French Canals 2008

 

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE FRENCH INLAND WATERWAYS

This is the story of our trip on Hurkur which we started in April 2008 and the experiences we had along the way, with a few photos to add interest!!

EASTBOURNE SOVEREIGN HARBOUR TO FÉCAMP

We closed up the house on Saturday 5th April, and moved onto Hurkur lock, stock & barrel.  Some friends visited us on the boat to wish us ‘bon voyage’ and we had a nice cosy time tucked up in the saloon – all hatches battened down as it was blowing a very cold wind outside.  We planned to leave on Monday 7^th, bright and early but on the Sunday, after paying a visit to the Boat Jumble that was held by the RNLI station by the locks, the heavens opened and the snow fell, and fell, until we had about 4 inches on the deck.  It didn’t stop all day so we couldn’t go and get our provisions from Asda.  At 6pm when it finally stopped, we decided to go back home again and sleep in a nice warm bed! It meant opening up the house again and turning everything back on but it was worth it!The next day we took the car to get our shopping, washed the boat down to get all the snow off and consulted the weather forecast for an early departure tomorrow, one day later than planned.  We finally left on the 6.30am lock slipping and sliding on the icy pontoons and decks and emerged into a calm, sunny, beautiful sea.  The VHF weather broadcast at 7.30 am said Force 3-4’s all the way, and that this was their last broadcast until Saturday 12^th as the Coastguard would be on strike! Great!Half way across (in between the shipping lanes) the bilge alarm went off and Eddie found fresh water with anti freeze in it around the engine sea cock.  He mopped it up but more kept appearing every time we heeled over in the boat.  Was it coming from the engine?  More and more kept appearing and in the end Eddie had to empty out the cockpit locker to get a good look at the engine – all was well there, so it was what had been left in the bilges when Tate & Crewe did work on the engine.  All this was happening as we crossed the shipping channels – thankfully the sea was relatively calm but after having his head down the cockpit locker for so long Eddie felt quite sick!  It was a very tense time! We had slowed the boat down whilst all this was going on so when we arrived at Fécamp it was low tide.  Being springs we had to be very careful coming in and crept into the entrance keeping a keen eye on the depth sounder (it averaged 2-3 feet clearance) but when we got round to the berths we hit bottom as we turned in.  A friendly French man took our lines and helped haul the boat a bit further in so we could step ashore.  We had to leave Hurkur jutting out slightly until she re-floated.  It had been a long day, and we were very tired, but very happy to be in France!

Entrance to Fecamp

A WEEK IN FÉCAMP

The weather continued sunny but very cold for the next few days.  We were getting a lot of condensation on the boat each morning, and had to wipe everything down.  We had a call from Eddie’s ex-work colleague Tim who lives in Sasseville, which is a village fairly nearby.  He and Marcelle his wife, kindly invited us to have a meal at their house, so came and picked us up and also offered to let us stay the night.  We were very glad to accept and had a lovely meal with them in their lovely typically French style home.  It was set in amongst fields in a small community, very pretty, and very rural.  We were glad of a nice warm bed for the night, especially as I was suffering with a nasty cold.  Tim took us back the next day via St Valery en Caux, which is the next harbour along from Fécamp, in an easterly direction.  The harbour was closed to visiting boats whilst they did some maintenance work – good job we hadn’t planned to go there to start our cruise!

We had a very interesting night that night, as the wind had got up and the boat was rocking and rolling, and tugging at her moorings.  Luckily we had increased the warps the night before and put snubbers on too.  We paid a visit to the Benedictine Monastery the next day, where we had a tour round and tasted the amber nectar at the end – lovely, but we weren’t tempted to buy any at 27.50 euros a bottle.  In the evening we went to a little Brasserie on the quayside that we visited last year – excellent value and good food.

We got the internet up and running on the boat courtesy of Net Abord, which we found out about from the Capitainerie – not free but pretty good as it keeps us in contact with home.  We managed to phone Adam by Skype and it means we can keep an eye on the weather!  On Sunday 13^th April, we arranged to meet Tim & Marcelle for lunch as a thank you for having us.  We went back to the Brasserie, and this time I had Moules Frites – tres bon! Lazed around on deck in the afternoon in the lovely sunshine, but I was still feeling quite grotty with the cold.  We had planned to leave the next day, Monday, but very windy, so we had a visit to the local fishing Museum instead – very interesting.  It was all about the Fécamp fishermen going off to Newfoundland for new fishing grounds.

Benedectine Monastery

LE HAVRE 15^TH TO 23^RD APRIL

Off to Le Havre the next day – we left about 8.30am half an hour before high tide.  It was quite cloudy and the sea was swelly, but as the morning progressed the sun came out. After we passed the Oil Refinery that sticks out on the coast here, the sea calmed down somewhat and we had a pleasant sail.  The wind was only about Force 3-4, but still very cold.  Thought we had better make the most of the sail, as it would probably be the last time for a while!  We had a bit of a struggle getting onto the visitors pontoon as the wind was blowing us off, but arrived safe and sound about 2.30pm in lovely sunshine.  We were surprised to see the visitor’s berths quite full, especially as Fécamp had been almost empty.  I think that some people leave their boats here over winter period.  We couldn’t get WiFi on the pontoon which was a shame, as it would mean tracking down an Internet Café.  Bonus is that there is a Super U supermarket quite near, so we could stock up with food.

We managed to find an internet café in the town, which during the course of our stay in Le Havre we visited quite a few times!  We used the skype there to phone Mary, Eddie’s mum, and Katie as her birthday was on 19^th April.  Gradually got our bearings again after our visit last year – lots of walking, especially as the visitor’s berths are about the furthest you can get from the marina entrance!  An English barge arrived on the end of the visitor’s pontoon, on its way into the canals – they had it shipped over from England. They borrowed a drill from Eddie, and in the evening invited us round for a drink and tour of the boat – all home comforts were catered for, including washing machine, TV, and full size double bed.  Very nice!  They were taking it to Canal de l’Est, to Epinal and had come from Tewkesbury.

On Friday 18^th went for our ‘weekly’ meal out – decided to limit ourselves to once a week, otherwise our expenses would be mounting up!  Returned to the Pizza place we went to last year – just as good as we remembered, I had the Sicilienne pizza (olives, anchovies, capers: yum) and Eddie had Moules Normandie with Frites.  The waitress spoke only French to us and was very patient as we practised our French on her.  We contacted Frederic Challe who is going to be taking our mast down in Honfleur, and arranged a tentative date for the end of April, as he is away from 2^nd May.  Also have been texting David & Ann Berry, who we were meeting up with in Honfleur, and who we initially met at the Southampton Boat Show.  They happened to be doing the same trip as us at the same time, so after numerous emails during the winter, we arranged to do the first bit together.  They have a Moody Eclipse, called Aderyn Glas.  We had had mixed weather up to now, but on 20^th April, I made a note in my diary that I managed to sit on deck with just a t-shirt on – no fleeces, jumpers or coats, and definitely NO SOCKS!  We also got the tender out today, and took it across to the fuel pontoon to fill up the cans with diesel – it was a glorious sunny afternoon!

However, that weather did not last as we woke next morning to a wet and windy day – the day we had planned to go to Honfleur, so decided to put it off another day.  Of course, the next day dawned very foggy indeed, and as we were going up the Seine estuary where we have to buoy hop up the channel, we decided to leave it another day.  Spent the day catching up with all the washing in their machine here, and airing the bedding, which gets very damp with all the condensation we are still getting every morning.  Later on we had a surprise – David and Ann turned up in Aderyn Glas!  They had decided to sail across from Cherbourg to Le Havre, as coast hopping to Honfleur was going to be difficult – the harbours along that part are tidal, and of course the tides were all wrong!  So we had a drink together, and compared our experiences so far.  They plan to stay on another day or so to have a look round Le Havre, but we are leaving tomorrow.

ON TO HONFLEUR

Woke up next day to grey skies and rain, but we didn’t have to leave until 10 am so it had slowed down to a drizzle by then.  We said our goodbyes to Ann & David and also the crew of ‘Dry Cane’ a British motor cruiser who kindly gave us their barge boards as they were returning from their canal trip.  We left on a bumpy sea, but visibility was quite good – we were able to see all the buoys we needed to cross the shipping channels, and had a good trip to Honfleur arriving at free flow through the lock.  We had to tie up on the wall to wait for the lifting bridge into the Vieux Bassin – arrived at 12.45pm and bridge opened at 2.30pm.  Had a visit from the lady from the Capitainerie, who said she would find us a finger pontoon to stay on, and informed us that the showers/toilets weren’t open yet as it was so early in the season!  Apparently they were still interviewing for someone to clean them!  So we stay smelly or use the shower on board.  We went round to see Frederic Challe later on, and arranged to go into his Bassin Carnot on Friday 25^th where he will take the mast down.  He told us he had water and electric there, but we would probably have to raft up against another boat – ‘pas de probléme’!  We used the shower facilities on board the next day, but didn’t want to use the holding tank as we were going to be in Honfleur for a while, so no opportunity to empty it!  We were offered the use of the toilet facilities at the Capitainerie until the shower block opened.  We managed to get onto the internet via an unprotected account called Peraquet Vert, which was a restaurant just across the basin to our berth.  We went for a meal in a small restaurant on the quayside, but it was piss poor!  I ordered ‘jambon frites’ (ham and chips) but what came up was a few squares of sliced sandwich ham (looked like the Tesco value range!!!) and some dry chips – no salad, nothing else.  Horrible!  Won’t be going there again.  25^th April dawned bright and sunny, and at 2.30pm the swing bridge opened and we left Vieux Bassin and then the two other swing bridges opened at 2.45pm and 3.00pm respectively, allowing us to pass through to Bassin Carnot.  The Capitainerie had arranged it all for us, as the other bridges open on demand.  We rafted up against a large Dufour on Challe’s quay, and he came along to see us and said it would be okay to stay there.  We set to work preparing the mast, taking sails off, boom off, etc.  A few people introduced themselves on nearby boats – one called Clive from England and his ‘friend’ Christophe (French) who minded Clive’s boat when he went home.  There is a Lidl nearby for our shopping, and it seems quite peaceful here as we are away from the main town if a little basic.  We did find that the water rises and falls a little here, and as the quay is quite high, we will probably have to buy a ladder, but for the meantime Eddie knocked up a wooden one.

