Hi everybody!
We have now completed our trip up the Seine having reached St. Mammes at the start of the Canal Du Loing. Whilst in Paris we had intended to send you a collection of photo's with this e-mail, but the Internet cafe we found wouldn't allow us to download from a floppy disk. Having spent quite a bit of time preparing it, I wasn't too chuffed but I can understand their concern at "Le Virus". I have also found out that their are quite a few differences in the keyboard arrangement as well. What we have decided to do after today is prepare a floppy or CD and send it home for our son to send out. This is just simply due to the cost of sending out the photo's at an average size of 50K they cost about £1.25 each to send via the mobile connection but we think that you will get a better idea from seeing a few pictures. While in the Internet cafe we were able to collect some more names from the Scuttlebutt Forum so if some of you can bear with us, we will cover the whole trip from L'Havre to here. We will send another full "report" when we reachChalon sur Soane after completing the Loing, Briare, Lateral and Centre Canal sections. However, in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask us if there is anything specific you wish to know, especially those of you who are receiving their first posting.We chose to do L'Havre to Honfleur as a separate trip and
stayed the night in Honfleur. The trip across the estuary
posed no problems but doing it on the rising tide helped.
The current up the river was quite strong and we did the 12.2 Nm's in no time. The staff at the radar tower speak very good English, but not so the Lock staff, but there isn't any real problem. We spent the night in the inner basin, which was noisier than we expected for this time of year and we managed to collect some cigarette ends thrown down onto the boat from the quayside. The visitor's pontoon will take about six boats and has water and electricity but no other facilities that we could find. Our real problem here was the time of the inner lock/lifting bridge opening to let us out; just once in the morning which meant we were in the river against the current two hours earlier than intended which meant a longer journey; if I'd waited for the tide we could have done the first three hours distance in one hour! During the summer months the inner lock/lifting bridge opens more often and gives you more choice of times to leave. Once into the river we were surprised at how dirty it was and this has continued all the way. Commercial traffic isn't as dense as we had expected, but some of it is large; we were passed by something at least 40,000 tonnes but most ships are no more than 20,000 tonnes. The barges are something else as the modern ones are quite large as the photo shows and though the wash isn't a problem when they are full it can be quite high when they are empty.
We only had one "incident" when one cut us into the right hand bank when overtaking prior to a left hand bend because he was so long that he had to cut the corners! I think it would be honest at this stage to point out that the French aren't rude but when on the river a pleasure boat is of no consequence and they do not make any allowances for you and you have to look after yourself. All in all it was an uneventful day apart from the number of trees floating down which you have to keep a sharp eye open for. We made quite good time in the end and got into the outskirts of Rouen for 8pm. We chose to miss out Lozai yard and go into the Basin St. Gervais to lower our masts which was quite an eye-opener; a very big empty commercial basin with a sign indicating mast lowering facilities; there aren't any; just a rotting pontoon inside this derelict area. I didn't sleep very well that night!
Next morning we lowered the mizzenmast and put it on the pontoon while we lowered the main. Being in a tabernacle and only 27ft. long/high it was quite manageable and we used a pair of household extending aluminium steps as an "A" frame. They worked very well in conjunction with the anchor windlass, and once we are out into the Gulf de Lion I am going to put some ply on them and use them as a passerelle. We had everything done and stowed within four hours and motored down to the Halte Plaisance, situated on the Ile Lacroux, which was pleasant enough and had all services plus a lounge! At 8mtrs, it cost us FF63 a night. A Co-Op, butcher and bakery are within 50 yards. So far, we are of the firm opinion that French food is no dearer and perhaps cheaper than ours and is of far superior taste and quality. We bought our licence here, just 300 yards away, and all they wanted to know was the length and beam of the boat. Up to 25 sq. metres costs FF485 for thirty travelling days or FF650 for a year. So far since entering Cherbourg we haven't been asked for a single piece of official paper work or proof of identity.
After a couple of days rest we set off up the river, the first point of reference being the lock at Amfreville which marks the end of the tidal section. These locks are huge and capable of taking ships up to 80,000 tonnes. If on your own you are really minute, but beware of barges in front of you who start their engines when you're not expecting it; the wash is very strong from 10mtrs. There are not many mooring points inside the locks as they are spaced for large craft and we used the ladders for the first few locks until a lock keeper shouted at us to stop and use the "T" shaped bollards set into the walls; these aren't as easy to catch initially as the steps are but we've mastered it now. Once through Amfreville it is noticeable that most of the ships stop in Rouen and it is barges that you see. The river is also a lot more attractive but still very dirty. We managed to maintain 5 knots. I think I got over optimistic as I went past thePort de plaisance at Les Andelys and after a further 11Km's we came across the lock at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garenne with the gates shutting in front of us, I mean within 100 yards, and were then told over the radio to come back tomorrow at 06.30! All the way back to Les Andelys and a pontoon with water and electric and the Capitainerie running down for his FF60. We spent a calm enough night behind the wash screen and were able to be on our way by 08.00 the following morning. The setting here is quite splendid with theChateau-Gaillard, built under the direction of Richard the Lionheart, standing over you.
