The ferry to Matnane

Aug. 16
Traveling South on the North Shore, if you want to go across the St Lawrenec, the first opportunity you have is the ferry from Godbut to Matane. It runs only once a day at 8:00AM in the morning. So camping out in the visitor parking lot the night before gets you there well before the action stars. Waiting for the ferry is kind of a social event. Tractor trailers have been pulling in at all times during the night. They get their own lanes. By 6:30 cars are beginning to line up. Rv’s of every sort of description are coming in from who knows where they spent the night. People are getting out and walking around, stretching, going to the bathroom in the waiting area. Some of us are making new acquaintances, all be it ever so temporary. People are checking out each others motor homes. Finding out where they’ve been. It’s all kind of a neat waiting time. Then, way out to sea you can see the ferry coming. People get their cameras out and start taking pics as it gets closer. By the time it docks there’s a whole crowd watching. The front end opens and the big trucks start coming off, and then the cars and RV’s in what ever order they’ve been parked in. Then it’s our turn. Everyone starts their engines and bit by bit we get loaded. Our boat was called the Camille – Marcoux. She holds 144 vehicles and 600 people. The ride across to Matane is 2hrs and 15 minutes. People are not allowed to remain in their vehicles but we can walk all over the ferry including outside on top where there are lots of places to sit out in the open and watch the sea. It was a great trip across for us. Once in a while it’s fun to travel and not have to do anything but sit back.