Ann and David arrived in Honfleur on Saturday 26^th and came along to find us later in the day.  We didn’t have the mast down today, as I think Challe will probably take ours and David & Ann’s down together, probably Monday.  Sunday was another nice day, and we finished off the supports for the mast, and decided we may put another one in the middle of the boat to provide extra support.  Spent a pleasant afternoon on Aderyn Glas drinking, and being gawped at by the tourists passing by on the quay  – the boat was berthed on the visitor’s mooring, which lies alongside the quay so not so private as the finger berths.  Sunday is also a very busy day in Honfleur with lots of visitors and of course in France everyone eats out on Sunday lunchtime.   M. Challe saw us the next day, and arranged to take our mast down at 3pm followed by David and Ann’s.  We went for a long walk in the morning, and found a builders merchants that sold ladders, also a LeClerc and an Aldi.  It took us about 35 minutes to walk back from them though, so too far to carry lots of shopping!  By the time 3pm came, it was raining constantly – just our luck! We took the boat along the quay to where Challe had his crane, and all went well, with help from David, although it was a very tense time watching the mast swinging around and trying to control it as it was laid down onto the supports on deck.  We helped David and Ann with theirs and then both returned to raft up against the Dufour.  We had a lot of work afterwards, to tidy up and make everything safe.  Hurkur looked strange with her mast on deck poor thing!

Hurkur & Aderyn Glas against the quayside in Honfleur ready to leave

Following day was rainy again, but we were able to have a lovely hot shower, as they are now open! Hurrah!  Then afterwards we went to buy the ladder we saw at the Brico Marche as the boat had dropped down so far we couldn’t get back on board!!  It was expensive, but necessary.  We spent the next few days getting on with domestic duties like shopping, launderette visiting, sorting out the mast, etc.  The weather continued quite rainy so we dug out the winter cockpit cover and put it up.We managed to get our internet up and running at last with Frederic Challe’s broadband connection – we had been putting our amplifier antenna facing the wrong way, we hadn’t realised it was omni-directional. Paid him also for his services – 200 euros in all, 100 for the de-mast, and 100 to stay on his quay.  Reasonable compared to the Vieux Bassin.  We have made tentative plans to leave Honfleur on Monday 5^th May (my birthday) as the tides will be just about right then for our trip up the Seine to Rouen, weather permitting of course.On Saturday 3^rd we had a set to with our neighbour, the French Dufour boat we are rafted up to.  He arrived in the morning, and immediately asked us to move our boats, so David went to ask Challe where we should go, who came back with David and promptly got into a great big argument with the Dufour owner (will call him D.H. for now!)  D.H. got very aggressive and pushed Challe onto the bonnet of a car and threatened to hit him.  They had a very ‘Gallic’ bust up, lots of gesticulating and shouting!  Then D.H. threatened to cast off our boats while they were still tied together – even though David and Ann had gone out by this time!  We offered to move just to placate him, and Challe said we could lie alongside the quay near his crane but up tight to another boat.  When we got there, he decided there wasn’t enough room, so we had to try and manoeuvre out again, which was quite difficult with the wind holding us in but eventually we squeezed out and tied up alongside a beautiful white schooner called ‘Adventura’.  For the rest of the day D.H. and Challe kept arguing and fighting – what a to-do!!  In the evening we went out for a meal with David and Ann – our last in Honfleur and this time it was lovely!

Sunday 4^th was hot and sunny – t shirts and shorts at last!  We had our last shower in morning, as we are moving out of the basin today and onto the wall moorings in the Avant Port so we won’t have any bridges to wait for tomorrow when we leave early.  At 5pm they opened the bridges for us and out we went, and onto the wall – managed to tie up ok after a few brushes with the mast against the wall, the overhang is going to be a problem, so we will pad out the top of the mast as much as possible – we have loads of bubble wrap for the job.  Eddie leant over the wall reaching for the mast trying to do just that, and hurt his chest; we think he may have cracked a rib as it is very painful.  Oh dear, a good start. Had a few conversations with passers-by who were curious about where we were going, as we had our masts down.   Also ‘Boris’ who was berthed in Bassin Carnot came along on his tender with his wife to say Au Revoir.  Slept reasonably well since we were both nervous about the next day, and Eddie’s rib was hurting.

DASH TO ROUEN

We were up at 6.30am the next day and into the 7.30am lock – just us two boats in there. We came out into a calm, warm and hazy sunny morning.  The Seine was beautiful and calm with the tide ripping along – which meant we had timed it right!  We were both soon doing 10+ knots.  It was a fantastic trip and we only encountered 3 large boats/barges, one of which was the Seine Princess, which was moored in Honfleur when we arrived there.  Beautiful scenery along the way – we saw loads of birds, cave houses, and one house with a tree growing up through the middle of it!  Once we entered Rouen docks it was all industrial – big ugly structures, belching smoke, and we saw some massive wind farm turbine blades all stacked up on the side.  In order to get to the Halte de Plaisance, we had to go round an island and come back on ourselves, as it depends on which way the tide is flowing as to how you approach the pontoons.  It was in the heart of Rouen, with many barges moored nearby.  The Capitainerie was very welcoming, but a little flustered as I think we were his first tourists of the season!  We had a minor disaster on the way up the Seine – the macerator pump on the holding tank wouldn’t work and kept blowing fuses.  So we couldn’t empty the holding tank – which of course was pretty full as we were waiting to get into the estuary before we emptied it.  Poo!  We didn’t do much to celebrate my birthday as both knackered, but it will certainly be a day to remember.  Had a ‘yacht’ self assembly card from Eddie, a card from Ian & Lyn, which they had given me some time ago and I had kept for the day, texts from Phil and Tim, and a phone call from Adam with a Happy Birthday song from Katie, lovely!!  May 6^th was hot and sunny, and we got cracking on the macerator.  Eddie took it apart and found the problem – it was an olive stone stuck between the blades – an own goal!  He must have swallowed the olive whole! Put it all back together again and it worked fine, thank goodness.  We went for a walk later and found the local supermarket, which was quite reasonable.  Another Westerly turned up later, called ‘Kalos’ – they were on their way back home to sell her, having been in the Med for 10 years.  Went for a walk into Rouen over the bridge into the city.  Had a look round the cathedral of Notre Dame – lovely ornate and huge building.  I lit a candle to St. Therese whilst there.  Then we found an internet café and checked our accounts and emails and continued our walk and found the Joan of Arc church, then went through the city’s main squares which were very pretty, then walked back along the banks of the Seine, returning to the boat knackered!  Had a quiet evening.

7^th May (our friend Ian’s birthday).  We won’t forget this day in a hurry unfortunately – it was horrible.  We planned to leave today, and after speaking to the Capitainerie he suggested leaving at slack water as the tides are very strong and rip through here.  We decided this would be a good idea, and prepared ourselves and the boat, but alas the stand at slack water was non existent, it went from ebb to flow instantly!  So as we left the pontoon the tide caught us and we couldn’t control the boat properly, catching Aderyn Glas as we pulled away – the pole for our wind generator got caught up in their davits and we were stuck.  We had to power forward bending their davits, and bursting their inflatable!  What a mess.  We turned round and came back onto the pontoon further down, tied up and went to inspect the damage.  David and Ann were out sightseeing so we had to wait for them to come back to explain everything.  Both felt sick with worry and so upset for their boat.  We had damage to our wind generator pole, and Navtex aerial shattered. When they returned we said we would replace everything as davits and tender were beyond repair.  They were very nice about it considering they would be without a tender for a while.  We were glad when the day was over, and planned to leave the next day.

 

Le Grande Horlage, Rouen

 ESCAPE FROM ROUEN!

Following morning we phoned Gael Force and ordered new boat and davits from them, and they said they would deliver everything to Paris Arsenal Marina, who we then phoned and got their permission, as long as the parcel was labelled with our boat name.  It was a huge relief to get that sorted.  David and Ann left in the morning although it meant going against the ebb tide, but we had to wait until 2pm as our boat was facing the other way and we had to face into the flow tide, which would also take us up river.  A moody ‘Kings Ransom’ had rafted up against us yesterday, so they had to move off first then we left, thankfully without any hiccups, oh except we forgot to untie one of the warps which the Capitainerie kindly did for us just as we left!  So glad to get away from Rouen, as it will always leave us with a bad memory, which is a shame.  Cracked on up river, and got to Amfreville lock (our first on Seine) about 6pm then kept going until we got to Les Andelys – a beautiful place but very shallow and as we tied up on the pontoon we touched bottom. But we weren’t going to move, as it was twilight by the time we arrived (about 9.30pm) and we needed a good rest.  Decided to worry about the depth tomorrow!