We made good progress this day, and managed not to be kept waiting at any of the locks. Although the river is no longer tidal, there can be quite a current flow in places and we've had to increase to 1800 rpm to maintain 5knts; I equate 5knts to 10Km's, which all the guides use.
We have used the Navicartes and they are very detailed and have an English section. They are about 40% cheaper over here. Commercial traffic is now gravel barges or car transporters, and there are quite a few derelict barges rotting at the water's edge. We experienced a couple of very heavy thunderstorms, which really reduce visibility, but the barge we met just kept coming! We had decided that our goal for today would be the Halte de plaisance de Meulan but our entrance was blocked by floating trees and we decided to go to Port St. Louis Nouvelle Marina. DON'T!! This may have been quite pleasant once, but now with half the pontoons gone, the remainder floating on 40-gallon drums and planks missing, only one toilet and shower and no water or electricity on the pontoons, it looks like a scrap yard. The entrance is silted up and the passage is only 6ft. wide and as we edged VERY slowly to a mooring you could hear the reeds beneath the water slapping against the hull. The following morning, the young man who had dashed down to relieve us of FF70 for the night guided us out in his dinghy, but even so we managed to block the raw water inlet filter with leaves and had to go straight across the river to moor at the bottom of someone's garden while we cleaned the filter and all pipework. The house owner was up early and working on his garden and was quite willing to let us moor up and asked if we wanted a lift in his car to an engineer. We thanked him but explained that once the filter etc. was cleaned we'd be OK; all the time we were working on the boat he kept throwing his garden rubbish and tree cuttings into the river beside us!!! This little incident cost us almost two hours in the end and meant that it would be touch and go for the Port de plaisance at the ParisArsenal. We even managed to pass a barge later this morning, steered by the typical "bargee" using his foot and the obligatory galouisse hanging from his mouth. We gave up this advantage when at Croissy sur Seine I elected to go past the open lock as I knew they would keep us waiting for the barge to come in as well and proceeded to the other one where we were kept waiting for almost an hour! We did catch him up again just as he was mooring up.
After another long day we were now entering Paris proper and the Eiffel tower looked quite good. There is also a huge Ferris wheel going round!!! Quite a few of thepleasure boats for dining and sight seeing were out and about and the river was quite choppy as well. We were also getting a little "Bridge Happy"; their are 36 bridges over the Seine into Paris, and heavens knows how many over the full length of the river. If they need a bridge they build one. Quite a lot are under ten years old and quite stunning with the modern architecture and then you come to some of the old iron ones which are beautifully painted. One of the few things that the Graffiti artists who are covering Paris have so far ignored.
The entrance to the Port de plaisance de Paris Arsenal is opposite the river police boat station, and having radioed ahead to catch them before they left at 19.00 the lock gates were opening for us as we turned to cross the river; Bang, thud, shudder; straight into neutral and coast across to catch the Port waiting pontoon where we were able to talk to them by intercom to explain "we have a problem". They were out to us within ten minutes in a Dory, towed us in, and moored us up for the night. You can imagine what I was wondering that night! The following morning they towed us to a small fixed crane that can lift 7 tonnes and lifted us just enough to expose the prop and rudder. There it was, a ten-foot length of black 40mm rope wrapped round the prop and the end had been hitting the rudder. They had it removed in moments and we were back in the water and off to our numbered berth all in less than half an hour. The marina itself is open to the public as have been all the others inland, and is a popular walkway. The staff are very friendly and helpful, but the water is FILTHY! Bernard decided that he wanted our overall length to include bowsprit and davits and as I said 10 metres. he said 9, which cost us FF104 a night. We collected the car from Rouen, did a large shop at a Hypermarket, and filled up with diesel from a garage out of town; it can be down to FF4.95 a litre at the fully automatic ones and up to FF5.85 in Paris itself. As a matter of interest, our Thornycroft 90 (BMC 1500) has averaged 3Km's a litre at 1800 rpm. I expect that to improve in the canals as there should be virtually no current.
Well, after a few days "rest", no not really as we have done all the sights etc. The transport is cheap and a 2-day go anywhere/use any type of train or bus ticket cost just £8. It was just £10 to go to Rouen by train. Rouen to L'Havre cost £6. They are very punctual and clean. All in all, the public transport systems knocks that in the UK into a cocked hat (as do most things). The Internet cafe I tried was connected to the Internet at such speed that the PBO site downloaded in moments, perhaps five seconds max.
Well, we trust that the above is of interest as are the couple of photographs. We will send another instalment from Lyon.
(The photos show a couple of types of barge; the large one can carry up to 4000tonnes, the smaller 500 tonnes. The buoy is one on the tidal Seine and shows the amount of current flow)
Phil and Carol
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