Gravelines To Paris

Fri May 25th

Guess what, the lock that lets you into the canals has broken and will remain shut for three weeks. We will have to look at moving to Gravelines 15k up the coast. Inquiries show they have facilities for removing the mast. And to cap it all, it's a French bank holiday, which means a lot of places are closed Sat, Sun, Mon. But the up side is the weather is red hot, clear blue skies very little wind. About another fifty boats from England turn up and the raft just gets bigger, so does the queue for the showers, you gotta be up there at 0600 hrs or you miss out. This weekend they're starting a round Britain race from here and some of the racing boats have began to arrive, very, very, very expensive equipment. As forecast the weather for the weekend is starting to deteriorate, winds forecast in excess of F7 NE and rain,

Calais 22.60 Euro a night, good marina, expensive for what it is, no laundry, electricity set so low it trips at the slightest of requirements. Three toilets and showers for over 300 boats. All publications in French, German and Dutch, NO English. We were unlucky to arrive at the same time as two clubs holding their Calais Rallies which made it very busy, however the people we met were a good laugh, no airs and graces. There is (or will be on Monday) wifi connection with Orange, but it costs you. Don't pay for your moorings by credit/debit card, if you decide to leave early they will not refund to your card, they will give you a credit note for the remaining nights. Saturdays there's a big market on in the square, a large bag of veg, including half a roast chicken and hot roast potato's cost you just over 4 euro's for two, Wine, for nothing, there's a little Vietnamese guy runs a wine store in the market square and he'll deliver to your boat.

Mon 28th May

Woke to find the sun shinning in a clear blue sky, not the F7's that were forecast. Went early for a shower and left Debs sleeping. At 0900 hrs everybody got busy with a hurried decision to leave for Gravelines. As I was casting off Chris on the boat rafted to us, he shouts across, "are you's coming, there's a weather window of a couple of hours before the wind picks up and we're away to Graveline". It's a good job we always keep the boat ready for sea, it took us about 10 minutes to sort everything out and cast off, we followed the last couple of boats out of the lock and headed for sea. The course had already been programed as part of our maintained readiness. The remnants of yesterdays wind was still apparent on the sea in a 2.5 m NW swell, 7 - 10 kt NW winds and with the tide in our favour we were achieving 7.5 kt SOG. We made Graveline in just over two hours

0930 hrs - 050'58-300N 001'50-500E - 338 deg mag 1.2 NM

1002 hrs - 050'59-600N 001'49-600E - 071 deg mag 3 NM

1034 hrs - 051'00-500N 001'54-400E - 083 deg mag 6.8 NM

1125 hrs - 051'01-300N 002'05-130E - 142 deg mag 2.2 NM

1153 hrs - 050'59-095N 002'07-125E Graveline Harbour with the aid of the tide 11.19 NM, and the start of the French canals.

We need to make arrangements for the removal of the mast and shipping to Sete on the south coast. Graveline is a very historical town as this was the place the Spanish fleet embarked for the invasion of Britain, we got a couple of days to explore before moving on. We got the bikes from he rear cabin and went off into the countryside 15 Km along the canals that we'll sail along later in the week, we wanted to see what lay in store for us

Tues May 28th

We've just found out that we are stuck here till Monday at the earliest, we can't get the mast off any quicker. There's a crane coming in on Thursday but it's fully booked, however we will prepare the mast just in case there's any cancellations or someone doesn't turn up and we get a slot. Don't believe the literature on how you can get Navicarts, books and vignettes from most points of entry into the canals, you can't, we are going back to Calais by bus as the only VNF office this side of Paris is there. If you want books etc. in English bring them with you, there aren't any here.