Woken by the ducks the next morning – lovely!  So peaceful and beautiful here – few facilities, but who cares when you have scenery like this around you: cliffs, trees hugging the river bank, church spires and an old Chateau looking down on us, floodlit at night. This was why I wanted to come on the trip!  We found some shops and walked into town to get some diesel but the machine wouldn’t accept our cards so had to walk back again dragging the empty cans!  It is a pretty town here with a very old church which I peeped inside at – they were busy cleaning it.  After tea, we had a walk up to the Chateau and took some panoramic photos of Andelys.  It was hard walking up the steep road, but well worth it.  Aderyn Glas arrived during the day, then Kings Ransom (John & Amber) came along later and rafted up to us, and there was a British motor boat behind us with two men on board – so a little British enclave.  It is a very small Halte de Plaisance so we more or less filled it up between us!  The Capitainerie came along later and found us, and opened up his office at 6pm for us to pay him and take our turn for the shower (there was just the one, so we had to queue!)  Fun and games!

We set off next day Saturday 10^th May after 9am and had to get ourselves out of the mud which wasn’t easy, we basically ploughed our way out!  Then went through two locks to get to Port L’Illon, our next stop.  The first one we went into we went too far forward and caught too much rush of water (David & Ann joined us in that one) then they stopped off at Vernonnet and we carried on to the next lock ‘Mericourt’ which was a bugger!  The sides were lumpy and the cross trees to tie on to were few and far between, but all was ok.  We then had to turn first left after that lock to get into Port L’Illon.  Entered a big lake through a leafy river and under a bridge, but it was a lovely marina set in amongst a nature reserve.  We tied up at the welcome pontoon (Acceuil) and saw the Capitainerie who was very helpful and friendly.  We filled up with diesel at the pump there (expensive!)  and then went round to our finger berth – we felt very nervous as we have the mast jutting out fore and aft and weren’t sure how we would manage, but we had a welcoming committee when we got there of helpful French boaters who took our lines – in fact we almost all went under the water as there were so many on the tiny finger pontoon!!  Very tranquil here – just countryside and lots of birds, no shops or restaurants, so we will make do with our own provisions.

Cuckoos, geese, swans, herons and ducks – they are all here and more, plus boats of course.  We managed to sort a few jobs the next day – washing, sorting out summery clothes to wear (cos it’s hot, hot, hot!) and put up the bimini which went over the top of the mast – worked well like that.  We put away the winter cockpit cover and sorted out the lockers too.  After a stroll around the lake we decided to stay another day here, as it’s a bank holiday tomorrow and some locks could possibly be closed.  Kings Ransom turned up in the evening and we had a drink with them after dinner.  They intend to leave tomorrow as they want to get a move on – they are aiming for Greece by end of season!  Another day here gave us a chance to chill out and let Eddies ribs recover a bit more, and we were both suffering with funny tummies as well – I blame the meatballs we had last night!

We cast off next day (13^th) at 8.30am and it was another hot sunny day ahead.  We had a good trip up to the next lock Andresy, and arrived there about 2.30pm – we had to wait about 10 mins for keeper to prepare lock but it wasn’t a big rise on this one.  Other side of the lock we had to turn left behind an island to find the Andresy Halte de Plaisance. There was a long concrete quay along the river bank to tie up to and just a bit further down was just one pontoon with water and electric.  It was rather rickety but ok for one night, and our stay was restricted to two nights anyway (a general rule).  After tying up I went for a walk to find a supermarket and a friendly lady accompanied me there after I asked the way – it turned out she worked there!  It was quite a long walk, especially on the way back, loaded with bags!  Had a takeaway pizza for tea – very good.

Left our mooring next day about 9am.  Another lovely sunny day and not much traffic on the river.  Arrived at Bougival lock about 11.30am and had to wait for a barge to come out of lock and friendly lock-keeper came out to wave us on our way after!  Moored up at Chatou Halte which was once again just a single pontoon, immediately before a bridge. After we tied up we noticed Ann & David were moored across the river at another Halte, so we walked over to see them, and then Eddie went to find a supermarket.  When we returned to boat there were some lads on the pontoon sunbathing and playing their music, but they didn’t really bother us.  They didn’t stay long.  We telephoned and booked up Eiffel Tower Halte to stay there until Sunday night as they told us the Arsenal Marina was full till Monday, just as well we phoned ahead.   Had a very noisy thunderstorm this evening!

PARIS BOUND

Thursday 15^th May – left early at about 8am and immediately the river traffic became busier as we approached Paris.  We saw a ‘Coypu’ on the river bank, or at least we think that’s what it’s called.  Eddie also saw one yesterday evening as well – it’s like a cross between a rat and a beaver!  We went through Suresnes lock with no problems, except the VHF got stuck on transmit – it was a very big lock but we managed to hang onto a ladder. We arrived at the Eiffel Tower Halte – or so we thought, but it was a private pontoon, so we had to move further up to a stone quay – it turned out the Almanac was wrong!  It was very lumpy with all the passing traffic creating big washes.  Had a trip up the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon – what a wonderful view!  We could see our boat tied up way down below, like a little toy.  At night the tower lit up and flashed periodically – a fantastic sight, and all from our cockpit!  Ann & David are here with us at the Halte too. Still can’t believe we have actually sailed into Paris!

We managed to get internet (on an unprotected connection) and caught up on emails and also skyped family and friends.  Next day we walked to the Trocadero and along the banks of the Seine, then the inevitable visit to the local supermarket.  It was a great view from the Trocadero across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower and beyond.  Everywhere you go there are Indian men selling souvenirs and they run around with their little black bags full of tacky goods!  When the train came along they all climbed onto the platform to get a free ride to the next selling pitch.  There are vagrants living under the bridges, of which are many, some tucked right up under the pillars.  We stayed on board in the evening and watched the procession of ‘Dinner Barges’ go by – all sizes and shapes and lit up like Xmas trees!

Asit was Saturday today, the Capitainerie asked if we could move our boats up as he had three dinner barges coming in later to pick up their paying guests.  We had to raft out against a large motor cruiser and Aderyn Glas rafted against us – so we were three boats out into the Seine.  Not the best position!  Then another boat came along wanting to moor (a wooden classic sailing boat crewed by Irish lads) and he tried to squeeze them in front of us – what a fiasco!  They almost crushed David’s pulpit and bashed our mast.  Sacre Bleu!  We went along to see the Arc de Triomphe today and had a stroll up the Champs Elysee where we visited McDonalds of all things, mainly cos we were dying for a pee and it was the best place to go!  Caught the Metro there – that was an experience as well – there was an old man playing a flute and other instruments on the train who then came round begging.  Later we had a text from John & Amber (Kings Ransom) and they came round for a drink later, joined by David & Ann.  A good evening.

I have been suffering with sciatica last few days and having to take things slowly, but still managing to get around and sight see as much as possible.  We got the Metro today (Sunday 18^th May) to the Sacre Coeur and walked round the Montmartre after.  Loads of people selling stuff again – very commercialised.  We went into Sacre Coeur but there was a service on and we didn’t feel happy about wandering around so left quickly, don’t think they should let tourists in when there is a service on.  Found our way to the Moulin Rouge by foot and walked along the street looking at the sex shops, and sex museums!  When we returned to Hurkur, Aderyn Glas had just left for Arsenal Marina, where we are heading tomorrow.  After lunch we went for a walk to the Cygnes Island which is in the middle of the Seine here, and whilst walking along it Adam our son called and gave us fantastic news – Hannah is expecting a baby again!  Wonderful!  Its early days, so we must keep it to ourselves for now – good job there is no one to tell here!

PARIS ARSENAL MARINA

We had to wait until 2pm before we could go along to the Marina, so spent the morning showering, paying our dues, and generally hanging around.  Left about 1pm – cool, breezy, and a very busy river!  There were Bateau Mouches, and barges all over the place and bridges galore!  When we arrived there was another boat just about to go into the lock at the entrance to marina, so we called Arsenal up on VHF and they said come on in – lucky! Very small lock, but a calm fill and the boat in front pointed out the mooring buoy.  Pulled up just inside the entrance as the ‘Welcome’ pontoon was full, but they said we could stay there as no room on the pontoons.  We have electric and water so OK with us.  We went for a walk later just to get our bearings and a baguette!  At least it’s nice and calm here, though we haven’t escaped the tour boats as they come through here to enter into the St Martin canal.A busy day the next day, doing loads of washing in the machines – great to get it all into a washing machine again!  The showers are also quite close, and I seem to have them to myself as the majority of visitors seem to use the ones on the other side of the basin.  Thankfully our parcel arrived today with David and Ann’s tender and davits in so the boys set to destroying the old inflatable and pumping up the new one, and sorting out the davits.  Hopefully we can now draw a line under that awful episode.  We had a visit from Glen and Yvonne in the evening (Glen is an ex-BT colleague of Eddies) and they’re visiting Paris for a few days so we arranged to meet them for a meal on Thursday.

