Hundreds of people took part in the first Fête de la mer at the port and marina of Rimouski. The event allowed them to learn more about the scope of the marine world in the Lower St. Lawrence.
This big party is the idea of Jean-Louis Chaumel, known as coordinator of RikiFest and former professor at the University of Quebec in Rimouski.
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Jean-Louis Chaumel is one of the organizers of this first Sea Festival in Rimouski.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Isabelle Damphousse
Rimouski claims to be a great metropolis of the sea, Rimouski is making efforts to make itself known in Quebec and even the world as a reference in maritime matters. It was necessary to celebrate this and, above all, to make the population proud of it
he exclaims.
Participants were able to visit fishing boats, take sea tours, and discover companies that work in this field. These include Aquadrone, which offers underwater drone services, and the Rimouski company Devocean, which sells ropeless buoys to prevent marine mammals from getting tangled in fishing gear.
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The Aquadrone company demonstrated its underwater drone at the Rimouski marina.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Isabelle Damphousse
In La Rochelle, a few weeks ago, there was a huge sea festival with very large sailboats. There were thousands of people. We in Rimouski, on a smaller scale, are capable of doing the same thing.
Many curious people came to the festival.
I find that interesting
Roch Lévesque, from Pointe-au-Père, tells us.
He visited the crab fisherman Le P’tit Doucet with his granddaughters. cool“,”text”:”I think it’s cool to show people around the boats and see how they work”}}”>Visiting the boats, seeing how they work, I find that cool
one of them tells us.
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Many festival-goers visit the Le P’tit Doucet crab boat.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Isabelle Damphousse
To the great surprise of René Doucet, the boat’s owner, there was even a queue at times to visit his family’s crab boat.
We like it, showing what we do, what our fishing is and what we grew up with.
he says.
It’s beautiful there, it’s not swarming, but in spring when you’re fishing, it’s like a bird on the sea.
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The P’tit Doucet left the port of Rimouski for the marina for a day to welcome visitors on board.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Isabelle Damphousse
Huguette Côté, from Saint-Fabien, says she appreciates the day which democratizes access to the port and the marina. If you don’t own a sailboat or a pleasure boat, you have more or less knowledge, so taking advantage of the day to come here to the marina is nice.
she says.
This first Sea Festival was organized with very little financial means and a lot of help from volunteers, according to Jean-Louis Chaumel, who is already planning a second edition that he promises will be grandiose.