Fri June 01

We met Tom, Les and Dave oh yes and Winston who arrived earlier today, he had all the books and charts in English, so a quick trip to the local Mediatheque and 2 Euro later we have photocopied all the relevant pages from his books and charts. The vignette for the sixty days we plan on being in the canals has cost us 181 Euro and for that you get no information from the NVF office at all, other than a very vague map in french. The book to get hold of for good quality information is The Channel to the Med by Derek Bouskill ISBN no 1-898574-03-0 published by Opus it gives excellent clear information on the routes. We brought with us a book call The French Canal Routes to the Mediterranean by Michael Briant, waste of time and £15. The quality of the diagrams and so called charts are so inferior that in most cases the text cannot be read. One company he recommends for transporting masts and boats by road to the south coast, Augizeau Transports, quoted us 1083 Euro's to transport the mast to Sete, I didn't want to buy his truck!! It took this company 2 days and several phone calls to fax through the details. I wouldn't recommend this company to take anything except the Mickey

Mon June 04

Rob and Jean who have been having trouble with their propeller have finally got back in the water 10 mins before we take our mast off. They're heading off up to Holland to catch up with the group that we met at Calais, unfortunately They lost a blade from the prop and managed to acquire a three bladed prop from a friend all be it the wrong hand. So when his engine was in reverse the boat was going forward. A lovely couple with some great stories to tell. I just wish we had more time together. Andy and Linda left Blyth June 01 and were sailing to Peterhead in Scotland on the first leg of their trip around the UK and which will lead them to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean and from there further afield

Graveline 17.50 euro a night, electricity included good clean facilities and an Lidl in the corner of the harbour, very cheap food and drink, cheaper than the UK, you can live here for 10 euro a day. Fuel is available from the local SUPER U, 500 yards down the road 1.05 euro per litre. The harbour is drying, especially when the lock keepers forget to close the sluice gates however the mud is very soft and you sink in nearly to the waterline. It also has a chandler (very helpful) and boat storage facilities (undercover), regular bus service back to Calais. A wine cave just over the bridge that sells good cheap wine. Internet connections are few and far between, there are PC's you can use in local libraries or some cafe's but very few have WIFI (weefee) as they say. So you need to carry all your bank details with you. The town it's self is a beautiful old fortified town with all the walls and moats still complete it's a great place to spend a couple of days exploring, if your daft enough you can hire a rowing boat and row around the outer moat. The town is getting a lot of money spent on it but all the development is in-keeping with the towns history and existing buildings, to the point where they even put different coloured tiles on the roofs to make new builds look as though they been there for years. Well worth the visit,

Tue 05 June

Graveline- Watten (Canal Grand Gabarit 15 km)

Gravelines our entry point to the canal system. Tamara was de-masted by the french guy's at Gravelines chandlers, this took about half the time we would have done it at Blyth. Amazing speed, it was lifted clear re slung on the quay and lowered straight back on deck. The overhang wasn't all that great about 6 ft. The rest of the equipment was stripped off and we were ready for the canals. On arrival at Gravelines we made enquirers with the port as to entry times, we were told to be rafted onto La Royal for 1330 hrs on Tuesday. The port guy's turned up and prepared the sluice gates and we had t wait until the levels were equal on either side as this is not a lock. Once level Paul with his wife Jane and their two sons Achy and Lou went through first closely followed by us. The next obstacle is just around the corner and is the lifting railway bridge, which the port guys inform of our presence but you have to wait for them to attend and open the bridge. We were reasonably lucky we only waited 15 minutes. Between here and the Guindal system are three lifting bridges that the port guys operate, they follow you along the canal by van and have everything ready for you as you arrive. Once past Guindal canal junction the bridges are manned and they are informed of you presence by the port guys. At the first of these bridges is a small pontoon where if you are the only boat in the section, they pull you over and check all the vignette details. It's worth remembering that the only place you can get the vignette's are Calais and Dunkerque, if you get this far and don't have the correct paperwork, these guys can impound your boat and send you off to correct any deficiencies, you will also be find for your trouble. One point to mention, this part of the system is supposed to be maintained to 1.8 meters, where the Calais canal and the river L'Aa meet we touched the bottom, very briefly but enough to slow the boat so that knew you had touched.Our first stop in this section was planned for Watten, a little canal town 15 km from Gravelines, where we had arranged to met Tom, Les and Winston who had passed through the sluice on Monday. Sure enough as we round the corner into Watten we heard Tom's klaxon on his boat and they were waving from the pontoon, waiting to catch our ropes. The moorings here are scarce and the town hasn't a lot to offer but makes a very nice one night stop over. There are six more pontoons tucked away in a side canal about 200 meters further down on the right, blink and you miss it. These were put in by the local council and seemly forgotten, hence you can never get a place because some boats arrive and never leave, because it's free. The town has a Netto and an intermarche both with good prices for restocking those vital supplies. The only problem with the pontoons we stayed on is you are vulnerable to the wake of passing peniches, so make sure your tied up sufficiently.