More sightseeing on Wednesday – we walked to the Gare de Lyon (and got thoroughly lost on the underground there!) then got the Metro to the Louvre and walked around there – it is MASSIVE, there is so much to see there, and we probably only saw a small percentage: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Greek sarcophagus, etc. etc.  Beautiful old building, and has a big glass pyramid stuck out in front – looks a bit incongruous there!!  Had lunch in theTuileries Gardens then walked along the embankment where there were Pet shops and flower shops everywhere.  Very tired when we got back to boat and chilled out for rest of day.  A couple of French lads were mucking about near the boat and one even clambered on board to take a photo of his pals!  Cheek of it!  Eddie shooshed him off and took the photo for him!Took it easy Thursday as both had aching backs, then went out in evening to meet Glen and Yvonne at Notre Dame.  Had a walk round the ‘Latin Quarter’ where there was loads of restaurants all plying their trade outside.  We had a nice French meal for 15€ a head – I had onion soup, lamb then tarte tatin, and Eddie had mussels, steak roquefort and fromage: superb!  We went for a drink in a nearby bar after then walked pass the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) which is where Lyn and Ian’s (friends from N.Bay) son Gary works.  We have arranged to meet him the next day for a coffee.  Said our goodbyes to Glen and Yvonne who travel home tomorrow.Did a few mundane jobs next day – filled up with diesel, shopping, and cleared away all the debris and rubbish that seems to collect in this corner of the marina behind our boat, including dead birds!  Then Gary came along for a chat and coffee on board, we met him half way down the marina and I told him I was wearing an orange t-shirt, cos he couldn’t remember what we looked like, and we couldn’t remember him much either!!  Had a nice afternoon with him, then in evening did some more skyping.

Saturday (24^th) was warm and wet, and we went on a mission to find some camping gaz, which we managed to track down in a little shop (bit like Arkwrights!) with the help of the internet.  We also topped up with even more diesel so we will be fully stocked up when we leave on Monday.  Ann and David are staying on here for now as they are waiting for parts for their engine to arrive in post, so we may not see them for some time.Sunday 25^thMay – our last full day in Paris, and we can’t wait to get going now!  Went for a walk across the nearest bridge to the Jardin des Plants where there were some museums.  We didn’t go in them, but walked around the gardens and watched the hoards of joggers pass by!  Had a picnic lunch then walked on to the Pantheon (another big church with Roman pillars outside).  We both had a new experience – used one of the public loos in the street, the ones that automatically flush out after each person – was worried in case the door sprung open on me!  Walked to the Latin Quarter where we had a kebab (of all things) in a funny little place, bit like a Turkish McDonalds (only shabbier!).  Knackered when we returned to boat!  Another Westerly came into the marina later, a Berwick, and had a chat with the lady owner.  She said they had their mast taken down in Rouen and cost them 150€, and when they arrived there the men were on strike and they had to wait 2 days in that god-forsaken place!  Spent evening preparing the boat for departure tomorrow.

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

Left in the 10am lock (pre-arranged with the Capitainerie) then along the Seine to the first lock, no problems there, and it was great to get going again, but the weather was miserable, overcast and drizzly.  Next lock, Ablon, was quite crowded with 4 barges and 2 more ‘Plaisance’ boats going in but the locks are so huge there was enough room for us all.  Shortly after this we turned into Port Aux Cerises – through a bridge on left bank and into a leafy glade.  It was quite tight in there but we managed to just about squeeze alongside a pontoon between a barge and a canal boat, but only just, Eddie did well bringing it in!  One of the boats in the lock with us came in too, and when we spoke to them found out they were John and Brenda Davison, whose website I have read regularly when researching this trip!  They have a wealth of knowledge about the French canals, and had a drink on their boat (Motor Cruiser ‘Liberty) in the evening – nice couple.We woke up to rain again next day, but decided to leave anyway, after John and Brenda.  At the first lock we had to wait over an hour to get in as commercial barges kept on coming along, and pleasure boats have to give way to them.  Eventually the lock-keeper asked us to squeeze in at the back with loads of peniches – not good.  The next lock we came to, we had to go in after the peniches again, and this time they kept their engines going, which meant we lost control of the boat and were pushed all over the place.  We both got very stressed and I lost the boathook over the side.  Eventually we managed to get a rope to a French lady, who got off one of the peniches to help, and she asked the driver to turn off his engine, so then we could get the boat in to the side to get hold of a bollard.  A horrible experience.  When we got to third and final lock for the day, there was more room and all was ok, but our nerves were very frazzled.Got to Melun and tied up on the concrete quay there, by a bridge, and with John and Brenda, and an Irish couple who we spoke to in Arsenal Marina (Boat name Aquarelle).  We went aboard for a coffee and a dry out – everybody was soaked!  Very nice couple who are live-aboards and gave us lots of information about the canals.  We are all hoping the weather is better tomorrow.

STROPPY SEINE TO LANGUID LOING

Wed 28^th May: we had an early start after a disturbed night of thunder and lightening. The first lock was ok, we had to go in after two peniches, but there was a good gap between us and them.  In the second lock it was just us and Aquarelle, but it was very windy and lively in there.  Then we carried on to St Mammes and turned up the River Loing and found a Halte Fluvial just before the first lock into the Loing canal, on a pontoon with electric and water, but no showers.  Never mind, we plan to stay for 3 days as we heard there is a lock shut down further up the canal, and this is a lovely spot.  Aquarelle are here as well and we asked Rosaleen and Mike over for a drink in the evening – luckily the sun came out for a while today!

Next day the rain was back, drizzly and overcast, but warm.  We decided to try and find a chandler to replace our boat hook and get extra ones too!  Walked along the river back to St Mammes but couldn’t find a bridge to cross over, so returned to the boat and got our bikes out.  Had a ride to the first lock of the canal, then over the bridge to the other bank and up along to St Mammes which is at the junction of the Seine and River Loing.  We found a chandler and bought three hooks, one plastic and two wooden ones (broom handles).  It was fun coming back on the bikes, Eddie had them strapped to his cross bar! We had a chat with the Eclusier on the way back and he said the other lock would be opening again tomorrow and will be back to normal.  The opening hours are 9-12noon and 1-7pm.  Found the shops later on, and in the evening we went out for a meal in the little town of Moret.  It is a beautiful place with the Loing weir in the middle and two big arched gates at each end of the high street.  Our meal was good, and we had the restaurant to ourselves, which was a bit weird.  The whole town was very quiet, in fact! Except, of course, for the drunken teenagers who decided to have a meeting on the end of our pontoon!

Friday was a sunny day, so did some hand washing then went for a bike ride down the canal towpath as far as the second lock which was automatic.  There was a barge in there when we got there, and masses of weeds just outside of it.  Mental note to look out for that when we come along!  These locks are so different to the ones on the Seine – much smaller in width, in fact almost exactly the width of a commercial barge and the same length plus a little more for the sill at one end.  But they only have bollards on the top, none set into the walls of the lock, and usually one ladder each side.  We had an email from Ann & David to say they are leaving Paris on Sunday and were unable to carry out their repairs although they did get their parts.  We can get internet here, which is provided by the Capitainerie (I should say Capitaineriess, as it’s a lady).

INTO THE CANAL SYSTEM AT LAST

We left our moorings at 9.30am in the rain again after saying good bye to Aquarelle. First lock was fine with the eclusiere helping us, and the second one being automatic I had to push a blue rod up for 5 seconds to work the gates.  After that they were all manual, worked by a relay of eclusieres who accompanied us down the canal.  After the first one I got the hang of helping them open the gates.  We moor up on the ladder (tow path) side opposite the lockkeeper’s office, which is the side they are on.  We stopped for lunch and the lockkeeper let us stay in Berville lock for the lunch break, saying we could move on when we were ready.  (This turned out to be the one and only time they let us do that, as it’s not a recognised practice!)  We eventually stopped at Nemours for the night at the Halte Fluvial there, and will stay for Sunday as Eddie was not feeling very well.  The day went quite well, considering it was all quite new and different to what we were previously used to.

Sunday 1^st June was better weather – cloudy and sunny, but the mornings are still quite cold.  Yesterday the lock keeper gave us a phone number to call the chap in charge of the Halte and he came down with a ‘jeton’ to put in the machine for our electric and water – all free.  Had showers on board today and I washed some bed linen to take advantage of the hot water.  Had a walk into the town later and found the old church and chateau, and the weir – quite pretty in parts, especially the area around the river Loing which runs parallel with the canal most of the time.  We are sharing our mooring here with three Canadian boats – French Canadians, I presume as they all seem quite fluent in French.Rain again the next morning – a pattern is emerging: one day dry, next day rain!  We left at 9am intending to stay at Neronville, which is 14.5 kms and 5 locks away – a gentle day. The last lock was different – I had to get off just before it onto a stone quay and climb the steps then Eddie threw me the ropes when he came into the lock, which worked quite well.  We went over an aqueduct straight after the lock, a tributary of the river crossing underneath us.  The quay was immediately after on our side of the canal – there was one boat there, a picnic site and a rubbish bin and that’s all – very rural and peaceful.  Then the other boat left and we were on our own.  We chilled out the rest of the day and had a walk – found a little bar at the lock, where a little old woman served us coffee then back to Hurkur and sleep!

BRIARE CANAL

Left the next morning in rain again. Lots of locks today to get to Montargis – we had two automatic ones (which we like!) and a very deep one at Montargis, which as the last one (Marolle).  We are now in the Briare canal – hooray!  We pulled up at the Halte just after the lock which has electric and water.  We passed three peniches (commercial barges) on the way here, one made us bump the bottom, not his fault, it’s just the canals are very shallow at the edges and not very wide.  We tried to pull up on the edge a couple of times to stop for lunch but were getting stuck, so in the end we stopped at a landing stage just before a lock.  Went on the hunt for a supermarket by bike after we got sorted, and found a Super U not too far away.  An English couple on a nearby barge (smaller version of the commercial ones) gave us instructions on where to find it.  A very pretty town here, with flowers everywhere decorating the many bridges – I think its nicknamed little Venice.  There was even a small green dinghy moored in the middle of the river loaded with flowers.

