: SAILING DIRECTIONS RIVER OE ST. LAWRENCE, ACCOMPANY THE CHART. LONDON PUBLISHED BY K. II. LAURIE, 53, FLEET STREET. The EDITH and LORNE PIERCE COLLECTION of CANADIANA Queens University at Kingston t)OUQLAS LifeRATTp queeN's uNiveRsrry AT kiNQSTION Presented by JOHN MAPPIN ApRIL 1980 KINGSTON ONTARJO CANADA SAILING DIRECTIONS ' W RIVER of ST. LAWRENCE ACCOMPANY THE CHAKT, BY ALEXANDER GEORGE FINDLAY, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. LONDON; PUBLISHED FOR RICHARD HOLMES LAURIE, 53, FLEET STREET, E.C. 1871. IDC H Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/sailingdirectionOOfind ; CONTENTS. THE GULF AND RIVER OF ST. LAWRENCE. PAGE I.— General Phenomena—Winds, Weather, Currents, Ices, &c 1 Winds, 1 ; Fogs, 1 ; Currents, 1 ; Ices, 2. II.—The Island of St. Paul, Magdalen Isles, and Anticosti 3 St. Paul, 3 ; Magdalen Islands, 3 ; Amherst Island (Rev. Lt.), 4 ; Bird Islets, 6 ; The Island of Anticosti, 6 ; East Point, 7 ; West Point, 7 ; South Point (Flashing Lt.), 8. III.—The Northern Shore of the Gulf, from Forteau Point to Cape Whittle 9 General Remarks, 9 ; Point Amour Light, 9 ; Bradore Harbour, 10 ; Bonne Esperanee Harhour, 11; Esquimaux Bay, 12; Cumberland Harbour, 13; Mecattina Harbour, 14 ; Watagheistic Island, 16 ; Cape Whittle, 17. IV.— The Northern Shore of the Gulf, between Cape Whittle and Cape de Monts, including the Mingan Islands 17 General Remarks, 17; Coacoacho Bay and the Grange Rock, 18; Mus- quarro River, H. B. Co.'s Post, 19 ; Natashquan River, 20 ; The Mingan Islands, 21 ; Betchewun Harbour, 22 ; Esquimaux Harbour, 23 ; Mingan Harbour, 24 ; River St. John, 25 ; Manitou River, 26 ; River Moisic, 26 Seven Islands Bay, 27 ; Carousal Island (Light F.), 27 ; Egg Island (Rev. Lt.), 28 ; Trinity Bay, 28 ; Point de Monts Lighthouse, 29. V. — The South Shore of the Entrance to the River, from Cape Rosier to Cape Chatte 29 Cape Rosier, 30 ; Magdalen River and St. Anne, 30 ; Cape Chatte (Rev. Lt.), 30. VI.— General Description of the River St. Lawrence 31 The North Shore, from Cape de Monts to the Saguenay River 31 31 31 : Outarde, 32 ; The St. Nicholas Harbour, ; Manicougan Bay, Bay of Saguenay River, 33 ; Prince Shoal, 33. The South Shore, between Cape Chatte and Green Island, and Description of the River upward 34 Island Matane River, 34 ; Isle Bic, 36 ; Bicquette and Lighthouse, 36 ; Green and Lighthouse, 37 ; Red Island and Reef (Lightvessel), 37 ; Murray Bay, 3S 39 ; The Pilgrims, 40 ; ; Hare Inland and Banks, 39 ; Barrett Ledges, Kamourasca, 40; Isle aux Coudres, 41 ; The South Traverse, 41 ; Goose Chan- Island, 42 ; The Bayfield Isles, 43 ; The Middle Channel and North nel, 44 ; The Island of Orleans, 46 ; Quebec, 47. Tides in the River St. Lawrence 47 to 49 Directions for Sailing up the River, from Anticosti to Quebec 49 Remarks on the Currents, Winds, &c, 49 ; General Courses, &c, between Island Cape Chatte and Isle Bic, 51 ; Isle Bic to Green Island, 52 ; Green to the Brandy Pots to the South Traverse and Goose Island, 54 ; The South Island, Crane Island to Traverse, 55 ; The Piliers or Pillars to Crane 56 ; Point St. Vallier, 57 ; St. Vallier to Quebec, 57. Alphabetical Index 87 Addenda iv ;; ADDENDA. THE FOLLOWING LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED SINCE TITT>1 WORK WENT TO PRESS. PAGE 4 Amherst Island.—On South Cape, revolving light every ^ minute, alternately I red and bright. Hexagonal wooden building, painted white ; visible 20 miles. 8 Flashing light, 20 seconds, from hexagonal tower 50 feet | Anticosti Island.— high, on Bagot's Bluff, three-quarters of a mile from South Point, at 75 feet, visible 14 miles. Island. One fixed bright light, from white square 27 | Seven Islands, Carousel — tower, 35 ft. high, at 195 ft., visible 20 miles. every minute, octagonal building, 28 | "Egg Island.—Revolving light 1| from an 30 ft. high, at 70 ft., visible 15 miles. 30 Revolving lisjht, red and bright alternately every 2 min., | Cape Magdalen.— from a white wooden tower, 54 ft. high, at 147 ft, visible 20 miles; red It. visible 15 miles. 30 Revolving light every half minute, from a square wooden | Cape Chatte.— tower, 37 ft. high, on N.W. point of Cape, at 110 ft., visible 18 miles. 37 Lightvessel, showing one fixed light, in 10 fathoms, N.E. | Red Island Bank.— of Red Island, and half a mile E.N.E. of red buoy, at 40 ft., visible 12 miles ; steam fog-whistle. 40 lightvessel in fathoms, on N.W. edge of shoal, | St. Roque Shoal.—A 3| 2\ miles from old lightvessel ; shows two fixed lights, at 16 and 24 ft. above deck, visible 6 miles ; fog-bell. 45 fixed light, at 175 ft., visible 10 miles, from a square white | Cape Rouge.