Services- none just the pontoon (free)

Wed 06 June

Watton- La Basse (La Canal Grand Gabarit 60 km)

We had to move early as the distance to cover included three locks and these would take some time to negotiate. The passage to the locks is straight forward, the first lock in the system is Flandre. Unfortunately the lock keeper here doesn't like pleasure craft and has been known to delay the passage of small boats if no commercial traffic requires the lock in the opposite direction. Flandre is a large lock by UK standards and the method of tying up is a little unusual. You attach you self to a bollard at deck level, with enough rope to allow the boat to rise to the full level of the lock, then pull the rope through to leave. We found this would work for a power boat with straight sides but not a yacht with curved sides. So we used the ladders rung by rung to attach a fore and aft line in order to keep the boat under control. The lift here is quite small, about 5 meters.

The next Lock is Fontinettes and is the biggest lock I've ever seen. However before you arrive their you pass the old boat lift witch replaced the five locks which previously completed he lift of thirteen meters. This boat lift build in 1889 was a masterpiece of engineering using simple counter balance principles to lift boats for the lower lever the 13 meters to the upper level in one move. It's open as a museum and well worth the visit. Just around the corner is the new lock, over 200 meters long and completes the 13 meter lift in one. This lock requires 39000 cubic meters of water for every lift. Securing inside the lock if a reasonably simple one as they have supplied floating bollards built into the walls. Once inside you can't but be amazed at the size of it. Surprisingly enough even though a large amount of water enters the lock in about 15 minutes the turbulence is low and the lock keepers obviously reduce the fill rate for small boats. The third and final lock of the day is at Cuinchy this is the baby of the bunch with a lift of only 3 meters, We had to wait a little while as there was commercial traffic using the system. The principles are you give way to the first peniche and then your allow to enter the next time. We had to wait for three peniches to enter and leave ( you cant argue with 1500 tonne of steel when you only weigh 6.5 tonne) The sides if this lock are worth watching as they reminded me of a cattle crush, you have to keep your boat secure but away from the walls or you'll loose your fenders under the rails and they'll be either ripped off or punctured which is what happened to Paul and Jane's. From here it's a short distance of about 6 km to La Basse, there are no signs for it so you have to use the map and know where you are. Getting in isn't easy either and really the place isn't worth it. Again it's supposed to be maintain to at least 1.8 meters. We were constantly in under one meter and at one brief point down to 0.1 meter. The mooring is in a disused industrial complex. We didn't stay, We pulled back out to the main canal where there is an area for the peniches t moor and tied up there for the night. Very nice, quiet, no problems from the peniches as they stop running around 2100 hrs. Services- not good, however plenty of excellent mooring possibilities along the way and there all free

Thur 07 June

La Basse-Courcelles ( La Canal Grand Gabarit 26 km)