On again the next day (Wed. 4^th June) and rain of course!  We had some big locks to tackle today – there were a succession of four deep ones all close together, and we had a nice student lock keeper who took our ropes for us.  They don’t expect you to climb ladders on the deep locks, but drop a hook on a rope down the side and you hand your ropes up to them.  Works well, but only if they know where to put them, as sometimes we are too far back, and in danger of getting stuck on the sill.  All the locks today were quite deep in fact, and I had to jump off the boat a couple of times as we couldn’t see an eclusiere (lock keeper) as we approached, so did a reccy first!.  It was a very tiring day. We reached Chatillon Coligny after passing a Westerly Centaur going other way (Nessus) and a floating TV in the water!  Also went through a huge patch of soapy suds near a bridge – perhaps it cleaned our undersides!  We tied up on a nice stone quay and paid 2€ for a shower between us – lovely, first one since Aux Cerises!!  We found the supermarket in town (with the help of Madame Capitainerie) and got a few essentials.  Then while enjoying our pre-dinner G & T’s a French chap asked us if we could move as an hotel barge was coming in!  Luckily there was plenty of room on a pontoon further up!

Made our way to Rogny next day – deep locks again, and when the Eclusiere took our lines on one of them he put us too far back and we started to drift back into the lock gates when the water came in!  We called him to come and move the ropes just in time!  When we got to Rogny the main stone quay on the canal side was full up so we went to a Halte just tucked round the corner – tight squeeze again, but there was a pontoon just in the entrance.  They asked if we could move further into the basin, but we knew we wouldn’t fit with our mast sticking out so they let us stay there – phew!  The place was full of holiday hire boats and not really geared up for visitors, but the other quay apart from being full, also had a space reserved for a hotel barge (again!).  Yet more rain again today – both getting very depressed with all this wetness.

We stayed an extra day here as it was still raining, and didn’t fancy getting wet in the locks again.  (Thank goodness for our bimini which keeps off the rain as much as the sun!) This place is in fact called Rogny Sept Ecluses (Seven locks) and has an old disused staircase of locks, which seems to be quite a tourist attraction.  Pretty little town with just the essential shops: epicerie, boulangerie, etc.  so I managed to get a few things to keep us going.  We had a text from David and Ann to say they were also fed up with the rain.  They have just entered into the Canal du Loing, but got stuck in the automatic one and had to pull the red cord for help, so decided to stop after that as they were both stressed, and also had spied a Lidl through the trees to go and ransack!

Saturday 7^th June – big day today – we tackle a flight of locks, 6 up and 6 down. Started at 9.30am and a very nice lock keeper ( who reminded me of Freddy Mercury!!! ) sent us on our way with another one who accompanied us all the way to the top.  Coming down was easy – they were all automatic so we did it ourselves.  The whole thing has to be planned by the lock keepers, as there is nowhere really for boats to pass, so you do the whole flight at once.  We had to stop for lunch though, at second to last lock, as everything stops for lunch, even automatic ones!!  Arrived at Ouzueour sur Trezee (not sure about that spelling) and tied up to a nice quay which was free.  Not much in the town, but when we walked up there (steep hill) there was a cycle race going through with all the traffic marshals blowing their whistles.  The bikes were all together and going at a cracking pace!  Looked very dangerous to me.  It stayed dry until the afternoon, so we arrived at our destination just in time!

BRIARE AQUEDUCT

We left just after 9am Sunday 8^th June, and the sun was out!  We shared the locks with a small (British owned) barge – nice couple, and all went well, with them at the front taking the brunt of the water flow coming in.  We crossed the Briare Aqueduct – one way only but no lights, so it’s first off the starting blocks!  Luckily the barge was in front and we went across together; a boat the other end had to wait for us.  Lovely views from the aqueduct, but very narrow, so Eddie had to concentrate on steering whilst I snapped away with the camera.  We stopped at Beiulieu for lunch and got tangled up with a bush which was just where we wanted to get off the boat!  Then we moved on to arrive in Belleville about 2.15pm – very pretty halte with the nuclear power station in the background!!  At 3.30pm the tourist office opened and we got our adaptor for free electric, also free moorings and free water – excellent!  The lady in the office was very helpful and friendly, and she let us use her computer to check e-mails.  We decided to stay an extra day as there is a supermarket nearby with (joy, oh joy) a petrol station. There’s also a ‘Mediatheque’  (library) which we can use for free internet.  The sun disappeared in the afternoon followed by a thunderstorm, but, hey you can’t have it all! We are now in the Canal Lateral a la Loire!

CANAL LATERAL A LA LOIRE We stocked up next day with food and fuel, and then had a walk round the village – hardly saw a soul, but they have some lovely amenities here and beautiful gardens.  Made use of the internet in the afternoon at the Mediatheque and booked up our Eurostar tickets to return home in July – special offer at the moment.Left next day in the 9am lock after I went to see him the day before to arrange it – luckily the lock is very near the moorings here. Lovely sunshine and only four locks today.  We tied up in Ménétréul on a sloping quay which was a devil of a job to make the boat safe: we had to put out props, barge boards, ropes, etc. to keep her off!  We passed Sancerre (high on a hill) on the way and loads of vineyards lining the hills.  One of the lockkeepers tried to sell us some wine, but we prefer red!  Slept in separate bunks that night to avoid putting too much weight on the side next to the quay!  We were accompanied by another British barge in the locks the next day, called ‘Liberty’ and they took our lines in the locks as they went in first, so I didn’t have to climb any ladders today!  We stopped at Herry which was only 3 hours away – quiet place and after lunch everyone left and we were on our own!  One of the hire boats had trouble with the engine/gears and had to call out an engineer.  We stayed on the boat until they had left, because they kept slipping back and were all over the place – we might have had to fend off!  Later we went exploring but it was a tiny village, with just a Boulangerie – but at least we could get bread.  No other facilities here, and the water was locked up!

On to Marseilles les Aubigny next day, and stopped for lunch after four locks, by a boat yard, to wait for the last two to open at 1pm.  All the VNF employees were out strimming round the locks today, but stopped as we came past which was nice of them!  It was a nice Halte, with showers, electric and water, and a PONTOON to tie up to!  But hardly any shops.  Had to go to the ‘Mairie’ (Town Hall) to pay and get an adaptor for water (10€ refundable deposit and 6€ for electric and shower) – not cheap, but we did get the internet here which was just as well as we checked our Visa account and there were some fraudulent transactions on there.  I phoned up Halifax on Skype and they blocked the card and cancelled the transactions – very efficient.  Luckily it was on the card which we haven’t used since we left home, so we can continue using our Nationwide cards.

Went to the Mairie next day to get my deposit back and they were selling bread in one of the rooms there (as they don’t have a Boulangerie in the town!) so got a baguette for the day.  We had one lock to day before we arrived at the double lock at Guetin – very deep and very scary!  We had to wait until after lunch and then went through with a hire boat which had English people holidaying.  We were up the front so it was a bit lumpy and our ropes had to reach right to the top – 10 metres, good job we have long ones!  Then we emerged out onto another aqueduct over L’Arles (a tributary of the Loire).  We continued to Plagny, but the pontoons were taken up by the hire boats and the bank side was too shallow, so went further up canal  and tied up on the bank near the Nevers turn off – depth was fine, we just had to use our stakes to moor with.  I got my bike out and rode down to the Nevers Yacht basin – very nice but not much there.  Saw ‘Freedom’ (people we crossed the Briare with) moored up in their spot (booked ahead).  Spent a nice quiet night but woken at 6am by a couple of commercial barges passing through.  It was a very misty, moisty morning and we decided to leave early.  There was a deer swimming across the canal in front of us as we left – poor thing got a bit panicky as it couldn’t get on to the bank.  Hopefully we didn’t disturb it too much.  Also saw quite a few beavers and coypu, which is the joy of getting up early!  First lock we came to was unmanned and we had to tie up to the bank I got a phone number from the lock office and phoned up – a very difficult conversation in broken French/English, but someone came along after about 20 minutes – result!  We shared the other locks with a Belgian couple today, and arrived in Fleury sur Loire, where a young man was waiting to take our lines.  Just a hamlet here, and the Halte has electric, water and showers all for 2€, with a small wooden house from which they serve meals and snacks either outside or in the room at the back.  For a shower, you use their bathroom!  Very cosy! We had steak and chips in the evening and will visit the Boulangerie in the morning to get bread, etc – no other shops.

Sunday 15^th June (Father’s Day) – it rained all night and morning!  We went along to the Boulangerie and stocked up with 2 baguettes, croissants and a big cake-type thing – superb!  We haven’t much food on board so at least we can eat this lot if we don’t find any more shops for a while.   We had intended to stay here for another day, but everyone else left so we decided to go too!

