ELOISE
My Prout 33!
The
search, the purchase, the first voyage, into St Valery, The Canals to the Med,
The Canal du Midi, Bordeaux and home.
For full details of Eloise - her recent 'makeover' and
equipment visit
'ELOISE'
Why a Catamaran?
During my blue water sailing in
Bambola, a Moody 36 monohull,
I became increasingly aware that other people doing the same sort of voyaging in
catamarans seemed to be having a more comfortable lifestyle. More space - room -
not having to resort to lee cloths and putting everything away before setting
sail.
Another reason is that I was a bit sailed out! Too many
oceans, seas and islands. The challenge had gone a bit. Not that I know it all
or that I actually trust the wet blue green stuff for a moment but the 'wonder
if I can do it' had gone! I needed something a bit different and the thought
of doing some ditch crawling and the ability to dry out seems appealing. My wife is not so well and found Bambola trying - climbing up and down from the
cockpit to the saloon - holding on when we heeled over to the wind - and other
reasons. I also decided that I would probably not visit far away places with
strange sounding names again in Bambola and that was a shame as she is fully
equipped and ready to circumnavigate again, but I am not - at the moment.
So a catamaran - discovered there were lots on the market -
Catalacs, Prouts, Heavenly Twins, Aristocats and lots more. The internet makes
locating, pricing and looking at boats for sale really easy. Had to go to the UK
for business so I took a day off, hired a car and drove to Emsworth and the
Multihull World marina. Excellent place with lots of Cats in the Water and
ashore and really knowledgeable people. From their advice, the money I had
available and my own feelings, I decided that probably a Prout 33 was what I
should look for.
Because
they are big and seaworthy enough to get me across
oceans. The large cockpit makes a wonderful social area. The rig is broken down
to pretty easily manageable sizes. The main reefs easily from the cockpit. Side
decks are wide enough to easily get to the anchor and winch. The cockpit and
saloon are on the same level giving easy access. The accommodation in the saloon
is fine - good spacious galley - large chart table - 3 sleeping cabins are
rather small as are the beds. A perennial problem with catamarans I discovered.
The hulls are too narrow. The Prout designer have overcome this by making the
forward part of the saloon into a very big double bed and the forward starboard
cabin into an extension of this with stowage area. Looking at this I can see
that any Prout 33 can be converted to this arrangement fairly simply by the
removal of the dividing ply sheet and the insertion of a new bulkhead with a
window between the saloon and new bed area. I will do this if the boat I find is
not laid out in this way.
Concerns are - cost! Marina and Port fees will probably be 50%
higher because she is a cat although her beam is only 2'6 wider than Bambola
was! I suspect she will be tough to handle in confined conditions when its
windy. twin engines would make it simple but most Prouts come with a central
steerable leg. I will consider a bow thruster if it is too difficult. The
steering position is not very comfortable - hard to curl up in a corner and keep
watch on long passages as I could with Bambola - maybe a high chair. No
stowage! Prouts do not appear to have a quarter of the stowage
compartments/places of a similar size monohull. Helps keep weight down but
- wait and see.
THE FRENCH CANAL
ROUTES TO THE
MEDITERRANEAN
If you are thinking about using the
French canals to passage between the UK and the Mediterranean then this
booklet contains all the information you need'
It describes the Routes,
the regulations the paperwork - How where and when to get the
qualifications and license, the depths, air heights, locks and a whole
lot more.
There
are 'charts/maps' throughout, the distances, dimensions & main stopping
places and is the only publication to list ALL the possible stopping
places on the Rhone River!/
Download now from
http://www.gentlesailing.com/
or
|
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPEND - MY
BLOW BY BLOW DIARY
OF
ELOISE
February 6-9th
Went by car to the UK to view some Prout
33 catamarans which I have identified as being right for my next boat - will fit
in the French canals enabling me to motor her to and from the Mediterranean via
the Canal to Midi to Bordeaux then round to my home port in La Rochelle. They
appear to have good sea keeping qualities should I decide to take one across the
pond and base her in the West Indies and spend the winters in a warmer climate
than Europe.
