As an important shipyard, birthplace of numerous sailors and landing-place of fairly large ships, Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive boasts a rich nautical heritage being sheltered from the prevailing winds, the village saw the launching of many schooners. Most of Charlevoix's schooners were built in Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive. Just between 1860 and 1930, close to sixty schooners were launched.

     On May 11, 1946, a group of twenty shareholders, including seven sailors founded the "Les Chantiers Maritimes de Charlevoix Ltée" company. Based on Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive's strong nautical traditions, the newly created yard's purpose is to build, repair and store ships during winter.

Ship's winter storage

The shipyard was in fact mainly used for the maintenance and winter storage of schooners. After the sailing season, the schooners are hoisted onto the dry docks and remain there between November and April. Over the years, between 25 and 30 schooners remained there for the winter.

 

An asset to the local economy
     The shipyard ceased to operate in 1973. During its thirty odd years of operation producing around thirty seasonal jobs, the shipyard was definitely one of the main contributors to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive's economy.

The functions of the shipyard
     All necessary facilities pertaining to the different functions of the shipyard can be found on location, such as: a wooden breakwater built in 1948, a winter storage dry-dock and repair dock as well as a warping dock. The latter was used to haul the schooners out of the water or for launching them.

  
     The shipyard included two main buildings, a saw-mill and a work-shop. Built in 1956, the work-shop first contained a store, a blacksmith shop that was also used for storing tools, the shipyard's office and the windlass for hauling in the boats. In addition to the main saw, the saw-mill also included several machine-tools.

     Among the other structures worth mentioning is the "camp à Ti-Bi", located at the entrance of the shipyard until 1957, this small building was used as an office for the employees, as a reception area and secretary's office. Today, it is used as a chalet.

     Finally, we come to the "range", a lozenge shaped traffic sign of which a sample can be found at the shipyard's entrance. This sign, along with another one placed at the very end of the breakwater, served as guides for the ships in order to facilitate their entrance in the warping dock.

 

 

Nautical Exhibit of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, economuseum of the schooners

     Since 1986, the shipyard has been converted into an interpretation center. Its main theme is the building of wooden schooners. The workshop includes a show-room where can be seen a large scale model showing the shipyard at the pinnacle of its existence in the late fifty's. The workshop office and saw-mill still retain several pieces of the original equipment. A visit of the premises shows us how a schooner is built, from the initial mold (half-hull scale model) to the launching of the vessel.
The pier and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive - Île-aux-Coudres crossing

     The pier at Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive is very old; in fact, its structure dates back to 1853.  Over the years, the pier has undergone several transformations before attaining its actual configuration

 

     Today, the pier is mainly used as a landing-stage for the Île-aux-Coudres ferry and mooring harbour for the Groupe Desgagnés boats. Consequently, it is still an important meeting and gathering place which always creates a special atmosphere. It is also a very busy fishing spot for smelts, plaice, loach and the occasional eel.

panoramique.jpg (12266 octets)

     In 1930, the "Île-aux-Coudres" was the first boat to offer regular, daily crossings between Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive and Île-aux-Coudres. Unlike other, much smaller boats used before, she transports both cars and passengers, between 1930 and 1933. Other boats have taken over since. Starting in 1958, a first winter ferry is put into service : "La Marjolaine" followed by others.

Back to main page