Managed to get through the locks before lunch time and arrived at Decize where we moored up on the canal side on a concrete quay just outside of the lock into the basin there.  We also spied a supermarket through the trees, so intend to ransack that tomorrow before we leave (shops shut today as its Sunday).  We got talking to some Germans that were moored in front of us – they have been waiting for two weeks to lock into theNivernais, but couldn’t go through because of the water levels and fast flow on the LoireRiver, which they have to cross to get to the Nivernais.   They also told us about some trouble they had at Chatillon Coligny with the hotel barge and their noisy generator (we were asked to move when we were there, because of the noise the generator makes, which we did!) Anyway, it all escalated with threats being made, and they had to call in Police! Apparently the barge skipper produced what looked like a gun – these French are SO firy!!!  Oh dear.  Heres hoping the weather improves tomorrow.  (Eddie had texts today from Adam & Phil wishing him Happy Fathers Day).

Left Decize after a trip to the supermarket, and did 3 locks before lunch.  At the last one the lockkeeper was very friendly and spoke good English – he was interested in our bikes! Arrived at Gannay sur Loire at 1pm in time for the lock to re-open and stopped at the Halte just beyond.  Very nice with free electric, water and showers, they were in a spidery hut, but nice and hot.  There was another hire base just up from where we were but plenty of room when we arrived, it soon filled up during the afternoon though, mainly with Germans!  It started to rain about 2pm and carried on and on – miserable. We left at9am the next day and intended to go to Garnat but it wasn’t very far away so we pushed on to Diou.  We shared the first few locks with a hire boat which had a group of Brits on board, and both the women were called Teresa!!  Then one of them fell and twisted her ankle, so they decided to stop for a bit.  Diou was very nice, but once again, very shallow at the quay, and we only just got in.  We were moored very near a new looking school and watched all the youngsters being picked up at going home time.  There was also a small supermarket just beyond the school, and a newly built ‘Mairie’ which was very impressive. There were sirens on the top of it which went off while we were there – there was a fire station close by, so must have been a shout for the firemen.  We walked round the nice, neat little village but there were no restaurants open – very quiet.  A barge came and moored up with us called ‘Final Fling’ with British on board – an elderly couple and a young couple.  The older woman walked with sticks, and had a 3-wheeler as well, which she got on board with a hoist mounted on the bows.  Very impressive.  The sun came out again in the afternoon – hooray.

Wednesday 18^th June, we left in sunshine at last!  Did 4 locks before lunch and seem to have got into a rhythm at last: I get off before we enter lock and pick up ropes with boathook when Eddie comes in – works well and I don’t have to climb up ladders, just steps.  We tried to stop somewhere for lunch but couldn’t get into sides anywhere – just too silted up everywhere, so we carried on slowly and got to Digoin lock at 1pm.  There was a small basin just after where we had to give way to a Bateau Mouche before we entered the narrow Aqueduct into the town.  Busy place here with lot of tourists round the aqueduct and lock, we carried on into the marina in the middle of town and tied up to a pontoon.  Nice place, and we intend to stay for a while here.  We had a serenade at one of the locks on the way here: as we came out there was a small tourist boat complete with man playing the bagpipes at the front!

Had to track down the Capitainerie, whose office was above the hire base opposite us. That’s where the showers were, and she kept them locked so we have to get the key off her every time we want a shower!  Ooh la la!  After our nice hot shower in the very clean block (that’s why she locks them!) we went for a walk and found the train station.  We were thinking about taking a trip by train to suss out St Jean de Losne where we intend to leave the boat, but it was going to cost us 90€ and we would have to spend a night away, so we decided to phone them instead!!  Found a couple of large supermarkets on our walk, in fact it’s quite a large town.

We spent a nice lazy day the next day and it was hot, hot, hot!  Made some phone calls to H2O and Joel Blanquarts at St Jean de Losne, as we have decided to have Hurkur taken home by lorry.  We have decided not to carry on to the Med, and because there are problems with the steering, and other reasons too, we want to bring the boat home.  We can have the boat craned out at St Jean, and have now just got to get some quotes for transport home.  Joel Blanquarts gave us a couple of French companies to phone, but we will probably wait until we get home to sort out a haulage company.We walked into the town today and found a discount supermarket called ‘Norma’!  It was a similar shop to Lidl really, just a French version.  Spoilt for choice here for supermarkets: Le Clerc, Aldi, Spar, etc.  We had a new neighbour today which came into the berth next to us, a yacht with its mast down too.  They are meandering down the canals making their way to the Med, but in no hurry, and are hoping to winter here in Digoin.  Had a walk along the canal in the evening as it was so lovely and warm, and when we returned decided to sleep in the forward cabin that night, to see if the change of bed helps our backs!Needless to say it wasn’t very successful, I still woke up with a stiff neck.  Another hot day today – could get used to this.  I did some washing to take advantage of the weather and we filled up the water tank as it was almost empty, and packed away our duvet at last.  Had a walk into town later to the Bibliotheque (another word for library) and used the internet there. Checked our emails and we had a reply from a French haulage company we phoned, but it was £4,900 and they had quoted for an 8.2 metre boat, so would be even more expensive!!  We walked back to the aqueduct to take some photos – another lovely evening with the aroma of barbeques in the air!  Mmmm!

Saturday 21^st June – Wow, it was hot today, reached 31C in boat and that felt cool compared to being outside in the sunshine!!  We are staying on here until Monday so Eddie can have a peaceful birthday tomorrow.  I dared to go for a bike ride down the canal in afternoon, but it was so hot I didn’t go very far.  We broke out the mosquito covers today and fixed them up on the hatches and the main gangway – very effective.  Eddies birthday dawned very hot and sunny again.  We walked to a local market and bought some goat’s cheese (locally made) and lovely olive and walnut bread.  By the time we returned to the boat it was baking, so we got out our white plastic sheet and fixed it over the boat to reflect some of the heat.  It was 33C today down below.  Eddie had a birthday call from Adam, and Tom & Jean.  We also had a text from John & Amber (Kings Ransom)  who said they were now sailing along the Cote d’Azure (lucky devils).  We strolled into town in the evening for a few cooling beers, and it was very quiet there, hardly anybody around.  We chatted to two English couples on the next table who were taking their yacht the opposite way to us.

CANAL DU CENTRE (and choc-a-bloc with locks!!)

Left at 9am next morning in hot sun again.  Our first lock was automatic which was a surprise to us, as the Navicarte didn’t say it was.  Nobody there so we went through ok, and the following two locks were also automatic but the VNF people caught up with us and took our details (because we were now entering the Central canal).  We arrived in Paray les Mondial and there were lots of mooring bollards along the town quayside as we came in but we continued to the Halte,  Unfortunately it was choc a bloc with visiting barges, who were just finishing a special weekend rally for the Barge Association.  So we reversed up the canal (no room to turn round)  to the town quay.  Not very picturesque, but we had a good depth.  We found a Lidl and stocked up with loads of cold drinks, then walked into town in the evening which was quite large with little pedestrianised lanes and lots of religious shops – Paray is a ‘holy’ place where people come on pilgrimages and there are meant to be ancient relics here.

Got to the lock next morning just ahead of ‘Final Fling’ and as it was automatic we pulled the lever so we could go through on our own – their barge is quite large and would have been a squash with us both.   The locks today were a bit of a mixture, some automatic, some manual, and one wouldn’t work, but two VNF girls came along and got it going.  We had to wait a couple of times for VNF people to come along and work the manual ones, they must have been busy elsewhere.  We stopped at Genelard, which has a nice large basin immediately before the next lock, with water and electric and good depth – parfait! We phoned ahead to Chalon sur Saone to book a place as heard it gets busy, but they said it wasn’t possible, just to get there early as possible in the day.  ‘Final Fling’ came along and moored behind us later – we had a chat with him, and he said he was going to Montchanin the next day – a long day for them.

Wednesday June 25^th, were awoken by a big barge coming out of the lock at 8am – he had to sound his horn to get some boats to move as he couldn’t turn out of the lock.  We got the 8.30 lock and shared it with another French motor cruiser.  We went into first two locks first then asked them if they wouldn’t mind going in first – did seven locks together in all.  On approaching Montceau les Mines we had to pull a bit of old rope dangling over the canal in the middle to operate 3 lifting bridges, what a joke!  The rope was very, very thin and waving about in the wind – easy to miss.  Anyway all the bridges went up in time, and a lady logged our boat as we went through to a lovely Marina in the heart of the town – lots of room, but small springboard pontoons!  I almost took a dip when I got off the boat!  We had a meal at the Buffalo Grill – steak was a bit tough (Buffalo of course) but okay.  We haven’t had a really decent meal since Honfleur really.  Great internet access here, so we skyped Adam, checked emails and sent off a request for a quote for transport for the boat.  It was a very noisy night with fireworks going off and a local disco going until the early hours!

We got the 8.30 lock again which was just by the VNF office, so another lady came out and logged our boat!  All automatic locks today but we had a VNF man who accompanied us most of the way and took our ropes.  We did 9 locks all before 11.30am and reached the top of our climb at Montchanin!  Expected to see a Port de Plaisance there but there was just what looked like a boatyard and a grassy bank – that was it!  What a disappointment, we’ll rest here anyway for a night (depth shallow – no services) before the descent tomorrow.  Took the bike out for a ride in the afternoon – there’s  a big reservoir just across the canal and cycled alongside it to the end.  I looked along the canal as well as it ran alongside but there were no moorings anywhere.  A couple more boats squeezed on the quay at each end later in the day but they almost went aground. Eddie rested his foot for rest of day, as he thinks he may have broken his toe when he bashed it on deck the other day.  Swollen but bruising has gone down a bit.