—A tower, 24 ft. high. MAGNETIC VARIATION OF THE COMPASS. Magnetic Variation, westerly, in 1872, increasing at the rate of 3' or 4' annually in the Strait of Belle Isle, 36°; the East end of Anticosti, 28° ; Cape de Monts, 24° at the Saguenay River, 20°; Quebec, 17°; Bathurst in Chaleur Bay, 23°; East point of Prince Edward Island, 24°. THE GULF AND RIVER OF ST. LAWRENCE. L—GENERAL PHENOMENA.—WINDS, WEATHER, CURRENTS, ICES, ETC. WINDS.—The prevalent wind in the summer, in all parts of the River and Gulf of St. Lawrence, is from the S.W. Westerly winds are almost always accompanied with fine, dry, sunny weather ; easterly winds as frequently the contrary. Steady N.W. winds do not blow frequently before September, except for a few hours at a time, when they generally succeed easterly winds that have died away to a calm, and usually veer round to the S.W. In the spring, easterly winds are the prevailing winds, sometimes blowing for several weeks in succession. Strong winds seldom veer quickly round from one point of the compass to another directly contrary ; in general they die away to a calm, and are succeeded by a wind in the opposite direction. The direction of the winds in the river is generally directly up or down its course, following 'the direction of the high lands on either shore. Thus a S.E. wind in the Gulf becomes E.S.E. between Anticosti and the South coast; E.N.E. above Point de Monts ; and N.E. above Green Island. FOGS.—The prevalence of fog is one of the greatest sources of danger in the navi- gation of these paits, and during their prevalence there is no sure guide for the mariner but the constant use of the lead. The fogs prevail when the wind is in the eastern quarter. They sometimes come with westerly winds, but they are rare, and never of long continuance. Winds between South and East bring rain and fog in almost every part ; and E.N.E. winds in the river, above Point de Monts, becoming S.E. winds in the gulf, have the same foggy character. These fogs are probably occasioned by the unequal temperature of the water brought down'by the river and that of the gulf, which is colder, from the influx of the northern stream through the Strait of Belle Isle, and between these and the air. The eddy flood mixing with the waters of the river, besides occasioning the dense and low fogs, are also probably the occasion of the phenomenon of Mirage, which sometimes occurs, and which is caused by terrestrial refraction from unequal temperatures in the different strata of the air and water. CURRENTS.—The current which prevails through the Strait of Belle Isle passes along the North shore of the gulf, at a short distance from it, leaving a space between it and the land, in which the alterations of tide are tolerably regular, when not otherwise affected by the winds. Pursuing this S.W. direction towards Cape Whittle, and gradually losing its force as it advances, it takes the direction givrn it by the trending of the coast at this part, and meeting with the current which comes from the West, from the river on the North side of Anticosti, and which perhaps is deflected by the projection of the land at Natashquan Point, it gradually takes a S.S.E. course across the gulf, and then meeting with the main current of the St. Lawrence, coming to the South of Anticosti, between it and the Magdalen Islands, the whole of the waters take a S.E.. course, through the principal entrance of the gulf, between Cape Ray on Newfoundland anr1 the Island of St. Paul. These currents are modified by various causes, and their strength and direction are difficult to estimate, although it is of great importance that a proper allowance should be made for them, as, from their southern tendency many vessels are lost, from want of due precaution, on the coasts of Gaspe and its neighbourhood, on the Magdalen Islands, &c. " This current," says Captain Bayfield, " is checked by easterly winds, G. ty R. of St. Lawrence. E 2 GULF AND RIVER OF ST. LAWRENCE. and may sometimes run in a contrary direction from the same cause." Northerly •winds may also cause it to set to the southward towards Breton Island. The flood-tide entering the River St. Lawrence, proceeds upwards in the wide and deep channel of the estuary, till it is obstructed by the contracted breadth of the river near Red Island, and the sudden shallowing of it near this part ; from this causo it is prevented from continuing in its upward course, and in consequence of the quantity of water here collected not finding a sufficient outlet, it is reverted, and forms an eddy-Jlood.