Courcelles a small town just before KP 24 on the Grand Gabarit Canal. No locks to negotiate so travelling is relaxing and time to enjoy the scenery. We stopped off at the junction of the Grand Gabarit and the Canal de la Deule to Lille. This is a small island formed in the middle of the junction at KP 55. The small leg of the canal that forms the triangle to contain the island isn't used by the commercial barges so the boat can be left safe from the wash. The depth here is sufficient but you have to approach with care. From here to Courcelles the guide book indicates good moorings along the canal banks, We never found any that We would be happy using, some of the banks have been washed out from behind the concrete sides which have then collapsed into the canal giving the false impression of depth. The redundant sides are waiting inches below the surface for the unwary. Courcelles is at KP 35 it's entered from the main canal via a small channel just over 2 meters deep on the right hand bank. It then open up to a fairly large basin which is buoyed to keep the boats to the left bank and leave the right bank for fishing. The pontoons here are new and theirs a friendly hand from the manager to take your ropes and give advice on the amenities. These include water, electricity, showers and restaurant. The town itself is about 20 minutes walk or 5 minutes by bike, where you'll find everything you want, supermarket, fuel at 1.05 euro a Lt., laundry and banks. Thursday night We were treated to the most spectacular thunder storm I've ever seen, even better then Australia. All for 11 euro a night.

Fri 08 June

Courcelles-Cambrai (Canal Grand Gabarit and Canal St Quentin 45 km)

This section contains 7 locks some automatic (when they work) some manned. Following the Grand Gabarit to the junction with the St Quentin canal there three locks to content with. Passing through many picturesque towns and villages with plenty mooring possibilities, however all on the main canal, with the exception of Dorignies which at KP 30 branches off on the left bank, however this is only 1.2 meters deep, in France that means about 1 or less. Caution required!! We passed through two locks at Douia and Couchelettes but couldn't find the branch on the left bank at KP 24 which was supposed to be going mooring off the canal and where We had intended to spend the night. We had caught up with Paul, Jane and the kids by this time so We kept going, looking to reach Cambrai for the night. Between KP 24 and Cambrai there is another 5 locks nothing difficult but as We turned off the main canal on to the St Quentin, I thought We had taken a wrong turning. The depth drop to less than 2 metered in places and the canal was so narrow with hazards at both sides it resembled more a small river tributary than a canal (it had us checking the chart every couple of minutes for features) We got stuck behind a peniche which was travelling at 2 kt and with no ware to pass We knew We weren't going to make Cambrai. This is a very scenic route and would have been more enjoyable if We weren't having to continually stop the boat to allow the peniche to move ahead, Tamara with do 3.5 kt at idle speed. With he canal being so narrow as well you are on constant watch for peniche coming towards you and shoals. We negotiated all the locks but the last. On arrival the barge bitch told us that the locks were closing because it was seven o'clock and that they were going to be the last through. We moored on the side for the night in a very pleasant, quite spot accompanied by two peniche that also missed the lock. Next morning, up at seven for the locks opening and We were the second through the halte fulviale is just through the lock on the right, it's full of live aboard peniche, mainly British owned, We rafted onto Aventura owned by David and Jean.

Cambrai is a lovely town, quite large by french standards, market takes place in the square and the streets on Saturdays and topical French they all pack up for 12. We always visit the Catholic charts when we're on our travels and this is no exception. It's not that We are religious, We are just amazed by the skill and ability of the people who built such fantastic buildings. The church of St Grey formally the Abbey of Saint Aubert is just off the main square. The present church was built in 1739 but this has been a religious site since the Roman era. The present church still bears the marks of the second world war in so much as the columns are pock marked with bullet and shrapnel marks. Tom and Winston caught us up here, they're looking to travel with us to Paris.

Cambrai- facilities a good overnight stop, 7 euro shore power if you can get one for the live aboard peniches, fuel pump at the entrance, water and showers. No pontoons but plenty of peniches to raft to.