Following day we left in bright sunshine and some Germans on a hire boat joined us in the 8.30 lock.  Going down was okay but not as easy as I thought – a lot of cross winds and currents made entering the lock a bit dodgy.  We had floating bollards in the 5metre locks which were good, and it worked out we had one per boat just on the left side only.  They were automatic locks, but had just one pull rope to activate.  The Germans asked to go in front of us after first lock which was okay and he pulled the rope for us each time!  Did 19 locks and 19 km all by 1pm! Not bad going.  We did the last 2 locks alone as the Germans stopped for lunch.  Reached St. Leger sur Dheune where there was a hire base quay – they asked us to squeeze up against other boats to make plenty of room but otherwise okay.  Lovely showers, water and electric – tres bon!  Also a nice little town, and we decided to have a day off tomorrow and rest.

Saturday 28^th June:  Another hot day, so we are glad we decided to stay put.  Had a chance to do all the essential jobs, Eddie mended my puncture on bike, I did some washing, filled up with water, more lovely showers and shopping of course.  An English couple on a barge called ‘Angelbaak’  came in behind us – very friendly and we had a drink with them in evening on the picnic bench at the side of the quay (too hot to stay aboard).  They are on their way to St Jean too, to leave the boat for July/August, and knew the place so gave us a few tips.  They said there was a nice stop called Fragnes just before Chalon which is not in the Navicarte so we may try that.  We got an English paper here, and found a Biblioteque where they let us use the internet to check our emails – very kind of them as it was not for public use.  We had had a quote for transport from aChichester firm and it was a lot cheaper than the French one.Left at 9am for Chagny – a gentle day as only 4 locks and got there by midday.  There was a big basin but no shade so we went just up the canal under the trees where there were a few other boats – much cooler.  We had a text from David and Ann to say they were in Decize and were going straight to Port Napoleon without coming to St Jean, so we probably won’t see them again.In our last lock today there was a dead ‘coypu’ floating on its back with its little paws in the air – the lockkeeper said it was a rat but it looked too chubby to be one. Eddie said he was a rat because he kept leering down my cleavage (what little I have!). We walked to town in the afternoon, which was quite a way, and it was very, very hot. Stopped for an ice cream on way back.  It was cooler on the boat, so thank goodness we are under the trees.

We stayed on another day to take advantage of the shade but it is a bit noisy here as there is a big depot for bricks and building materials nearby, they seemed to be unloading and loading all night!  There’s also a very noisy family that live next to the canal with kids yelling, mum shouting and dogs barking!  We walked to the supermarket again to fill up on a few essentials, mainly cold drinks, then had a bike ride later to the nearest lock.  We called in at the VNF office and said we were going tomorrow, and they said there may be a problem with water levels, but it should be okay before midday.  Idled the rest of the day away, and felt rather bored.  We even had a game of cards!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left in the hot sun at 8.30 the next day, but when we got to the lock it was closed. Phoned them up and eventually 2 eclusieres came along to say there was a problem with a lock further down and would be an hour before it was sorted.  So we finally got going at10am!  We had 11 locks and 11 km to do with a flight of 8 locks.  But we still got to Fragnes by 1pm and just squeezed in a space on the quayside, we tried the grass bank first but too shallow, and the lockkeeper warned us that the levels were down in the canal there.  Our penultimate lock was beautifully decked out with masses of flowers – very pretty.  We saw our friends on Angelbaak who were already there, and there was a nice friendly girl in the Tourist Office (where we had to pay our mooring fees of 6€) and she gave us her internet password – voila!  Very lovely stop but also very popular, we were lucky we arrived when we did.  Tried to eat in the restaurant in evening but it was fully booked, but later we shared a few drinks with a couple called Cliff and Mary, who had part shares in their boat and were on their 2 weeks holiday.  They were from Storrington (nr. Brighton).

BACK INTO A RIVER AGAIN – THE SAONE.

Wednesday 2^nd July – we didn’t rush off this morning, left about 9.10am and took a slow run up to the lock which is the last one on these canals.  It was a biggy!  It has a guillotine type gate on the river side and a gantry over the top with a lockkeeper’s office so they are permanently there to keep an eye out.  The lights were red when we got there so we tied up on the side whilst they prepared the lock, which takes a while as it is so deep!  We went down in it as smooth as anything!  10+ metres drop and quite an experience, then out into the last little bit of the Central canal and straight out into the Saone.  It was nice to be in a big river again with good depths.  It wasn’t far down the river to Chalon sur Saoneand we arrived about 11am where we found a spot in the Port de Plaisance.  We intend to stay for 5 days here before heading upstream again to St. Jean de Losne.

We went exploring in the afternoon and found the supermarket – Carrefour, which was just behind the Port, so we can take a trolley – good for stocking up!We popped into McDonalds for tea to check out the Wi-Fi which is free there, and you can take in your own laptop.  While we were there a storm blew up – terrific wind, rain and thunder, so went back to check the boat.  It’s a very busy marina here, with lots of boats coming and going – Eddie was on tenterhooks in case our mast got bashed!

Thursday 3^rd July, I had a bad night with an aching neck, then the rain woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep.  Woke up in the morning to rain dripping on me through the hatch!  It rained most of the morning, which I suppose was good, as there was a big fire here yesterday in the commercial centre where the supermarket is.  We kept hearing bangs and there were clouds of black smoke wafting over us – we heard fire engine sirens for ages!We had a walk in the evening when the rain cleared, over the bridge onto the island where we are moored behind.  The island is mostly taken up with a large hospital and restaurants.  Then we crossed another bridge over the Saone to the main town.  Lovely quayside here and nice town with many pedestrianised lanes to wander through.  We found the inevitable ‘Mairie’ which had intricate iron lampposts all along in front of it.The sun came out again next day and we went to McDonalds for breakfast and to use their Wi-Fi.  Wandered around the shops in the afternoon and went for a walk into the main town in evening after dinner.  There was a beautiful sunset this evening  with a lovely view of red and pink hues reflected in the Saone.  We texted Phil who is in Turkey at the moment on holiday – having a great time by the sound of it.Bit of a lie in the next day, after a few gins the night before!  More boats left today so we moved up the pontoon away from the ‘bumper boats’!  Getting hotter again, and it was a very still day, hence we saw a hot air balloon floating above us during the afternoon.  Had a walk along the riverbank in evening – you could see where the old quay was as there were mooring rings set in the wall and they have built out from them with further banks lower down.  Mostly fishermen there now.  Next day was Sunday so nearly everything was closed.  We found a boulangerie open though, and had a look at the Cathedral de St Vincent.There is a lot of muck: lumps of wood, weed, rubbish, etc. coming along the river which seems to like collecting round our boat behind the fenders.  We found a putrid dead fish there, and managed to clear the lot out, so it could collect round someone else’s boat!!  I made a paella this evening and we watched one of Phil’s films he copied for us: Ratatouille (very appropriate, considering all the dead rats we have seen).  Off tomorrow at last!

LAST LEG.

Monday 7^th July:  Left at 8.30am (again!) in a bright sunny but cool wind.  Made our way up river, which was very rural and pretty and passed the entrance to the Canal du Centre which we came out of 5 days ago!  Just before we reached Verdun sur le Doubs there was a couple of anglers on the river bank and one in the water holding up an ENORMOUS catfish, it was as big as him, whilst his pal took a photo.

Found a place on the quay at Verdun, after we initially tied up to a pontoon, which for some reason was more expensive than the quay although it had the same facilities!   We moved just in time because 3 or 4 boats came in shortly after us.  We stocked up the food at a Petit Casino in the nearby town and ate aboard.   It rained a bit after so we stayed on board and used the internet for which we paid the Capitainerie 2.50€ so thought we would get our moneys worth!  Listened to Southern Counties radio on the net – magic!

We departed at 8.15am the next day, in a cool, bright breezy morning.  We caught up with 2 other boats on our way and went into first lock (Ecuelles) with them.  Whether it was the wind or the water in the lock I don’t know, but it was quite difficult to control the boat and was hard work.  We decided to carry on to St Jean de Losne today and phoned them to check if it was okay – they said fine.  We got to Seurre where there were loads of boats going into the lock but room for all and this one was easier.  We then had a slow plod up to St Jean de Losne and into the marina there which was set in a turning off the river and under a bridge.  We went into a visitor berth (after going aground initially!) and then went to see the Capitainerie for a permanent berth.  The first one he gave us was occupied then we eventually got one (E16) which was at the other end of marina with just enough room for us to slide in between the pontoon and a barge.  We are here at last – can hardly believe it!  We went for a celebratory meal on the river front in evening – I had a yummy beef bourguignon and Eddie had steak (of course!).

ST JEAN DE LOSNE – THE END OF OUR JOURNEY.

Woke up to a sunny warm day, and went along to the book club that is here, next door to the tourist information office.  I took a load of books and picked up some new ones – LOADS of books there, and friendly ladies running it (British mainly).  We found out the times of trains to Dijon and Paris from the tourist office, and we can book our tickets and taxi there, which is convenient.  Started tidying up things a bit today but too hot to do much.  We had a walk in the evening around the marina basin and over to the canal Bourgogne, which starts just round the corner from here – the entrance to the canal was crammed with boats and barges!