I have given the two vessels I like best a through survey and
feel I know the strengths and weaknesses of both. In the end it will come down
to the price.
Feb 14th -March -
Negotiate for
the two Prout 33s that I prefer. The more expensive boat owners will not drop
sufficiently for me to continue so I make an offer for ELOISE
which the owners Ivor and Priscilla find acceptable. I am pleased - I know she
will need new sails in the not too distant future and the 28 hp Yanmar is
original so has a question mark over it. They are obviously experienced sailors
who have used her a lot and maintained her properly for extended cruising. She
will need some more TLC next year which I will enjoy doing - intend converting
the fwd part of the saloon into a cabin with access from the starboard fwd cabin
in order to make a larger more comfortable owners cabin. A calorfier would be
nice too except I must wait and see how my wife takes to it -
The Multihull centre with Debbie and Mary have been efficient
and helpful - worth a visit if you are looking for a catamaran -
The Multihull Centre - Millbrook, Plymouth,
Devon. UK -
They build catamarans as well.
http://www.multihullcentre.co.uk/index_start.html
Really nice yard - full of catamarans and looking the way boat
yards should look..... very nice people
March 13th 2005 Have signed the contract to buy an and
transferred the funds - discovered I could only transfer £10,000 a day so it
took a little longer than a cheque. Eloise is in Millbrook, Plymouth UK -
the official bill of sale will be signed on the 15th. I have paid in full and am
just waiting for the vendor to sign her over when he returns from holiday.
I have had very good - friendly - efficient service from Debbie at the Multihull
Centre in Millbrook Plymouth.
I need to get Eloise surveyed for the
insurance company and am just waiting for a second quote.
She will be on the hard until I go there in early May -
antifoul and splash her then head for Brighton and Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne
to see friends and family then to St Valerie sur Somme to enter the French Canal
system and head south slowly for the Antibes and other nearby places before
returning to La Rochelle via the canal du midi - well that's the plan.....
I have a load of boxes containing my sailing bits and bobs and
a package with an AB dinghy, oars, 5hp Mercury, fortress anchor and anchor-plait
waiting to be shipped over by lorry.
March 18th 2005
Eloise is officially mine now.
Heard nothing that day but a while later received from Debbie the SSR form to
sign for her to send on and register Eloise in my name.
March 27th 2005
Have organised an insurance survey to
be done during the first couple of weeks of April. Eloise is covered by
Navigators and General via Yachtmaster Insurance whilst she is laid up
ashore. I need to forward the survey to Yachtmaster before I splash her.
Communications have slowed down because of the postal time delay in post from
the UK reaching LR.
March/April.....
Have been packing AB dinghy, Mercury 5 outboard, fortress anchor and warp
into a large packet. There are also 10 boxes of 'stuff' to ship to Plymouth on a
pallet, by lorry - wet weather gear, charts and pilot books, life jackets and
safety harness, galley equipment, two boxes of tools - electrical buffer, drill,
binoculars, hh vhf, boots etc etc. Had a lot of problem finding a lorry company
to shift them from La Rochelle to Millbrook. Ended up with quotes from one
French Co and one English Co. French slightly cheaper so will use them.
Have to wait and see in late April if it all works out - cost around £300. As
we will fly out on May 10th c/o cheap Ryan air to Newquay and then hire a car
this is still a lot cheaper than using the car in from France to UK and back and
then get back to UK...
April
25th All my boxes and dinghy, outboard, anchor etc for Eloise were
collected by a French Haulier to go to Plymouth. this has all been organised
by Peters and May in the UK. They can ship boats, boat bits and boxes
throughout the world - if you want something transported for the boat - or the
boat itself these are the people to talk to :-
who
have been very friendly - efficient and the charge is less than taking a car by
ferry! Even with Ryan air fares and hiring a car at the other end!!
