Just to let you know that we are now safely back home in Tarbert and Tiercel is in the boatyard in Rouen. On this section of the cruise we have motored down the River Marne, into Paris and then down the River Seine to Rouen. Despite our wearyess and desire to get home, It was by far the most relaxing and pleasant part of our travels through France – although it did have some uncomfortable moments. 

Chateau Thierry

On 27 .August we left Epernay at 7.00 loaded to the gunwales with Champagne and good Burgundies. We were now travelling downstream so arrived at the first lock on the River Marne very quickly. On arrival we called on the VHF. It opened without prompting and we moored up to a pontoon in the lock. The lock-keeper came strolling across to us carrying an executive briefcase – worrying! However he handed the briefcase to us and said “remote control”. Inside it was the latest in Marne lock opening devices – a giant remote control with buttons, flashing lights, and loadsa interesting messages,a real boy toy! 

We passed through 5 locks without a hitch although we noticed that the current flowing out of the adjacent weirs was very strong and required substantial welly on the throttle to counteract them. Apart from that we really enjoyed the day. 

At 13.30 we arrived in Chateau Thierry, way ahead of schedule. Here they had a pontoon mooring with water, electricity and picnic tables . After paying for the mooring we noticed that there was also a chip van, fairground and resident dancing guy prancing around the picnic tables – weird and a little ominous! 

Later in the afternoon a parade came past consisting of bands, troops, local dignitaries and vintage US WW2 vehicles. This was part of a day of celebration to remember the liberation of the town from the Nazis in 1944. 

After the commemoration service the chip van shut up shop – boo – and the fairground shut up shop – hooray! However, dancing man and a small coterie of friends continued to groove/ chat/ drink/ explore the possibilities of mind-altering substances until the wee small hours. 

St Jean Les Deux Jumeaux

We got away at 07.45 from Chateau Thierry and headed for La Ferte Sous Jouarre. It was a
cloudy/chilly morning when we set off and really didn’t improve much . La Ferte looked impressive as we arrived but, when we got to the halte fluvial pontoons, it had taken on a rather neglected, vandalised look so we decided to move on. 

A few kms later we arrived at St Jean les Deux Jumeaux where the halte fluvial pontoon was full to capacity. However, we ended up mooring up to a grassy bank a couple of hundred yards from the lock. 

St Jean appeared to be a sleepy little village but, despite it being Sunday afternoon the local shop was open and Rob managed to buy essential (to him) supplies (biscuits).  

Lagny

After a good night’s sleep we set off at 08.00 and went straight into the first lock, where we had to surrender the remote control. From here on in all the locks were either manned or had dangling poles (long sticks – not Polish nationals!) which one pushed and twisted to open the locks.

We passed through 4 locks and a 500 metre tunnel before arriving at Lagny on a rather grey, dreary day . 

The halt fluvial at Lagny is right in the middle of the town which meant that we could catch up with our shopping prior to heading off to Paris the next day. 

Paris

Rob woke up and strolled into town for a fresh baguette and some pain au chocolate. We then had breakfast,walked Marley and set off for Paris. 

From Lagny onwards the scenery changed from seriously rural via, industrial, suburban (posh rowing clubs and loads of green space), to high skyscrapers and finally we got our first view of central Paris and the Isle de la Citie with the stunning Notre Dame Cathedral. 

We also passed under many bridges, 2 locks and a tunnel. As we approached the tunnel the lights indicated that there was something wrong with the tunnel. As we arrived at the two red lights (indicating that the tunnel had a problem) we saw the stern of a Brit sailing boat disappearing into the tunnel . Rob went into commuter driving mode “Bastard – breaking all the rules, a danger to other boats, a threat to world peace etc, etc”  A call to the lock on VHF elicited no reply at all. Rob then phoned them and was told that we could go through the
tunnel – there was a problem with the lights! 

