at 18 degrees and the air around 20 degrees, this gives a total of 38. As this figure is slightly higher than normal body temperature, we can wear normal clothing for water activities, rather than a wetsuit.
The morning is used to cover theory. No one sets foot in the water. The instructor discusses what the kayaker must have on board, the relative quality of different equipment, preparation, communications and radio frequencies, safety and hypothermia prevention, and so on.
Sea kayaking activity at l’île d’Orléans (photo Vadym Kravchenko)
After lunch, the kayaks are placed on the lawn and the vocabulary related to each part of the kayak is learned. The student then settles into the kayak and learns how to adjust the footbraces, hold the paddle, install the spray skirt, and so on. The boats are then brought to shore and kayaking begins.
First, we learn the basic maneuvers. How to embark and disembark, the trajectory the paddle should follow in the water depending on whether you want to go forward, backward or turn. We discuss the correct position of the body, arms and wrists on the paddle, and the importance of rotating the pelvis to force the paddle properly. We quickly realize the influence of side winds on the kayak, especially when it has no centerboard or rudder.
The river is considered level 2 for kayaking. The current is strong, and we have to deal with three-metre tides. The wind around the island is also stronger than in Quebec City. Level 1 kayakers are encouraged to seek out Level 1 locations to gain experience, and never to set off alone at this stage of their learning process.
During the exercises, you can see the container ships and the various pleasure boats offshore. The larger vessels generate waves that take between five and ten minutes to reach the shore. When these approach, the instructor warns novice kayakers to turn to face the wave, so as to limit the effects on the boat.
The container ship Hapag_Lloyd Quebec Express and the container ship MSC Paola are sailing around Île d’Orléans near Quebec City.
The BBC Manila carries wind turbine blades on the St.Lawrence Seaway near Quebec City.
Then come the emergency maneuvers: what’s the procedure for getting out of a kayak that’s just capsized? How do you help someone who has capsized?
I didn’t have time to get to this stage of the course. I capsized before. I don’t remember how I managed to extricate myself from the kayak and get back to the surface, but we’re not talking about an approved method here. The brain immediately detects the danger and organizes itself so that the body gets out of the kayak and the head doesn’t stay underwater for too long.
In the minutes that follow, the instructor teaches us how to perform the classic exit from a capsized kayak. We work in pairs. At Level 1, there’s no question of using the paddle to force the kayak to turn.
To obtain KDM 1 certification, everyone must lean sideways so that the kayak tips over. Once submerged, the student leans forward, unhooks the spray skirt attached to the kayak, and slowly taps the kayak’s hull three times to signal that he is in control of what he is doing. The instructor wants to avoid unpredictable reactions. We then push ourself out of the kayak by placing our hands at hip height on the coaming. As soon as we are out of the water, it’s imperative that we hold on to our kayak, thanks to the lifeline. It only takes a few seconds. Here and there, you can hear a little coughing as the student surfaces, but nothing more. A good sip of St. Lawrence River boosts the immune system.
Next comes the recovery of the person in the water. As we work as a team, the kayaker in difficulty clings to the front of our kayak and stays there until we catch up with his or her kayak, lift it onto our boat, empty it of water, turn it over and position it correctly.
Sea kayaking course level 1 with Quatre Natures (photo Quatre Natures)
The person clinging to the kayak then releases his or her grip, and depending on the method taught, climbs back into the boat while the latter is being held securely. The important thing here is to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. If the person doesn’t hurry and proceed step by step, the operation is a success every time.
A few more exercises follow, and it’s back to the beach on Île d’Orléans a few hours later. Once all participants have dried off and put on their warm clothes, the course concludes with a few weather notions, including the need to consult weather forecasts and radars, and to return quickly to shore when storm cells are present.
We also cover tide calculation (rule of 12) and how to attach a kayak to a car roof. How many attachment points? What equipment is available to make the job easier? Where should harnesses go to avoid breaking the kayak? Etc.
The KDM 1 certificate is awarded approximately eight to nine hours after the start of the course, depending on the instructor’s assessment. I noticed that on the way home, in the heat of the car, I really didn’t feel like rushing on the road. But you quickly come back to reality when you see how fast the cars are coming up behind you.
Cycling around L’Îsle-aux-Coudres is a good exercise and even a photography project for landscape photography enthusiasts. The following information will therefore help you both for the exercise and for planning a photography trip …
The ferry is taken at St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, just down the Côte des Éboulements. Transportation is free, but make sure you’re in the queue thirty minutes before departure: if you make it at the last minute, you’ll have to take the next ferry, an hour later. The trip only takes about 15 minutes to L’Îsle-aux-Coudres.
Once you have reached the island with the car, you drive up the hill (no other choice) to the first intersection and you immediately see a church on the left: this is where motorists carrying bicycles park, free of charge.
Man relaxing at L’Isle-aux-Coudres in 2021.
Cycling around L’Îsle-aux-Coudres is not really difficult, as the distance to be covered is only 23 kilometers. There are only a few hills to climb and they can be walked up alongside the bike if the challenge is too great. Along the route you will find rest stops, smallcraft shops and a few restaurants.
Bank of L’Îsle-aux-Coudres 2021.
Driving around the island in the low season is ideal if you don’t enjoy driving in the presence of too many cars. I was there in September and really wasn’t bothered by traffic. The photo above shows the view in the fall, from the south side of the island. For several kilometers, the cyclist enjoys a perfect view of the St. Lawrence River and the road is directly on the edge of the banks.
The Îsle-aux-Coudres region in 2021.