Thursday 10^th July – another hot sunny day.  Church bells woke me at 7am, and we went over to the shower block today.  Bit dark and gloomy in there, quite shabby, and could do with some maintenance!  But at least we can have a hot shower.  We bought our train tickets to Paris and booked a taxi too – they will pick us up at end of our pontoon at 8.30, and the train arrives at 9.00am.  We have to change at Dijon to get to Paris Lyon, and then we go across Paris to Paris Nord station where we will have about 6 hours wait for Eurostar.  Hopefully we can dump our bags and go for a walk.  We also went to Joel Blanquarts today, just to make sure all would be okay for a lift out with their crane. Their quayside is on the canal Bourgogne, so we will have to take the boat round there through a lock.  So after all we will be going into the canal de Bourgogne, even if it is only 100 yards!  We had originally planned to travel the length of the canal. We had a thunderstorm this evening, and it was a very hot sticky night. Next day was cool and showery after the thunderstorm.  Did some shopping today and found the Pharmacy, and paper shop where we could get a Daily Mail.  We want to keep in touch with what is happening with Bradford & Bingley at home as we have some money there.  Had the same problem last year when we were away, with Northern Rock!  We went for a walk towards the station today, down a fairly quiet, tree edged road, so that Eddie could dump some petrol from the outboard!  He has to get rid of it before the boat is transported home! Nowhere else to put it!  Afterwards we had a drink on the river front where it was quite cool and breezy, and not very busy considering this is France’s Bank Holiday weekend.  A few more people have arrived on our pontoon though, but mainly locals down for the holiday weekend.  In fact the boat next door but one kept me awake half the night, chatting and laughing at 3.30am!  These French keep strange hours!

Saturday 12^th July:  Eddie had a hang over this morning:  we had a bottle of wine last night after we came back from our drink out.  So we had a slow start, but nice and cool today.  I went for a bike ride in the afternoon – rode to the station and back to canal and along the towpath.  I took a right turn and found a Lidls and Intermarche Mousquitaine! Then did a round trip back to base.  We had a skype call from Ann Berry in the evening who asked if we were still enjoying the canals, answer: not really!  She said David was finding it monotonous too.  They are heading for Valence when Ann will return home for a couple of weeks, then plan to carry on to Port Napoleon by end of September.Next day, Sunday, was cool and cloudy with rain – typical bank holiday weekend weather.  We did some shopping this morning, then went to find the market – very disappointing, only about 5 stalls!  We had a lazy afternoon then decided to go for a walk, but the heavens opened and we got very wet.  After dinner about 9pm we tried again, and whilst out we saw the marching band going into town so followed them – there weren’t many, just the Fire Service we think, and probably something to do with Bastille Day which is tomorrow.

Monday – Bank Holiday, 14^th July.  Still miserable weather, but managed to get out on my bike before we pack it away for good.  Rode out past the railway station into the countryside and took a few photos, then we had a walk when I came back to see a possible route for the lorry that comes to pick up the boat, so we can give them instructions.  We went for a meal in the evening to our favourite little restaurant on the river front and heard there were fireworks over the bridge later on in the evening, but decided to go back to boat as we were quite tired.  We have one more day before we leave and spent that day packing, sorting out last minute things and just generally hanging around!

HOME BOUND

Wednesday 16^th July – the taxi arrived on time at 8.30am and the train arrived at 9am punctually too.  We had to change at Dijon for the TGV which was fast and efficient, and had only one stop on the way to Paris.  It was lovely being whisked through the French countryside.  When we arrived in Paris we had to make our way from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord, which didn’t take long by train.  We caught the RER train across Paris and not the Metro (not intentional, just a mix up at the ticket office!) but it was better as we didn’t have to change.  We managed to eventually find the left luggage office and dumped our bags at the station as we had a 6 hour wait for Eurostar.  Went for a walk, but it’s not a very nice area around the Gare du Nord (although I did manage to buy some fridge magnets which I had been looking for as little presents!).  We had a drink at the station to while away some more time then boarded the Eurostar which was comfortable and a good journey.  Our connection at Ashford was on time, so we arrived back in Eastbourne about9.30pm just in time to pick up some chips at the chippy opposite the station!  We got a taxi home and the foxes were all gathered together to welcome us when we arrived!  It felt fantastic to be home at last and all was well with the bungalow, and our lovely bed after nearly 4 months!  Zzzzz ………….!

RETURN TO ST JEAN DE LOSNE

After a busy few weeks at home organizing the transport for Hurkur and catching up on family and friends we return for the last part of our journey.  We decided to drive back so we could pick up stuff from the boat and booked the ferry to make a change from trains!

Tuesday 5^th August:  left home at 6am and arrived Dover about 8am, so they let us board the 8.25am crossing – which was great as we were booked on the 10.05am, giving us more time to get to our destination.  We came straight out onto the motorway and followed them all the way to just south of Dijon.  The tolls were expensive though – almost 50 euros in all, but worth it as the motorways are so much more simple to follow.  We had a few stops on the way for toilet and food, and plenty of picnic places to choose from (England could learn a thing or two there).  The Google maps and road map made the going good for Eddie who drove all the way.  We got to St Jean about 6pm (French time) so our journey took about 11 hours – not bad!!  Hurkur was fine, but very hot and musty when we opened her up.  We sorted ourselves out then went for a few beers to our favourite café on the waterfront (Café National), oh, and a plate of chips!  We both felt quite Brahms & Liszt when we got back but slept well, and the boat cooled down nicely during the night.  It almost felt like we hadn’t been away! For the next two days we will be preparing the boat ready to go on the transporter which is Friday.  We arranged it all with ‘Boat Transport’ whilst at home.  They will pick up boat Friday pm and will be back in EastbourneWednesday 13^th.  We will stay out of the water till the following Friday 22^nd August then get the mast stepped and re-launched – can’t wait!  We really missed Hurkur when we were home, and are glad we decided to bring her back.  We have been given a new berth at Sovereign Harbour – G5 which is right at the end of pontoon and a good spot – trés bon, merci Flo!  It is really hot and humid here at the moment and an effort to do anything strenuous.  We deflated the tender, emptied the diesel cans into the car, did a bit of shopping and got a couple of books from the Book Exchange.  My tummy started to feel a bit rough later on today – could be the heat, or something I ate.

Still had a dicky tummy today, (Thursday 7^th August) but it was quite a cool night which helped.  Hot and sunny again though during the day.  We went over to see Blanquarts to check all will be okay for the lift out and visited the lock to speak to the Eclusiere.  There is someone there all the time, so that is okay and we told him we would be along about11.30am.  More sorting out in the afternoon, and have packed everything in down below so that we can hardly move around! We put the anchors in the car to take the load off the boat a bit.  Just the waiting game now – roll on tomorrow!

Big day – Friday 8^th August.  We had a cool night again – I even had to pull the extra sleeping bag over me!  We left our berth at 11am just after the boat next door arrived back from its trip.  Went through the lock with no problems – OUR LAST LOCK!!  Then tied up on the quayside near Blanquart’s crane and cleared out the rest of stuff we needed to take home in the car plus a picnic!  Boat Transport arrived about 2pm which was good as it gave us the rest of the afternoon to get the boat on the trailer.  The crane driver managed to prang the mast against his cab as he swung it over – a good start!!  But the boat lifting went well – they had to move the mast off the trailer to get the boat on and managed to manhandle it under the boat after.  We had some willing helpers from two English men (sailors) on holiday here and four French people also on holiday (one of whom was also a boat owner), so they understood our concerns!  It was a breezy day but sunny, thank goodness.  When the boat was settled on the trailer Eddie noticed some blisters on the hull, which was a real shock – the last thing we expected to see.  It brought a complete downer on the day, and made us both worried.  Now we have to go back to Tate & Crewe and see what they have to say about it.We left St Jean about 5pm and had a good journey back apart from loads of rain.  We managed to get the 12.45am ferry home and had a good crossing – with a full cooked breakfast at 1am!  Hit the pillow about 3.30am – not bad!

Wednesday 13^th August came and went but no boat, postponed until tomorrow because they had trouble with the ferry apparently.  Just as well as there were Force 9’s today, and getting Hurkur off the transporter may have been interesting!  However I think they sail at 5pm this evening so will be a rough crossing.

Hurkur arrived bright and early next day (Thursday) at 7.30am.  We were in the car park and didn’t realise that it was already in the yard!  We walked over to have a look and there she was!  Looked okay, just a scrape down one side, which considering they had a horrendous crossing wasn’t too bad.  Then she was craned off, washed down and put in yard next to Tate & Crewe’s shed.  James Tate was on holiday but due back on Monday and will look at the hull – the blisters are very prominent still.  We managed to take off quite a load of belongings, and washed the hull down above water level (need to keep the hull as it is for now).  It was nice to get the boat home safe and sound.

POSTSCRIPT

It was eventually found that the hull blisters were not osmosis but due to a problem with the epoxy coatings not adhering to one another because of too high humidity when applied.  So Tate & Crewe had to strip all the coatings off and start again,  needless to say we didn’t have to pay for any of it, but it was a great inconvenience to us as she didn’t go back into the water until 14^th November can you believe!!  So we had a long wait to get her onto her new berth, but now the mast is up, the sails are on, and we even had a sail out in her on 8^th January.  Here’s hoping for a good season for 2009 and lots of trips away.  We intend to stay in Sovereign for the time being as we want to check the hull again in October when we intend to have her hauled out again.  C’est la vie!

PPS

We subsequently found that the steering cable on Hurkur, which is made up of 133 fine strands of stainless steel making a 5mm wire rope, had 38 strands broken (29 percent).  We have since replaced it, but wouldn’t have liked to tackle the strong tides on the Rhone with that!