Directly after the tunnel we came into a lock where the other Brit boat (Sarah Grace out of Glasgow) was moored. They helped us tie up in the lock and we discovered they were also headed for Scotland via Rouen and Paris. 

We followed them into the next lock and then through a never-ending series of bridges into the noisy (trains, cars, sirens) centre of Paris. 

Our mooring in central Paris was in the Arsenal, right by the Place de la Bastille (how central can you get!). We waited for the lock into the Arsenal to open and were treated to great views of the centre of the city while we stooged around. The lock was quite fierce which required us to keep a tight rein on Tiercel as the water poured in . 

On arrival in this historic marina (it was originally the arsenal for the Bastille) we moored up and paid up for 2 nights. We then had a long chat with Gordon and Anne from Sarah Grace. They too had been 10 years in the Med and were returning home to the West coast of Scotland. 

Once settled in to the Arsenal we took ourselves out for a stroll in the immediate vicinity and did a wee bit of shopping. On our return to Tiercel we planned what we would do on the morrow as this would be our only full day in Paris. 

After a good night’s sleep, followed by a bit of housework and maintenance, we were out and on the streets of Paris at 09.30. We had decided to spend the day walking from the Arsenal, along the right bank, cross the river to the left bank and get to the Eiffel Tower. 

We strolled up the road, onto the Isle de la Citie and up to Note Dame via a couple of souvenir shops . At 10.00 the queues for entering the Cathedral were already long and, as
we had Marley with us, we decided just to take photos and generally admire it. 

As we mimsied up the right bank we could not fail to notice the number of armed police and soldiers making their presence felt. They were armed with everything from the latest assault guns (soldiers) to ex WW2 carbines (police).  

Despite these security arrangements we were hugely impressed with Paris. The size of the Louvre really knocked us back. By the time we had passed it and arrived at the Jardin de Tuileries we sat down for a coffee and pain au chocolat at a food stall and admired the views.   What other world capital would allow a simple cafe stall in such a place. We and a few other discerning visitors sat and contemplated the the modern glass pyramid at the entrance to
the vast palace of the Louvre; the natural, cultivated beauty of the Jardin Des Tuileries and the built heritage that is the Arc de Triomphe . We sat in our own bubble of contemplative peace and quiet while other tourist bustled about with their cameras, selfie sticks and segways. Each to their own, I suppose.  

We continued up the right bank before crossing to the Eiffel Tower. Every few seconds we would stop and admire some building or fascinating feature of this intriguing city. 

We arrived at the Tower and were pleasantly surprised by the gardens surrounding it and, again, the comparative peacefulness we found here. 

Having seen the Eiffel Tower we headed into the back streets adjacent to the Left Bank for lunch. There were many good restaurants here. We chose a pavement table outside a restaurant on a street corner. It was clearly busy but the food looked really good. The menu was excellent, the food superb and the service was as good as it gets. We also found ourselves chatting with the folk on surrounding tables – both visitors and locals . This was probably the best meal experience we have had in our travels to date. 

After lunch we explored the shopping on the Left Bank. The hundreds of wee stalls selling antiques, bric a brac, collectible books and magazines were, to put it mildly, distracting. It was a hot afternoon and we were starting to wilt so stopped at a street cafe for a refreshing beer before arriving back at the Arsenal. 

Paris had provided us with a great sample of its delights. We are already planning a return next year, hopefully the first of many! 

Conflans St
Honorine

After our exhausting day in Paris we awoke in time to leave the Arsenal at 08.15. We proceeded through the many bridges, past the beautiful centre of the city and into its industrial/commercial areas. The banks were lined with hundreds of peniches converted into homes. They ranged from simple conversions, via some quite intriguing avant garde designs, to three storey monsters that could only be moved by tugs . 

As we approached the first lock we were behind a double barge pusher unit (two barges, side by side, being pushed by a powerful, purpose designed bulldozer of a boat), a full sized peniche and a small cruising peniche. No way were we going to fit in but, as we watched, the huge maw of the lock consumed all of them and we were being told to hurry up by the lock keeper as we tied up behind the double pusher unit. 

The lock was the size of a football pitch and was only one of 3 locks operating alongside one another. Slowly and gently it emptied and, with the minimum of fuss, we exited it with quiet efficiency. All of the other boats slowly left us behind until, by the next lock, we were on our own. We called on VHF to say we were approaching the lock. The gates opened and we proceeded gingerly into its massive interior. Tiercel looked like a wee toy boat in a giant boating lake when we tied up to the side of this massive structure . Slowly the gates closed
and the thousands of gallons poured from the lock until we had descended about 2 metres. The front gates opened and we exited, equally gingerly, downstream. 

As we travelled down the Seine we began to meet quite a lot of peniche traffic and the complications of the traffic system started to make themselves felt. Every now and again, for no perceptible reason, we had to swap sides of the river and travel down the opposite side. Whilst the traffic going upstream came over to the side we had been travelling on. Can you imagine driving up a main road like the A1 and being told to swap sides??!! We were
convinced that this had been dreamt up by some insane waterways engineer with a seriously overdeveloped sense of humour. As we progressed down the river these swapovers became more frequent and it was increasingly difficult to remember which side of the river we were meant to be on! Invariably we came across these swapover zones just as some giant
peniche or pusher convoy was coming the other way!  

Towards the end of the day’s travelling we were approaching a bridge when we saw three teenage boys running and screaming across it . As we went under we heard a loud bang at
the stern of the boat. One of the little numbskulls had thrown a stone or rock down at us which just missed Gina, and our solar panels. It bounced off of the stern of the boat. They then legged it before we could get a photo of the knuckleheads! This incident really soured our day for us and we plugged on for another couple of hours, past our intended destination, to put some distance between ourselves and these wee shites! 

Our day started to get a lot better when we arrived at the port of Conflans St Honorine where we found an uncrowded halte fluvial right in the centre of town. Conflans is another town with the title ‘Canal Capital of France’. It has a canal museum and one of its churches is situated
in a converted peniche. Most importantly for us there was a boulangerie and patisserie virtually next to the boat. 

Port de L’Ilon

The following morning Gina woke feeling dizzy and had great difficulty maintaining her balance . This was the return of her labyrinthitis. Rob walked Marley to the boulangerie and bought a fresh baked baquette and some pains au chocolat. After breakfast Gina decided she was OK to continue the journey as we only had one lock and 50kms to worry about. We had decided to stay at our next port for 3 nights to see off a spell of bad weather. 

Again the journey was plagued by bloody crossovers but the scenery had become much more rural again and we rather enjoyed the trip. Gina decided to help out at the one lock and was able to do so effectively – and without plunging into the lock! 

The port of L’Ilon is well hidden. It is through a narrow entrance and a tortuous passage through a small lake, under a very narrow bridge and into a huge lake. It really was a beautiful spot with a full blown marina, boatyard, showers, laundry etc. The only sounds were the birds and the turbulent waters plunging over the weir at the lock ½ a kilometre away . 

It was great to just relax and know that we didn’t have to press on for another couple of days.
For Gina it was a chance to recover from the labyrinthitis. On the second day we took ourselves for a pleasant 2km walk into a local village where we were able to top up our larder with enough grub to see us to Rouen. 

Les Greves Du Lac

After our 3 night stop we set off at 07.45 on our penultimate day on the Seine. The weather was a mixture of mist and drizzle for most of the journey. We travelled through some gorgeous scenery, particularly around the Town of Andelys where there is a castle, built among the chalk cliffs, by Richard the Lionheart to defend the British territories in France. The castle was eventually breached and defeated while under the rule of his brother John (of Magna Carta renown). Thus British rule over this part of France was ended. 

We found the entrance to our destination through a small gap in the tree lined bank 20km before the final lock on the Seine . The port of Les Greves du Lac was situated in another lake. It was still being built but was in a beautiful situation by a country park and had all the conveniences of a full blown marina. 