May
14th Heading for Plymouth and Eloise........... Did a bit of work
in London then drove the hired car to Millbrook near Plymouth
Needed
an insurance survey and got this done quickly, efficiently and most reasonably
by:-
John
Merrett - I.Eng., AMRINA. Telephone/fax (01752)564252
Insurance
is covered by again very competitively and expertly for UK/Canals/Med/Atlantic
by
Yachmaster
Insurance (01394)615755 mailto:
enquires@yachtmasterinsurance.co.uk Good people to do business with.
May
23rd Did some antifouling - installed a battery charger, did some
cleaning and tidying up - mainly in rain, fog and cold and finally Pip and
Debbie lifted Eloise with the hydraulic trolley and placed her on the slip to
float off at high tide and be motored round to a berth....
May
24th Moved aboard to wait for wind and rain to stop....
May
29th Set sail for Brighton to take CENVI exam to 'drive' in French Canals
and rivers.
June
1st arrived Brighton via overnights in Dartmouth, Weymouth and Osborne
Bay IOW. She sails quite well - the motion is a bit odd at first but after a
couple of hundred miles you get used to it - Wide turning circle... Deciding
when to reef is harder - when a keel starts to lift is possibly a little late -
interesting learning curve. The little staysail works well and really improves
performance. Motor is economical and got red diesel in Weymouth at reasonable
price.. Only real problem is that the engine 'leg' jumps out of its locked
position when going astern 'sometimes' I am going to try heavy bungee cord on
the leaver see if that works.......
June
3rd Took and passed CEVNI test at Brighton Sea School - nice people and
good organisation.
June
4th In sovereign harbour building site - oops Marina! to visit sister
and wait for wind to come out of South and set fair for France..
June
6th Set sail for Dieppe early - started motor to cross shipping lane in
lumpy sea.... Motor stopped and inspite of bleading, threats, cleaning and
several hours of attention on passage - refused to start again.
Got
permission from Dieppe Port control to enter under sail (normally forbidden) -
well reefed down on main and Genny with 25-30 knots and low visibility. Eloise
went well to windward when I got too far West of the entrance and once I had
sailed in past the Ferry terminal the marina boat towed me to a berth FOC...
lots of fun.
June
7th discovered non starting motor is biotic sludge in bottom of fuel
tank. Pump all the fuel out into jugs and remove several handfulls of jelly
sludge. Thoroughly clean tank, filter fuel several times and refill tank.
Around 22.30 I go into the cockpit and smell diesel - find tank is leaking and
spend next two hours pumping diesel back out into jugs again - the fun of
cruising......
June
8th Have bottom of tank welded in several places, change all the
filters, clean lift pump etc etc - get lots of kind help and advice from Tim
& Lynn the master of a beautiful Rampart called Maracas Bay.
Tim is
ex RNLI engineer and coxswain, pilot boat skipper, fisherman and knows small
boats. He and Lynn are livaboards in Newport IOW.
June
10th Set sail for St Valery sur Somme,,,,,,,,,, Well motored - very
light Easterly on the nose. Found the channel entry buoy easily but the winding
channel from one side of the bay to the other required my full attention.
Very well buoyed and beaconed right up to the Yacht Club, the tide into the bay
was making 3-4 knots and needed a concentration to stay in the fairly narrow and
twisting channel for the 90 odd minutes it required. Consult the pilot book for
instructions on access times - not difficult but needs your full attention to
time and the twists and turns. Never leave the buoyed channel.
June
12th Mast down at club crane for 30 Euro. Got help from Peter and Jackie
in a very smart and tidy looking Westerly Discuss. Mast a bit too heavy to
handle single handed - now stowed on deck...so was very greatful for their
assistance.