Mon 11 June

Cambrai-Riqueval Tunnel (St Quentin canal 33 km 15 locks)

We had initially planned this trip for two days but We were making very good progress so We just kept going. All the locks are controlled by you with the aid of a small hand set you are issued with at the lock before Etrun. Straight forward to use, on approach you push the blue button which prepares the lock and opens the gates, once inside and secure you lift the blue rod and this begin the fill process. Once full the lock gates open and your away. Two recommendations for locks are two boat hooks and bring spare heads, shafts you can buy here, chandlers are like hens teeth. Use the hooks to place the mooring warps over the bollards in the locks and don't go to the front of the locks otherwise you have great difficulty with the turbulence, We got battered for a full day be for We decided to travel alone, getting the lock to ourselves. Using this method We negotiated 15 locks and the 33 km to the other side of the Riquevel tunnel. Around mid day just as we are approaching an narrows and a bridge We picked up something on our propellor which took away all of our drive. We managed to coast it to the abutment under the bridge were I jumped a shore, left Deb on the wheel to apply full port lock to keep it out from the side. I pulled the boat forward a couple of hundred yards to clear the narrows and secured it to the trees. After doing all the usual obvious checks, i.e. your props still on and connected engine temperature and oil pressure are all right, it was time to dig out the diving gear and go and cut off what ever was there. In the murk of zero vis and a water temperature that according to the instruments was supposed to be 19.5 deg Cel, feeling my way around I found a large heavy duty polythene bag wrapped around the prop, a couple of minutes with a sharp knife and the culprit was despatched to the trees. How I love swimming in an open sewer, having got back on board and downed a healthy drink of Coke a Cola(this is a well know remedy for killing any bacteria you may swallow) dried, dressed and completed all the checks that the prop was clear, Tom was along side by this time to assist should we have needed a tow. On approach to Riqueval tunnel it's very impressive, a 6 km tunnel that was commissioned by Napoleon the first in 1802, it was dug by prisoners by candlelight and hand picks it was inaugurated by Napoleon and Marie-Louise in 1810. You are towed through with a tug that can tow up to 30 commercial barges (45000 tonne) at any one time. You all line up in order of size biggest at the front little un's at the back, just out side the tunnel at Vendhuile. The information states that the tug operators complete the rigging of boats for towing. This is not so, We had to rig our own, you tie onto the boat in-front using two 30 meter lengths of rope crossed to stabilise the tow, you have to supply the rope( so bring them with you). The bargee didn't even walk the length of the tow to make sure everyone was secure and cast off ready to go. When he blasted the horn to signal We were leaving I had to run forward and pull toms stakes out of the ground as he was busy with other warps. After about 20 minutes in the tunnel you realise the potential for damage s you hear other boats being pulled along the walls and walk way, the bargee doesn't care they just keep going. Tom in-front of us suffered a burst fender and damage to the pull pit rails, luckily as yachts have quite big rudders compared to power boats I managed to keep us out of trouble. At the end, as soon as the tug leaves the tunnel it stops with only a blast of the horn to tell you something's happening. You have to get the engine started and gather in the rope to stop it getting caught in you prop, cast off the boat behind and miss the boat in-front NOT MY IDEA OF FUN. My recommendation is that unless you have no other choice as We didn't due to the Canal De Nord being closed, give this a miss, unless you like damaging your pride and joy.

Tue 12 June

Riqueval Tunnel - St Quentin (St Quentin Canal 15 km 5 locks 1 small tunnel)

