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Baie-St-Paul kitesurf, wingfoil and windfoil spot
Canada · Quebec
Overview
A spot in a bay of the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Rivière du Gouffre, in Baie-Saint-Paul (Charlevoix region, Québec). Across the water lies Isle-aux-Coudres, connected to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive by ferry.
Water access via the Baie-Saint-Paul wharf area: the Club nautique de Charlevoix, at the mouth of the Gouffre, has a boat launch ramp. Beach and Boisé du Quai nearby.
This is the middle estuary of the St. Lawrence, in brackish water (freshwater / saltwater mix). A spot little documented by the kite community — the established commercial spot in Charlevoix being Isle-aux-Coudres, across the water.
Spot forecast for Baie-St-Paul
Sunrise 07:08 · Sunset 17:45
Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo
Baie-St-Paul: when to go?
Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)
11h
in June · 2.5 rideable days
The season runs from April to June, peaking in June: 2 rideable days a month and 11 hours of usable wind, at 16 °C. The low point is March, at 0 days.
Rideable days per month
Wind strength when it is rideable
When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 98% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at -5 °C. The wettest month is June, with 91 mm.
Monthly averages: Baie-St-Paul
| Month | Rideable days | Usable wind | Temperature | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.0 | 4 h | -5 °C | 65 mm |
| February | 0.5 | 2 h | -4 °C | 41 mm |
| March | 0.0 | 2 h | 1 °C | 75 mm |
| April | 1.0 | 4 h | 9 °C | 64 mm |
| May | 1.5 | 7 h | 16 °C | 57 mm |
| June | 2.5 | 11 h | 22 °C | 91 mm |
| July | 0.5 | 7 h | 25 °C | 62 mm |
| August | 0.0 | 2 h | 23 °C | 66 mm |
| September | 0.0 | 2 h | 19 °C | 21 mm |
| October | 0.0 | 2 h | 13 °C | 50 mm |
| November | 0.0 | 2 h | 4 °C | 74 mm |
| December | 0.5 | 2 h | -4 °C | 82 mm |
Photo gallery of Baie-St-Paul
Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.
Technical details of Baie-St-Paul spot
The spot works with winds from S, SSW, SW, WSW.
Local association recommendations
Suroît Aventures (Isle-aux-Coudres, across from Baie-Saint-Paul): the only kite operator in the area — kitesurfing, snowkiting in winter, paddle. Based at Halte des Piliers.
Club nautique de Charlevoix: boat launch ramp at the mouth of the Rivière du Gouffre.
Québec kite community: forum kiteforum.ca. Note: Baie-Saint-Paul is not among the sites approved by the Fédération Québécoise de Kite (FQK).
Spot opening date · Required level
- Spot opening date
- Open all year round
- Required level
- Beginner
On the water
Brackish water, cold even in summer (~14 °C upstream, chilled by the Labrador Current downstream) — wetsuit required. At low tide, vast sandstone flats and mudflats are exposed: shallows, rock and mud.
Parking
Plenty of space. Free. Baie-Saint-Paul wharf area (nautical base, Club nautique de Charlevoix boat ramp).
Wind specificities
Fairly rare. Very good in South-West, 3h before high tide.
The river runs NE-SW through Charlevoix. Note: the local weather station no longer reports reliable data — check conditions by direct observation (iKitesurf / Windy) before travelling.
Hazards
Little water at low tide: large flats/mudflats are exposed.
Strong tides: tidal range of about 6 to 6.5 m, among the largest on the St. Lawrence. Powerful tidal currents (Isle-aux-Coudres area) — risk of drifting and being stranded on the flats on the ebb.
Cold water (~14 °C in summer): hypothermia risk, wetsuit essential.
Ferry Isle-aux-Coudres ↔ Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive: marine traffic to cross in the channel.
Belugas: Baie-Saint-Paul (Battures aux Loups Marins) marks the upstream limit of the protected habitat of the St. Lawrence beluga, an endangered species listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA / Fisheries and Oceans Canada). Do not disturb.
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Live
Ogimet - Charlevoix CS , Que. (Canada)19.2 kmsource ogimet
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Additional stations
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CHARLEVOIX (MRX)19.3 km
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source aviationweather.gov
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CHARLEVOIX (MRC)19.3 km
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source Environment Canada
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