Activities are planned for three days to mark the passage of the sailboats of the 10e Transat Quebec Saint-Malo to Gaspé.
The thirty or so sailboats on the famous crossing set off Sunday in Quebec. They must pass a buoy at Rivière-au-Renard, before sailing to Saint-Malo, in the northwest of France.
To mark the occasion, activities are planned until Wednesday to celebrate the passage of the participants, but also the world of sailing in general.
Claudine Roy, head of the Gaspé pole of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, indicates that the festivities take place mainly at the Rivière-au-Renard wharf, but also at the Gaspé marina.
Musical performances by Luan Larobina, Sam Tucker and Juan Sebastian Larobina, children’s games and magic shows, talks and talks with various sailors and navigators and the presentation of a documentary on Mike Birch, who won the Route du Rhum, are among the planned activities.
Organizers had hoped the boats would arrive in Rivière-au-Renard on Monday afternoon, but the winds were not there. They are expected to arrive overnight or early Tuesday morning.
They were expected early in the afternoon at Rivière-au-Renard, but since the wind is light on the St. Lawrence River, they are expected to pass the Rivière-au-Renard buoy in the middle of the night or early in the morning.
dit Claudine Roy.
Fans can follow the progress of the boats live online (New window).
A showcase for the world of sailing and for the region
Lounoé Girard, 20, from Gaspé, spent four days with the crew of the Vogue with a Crohn’s when the boat made the trip to Quebec City to set sail. He has been sailing since he was five, but this trip opened his eyes to the reality of the competitive world.
Open in full screen mode
Lounoé Girard is an instructor at the Le Cormoran Sailing Club and accompanied a crew in the Quebec Saint-Malo race for a few days.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Stéphanie Rousseau
ropes in front of you. All different, with complicated names I had never seen. Even though I have been sailing for 15years, it was full of new names, terms and maneuvers that I didn’t know yet, but in the end, it’s sailing and you shouldn’t forget that”,”text”:”You arrive and there are 26 ropes in front of you. All different, with complicated names that I had never seen. Even though I’ve been sailing for 15 years, it was full of new names, terms and maneuvers that I didn’t know yet, but in the end, it’s sailing and you shouldn’t forget that”}}”>You arrive and there are 26 ropes in front of you. All different, with complicated names that I had never seen. Even though I have been sailing for 15 years, it was full of new names, terms and maneuvers that I did not know yet, but in the end, it is sailing and we must not forget that
he said.
It made me realize how little they allow themselves. They don’t have any luxuries. Everything is for weight, so the mattresses are thin, the kitchen is a tiny burner, the toilet is a bucket. They live in really impressive conditions.
adds Lounoé Girard.
Open in full screen mode
Léanne Dupuis is the coordinator of the Le Cormoran Sailing Club in Gaspé.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Stéphanie Rousseau
Léanne Dupuis, 21, director and coordinator of the Le Cormoran sailing club, adds that the young people from the sailing club loved receiving a visit from the race skippers a few weeks ago in Gaspé.
With the young people, we were able to see great new boats and people who really knew how to sail well. It created a craze
she says.
For Lounoé Girard, the bonds he created during his time aboard the Vogue with Crohn’s disease mean he will be following the race more closely this year.
I am a fan of sailing, but less of offshore racing. It is not a game that I follow much personally, so this is the first race that I will follow live, because I followed a crew, I spoke to them and I made friends.
Open in full screen mode
Sailboats on the quay of the Gaspé marina.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Stéphanie Rousseau
For Claudine Roy, the fact that Gaspé and Rivière-au-Renard are part of the route is important for the visibility of the region.
years. There has always been a buoy in Gaspé and this year, in Rivière-au-Renard”,”text”:”It’s an international transatlantic race. It’s an offshore race that has existed for 40 years. There has always been a buoy in Gaspé and this year, in Rivière-au-Renard”}}”>It’s an international transatlantic race. It’s an offshore race that has existed for 40 years. There has always been a buoy in Gaspé and this year, in Rivière-au-Renard
she says.
She specifies that unlike previous years, the buoy has been moved to Rivière-au-Renard. There are a lot of whales in Gaspé Bay at the moment, so with Transport Canada, it was decided to place the buoy at Rivière-au-Renard.
She also recalls that Gaspé has been twinned with Saint-Malo since 2017, an agreement which aims to promote the creation of links and exchanges between the two cities.