The weather was, frankly, miserable with almost perpetual fine rain. Nonetheless we were able to give Marley a good walk and then snuggle down in Tiercel’s cosy interior for a good night’s sleep. 

Rouen

We were away at 07.45 on another misty, wet, grey morning. We weaved our way along the Seine through the mist enshrouded islands and arrived at our last lock, Amfreville. We called them on the radio and entered the lock and then, suddenly, absolutely nothing happened, After about 15 minutes the lock gates closed, ever so slowly. Then, again, nowt happened. 15 minutes later the water drained, ever so slowly from the lock, until it was at the level of the tidal Seine on the other side of the front gates . Then 15 minutes passed and nothing happened. Rob got the lockkeeper on the VHF and asked if there was a problem. The official
mumbled something, probably in his sleep, and the lock gates immediately opened. 

Tiercel was now back in proper tidal waters for the first time in nearly 10 years. The trip on the falling tide to Rouen was probably the fastest journey we have ever made. We travelled at over 7 knots and even got over 8 knots thanks to an ebbing tide and the downstream current. 

We arrived in Rouen at lunchtime. The journey through the city was spectacular. On entry it seemed as if both banks were covered in graffiti but, actually, the city had hired an artist to cover everything in spectacular graffiti before the usual wee knuckleheads could work out how to work the can and spell their initials  – very effective. 

The marina here is in amongst the old docks in the Bassin St Gervais . It has all the necessary facilities, is well run and very cheap compared to its counterparts on the English South coast. 

We met up with Tony on Red Marlin again and enjoyed discussing, over various alcoholic beverages, our respective journeys. Gordon and Anne from Sarah Grace also arrived and we were able to toast the end of our 2016 adventures with a glass or two of Champagne. 

The main purpose of our time in Rouen was to put Tiercel’s mast back on and then put her into safe hibernation, out of the water, for the winter. 

We also had to get our car back after 2 ½ months in a hangar in Port Napoleon. This was accomplished by Rob getting the train back there and then driving our wee car back the 700 miles to Rouen. He accomplished this over a couple of days while Gina stayed in Rouen with Marley. 

Speaking of Marley, he had to be got to a vet in order to be checked over, de-wormed and certified safe to be allowed into the UK . All done by Gina at the local vet. 

Prior to Rob leaving for Port St Louis we had to do all the necessary maintenance on Tiercel; wash and store bed clothes and bed linen, prepare the mast for putting back on Tiercel, sort out the yard for hauling Tiercel and storing her in the yard. 

While Rob was away Gina organised all the stowage on Tiercel and the packing for our road trip to Scotland. 

On Rob’s return we firstly moved all of the wine and champagne into the car. Then, with Gordon and Christophe’s (the yard manager) help the mast was put on and Tiercel was hauled into the yard on Tuesday morning. We then decanted our luggage to the car, rapidly completed the final hibernation of Tiercel and legged it to Calais. We spent a night in a hotel by the Chunnel eating, drinking, shopping and sleeping before arriving back in Blighty the following morning. 

Once in the UK we took 5 days to visit friends and family before arriving home on Monday 

Some Facts

Between leaving Tarbert on 23^rd April and
returning on 19^th Septemberwe reckon that we have:- 
·        
Driven nearly 5000 miles 
·        
Sailed 938 nautical miles at sea 
·        
Visited 19 sea ports 
·        
Motored 659 nautical miles in inland waterways 
·        
Passed through 172 locks 
·        
Fallen in love with France! 
 

Plans for 2017

We will be returning to Rouen in March to prepare Tiercel for sailing in UK waters and putting her back in the water . 

In June we hope to sail her back to Scotland via Normandy, the English South coast and Ireland – or perhaps we’ll just sail her in France, or Cornwall, or Ireland for a while – hey ho, the joys of cruising and being very indecisive!!