I
must say all the employees of the club are friendly and helpful - Mariac, the
young port manager, speaks perfect English and is charming. Sadly the club
officials - Commodore and other 'flag' officers are pretty unfriendly and
unwelcoming and prone to being slightly rude to visiting yachts people but their lack of
good manners is made up for by their helpful and friendly
employees. I think the club members prefer
we do not use their bar or club facilities -
June
15th. Left Eloise with mast down ready to go into Canals and returned to
London via home in La Rochelle - hope to be back in early July.........
as
I left I noticed that the fuel tank was leaking again - not a lot but definitely
leaking diesel - I am just going to pretend it is not as there is almost
certainly not a welder in St Valery sur Somme - it is not the centre of the
universe - but it is pretty with its steam trains and vast sand banks full of
wildlife...
next
stop the canals
The
Scenic Route!
(breakdowns
in Red!!!)
July
6th back on board. Fit Plastimo Electric Toilet to please 1st mate. Rain.
Stock up with food from both excellent supermarkets. Rain
July
7th Rain fill 3 x 25ltr spare jugs of Diesel. (use club
trolly) London bombings! Rain
July
8th. Rain Receive permission to move through 1st tidal lock into
canal but no further as the rain has caused a tree to destroy a weir just past
Abbville! Now on pontoon in Canal du Somme.
July
9th Rain
July
10th Rain
July
11th Received permission to move 8K to Abbville. Great! Join half
a dozen other boats waiting for repairs to weir to be finished. Large
supermarket with fuel next door to mooring. Told we may be able to proceed
tomorrow!
Real
Start of Trip
July
12th at 13.00 a lock keeper arrives and tells us we may proceed - get to
Piquigny. - 27 nautical miles by GPS.
July
13th Piquigny to Mericourt - 25miles. - moored with stakes to the
bank. OVERHEATED TWICE! WITH BLOCKED COOLING WATER FEED!
July
14th To Peronne - tightening fan belt!16 miles only as it is a public
holiday and enter into THE CANAL DU NORD.
The
Somme was a very quiet and domestic canal - verdant countryside, sometimes quite
narrow and lined with trees. Charming and Friendly the canal company encourages
pleasure craft and frequently the locks are open and ready for you before you
arrive! The locks are manned mainly by students doing 'summer work' in the
university break. - certainly a trip on the quiet side. (Quite strong cross
currents before some of the locks.)
July
15th Canal du Nord is a major commercial highway for Penich - in
13 hours of motoring and 11 locks make Chauney. Plank was essential as several
of the locks had shuttering rather than concrete and the fenders would have
vanished into the gaps leaving the rubbing strake against the rusty metal, 1
long tunnel of a Kilometer and pretty narrow but well lit. (note the branch via
HAM has been closed for years and will probably never reopen as it has silted
up. At one stage there were 3 peniche in front of Eloise to go into a lock which
only takes one at a time! I put in the long day to get out of the Canal du
Nord and the Juggernaught Penich racing past any possible mooring night and day!
Water flowing into locks pretty powerful and in one I just had to let go the
line but a 4.80 + fenders catamaran in a 5 metre wide lock there is not far to go!
Park up in Chauney knackered!
July
16th Unpark to go into Canal de l'Oise a l'Aisne and as I am turning
around the engine stops. have enough way on to make
the bank and moor up and open engine compartment. A short rubber hose connecting
the plastic fuel feed line to lift pump has broken. - cut it off neatly put the
shortened section back on - bleed the engine and nothing! Strip
the lift pump which is pretty old, clean it up and reassemble it - bleed the
system - nothing. look at the rubber hose and see
it has broken again. Looks fine but is actually perished! A
nice lady gives me a lift to a car shop where I buy new fuel hose, fit it bleed
the engine and am on my way by 13.00! get to Anizy - 15 miles progress only....
July
17th make 27 miles progress and end up just north of Reims - locks
are challenging as Eloise has a beam of 4.40mtrs + fenders and plank making
around 4.60mtrs and the lock width of 5mtrs with cross currents just before the
gates!