There are some beautiful views along the way. Above, a view of the distant mountains that lie on the north shore of the St. Lawrence.
The MSC Annick vessel in front of l’Îsle-aux-Coudres in 2021.
Wind is the main factor to consider when traveling around the island. In the photo above, the wind is strong enough for the smoke from the MSC Annick ship’s chimney to flow in the same direction as the boat, rather than gradually drifting astern.
This means that on days with high winds, there is a side of the island where you will have to put more effort as a cyclist, but you will then be rewarded with a good tail wind in the second portion of the journey.
Effect of the wind on the cirrus clouds over Baie St-Paul in 2021.
One last photo taken on the return trip by ferry. Strong winds aloft visibly have an effect on cloud structure.
Have a good ride, and possibly a good photo shoot!
The Promenade Samuel-De Champlain seen from the Quebec Bridge in 2021.
Crossing the Quebec Bridge by bike allows you to stop and admire the surroundings at will, while observing the maritime traffic up close.
In the photo above, part of the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain is visible from the bridge. As for the photographic composition (for those interested), part of the bridge is included in the photo’s foreground to add to the height effect. The path to the right of the promenade, with its pronounced curves, also helps to energize the scene. I think it was a prime location, but tastes are debatable!
The Federal Clyde and MSC Brianna vessels on the St.Lawrence Seaway near the Quebec Bridge in 2021.
At the time of passage of the Federal Clyde and MSC Brianna vesselsunder the Quebec Bridge, the sound of the large diesel engines was clearly perceptible and it was even possible to feel the vibrations of the engines retransmitted into the metal structure of the bridge.
Inspection of the Québec Bridge in 2021.
Above, an employee inspects the structure of an aging Quebec Bridge. Good risk management in this case is to rely on a part of the bridge that has not aged prematurely.
Inspection of the Québec Bridge. July 29th 2021.
The wide-angle lens of the Canon 5DSrgives a better idea of the delicate position in which inspectors find themselves when they are evaluating the work to be carried out on the Quebec Bridge. It’s not a job for everyone …
The Harlequin in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, 2017.
The picture above shows the Harlequin, a bulk carrier built in 2012 that has a 9.7 meter draught. It sails under the Cyprus convenience flag. On June 18th 2017, when the photo was taken, it was in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, Quebec, and was about to cross the Atlantic heading to Rouen, France. The Jean Gaulin refinery is Quebec’s largest refinery and ranks second in Canada when it comes to refining crude oil.
The photo was taken at 21:07, just before nightime. Since I was positioned on the highest floor of the Quai des Cageux wooden tower, there were constant vibrations associated with people going up and down the stairs. The tower’s movement combined with a moving vessel made the use of of tripod totally useless. It was thus necessary to make a handheld photo, which seriously increased the risk of a blurred picture considering the lack of light.
A Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USMfixed lens installed on a Canon 5DSRfull frame camera helped to make a successful shot. The fact that this kind of lens requires very little light increases the photographer’s margin of manoeuver. It would obviously have been possible to increase the ISO to 6000 and more to compensate for the poor lighting, but that would have degraded the photo’s quality. The ISO was thus limited to 2000, with a shutter speed of 1/200 sec and a 1.6 aperture.
In order to limit the risk of a blurred picture, it was necessary to follow the movement of the ship with the camera. The closer one gets to immobilizing the ship in the viewfinder, the better the chances of a defined photo.
Since the ship was farther than it appears on the picture above, some cropping was mandatory to bring the vessel to a decent size. If the ISO had been too elevated to start with, the ensuing photographic grain would have been too big after the cropping and the quality of the picture would have suffered. With an ISO limited to 2000, the image kept a decent definition.
For other pictures of ships on my website, 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.
Merchant navy vessel in the Juan de Fuca Strait near Victoria (2016)
Photographers know that the most interesting hours of the day are either early in the morning or late at night, but before nighttime. These periods are ideal for subtle colors and very atmospheric shots.
The Vancouver Island coast offers absolutely everything to attract many categories of photographers: the wildlife, the mist over water bodies in the morning or late at night and the mountains that are visible almost everywhere.
Travelling through British Columbia, I noticed the great number of merchant navy vessels passing through the Juan de Fuca Strait. But to try to photograph them during daytime would only have given average pictures. Waking up early to get the right picture is never easy, but it always gives interesting results.
The only problem with regards to ship photography is that the latter often navigate quite far from the photographer, thus becoming tiny uninteresting dots on a picture. However, the Canon 5DSR camera and its 50.6 megapixels full-frame sensor solve that problem: new experiments are then possible
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The scenery above was shot from a beach in Victoria, very early in the morning. It was mandatory to ensure of the total immobility of the camera since some serious cropping would be needed later on in order to significantly enlarge the ship. The slightest vibration would have been amplified through enlargment and the picture would have been useless.
Here is the method that was used: the ISO was set on 250, the tripod planted on the beach (but not in the soft sand part where the tripod could have moved a little during the photo session). Moreover, the remote trigger was used, as well as the mirror lock-up function. In order to achieve an optimal focus, the latter was done manually using Liveview with a 16X enlargment.
A Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USMtelephoto lens was installed on the camera, with a 200mm focal setting. A ND graduated filter was installed to compensate for the rising sun’s brighter light behind the mountains. Being early on the beach also allowed for a minimal wind speed, limiting even more any tripod vibrations. I tried several shots and decided to keep the one with a bird in the scenery, so as to add a touch of life to the scenery.
For other ship photos posted on my website, click on the following link:
