tJoli Petit Bateau.










After four years of planning and anticipation, with definite retirement now a reality, we have at long last completed our first cruise in France.

A hugely successful experience. Although we have travelled considerably in France previously, being with a boat brings one closer to the country and the people. Compelled to slow down and linger, all the little details and characteristics of places are not missed. The five weeks were full of Variety and interest, not a moment of boredom. Not exactly a relaxing holiday, every day seemed far too short and filled with activity.
We received the very best of cooperation, courtesy and friendly assistance from Lock Keepers, Commercial Boats, Hire boaters, Marina Operators, Shopkeepers, Restaurateurs and all others in the many villages and towns through which we passed. When towing on the French roads I was also pleasantly surprised by the courtesy shown by Truck drivers and other road users, even when I made a couple of mistakes approaching junctions and found myself in the wrong lane. (We are trying to forget entering the gate reserved only for trucks with special payment cards at our first Motorway toll gates.)
The phrase most often heard gives me the title for this report.

The route started at Laroche - Migennes which is situated at the junction of The Canal de Bourgogne and River Yonne. Upstream on The Yonne to Auxerre where the waterway becomes The Canal de Nivernais. South to Decize, then on to The Canal Lateral a la Loire and Northwards to C. de Briere and C. du Loing, until joining the River Seine at St Mammes. Downriver to Paris and more slowly back upstream to Montereau. Finally again upstream on the River Yonne returning to the starting point. Our guide books show this to be 710 Km and 225 locks, plus a few locks and Km for the various branches explored.
35 Days afloat. Generally a leisurely pace. On Easter Sunday and May Day we were  unable to move since the canals were closed. One day was used to visit Fontainbleau, and Four Days stay in Paris.

First a few words about the preparations.
The idea has been with us since we first ordered High Jump in August 1995, Ray’s first order for a Trailable Sea Otter. Not an original idea but the result of reading an article in The Wilderness Boatowners Club Newsletter by The Parker Family, who had just completed this identical trip in their boat Bobbles. This article not only wetted our appetite but gave lots of practical advice. We must also thank several other members of the WBOC for their assistance and advice, particularly Carol Burberry and Dave Smith.




In order to license the boat with VNF (Voi Navigables de France) it must be entered on the British Small Ships Register. A current safety certificate is required and also Owners Helmsman’s Certificate.
One Years  Licence for French Waterways cost F678. VNF sent details and an application form in reply to my E Mailed inquiry. I sent off the completed form and payment by Bankers Draft (Cost £8) and the Licence was received in an amazingly fast three days.
Purchase CEVNI Rules, it is mandatory for this to be on board.
Boat and trailer insurance was extended to cover the intended trip. This cost £39.37 for Six weeks.
Land Rover is insured with Norwich Union Direct who charged £56.71  to extend Comprehensive Cover to Foreign travel and  also Euro Protection, which is breakdown assistance in Europe, for up to six months within a year. Good value!

Guides. We used the following.
Guide Fluvial, No 2, Loire/Nivernais. Obtained from Crown Blue Line. Pretend you are going to hire one of their boats and they are very helpful. Very good detail of waterway and easy to read. The latest edition has increased map cover of surrounding country. Beware of some of the general information - restaurants and various facilities, which can be well out of date.
For the River Seine. Carte Guide de Navigation Fluvial. La Seine. (Navicarte 2) From Kelvin Hughes, expensive at £17.50 but necessary.
Inland Waterways of France. David Edwards May. £24.00 This is the classic detailed and necessary planning tool, but we found was very little used during the actual voyaging except sometimes to check on daily or overall progress.
Road Maps. Serie Verte. (1cm:1Km.) Nos. 21, 27, 28, 36. Sufficiently detailed for walks and visits to surrounding areas.

Additional equipment which was found useful.
A sturdy long shaft boat hook and a shorter light aluminium shafted version. Great assistance in locks.
A couple of good quality long mooring lines. We found 20M adequate and used one only at the centre, cabin roof, mooring ring at all times. The quality pays not only in consideration for users hands but also to withstand considerable usage and still slip easily from bollards and rings when taken in.
A spare diesel can, at least 10L. Essential.
Camping Gaz. Cylinder exchange facility is usually found at hypermarkets.
Not additional, but the usual short lengths of chain with spring clip and shackles were found useful for mooring to steel piles.
A black and Decker rechargeable vacuum cleaner. The most powerful obtainable. Brilliant.




My very special invention - A plastic garden chair, modified and strongly bolted to the stern rail. With a clip on sun shade and cushion, this improved comfort for “The Crew” by about 200%. Avoided sore bum and back ache in the long days and weeks perched on the stern.
A 500W Honda Generator for charging batteries. This was hardly used since mains electricity points are so freely provided. Running boats engine to charge would have been adequate. However with a dodgy electrical system I was happy to carry this as a back up.
Lifejackets. Used at all times on the rivers.
A small filter jug. Water nowadays is certainly safe to drink all over France but sometimes heavily chlorinated. This little device ensured a supply of drinking water and decent tasting tea and coffee.
Mobile Phone. Don’t forget to get set up for roaming so that you can make and receive calls in France. Expensive. We used it very little, but well worth while to have the comfort of knowing that you can be contacted if necessary. Also enabled us to set up meeting points with visitors.

We left home in the early morning of Tuesday 18th April and boarded the 07.45 P&O Ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre. The weather forecast for English Channel was not good, so the previous evening I had changed the reserved Club Class seats for a two berth outside cabin - at no extra cost. In the event the crossing was comfortable. Nostalgia - The Pride of Portsmouth turns out to be The Ex Olou Britannia on which we had made many crossings from Sheerness to Vlissingen about ten years ago.
Arrival at Le Havre completely trouble free, no customs or immigration inspection. Exit from town is easy, just be sure to keep to the right along with the trucks and avoid the underpasses. Over the Tancarville Bridge and on to the A1 towards Paris. A steady 55mph felt comfortable, a bit slower than most of the big trucks except on the inclines. The Defender 110 is a very stable tow truck, some small disturbance to watch for when overtaken by the larger trucks. Roads in France are generally pleasantly uncrowded. My planned route around Paris went by the board and we simply followed the signs for the A6 - Autoroute de Soleil.

This first evening we pulled a few Miles off the Autoroute to Milly Le Foret and “High Jump” became a caravan. A new experience.
This was a commercial site, rather crowded and with difficult access. The boat trailer has axles set much farther back than a caravan and maneuvering around corners and border hedges on the site was difficult. No grass, dirt base, rather noisy. Cost F113 including electricity.
From past experience with a caravan, it would be better to use municipal sites. Almost every small town and village has a “Camping”. These are usually almost empty and can be very pleasant.
When connecting the electricity supply for the first time we found the outlet was a standard French, two round pin type. This turned out to be usually the case, even at canal mooring sites. I fabricated an adapter for our Standard Blue three pin connector but since returning home have found a ready made up adapter at our local camping shop.

From Joigny to Migennes the D943 runs close to the River Yonne. We could see the fast flowing current resulting from the heavy rain of the last few weeks. Generally water levels were high throughout our trip.
Arrived at Migennes about lunch time just as the sun broke through and for the next few days the weather was exceptionally hot and sunny. The slipway at the Connoisseur Cruiser hire station is excellent with easy access. Dominique, who I had spoken too by phone, was on holiday but the staff were most helpful and quickly shifted a couple of boats which were blocking the slipway. No charge for use of slipway.
I had arranged to leave the Land Rover and Trailer at nearby Chantier Fluvial de Migennes, owned and operated by an Englishman, Joe Parfitt. He lives on site and the yard is well fenced. Charge for duration of our trip F250. (I topped this up somewhat when we returned.)
After a trial run up the Canal de Bourgogne as far as the first lock we returned and moored up at a pleasant quay not far from our launch point - immediately behind a narrow boat from The Grand Union. During our five weeks we met five narrow boats in all, that had been trucked across the Channel.
We appear to have a special talent for arriving at places on the one evening of the week when all restaurants are closed and started well with Migennes. Our emergency supply of tins from Marks and Spencers to the rescue.
A disturbed night due to the noise from the well used four track railway line and marshalling yard on the opposite side of the canal. Many more freight trains than we see in UK.

Thursday morning saw us passing down through the 5.5M deep lock from C. de Bourgogne on to the River Yonne. Our first day was spent cruising upstream to Auxerre. The size of the first Lock encountered was awe inspiring, being occupied solely by our 23ft boat, but of course this was nothing compared to the locks we would navigate later on the Seine.
I was immediately taken to task by the Eclusier for entering the lock before the gates were fully opened - later, in the manually operated canal locks, the Eclusiers were only too pleased for us to use just one gate.

Good moorings at the Port de Plaisance, Auxerre, opposite the old town and Cathedral. A dramatic view to wake up to on a clear sunny morning. Cost of mooring F34 per night, which includes free electricity if required and showers and toilet in the office block, extremely clean, private and with an abundance of piping hot water. Washing machine and tumble drier also available.
In general moorings on rivers are commercial but on canals a fee is seldom applicable. 


We were fortunate to be in Auxerre on Friday morning when the weekly market is held. Don’t bother with all the usual tat at the front but navigate through the crowd to the food section. Wonderful selection with much local produce and all temptingly displayed.
There is a Leclerc Hypermarket a short walk from the moorings which was useful for stocking up on basics.
Auxerre deserves a longer stay but at this stage of the trip we were keen to be moving on and left after lunch.

Above Auxerre the waterway becomes the Canal de Nivernais with a mixture of river and canalised sections. This is a beautiful canal. Mostly rural, very few boats at the time we were there.

Friday evening we moored at Vincelles and dined on board, glad of a quiet evening and early night. Saturday we were visited by Peggy’s Sister who was en route from Provence back to England. This gave us the opportunity for a drive to Vezelay. The imposing Romanesque Basilica perched high above the surrounding countryside should be seen. Unfortunately in the five years since our last visit the streets of the “Eternal Hill” have degenerated into an all too common tourist trap. I don’t feel the need to make another visit.
Later in the afternoon we were able to treat our guests to a cruise to Accolay on the Vermenton branch. where they found accommodation at Hostellerie de la Fontaine. The Restaurant in an old vaulted wine cellar can be well recommended. Le Menu F115 comprised four exceptional courses with a good selection of meat and fish.

Easter Sunday dawned wet and cold. This was a holiday for the Eclusiers, no locks open on this day but we were not sorry to spend most of the day in the warm cabin reading our books. We walked to Vermenton in the morning where the Boulangerie and Charcuterie were open. A well kept little town with pretty flower beds. Parc d’illes is worth a detour over the weir bridge and past an old water mill. Water levels were still high due to the exceptional rainfall in the preceding weeks so walking sometimes a little soggy.
In the afternoon we walked about a four mile circuit  around neighboring villages.

It is impossible in a report of this nature to do justice to all the delights of the canals experienced in five weeks. I will try to stick to the highlights. Highlights such as Chitry les Mines where we moored one morning planning to walk to Corbigney. Unfortunately the road was narrow with constant heavy traffic Walking was unpleasant and dangerous. (I have since been told that there is a “back road” past the house of Jules Renard.) Returning to the boat we realised that lunch was going to be mostly the remains of a stale baguette. Suddenly a small white van skidded to a halt alongside, frantic horn blowing - Le Boulanger. What a selection. No time for indecision - As he leafed through the pile of trays every expression of interest or admiration resulted in two unknown goodies being thrust into my hands. I ended up with a crusty baguette, 2 Smoked Salmon Quiches, 2 Fresh Strawberry tarts, 2 Pain au Chocolate, all for F30.

At Chitry les Mines I had a chat with Ted Johnson, proprietor of Marine Diesel. Could be useful if repairs or spares are needed.

The Nivernais should be taken slowly, lingered over, savour the many delightful towns, villages and empty rural areas. France is a big, empty, unchanging country. The aging rural population have no intention of changing or updating there way of life.
The guide books extol the delights of Mailly le Chateau, Clamecy, etc. I will not repeat what others can put in to words so much better.
We will be returning to The Nivernais in Autumn traveling in the opposite direction.

A highlight was the passage of the 16 lock Sardy flight to the summit at Baye.  Our accompanying Eclusier seemed happy to be working with “Professionals” as we now considered ourselves. Be sure that pride always comes before a fall, and never more true than with a boat. These helpful and patient chaps must have their patience sorely tried at times by some of the hire boaters. Everyone has to learn, but some crews did afford us a lot of quiet and hopefully well hidden amusement. This day gradually turned wet, wetter and wetter again, so we spent little time in admiring the magnificent vistas. We quickly fell into a routine. As Peggy drove High Jump into each lock the Eclusier was up ahead with his van preparing the next one. I pick up the centre rope from the cabin roof using the long shaft boat hook, round a bollard and back down to Peggy. Close the single gate, Eclusier opens the paddles and I am off to the next lock. We completed the entire flight in 2 ½  Hours. By the time we reached the summit we were so wet that we were not able to fully appreciate the magnificent wooded cutting, with its waterfalls down the banks and two tunnels. This is a one way section controlled by lights so had to keep going to Baye.
Took on water. One of the few places where this was charged and then moored in a field near Bazolles.
Nice position overlooking the Etang de Baye. Will probably be very crowded in summer.
This is an area totally devoid of shops, don’t believe the guides. Later that afternoon walked to Collancelle a neighbouring village 2Km away, for supplies and I tried to decide at what point the water in the roadside ditch started flowing to The Bay of Biscay instead of The English Channel. SORRY - La Manche.
That evening had an excellent meal in the small restaurant in Bazolles. Typically a delightful room with quality cuisine, hidden behind a smoky unprepossessing bar. We were the only customers.




The Nivernais changes character on the descending section to The Loire at Decize. More open countryside. Another memorable meal at Hotel Le Val d’Aron in Cercy la Tour. Climbed the little streets to “The Terrace” Fresh salad from a stall in the market place. Goats Cheese from the boot of a farmers car, Galoise going and hands straight from the farmyard. To hell with E.U. regulations.
Next day was 1st May, locks closed, blazing hot, so only moved a little way down the canal. Walked to Verneuil, a village charming for its lack of everything except a bar. A wood beside the road with wild Lily of The Valley growing in profusion - and yes we did pick some.

On down to Decize and the Loire crossing. To anyone following - take the backwater “Vieille Loire” which will lead you to moorings on the picturesque side of town, near the centre. We unfortunately did not do this and parked on a charmless broken down quay while exploring the town.

Passed through our first automatic locks from the River Loire up to the Canal Lateral de la Loire. From now on we would come across many of these locks operated by boats crew. The details vary slightly but all are easy to operate. As we became used to them we found it unnecessary to use a mooring rope in the lock and simply held position with the engine, fending off from the sides if necessary with the short boathook. (You knew that would have a use!)

Crown blue line have a base in the basin between the Loire and its Lateral Canal. Very helpful. We replaced lost mooring pin - free of charge. Purchased the new edition of their Guide Fluvial and filled up with diesel.
Obtaining fuel is definitely a problem. Consumption is of course much heavier than we are used to when tootling along the English canals, particularly on the big rivers. Our nine gallon tank does not last long. Do not rely on the waterside supply points shown in the guides, these are frequently long gone or not open when needed. Pleasure boats in France must use white diesel (called gasoil in France) so there is no cost penalty in purchasing from roadside filling stations, in fact this is slightly cheaper.  Cost at garage F5.5  per Litre, at Waterside pumps F6.0 to F7.0 per Litre.
I walked many miles with my 10 Litre can and almost came unstuck a couple of times in remote areas. Like Britain almost all small filling stations have disappeared and Petrol sale is mostly by Hypermarkets and large main road sites.
In future whenever we notice a filling station close by the canal I shall fill to capacity. (Will mention a couple of useful sites later on.)

The Lateral a la Loire is wider, deeper and with fewer locks than the Nivernais. Still very little traffic but faster than Nivernais. The speed limit is 8KPH for boats less than 20 Tonnes, but no one seems to stick to this. We started to meet Yachts en route to the Med. And they in particular were usually setting up a huge bow wave and wash.


Yachties in general were aloof.
We had great fun watching one small Yacht Registered in Toulon which overtook us numerous times over a three day period, always desperate to get in to a lock and close the gate before we caught up. It was driven by a little bantam of a man who practically danced a hornpipe when heaving his cats cradle of ropes from the lockside and strutted frantically around the lock edges. Wife was banished to the cabin and not allowed to help, we only saw her during his determined overtaking manouvres when she would give us an embarrassed little wave. Cock bantam resolutely refused to catch our eye.
Hire boaters on the other hand were usually friendly. We could always recognize a British crew, they would be practically waving their arms of when they saw our narrow boat approaching.

Nevers is a pleasant city. Worth the trip along the “Embranchement” but the industrial area is an unattractive place to moor for the night. We went on to Plagney.
We now found the second important use for our long boathook. Fending off huge furry and very dead rodents from the side of the moored boat and encouraging them out into the current. I have no idea what they were, could it be Coypu? Whatever, the Loire Lateral, Briare and Loing were well supplied with them.

Talking of pests reminds me that throughout the trip we noticed a great deal of Japanese Knot Weed, particularly in the semi urban areas. No evidence of any action being taken. Big problems in the near future I think.

Not a lot of luck with Restaurants on this part of the trip. Whenever we did find one it was invariably their one day of the week closed. Although I must mention Chez Jossette, the room behind a tiny bar, close beside the lock at Arenvieres. Having checked that the restaurant was open Jossette was expecting us and had gone to town with the preparations. A great meal but ridiculously small bill, all done with enthusiasm and a smile.

Sancerre set on its hill top comes into view from several miles away. We stopped in mid afternoon at Menetreol sous Sancerre intending to stay the night and walk to Sancerre the next day. However the mooring is positioned in the centre of the village right alongside a busy road. The famous Country et Colonial Restaurant is bolted and shuttered, somewhat dilapidated and displaying a For Sale sign. However not all bad, We recommend a walk up the hill on to the defunct railway viaduct where the view over the valley and hillside vineyards is just reward for the effort of the climb.
After our walk and a welcome Ice Cream Sundae we moved on towards St Thibault. Just before the branch leading to the port de Plaisance the canal runs alongside a road and directly opposite is a large Intermarche with filling station. We enjoy shopping in the small villages but an occasional visit to a Supermarket is useful. Here it is easy to moor up (chains required) and pop across the road for Diesel and Camping Gaz as well as the heavy supplies - beer and wine mostly.
I digress again, but soon after arrival in the Burgundy area Peggy, who has developed a taste in later life for a daily glass of champagne, tried the local Creme de Bourgogne. This is similar to champagne, but being geographically barred from using  that title is considerably cheaper. However the Brut was enthusiastically declared to be the equal of any champagne, so each trip ashore for provisions would see me returning laden with a few bottles to build up the store ready for return home.

As we approached St Thibault our hearts sank. The semi derelict grain silos are ugly and off putting. Another mistake?  No, a sharp right turn under the narrow bridge brought us into a tranquil backwater. The short branch leading down to the river is a different world. A variety of interesting boats old and new, grassy banks, plenty of quiet moorings, no hassle. We arrived just in time to watch a replica Loire trading vessel locking in from the river. Walk past the lock and suddenly there is a spectacular view of the Loire. Outside in the village, having been complaining about lack of restaurants, suddenly there is a surfeit. Even an English pub.
That evening we dined at a rather grand establishment nearby, where I had booked a window table overlooking the river and Pont de St Satur. This was a specialty Restaurant serving mostly local river fish. Dutifully we savoured these treats - probably the kindest comment is “Perhaps river fish is an acquired taste.” However the position and ambiance made up for any shortcomings in the selection of dishes.

Next day, Saturday, we walked to Sancerre. Avoid the main road and head in more or less a straight line up minor roads and gravel tracks which should bring you on to the terrace overlooking the Loire Valley. It is a further short walk to the central square, surrounded by narrow cobbled streets with ancient haphazard buildings.
Since our last visit Sancerre has been designated a “World Heritage Centre” so a vast amount of cash has become available for preservation and development of tourist amenities. It is certainly changed - clean, neat and jolly, but not totally spoiled. Not as much tat as Vezelay. The shops tucked away in the ancient buildings yielded up a Daily Telegraph for me and a nice silk T Shirt top for Peggy.

We moved on that afternoon to Chatillon sur Loire. Here we saw our first working barge. Just at dusk a laden cargo barge passed upstream. Very quiet, moving very slowly around the bends and completely filling the channel. A sight that lingers long in the memory.
The town of Chatillon sur Loire defeats me. I have been trying not to use the word quaint, but these small ancient houses piled up the hilly side streets defy any other description.



On Sunday 7th May we passed over the imposing steel Aqueduct at Briare, often attributed to Eiffel although he was actually only responsible for the stone work. This was a dream come true, when we first walked across this aqueduct we had not even thought about owning our own boat.
This is one way traffic with no formal control and today being Sunday several local trip boats were stirring. However we crossed without incident and moored up and walked down the branch canal to the town. Attractive town and Port de Plaisance. Mediocre lunch - no lets be honest it was downright bad, and slow arriving.

On to the Canal de Briare. Montargris is sometimes called “Little Venice of Gatinais” although this does seem rather an exaggeration. We arrived around lunchtime but found it very difficult to find a mooring. Eventually tied up just after the main town right outside the police station. Should be safe here! In fact in all our time in France we never felt any hesitation in leaving the boat or detected any threat to ourselves. EXCEPT one peculiar incident which I will come to later. Good lunch here to pass the time until the city woke up at two o clock, but we are not very good with large towns and soon set off on our way again.

After Montargris the waterway becomes the Canal du Loing, without discernable difference by the boater. Wed 10 May was another hot sunny day, but we had to make a long walk to Dordives, a town strung out along a Route National with nothing to recommend it, except the presence of a filling station. We were seeking Gasoil again.

Just before arriving at Nemours we were hailed from the bank by a Television crew. With their faltering English and my French, which is on a par with Del Boy’s, we understood that they were from the local Childrens TV Channel and were filming a group of children fishing on the canal bank. Would we help them to get a shot from the water. We brought High Jump into the side and the cameraman installed himself in the bow. I steamed slowly back past the group while he filmed, then by a stroke of good luck just as I turned for the return run a cargo barge appeared from the direction of Nemours. I was able to position the boat so that he obtained a shot of the barge passing the children fishing. I hope it was a success.

Nemours was the scene of our experience with “The Stalker”  In mid afternoon We passed down through Buttes Lock on to the River Loing, turned right upstream and moored at a small pontoon alongside a childrens park. This was a secluded spot, shaded and partly hidden by trees. A couple of hours was spent walking around the old town, and being a very hot day, also partaking of another ice cream sundae. As we returned to the boat a man of about 30 followed us through the gate from the park, obviously was surprised to find himself at a dead end, turned and walked away. Peggy said that she had noticed him four times previously around the town, each time when we had either retraced our steps or stopped to look at a building, obviously following us. I then walked back across the small park and surprise, there he is returning towards me. I said Bonjour and stared very pointedly at him for a few minutes. This seemed to disconcert our new friend who set off at a rapid walk back to the centre of town, me following about twenty yards behind. We played this game of reversed roles for a quarter of an hour until I got bored and returned to the boat. What was he up to exactly? We certainly felt uneasy in that particular mooring and discretion being the better part of valour cast off and steamed away down river to Moncourt - Fromonville.

On Thursday 11th May a major step in the journey. Passing several dozen barges moored along the canal at St Mammes, High Jump entered the River Seine.  A short stop at St Mammes for another can of Gasoil and provisions and then off down river. Lifejackets now definitely in order, this is a waterway like non we have ever ventured on to before. Arriving at the first lock - what on earth do we do now? However very soon a large barge with a push tow came up astern, lock gates opened and as the barge passed the Skipper is waving us to follow him in, obviously not wanting to be delayed.
The River Seine Locks are huge, 200M Long and 15M wide, however, providing the Plaisancier keeps well out of the way of the barge traffic, pose few problems. Commercial traffic has absolute priority - no argument considering their size.
Usually the pleasure boat waits until the last barge is entering the lock, taking care that a further latecomer is not speeding up behind, then follow in to the lock and find a position well back, as far away from the barges as possible. Do not delay. In the locks barges will put out one rope only, from the stern and then maintain position by running the engine almost full ahead. Even so the bow of a barge will occasionally swing across to the opposite wall. The swirling currents thus generated are ferocious, so the small pleasure boat must be secure and under control. Going downstream we used our centre mooring rope around a bollard and ran the engine to keep us tight into the lock wall. When returning upriver it was easier to go alongside a ladder and hold the boat in with the boathook until water level rose sufficiently to allow me to throw the rope around a bollard.
Leaving the lock follow a safe distance behind the barges, but again do not delay, there will probably be others already nosing in from the opposite direction.
On one occasion as we followed four barges into a lock, one being a quadruple push tow,  there seemed no safe place to moor. Turned tail just before entering the gate and headed back out to wait for the next locking.

Mostly the barges are heading downstream to Paris laden with sand and gravel returning empty at much higher speed. There is occasional grain trade mostly carried in the smaller Freycinet size barge.

The only safe place to moor on the Seine is at a Port de Plaisance. These are either river side with floating pontoon berths, or set in old disused gravel pits with a small entrance from the river.



Our first stop on the river was at Valvins, Port de Plaisance on the left bank at Km.90 where we stayed for two nights. This stop was planned so that we could visit Fontainebleau, just a short taxi ride away. Useful for that purpose but not a very nice position though the nearby small bar/restaurant was adequate. Strangely enough this was the most expensive mooring of the holiday at F85 per night.

An hours run downstream from Valvins, just before Ecluse de la Cave, is Port de Plaisance de Chartrettes. This appears to be a private club with neat safe floating pontoons, but visitors are made most welcome. Free mooring for the first three days. We only paused here briefly to visit the Intermarche 1Km away along a small path beside the river. Twice we were given a car ride by other boaters, with our diesel can, to the supermarket.

Saturday night was spent at Port de Plaisance Port Saintry on the Right Bank at Km131.4 Cost F65. This had a few floating pontoons but the main users are local boaters who launch their power boats and sail boats from slipways. There are two large slipways and acres of parking space for boat trailers. I would think that this and many of the other Seine sites would be a good place to launch a trail boat and park up Land Rover and trailer. By 7pm all the day sailors had left and we were almost alone, very peaceful.

Our first trip to France with the boat.
Six weeks in the spring of the year 2000.

Canal du Nivernais.  Canal Lateral a la Loire. Canal de Briare.

Canal du Loing. River Seine (To Paris) River Yonne.

 

The last 37Km downstream to Paris was made on a sunny Sunday. Very little commercial traffic and none at all in company with us.
As we approached each lock the gate would be in the closed position with a red light showing. Very soon the red changed to red and amber, showing that the lock was being prepared. Before long the gate opens, green light, and in we go. One small boat ¾ of an acre of lock. Moor up, the gate closes. Sometimes a shadowy figure might be seen behind the smoked glass of the control tower.
7,500 Tonnes of water runs away lowering our 3 Tonnes of boat 2 ½ M. Gate opens and off we go.
For a Licence fee of £67 per year I reckon that is good value.
Never anywhere throughout the trip did we get the impression that “You are just a small boat and a nuisance.” Generally Eclusiers knew that we were on our way and were waiting with the lock prepared. Only twice did we have to knock on a door to raise the Eclusier and both occasions were at our first lock in the morning when he obviously did not know that we were on the move.
We, in turn, always tried to keep to arrangements that had been made. There is of course a certain loss of freedom and sometimes we had the feeling that the Eclusiers knew better than us just how far we would be traveling on that particular day.