July
18th Total cock up going into lock with particularly strong cross
current after rain! end up broadside to gates! 2nd attempt OK... ish. Fan
belt slack again and water intake filter clogged. Parked in Reins port de
Plaisance
July
19th Reins port de Plaisance - cost 11 Euros a night inclusive of
electricity and water. Did lots of shopping etc. social visit from brother in
law. Not easy place for fuel or gas. Good supermarkets and town shops. Departed
14.00
July
20th Locks difficult as depth of canal has been increased to hold
'fuller' barges but the sides of lock have not been raised! The top of the side
is only a couple of inches from top of water when lock is full. Fenders float so
it is very difficult to protect hull. some boats have strips of 2x1 on ropes
suspended at water level. Seems to work well.
THE FRENCH CANAL
ROUTES TO THE
MEDITERRANEAN
If you are thinking about using the
French canals to passage between the UK and the Mediterranean then this
booklet contains all the information you need'
It describes the Routes,
the regulations the paperwork - How where and when to get the
qualifications and license, the depths, air heights, locks and a whole
lot more.
There
are 'charts/maps' throughout, the distances, dimensions & main stopping
places and is the only publication to list ALL the possible stopping
places on the Rhone River!/
http://www.gentlesailing.com/
or
|
July
21st Travelled with nice older couple in steel 'Pedro' canal boat. Tightened
fan belt again.
July
22nd Some very narrow canals. Got forced into bank by Peniche waiting to
enter lock I was leaveing. He occupied all mid stream and went ahead the moment
I left the lock. Result I went aground as he 'sucked' all the water out of the
side of the canal - my stern swung around and we scraped the inflated dinghy
hanging off the davits as fender down the side of the Peniche. A few hours
later at another lock the same situation as a Peniche waiting to enter as I
exited made me pull further over to a space on the right and I went hard aground
with both hulls!! In neither case was there any damage to Eloise. A bit of
damage to my good humor! Throttle cable (morse cable)
broke - Throttle bodged with string from throttle leaver round little block and
into cockpit - works fine!
July
23rd Overheating.... Install new impeller - I
think the problems of the impeller running dry when the water intake is blocked
by debris damages the rubber - Canals start to get wider. Great!
July
24th Water intake blocked again - clear it. String
throttle works just fine!
July
25th Arrive Chaudrey midday. Fuel up and food up in local supermarket.
Chaudrey Port de Plaisance with electricity and water for 7 euro a night! Fuel
has to be jerry jugged. Not ideal but supermarket excellent. Order new morse
cable from Ted Johnnson in France for overnight delivery by French Parcel Post
service. Buy high stool to sit on whilst driving!
July
26th Morse cable arrives 09.00 and spend happy morning fitting it. Fill
up with water but have to wait for 13.30 lock to set out.
July
27th Go through very long 4 kilometer tunnel. Diesel
return pipe falls off - fix with string. It too is perished but looks fine
externally!
July
28th Did long 11 hour day 08.00 to 19.00 and make good progress towards
the Saone
July
29th Break out into big wide Soane River and huge easy locks at at
14.15.
July
30th Arrive Chalon Sur Soane - have expensive and delicious dinner but
older lady at next table almost dies! 362 miles down the road so far.
July
31st Heading down stream - Fan belt finally gives
up ghost. Park in disused lock and put on new belt. Get to Belleville sur
Saone 408 miles on GPS best day for distance achieved so far - 46 miles! (I
should be sailing!!)
August
2nd Departed 08.00 and purchased Fuel from the Riverside Barge past last
bridge. Big Locks really easy with floating bollards.
August
1st LYON! parked under willows near city centre.
August
2nd Departed 08.00 and purchased Fuel from the Riverside Barge past last
bridge. Big Locks really easy with floating bollards.
August
3rd La Roche de Glenn. Alongside village pontoon for night with 4 other
boats
August
4th La Roche de Glenn Mistral blowing and gusting 30 Knots -
decide not to move - engine not powerful enough but see others pass....
August
5th Big problems finding a parking place at end of day. tied up
alongside very unwelcoming little stinkpot occupying all of village pontoon..
horrid old French lady, husband and daughter in this Trader were most
unwelcoming!!!
