Maggie Quinn Art – Spring Garden of Artists on Chaleur Bay

Every year at this time I am reminded of that day over thirty years ago when I felt first-hand the excitement of Chaleur Bay’s most popular boating event. In less than a month we’ll be moving into July. I’m sure the the rowers are already out on the bay practicing for the annual dory race that starts on the Quebec side of Chaleur Bay and ends at Petit Rocher in New Brunswick.

It was July 1 1989. I had been invited to take a seven hour trip across Chaleur Bay to Bonaventure Quebec and back to Petit Rocher New Brunswick. I would have been on the boat with the support group well before dawn that day, following one of the teams who were competing in the annual Dory race held annually during the Festival de Rameur. Actually the dory race was the Festival de Rameur.

The boat I would have been following was rowed by the Brunswick team who came in second out of nine teams that year. Their sponsor, Brunswick Mining was celebrating their silver anniversary that year and had supplied them with a new boat built by naval architect Andre Roegier. The older boat had been retired the previous year and donated to the Sea Cadets.

As it turned out I was unable to make the trip. But I didn’t miss out entirely. I was on the Quai that morning to watch them come in, cheered on by several thousand watchers gathered along the shoreline.

Source:articles written by M.S.Olscamp, published by the Northern Light July 5 1989 Copyright MSO 2024