Arrived at the entrance to the port de plaisance Paris Arsenal mid afternoon and locked in. This is also the entrance from the river to The Canal St Martin which at the far end of the basin disappears into a tunnel under the Place de la Bastille.
We stayed here for four nights, good value at F70 per night. Unfortunately we were unable to use the electricity supply. The shore connection boxes were all wired with live and neutral reversed so that our trip breaker would not close. Other British boats in the moorings had the same problem. We got by using the small Honda a couple of hours each day.
This port is much used by English and Channel island boats. There was one narrow boat in residence at the time of our visit who seemed to have had a problematic trip from Calais after trucking their boat across the Channel.
Surprisingly no fuel available here and no garage selling diesel within walking distance.

We were again joined by Peggy’s sister who had found a very reasonable package deal for rail ticket and hotel through Eurostar Holidays.

One of the pleasures of Paris is that it is surprisingly compact, so that most of the sights can be reached on foot. The hustle was a shock to our system after the previous quiet weeks. Everyone under thirty, and that is a large proportion of the population, seems to have bought a pair of roller blades. I must admit I was not sorry when it was time to leave.

Probably the biggest adventure of the holiday came on Thurs 18th May when we left The Bassin de l’Arsenal and made an excursion down river as far as The Eiffel Tower. Ever since reading John and Sandra Parkers account of this run I have been determined that if a Wilderness can do it so can we.
We had arranged to lock out of the basin in good time to catch the Green light at the Pont de Sully at 09.35hrs. This was intended to allow us a good start before the Bateaux Mouches  woke up. However unfortunately we were thwarted by a Bateaux de Commerce entering the canal St Martin (Trip boat well loaded with primary school children.) and had to wait for a further hour.
While waiting we lay High Jump alongside a low concrete wall, using just our centre line and keeping a lookout for barges coming up river. Suddenly from the opposite direction a police boat appeared. He must have been travelling at 30 Knots and before I could slacken off the line High Jump was rolling so violently that the aluminium centre mooring ring was torn apart. This is quite correct, the ring is designed to break before serious damage is incurred by the roof of the boat.
Promptly at 10.35 the light turned green and we set off downstream past Ile Saint Louis and then the narrow concrete canyon around Ile de la Cite. Cargo barges which move relatively slowly do not cause a huge wash. However the Bateaux Mouche, some of which are very large, speed along and throw up vicious waves. This is magnified by echoing back and forth between the vertical riverbank walls. I am pleased to say that High Jump handled this very well. Having conducted a stability experiment when the boat was first launched I know that the Naval Architects predictions re stability are correct. This was now proved in practice. We rolled very little always returning quickly and positively to the vertical. Propeller was always submerged. I felt quite safe and confident. More power would of course be welcome and being only 23ft the boat did tend to "Surf” along the waves, sometimes heading not exactly where intended.

Just as we passed The Louvre there was an enormous bang and rumbling noise. I had hit a large submerged log. Slight damage to propeller and rudder post but not enough to cause a problem. I will remember in future whenever I see a row of little ducks. They might not be swimming - they could be standing on a log!

Turning back upstream our lack of power really became noticeable. I estimated that the Seine flows at about 2Km per Hr. Faster through the narrow stretches in Paris.
We just made it nicely as the light on Pont au Change turned green and followed a gravel barge up past Notre Dame.

Throughout this passage through the busy centre of Paris I was entirely happy that our boat could cope with the conditions, and felt confident and safe. I would however emphasise that this is not for the nervous or inexperienced. I refused to take two additional passengers.

On the outskirts of Paris just above Ecluse Port a L’Anglais is a very useful Shell filling station. On the Right Bank at Km 160.8. There is a low concrete wall to go alongside, no  mooring rings or bollards but roadside handrails serve OK. Self service pumps are just across the road. I made four trips across the road with my can, on the last visit light suddenly dawned in the young cashiers eyes - “Un Bateau!” he said.

Port aux Cerises could easily be missed.  Km146.5 on the Right Bank, a small entrance almost obscured by trees. Rather run down moorings, but a haven of peace. Only a very short walk to shops and a good selection of Restaurants. We arrived just before the manager was leaving but very friendly and helpful reception.

Next day we plugged on up the river. Stopped at lunchtime alongside a decent mooring at St Germain les Corbeil. Stretched our legs with a walk across the bridge to Corbeil Essones. As found in most French towns there is a pedestrianised shopping street with a good selection of shops.