August
6th made it out of Rhone into Petit Rhone - via maritime lock into Canal
de Rhone a Sete. Stopped at Galacian.
note:
would have been about 1 day more to Port St Louis.
August
7th waited from mid-day to 16.30 for bridge to open then into Etang du
Thau and into SETE. Parked outside external bridge on Etang de Thau
Junction. Smashing little local resturant with all items priced at 3 or 4 Euro.
Local folks come from miles around! Best meal of trip and for the least money!
If we were going into Med then would have put the mast up here!
The
next day we crossed the Etang de Thau and entered the Canal du Midi!
8th
August left early and crossed the Etang de Thau (2 hours) before the
wind got up and entered the Canal du Midi - pretty busy area with boats parked
everywhere, Glenans sailing school, permanent liveaboards, all pretty
squalid etc. Did not look very attractive and I was glad I had not crossed
the previous day as parking would have been difficult.... THEN IT ALL
CHANGED!
Became
pure "wind in the willows" very very beautiful indeed.
A lot of big 40
-45 ft hire boats driven by people 'sans permit' with no experience but with
lots of fendering, rubber strips and speed limiters..... Purchased fuel from
hire base at 20% surcharge straight out of pump - alternative was to hump Jerry
jugs.... Got to Colombiers - a large village port de Plaisance with small
supermarket, 2 restaurants - one on quay side - the Ecluiser and one in the
village. Had an expensive meal and not particulaly nice one in l'Eculiesier.
9th
August left fairly early but felt pretty queasy! Spent
morning 'driving' with one hand into locks and baffing into bucket held in other
hand! L'Eculiser had got my stomach and dosh. By midday I could continue
no longer and parked up in charming village of Le Sommaile. Spent rest of day in
bed and loo!!!! I have eaten out all over the world and have a strong stomach
but other than one time in Hong Kong I have never been so food poisoned!
10th
August Better - left and got to St Martin - all still beautiful and absolutely
charming!
11th
August Arrived in Carcasson at mid-day - went shopping for food etc then
carried on out of town. Because of lots of local 'unemployed' it did not feel a
very secure place to park. carried on till dark.
A
word of praise for the architect of the canal du midi.... He constructed this
canal with remarkably few locks in spite of a considerable rise in altitude.
(You can make much better mileage than in the northern / eastern France canals
where the locks are prolific)
12th
August stopped at Castelnaudary lock for night - all so pretty.
13th
August Castanet -Tolosan. .... reached summit and started going
downhill. Locks of course much easier to cope with but there are miles of
beautiful reaches following the contours of the land with no locks at all -
brilliant construction and design and always beautiful! The Canal du Midi locks
are oval rather than round (to permit faster filling!) and makes parking a bit
more of a challenge. There are lots of very clever 'flights' of locks' which are
difficult to single hand and need the assistance of someone on shore to put the
lines over bollards. Unlike the other canals these locks start at O9.00 - close
12.30 to 13.30 for lunch and finally at 19.00.
14th
August Passed through Toulouse and past the Airbus factory and a
yard which maintains 'live aboard' Peniches. A very ancient and interesting
town. Odd to be passing through the suburbs in a boat. Grissoles for the nights
mooring.
15th
August Valance d'Agen. Towns little municipal FOC port de Plaisance. Town
itself charming and ancient with excellent little supermarket. worth a visit!
16th
August Through town of Agen and its dramatic viaduct of the canal over
the river and now in the Canal Lateral de la Garonne. Parked by the 14th century
farm museum of le Ferm deFollett. Bit shallow but did not have to use stakes...
A lot of the locks are now automatic - later they require the lever to be
pressed twice - the second time when the lock has emptied which means you are
way below the height of the leaver! when you press/push the lever the first time
watch the gates close behind you and the 4 shutters raise on the gate in front.
When all 4 have risen and your boat is starting to go down press the leaver for
the 2nd time and it will 'remember' and the gates will open when the water level
has dropped! (not a lot of people know that!)