After our overnight stop on the banks of the canal, we set off early to complete the short trip to St Quentin. The Lesdins tunnel was just around the corner. This one isn't so bad it's only 1 km long and you motor it under your own power. The information given, is that is light controlled (it wasn't) you basically take your chances. Boats and land don't mix, boast underground is even worse. It's tight, and obviously no where to pass if you meet something coming the other way one of you is reversing all the way out. Once out of the tunnel we had five locks t negotiate, going down hill, so it should have been easy. We reached the first Ecluse de Lesdins, we stopped back to let tom in the lock on his own, as from experience this is the easiest way to handle them. The lock keeper got a bit shirty and insisted that we go in as well. I tried to explain about the length of the two boats plus the overhang for the mast. He was having none of it, so I told him in no uncertain terms if there was any damage I would be looking to the VNF for all bills. The lock went through its cycle and the gates opened, Tom left and as we followed the gates began to close on our bows. We just managed to reverse the boat away in time. I sounded our fog horn until the lock keeper returned,he had gone off leaving the lock on auto, I climbed out of the lock and, well as you can imagine I told him I wasn't very happy. I then insisted on his supervisor from St Quentin office attend. Guess what, he couldn't speak any English. So I made him ring the office and get someone who could. All this time Tamara was still in the lock, the lock keeper wanted her moved to free up the canal and I absolutely refused until this was sorted. I effectively stopped the operation of the whole canal. I then insisted that the supervisor take me to the office in St Quentin and complete an incident report with Nadine who could speak English. Then and only then I agreed to move the boat. I would strongly advise anyone in he same situation to do exactly the same. Refuse to move the boat until you get satisfaction, this puts the pressure on them as it stops the operations. Make them complete all the paper work, by doing this the pleasure craft owners will force better treatment from the VNF which at the minute is sparse. So we returned from our little adventure to St Quentin and collect Tamara, with the four locks and a couple of km to complete. We arrived to the halte fluvial just after 1300 hrs.Couple of other things to bring, a diving set, I took two pony bottles which give about 30 mins each of air at a couple of meters, plenty time to sort out any underwater problems. An extremely sharp knife to cut away rope and poly bags from around your prop and something to poke down your raw water inlet to clear the leaves, grass and duck weed you will suck up everyday. Or fit a course strainer skin fitting to stop leaves etc. from getting that far.

Thur 14 June 07

St Quentin-Chauny (St Quentin Canal 40 km, 13 locks)

0815 hrs left St Quentin the canals narrow in and the scenery improves. The side of the canal have collapsed in but renovation work is proceeding. The locks are all automatic and once past St Samna both locks are working at every station which makes thing a little quicker. This passage still took until 1600 hrs to complete, the weather was good for travelling, not like yesterday which was read hot. About 5 minutes from completing the journey the weather broke and began to rain with the odd clap of thunder, we were soaked to the skin but it's funny how the rain is warm and you don't mind being out in it. We'll move to Compiegne tomorrow and see about the filters and oil leaks.

Fri 15 June 07

Chauny- Compiegne(St Quentin Canal- River Oise 39 km 4 locks)

This is straight forward with four locks to complete, as we let loose for the trip down a boat moored along side us also let loose, Black Magic 1 with George and Lucie on board. They are French Canadian and not only very friendly and helpful people, but George and Lucie speak fluent French and was a heavy plant fitter and has worked on all types of diesel engines and transmissions which comes in very handy. They've been sailing around Europe for the last couple of years and had the boat shipped form America. With this experience the know all the best places to visit and more importantly the places to avoid. We're all staying together until Paris when they'll be leaving us for a jazz festival. The locks on the way down are straight forward, however the last one Janville, is very busy with commercial traffic been given priority. As we approached George had radioed the control to find that two peniches were passing before us. On entry George was at the front with us at the rear, the right hand lock is out of commission so excessive water was running over the gates behind us and we were too far back in the lock, as we let loose to leave we were turned sideways across the lock, we very quickly recovered without damage. There's one thing on this trip our boat handling skills have improved dramatically over the last few weeks. Once through Janville it's only a couple of K's along the river to Compiegne, which is found through the first bridge, past the island in the middle of the river and it's on the left hand side. Through a small bridge, its very tight and shallow, we were registering 0.2 M under the keel and when we moored we registered zero. The bottoms soft mud, there are pontoons, electricity, water, toilets and showers and it's all free for two nights. The town has a market on Saturday morning and believe it or not (very rare in France) it also has a big chandlers. Having said that I wanted an oil filter for the gearbox (I did bring three spare with me, but the shop had supplied the wrong ones) It was going to take eight days to get one. They also supply fuel, engine and boat repairs, it's on the right hand bank, you can't miss the distinctive yellow and blue fuel barge. They also speak a reasonable amount of English. We will be staying the two days, to give my left leg time to recover as I ripped the calf muscle again, while jumping onto Toms boat as he was entering the halte..