Now it turned wet, cold and wetter again - Seven o clock in the evening found us approaching Melun having failed to find a mooring for the night. At Km111.9 on the right bank, the guide shows Port de Plaisance. Our last hope. The entrance is so small that I almost missed it. Passing inside we entered a tiny little harbour with a few boats moored but no sign of life. We found a mooring and passed a peaceful night. Next morning, Saturday a few people appeared mostly optimistically renovating boats which seemed to live permanently on the bank. We realised that the site was next door to a sewage farm, which had not been evident during our stay.  Filled our water tank, dumped our garbage, and eventually  left. Never did find anyone to accept a mooring fee. The smartest marina could not have been more welcome than that strange little place at dusk on a cold wet evening.

Stopped again at Chartrettes to visit Intermarche. Just after leaving Paris our gas water heater, which has given trouble since the boat was new, gave up the ghost altogether. Ablutions had therefore become pretty sketchy. As we walked around Intermarch the store security guard followed not particularly surreptitiously. He watched us through the checkout and even ensured that we returned our trolley correctly. Did we really look like water gypsies. Well - probably!

Later in the afternoon we turned off the Seine and retraced our steps back along the River Loing. Passed all the moored barges at St Mammes searching for a mooring and arrived at Moret sur Loing, almost at the first lock. The new moorings mentioned in the guide are still at the planning stage, however just where the river joins the canal, past the no entry sign, there is a small derelict quay with water just deep enough for a Sea Otter. Beware the few pieces of old angle iron sticking out to trap the unwary.
Moret is a gem. It has no frontage to the canal, so going down we had completely missed it. Now by chance we discovered a splendid old town, with narrow streets and medieval gates at each end of the main street. The particularly special feature is the stone  bridge spanning the several fast flowing branches of the river with five water mills clustered around.
On this Saturday a special regional market had been organised by the local tourist office which had drawn great crowds into the town centre. Great selection of regional wares.
In July and August a son et lumiere display is put on each Saturday.

Sunday was another wet day. On up a rather boring stretch of the Seine and on to the final leg, the Yonne. Peggy spent almost all day sheltering down below, occasionally passing me hot coffee with a drop of something stimulating added. I was headed for a Port de Plaisance at Misy - sur -Yonne. This was another large worked out gravel pit, but upon entering the very narrow entrance, partially blocked by a sunken boat, we were dismayed to see several dozen jet skis roaring around a circuit. We moored up to a floating pontoon. The noise and wash kicked up by the jet skis made this most uncomfortable. However by 7pm all activity had ceased and silence reigned. The “Base de Losirs” included an excellent restaurant. Welcoming decor and good food. We were the only customers. Apparently all Le Parisians had returned home after the weekend.




This part of the Yonne features peculiar sloping sided locks. Not too difficult going upriver but these must be extremely difficult when passing downstream. About half of these locks have recently been fitted with a small floating platform which rides up restraining rails  on the sloping lock side. Just tie up to the platform. Very easy.

Level of fuel tank became a cause for concern and much too low before we found a Filling Station, just a short distance along the main road at Pont sur Yonne. A couple more trips with my can.

Joigny was the last “Port of call”. We overnighted here on Tuesday 23 May. Interesting medieval town built on a hillside overlooking the river. Some ancient wooden houses crowded in narrow steep hillside alleyways. The floating moorings are opposite on the left bank. Unfortunately the manager had left before we arrived having turned off the water main to ensure that on one filled up without paying their 10 Francs. This was one of the rare days when we had not found a water point earlier in the day but with care we just lasted out. No one had arrived at the office before we set off next morning, so we had no guilty conscience about not paying our mooring fee.
An excellent dinner at The Rive Gauche, a short walk from the moorings. Expensive but not unreasonable for a good restaurant.

The circle completed “High Jump” passed upwards through the 5.5M deep lock back to Migennes. Booked a ferry berth next evening by telephone and spent some time preparing for the homeward trip. Recovered on to the trailer without problems by 9 o clock Thursday morning. The tow to Le Havre went well although the hot sunny weather was very soporific and I had to stop for a brief snooze in the afternoon.

Parked up outside the ferry terminal gates and took a walk around town. Le Havre has brightened up a little since the days when it was run by a Communist Mayor and Council, but is still a place to pass through rather than linger. However everywhere has some redeeming feature and a small boutique outside the Marina was declared to have the best selection of ladies casual clothes that Peggy had ever seen!

So early next morning, without delay, back on to English roads and by 7.15 we were home.

We will return!
The plan for September is to return to Migenne and navigate a ring comprising C.de Bourgogne, Saone, Canal du Centre, Loire lateral and Nivernais in the opposite direction. I reckon this to be about 40 days cruising.

Anyone who has managed to persevere in reading this far - congratulations. You are entitled to a free copy of our next epic cruise report.

If anyone is contemplating a similar venture and there should be any assistance or advice which we can give as a result of our experience, please do not hesitate to make contact, by E Mail, Fax or telephone - even snail mail is very welcome. We will be pleased to hear from you.

Eddie & Peggy Green.