17th
August Castests. The end of the Canal de la Garonne. A sort of
Port de Plaisance for 3 euro a night in front of the last two locks. these only
operate at local HW of la Garonne and you can arrange with the lock keeper to
let you out (or in) half an hour before HW. Need to move with other boats as
there is only one lockage each way at each HW.
18th
August 07.30 into the first of the two exit locks with 2 other boats.
Into the river about half an hour before local HW. River full of debris and big
with sand banks and sticky up bits. Needs full attention. If you flush the loo
the water comes in very **** mud coloured and you may think there is a problem.
When the ebb starts the river runs at 4 to 5 knots in the middle. Got to
Bordeaux at midday and parked up on excellent floating pontoon outside 'port of Bordeaux' lock. This opens at local HW so had to wait till 18.30 to lock into
the basin and go to inner basin. You can use the crane here DIY for 32 Euro and
there are all the chandlery, sail lofts etc you need around the basin no
2. Parking is on a sliding scale but for a month for my 10metre Prout 33 charged
at 150% it is 90Euro a month - lots of liveaboards and although not that
attractive with ww2 German submarine pens on one side and stern/bows to mooring
system I think it is a good - fairly safe place to leave a boat for a while....
I hope it is!
ELOISE
is now in the basin waiting for deliver of new furling gear for the headsails
and for La Rochelle to become cheaper in October when I will move her down the
river and into the Vieux Port my home town.
summery
of Canal du Midi:
It
took 10 days to do the trip from Sete to Bordeaux. Half a day of which was spent
being sick as a parrot! Cannot truly imagine it is possible to do it much
faster! It appears to me to be the most beautiful canal/river passage in France. This
is reflected by the intensity of hire boat running up and down it. They do spoil
it a bit making some parking places look like a caravan site but the folks in
these canal self drive hire boats have paid a lot for the privilege - 2 - 3
thousand euro a week!!! They are friendly and mainly try to drive their boats
sensibly but have mainly had no training whatsoever!!
Sept
30 Back to Bordeaux - Put up mast with little crane for 32 euros.
Paid mooring bill - probably the cheapest parking in all of Atlantic France - and moved,
having previously booked the lock exit, at high tide out of the basin and
parked on the waiting Pontoon for the evening.
Oct
1st Departed 0600 - one hour before local HW Bordeaux and pushed 3k
of flood tide down stream in the dark. By daylight the tide changed and the GPS
showed us making 8K over the ground. River a dirty muddy brown - fast
flowing - I used new French charts which were worth the expense - Around 14.00
the local tide turned and we were again down to 1 or 2 K over the ground on a
boat speed of 5K. 4 hours later it flooded again and we got into Royan at
19.00. The prevailing Northerly winds got to 15k in the PM and raised a
chop against the ebb tide and river. 50 nautical miles.
Oct
2nd Left Royan at 09.00 and followed the channel out between the
sand banks - mid tide - max ebb - really quite large chop even centre channel -
Stood Eloise up on end a couple of times and quite large lumps of water over the
coach roof into cockpit - not a place to be in a wind over tide gale! Cleared
the Channel after a couple of hours and motor sailed into 10k north easterly to
La Rochelle - arrived in Vieux Port on visitors pontoon at 19.00 - 52 nautical
miles - once you clear the buoyed passage out of the Gironde the tidal effect up
the coast is fairly neutral and the trip in beautiful clean Atlantic waters with
small waves not horrid chop!
THE FRENCH CANAL
ROUTES TO THE
MEDITERRANEAN
If you are thinking about using the
French canals to passage between the UK and the Mediterranean then this
booklet contains all the information you need'
It describes the Routes,
the regulations the paperwork - How where and when to get the
qualifications and license, the depths, air heights, locks and a whole
lot more.
There
are 'charts/maps' throughout, the distances, dimensions & main stopping
places and is the only publication to list ALL the possible stopping
places on the Rhone River!/
buy here -
gentlesailing.com |
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