Sun 17 June 07

Compiegne - Beaumont (River Oise 57 km 4 locks)

cast off 0815 hrs to cover as many km as possible today. The traffic is normally slow on Saturday, Sunday and slightly increases on Monday so it's a good time to make distance. The day went with out problems except for, we were delayed at Ecluse Creil for about an hour because it was Sunday and they needed to go home for dinner. We were also delayed at Ecluse Boran because the lock keeper couldn't be bothered to open the lock, this would happen normally as they see you approach, this time we had to find the frequency and contact him by radio, as these are monitored by VNF he then had no other choice but to open the lock. Other than that no problems today, even with my injured leg, and Debs injured hand. We reached Beaumont at 1715 hrs and rafted onto Tom you had found a nice little pontoon just beyond the bridge, Free of course

Mon 18th June 07

Beaumont-La Frette (River Oise-River Seine 40 Km 2 locks)

0900 hrs left Beaumont to complete the distance to the confluence of the Seine and the Oise, There is a large halte fluviale with chandlers and shops. Two locks to negotiate on the way down the Oise, Ecluse de Isle Adam and Ecluse de Pontiose. Just after the first lock Isle Adam on the left hand bank there is a new pontoon and electric, water and a little row of shops for provisions, all free for using the villages services, worth the extra couple of mile from Beaumont. Down at Conflans, the confluence of the Seine and the Oise the water is teaming with peniche and there's no where to moor. You reach the junctions of these two big rivers and guess what, no sign posts, no names, nothing. Your just expected to know where you are. Down stream on you right is a lock which takes you to Andresy, the info we have is it's good, with services but crowded with Dutch, because they like all the free places and hog them. We turned upstream here and head or the halte fluviale at Conflans, when we eventually found it, there's no room. Debs who does all the map work tells us of a place a couple of K's up the river La Frette that has limited services but it would do for one night. Its on the banks of he river so you are exposed to the wash from the peniche. However it's a pontoon next to the local sailing club, shops near by, no showers, toilets or electricity. The River traffic stops about 2100 hrs as the locks all close at 1900 hrs so you do get a quiet night. I even manage to get the tender out and give the engine a run.

Tues 19th June 07

La Frette-Paris (River Seine 70 km 3 locks)

0815 hrs cast off for the planned distance to Asnieres just 20 km short of Paris. We thought by doing this and stopping over we could arrive at Paris early on Wednesday. Everything went fairly straight forward, when we arrived at Ecluse De Bougival there's a little notice which says, Warning to pleasure craft, limited mooring availability. That's an understatement, we ended up hanging on to the ladders, Tom didn't bother with anything he maintained his position just using the engines. We arrived at Ansieres at 1400 hrs but couldn't find anywhere to moor due to the large numbers of residential peniche the litter both shores from here just about into the centre of Paris. One of the port du plaisance we stopped at just south of the Eiffel Tower want us to rafted 4 deep into the river, where you are very susceptible to wash from the trip boats and commercial peniche. We just kept going and at 1615 hrs we arrived at Basin De L'Arsenal, which is entered through a sluice gate at one end and the St Martin Canal tunnel at the other. It's very tight and expensive 29.50 euro a night but what can you expect for the middle of Paris. They even charge you for the over hang on the mast then give you a birth that the mast covers the walk way and I've had to stick a fender on it to stop people walking into it. The trip up the Seine was very good, an ideal way to see the sights as most of the buildings can been seen from the river. We'll spend the next few days here catching up with the normal tasks, cleaning, engine checks and repairs and the laundry. Then we'll take some time to wander around before we depart for the canal De Loing and head further South. We need a place to leave the boat safe for a couple of days so we can fly home and tidy some loose ends. Oh yes and collect those things we've forgot, like Debs glasses, puncture repair kit for the bikes and the engine and gear box manuals with all the spare part numbers in, only some of the small things we forgot. One thing that was a shock to us, we visited the main head office for VNF (the people who run the canals) We had been told that they would have some information on the remaining sections of the waterways, Navicartes, charts, maps or text information, they didn't have anything at all. Not even in French. The ability of the VNF to supply any information is just beyond them. (There's a good job going here for a PR, they need one)