I just received this Press Release from my friend René Trépanier who is the
Executive Director of Cruise The Saint Lawrence. It reminded me of all the interesting ports that are open to cruise ship calls along the shores of this remarkable seaway. Under the Press Release is a small sample of what awaits you on a cruise down the St. Lawrence River.



NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT CRUISE THE SAINT LAWRENCE
At the 15th Annual General Meeting held on May 29th, the Board of Directors of Cruise the Saint Lawrence (CSL) appointed new officers to the organization's Executive Committee.

The new association President is Tony Boemi, Vice President, Growth and Development, Montréal Port Authority. With the Port of Montréal since 2008, Mr Boemi has been active in marine industry affairs for close to four decades. "In recent years, the Saint Lawrence has developed into a destination of ever increasing popularity with cruise companies, a fact largely attributable to unstinted efforts by the team at Cruise the Saint Lawrence and the latter's outgoing president, as well as to federal and provincial government support for this rapidly developing sector," stated the new president. "Our goal is to become a benchmark destination known the world over, a destination recognized for the quality of passenger greeting operations in each of our member ports of call, as well as for the diversity and originality of tours and excursions available to cruiseshippers."

Stéphane Sainte-Croix, Executive Director, Corporation Escale Gaspésie was appointed Vice President and Nancy Houley, Manager, Cruise Markets, Port of Québec was named Secretary-Treasurer.

Outgoing President Priscilla Nemey, Director, Tourism and Communications with Promotion Saguenay indicated it was with an immense sense of pride that she was wrapping up her six-year term in office, pride in the kinship and cooperation developed over the years among our nine Saint Lawrence ports of call extending from Montréal to the Magdalen Islands.

Cruise the Saint Lawrence groups together partners committed to the promotion and development of the nine ports of call located along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. The association receives financial support from Economic Development Canada, Tourism Québec and industry partners. The mission of the organization is to position Destination Saint Lawrence with cruise companies by defining and coordinating development efforts and partner/port of call attributes, the ultimate aim being to build a genuine ‘Cruise the Saint Lawrence’ brand.



Montreal is in Quebec Province. It is the largest city in the province and the second-largest in Canada. It was originally called Ville-Marie but it was renamed Mount Royal, after the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. It is actually on an island. Much more information can be gleaned by clicking on
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org


Trois-Rivières is a city in the Quebec Province. It is located where the Saint-Maurice river meets the Saint Lawrence. It is situate roughly halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Trois-Rivières is the business and cultural centre of the Mauricie region. It was founded on July 4, 1634 and was the second permanent settlement in New France, after Quebec City which was founded in 1608. For much more detail about what this city has to offer please click on this link http://www.tourismetroisrivieres.com/en


Quebec City was founded in 1608, making it one of the oldest cities in North America. The narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River gave the city it's name Kébec, an Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows". The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. For more information please click on the following link http://www.quebecregion.com/en


Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. It is about 200 kilometres (120 Miles) north of Quebec City and situated on the Saguenay River. It was originally set up in 1676 as a French trading post for the fur trade. For an array of things to see and do in Saguenay click on
http://www.saguenaylacsaintjean.ca/en


Baie-Comeau city was named after the nearby Comeau Bay. This in turn was named in honour of Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau, a Québécois naturalist. The oldest part of Baie-Comeau is the area known as Vieux-Poste which is near the mouth of the Amédée River. This was where, in 1889 the Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan Mission was founded. Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is a native of this town. For a feast of information click on this link
http://www.ville.baie-comeau.qc.ca . This site is in French but you can get it translated into English. Your editor is very proud to have facilitated the first ever cruise ship call into this city and was made by the MS Black Watch.



Sept-Îles is one of the northernmost cities to be connected to the 'paved roadway system in Quebec Province. Louis Joliet established a trading post around 1679 to cater for the business from Europeans which was based on the fishing and the fur trade. Great Britain took over responsibilty for governing Canada from France in 1763. Some years later, in 1842, the Hudson's Bay Company founded another trading post. Another direct link will connect you with all the details of what this city has to offer. http://www.ville.sept-iles.qc.ca . This site is also in French but you can get it translated into English.

The Gaspésie National Park can be found south of the town of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts inland from the Gaspé peninsula. The park contains the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains as well asthe only Caribou population to be found south of the Saint Lawrence River. For all the information click this link.
http://www.tourisme-gaspesie.com/




Îles de la Madeleine form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Even though it is closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, these islands are part of Quebec Province. There are eight major islands. A couple of interesting facts - A segment of the population are descendants from the survivors of the over 400 shipwrecks on the islands and until the 20th century, the islands were completely isolated during the winter, since the pack ice made the trip to the mainland impassable by boat. A lot of great information can be had by clicking on http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/en

I hope that this has given you some idea of the many adventures and opportunities to explore while cruising the Saint Lawrence River. Thanks again to my friend René for reminding me of this beautiful and dramatic part of the world. His organisation's website is http://www.cruisesaintlawrence.com/