De masting in Rouen

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pcatterall

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We plan to remove our masts in Rouen and carry them on our trip through the canals.
Has anyone done this recently? and are there any special tips?, We will need to fabricate supports and wonder if there are any places there where we can buy some suitable timber etc. ( rather than scavenging !!)
Cheers
 
pcatterall said:
We plan to remove our masts in Rouen and carry them on our trip through the canals.
Has anyone done this recently? and are there any special tips?, We will need to fabricate supports and wonder if there are any places there where we can buy some suitable timber etc. ( rather than scavenging !!)
Cheers
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Are you a member of the Cruising Association? They love this sort of question and you'd be deluged with good advice. In fact, there's probably a book about it!
 
I've done this trip a couple of times, carrying the mast on deck. It needs to be very securely lashed down, can't emphasise that too much - imagine your boat on its side, if the mast will come loose then it isn't adequately secured! I had mine lashed to the pulpit, sitting on an old tyre, then on crutches aft. Try to offset it a bit to one side, or you'll bang your head on it when you exit the companionway...
I can't give you any recommendations about Rouen, I've taken my mast off in Le Havre on one occasion, Honfleur on the other (More picturesque, but much more hassle, had to find the friend of the chandler's mate who knew someone who had a crane...on the other hand, it avoids the need to cross the Bay de la Seine without a mast...). I have heard that Rouen can be a problem - you have to use the commercial dock as you can't get under the bridge with your mast up, and I've heard tales of vandalism - probably not a problem if you have enough crew, but I wouldn't leave your boat unattended. The other disadvantage is that you're going to be arriving there at nightfall and may find it difficult to find somewhere to tie up, could be worth a reconnasance visit first.
 
pcatterall said:
We plan to remove our masts in Rouen and carry them on our trip through the canals.
Has anyone done this recently? and are there any special tips?, We will need to fabricate supports and wonder if there are any places there where we can buy some suitable timber etc. ( rather than scavenging !!)
Cheers
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See various recent posts on Liveaboard. Will answer all your questions with up to date information.

Best to make your supports etc before you go and keep them in dismantled form. Then you know they work so you won't have any delays trying to buy materials and making them when you would rather be on your way to Paris. One of the threads has some examples of what others have done.
 
Rouen

My experience of raising/lowering a mast in Rouen is not good; however this is 10 years ago so things might have moved on.

The only public facility for mast-raising/lowering at the time was a small self-operated “crane”, which was not much more than a pole with a block at the top. This was in a basin that was across from the main docks (big cranes etc.) that contained a dozen or so disused barges. This small crane was useful to me because on my Hunter 26 the mast was light and it was in a tabernacle could be raised by two people using the crane as a high-point to haul it up. If you don’t have a tabernacle it would be useless. We went to use this facility because it is mentioned in David Jefferson’s useful book “Through the French Canals”. It’s still mentioned in the current edition (NB this is not a recommendation, it’s just a book that we used during our trip)

The only other facility that we could find (via the Harbour Master) was a quayside crane; the type used for unloading cargo ships. This was going to cost 800 euros. That’s why I opted to do it myself.

A couple of other boats were going down the Seine at the same time as us. One opted to use the small crane after me but did not succeed and gave up. He then joined the other boat and they had their masts raised in Honfleur.

IMHO whether you lower/raise your mast in Honfleur or Rouen makes little difference to the trip up/down the Seine. If you haven’t been to Honfleur, it is worth a visit. IIRC you should make the trip between Le Havre to Rouen under power anyway.
 
Rouen is not the best place to dismast. It is really a big ship place with big cranes and not much else.

Much better in Le Harvre or even Honfleur although there are locking in and out issues together with the problem of having to wait for the tide to get into the harbour - and getting out near HW is not the best time to leave to catch the tide up the Seine which you must do
 
Paw Paw said:
Rouen is not the best place to dismast. It is really a big ship place with big cranes and not much else.

Much better in Le Harvre or even Honfleur although there are locking in and out issues together with the problem of having to wait for the tide to get into the harbour - and getting out near HW is not the best time to leave to catch the tide up the Seine which you must do
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This does not seem to be the case now according to up to date information in a thread on Liveaboard.
 
You should mail them
Website
Mail : contact@port-de-plaisance-de-rouen.com
When I was there last August a boat coming North had its mast raised but I didn't see it happen.

As for mast supports, you should make 'scissor' frame(s) before leaving home. You may need two depending on length of boat and weight of mast and boom. One for stern end and another support somewhere around where the mast is stepped. A plank across the pulpit will support the base of the mast (with a short bow overhang) the main overhang should be up off the stern. The angle of the mast to the horizontal needs to be enough to be able to use the cockpit but not so high that it causes a problem with Air Draft.
A tent fly sheet over the mast makes a good sun shade which you will certainly need on the Rhone.

32Ecluseronde.jpg
 
even Honfleur although there are locking in and out issues together with the problem of having to wait for the tide to get into the harbour - and getting out near HW is not the best time to leave to catch the tide up the Seine which you must do
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As far as I remember, you can lock out of Honfleur at any state of the tide - you certainly need to time things so that ideally you pass the Honfleur radar station half an hour before sunrise, on a flood tide, to give the best chance of getting to Rouen before dark. You can't legally use the Seine after dark, and there are only a couple of possible stopping places before Rouen, neither of them sheltered from the wash of passing traffic.
 
The disparaging comments about Rouen are completely out of date and Rouen is now indisputably the Best Place to step/unstep masts. Rouen is also a lot more than a 'big ship place' - it's a beautiful and historic city. There is a Point P (I think it is) brico/timber place within 15-20 mins walk of the port de plaisance, but you'd probably need to load the timbers onto your bike(s) and push as we had to.
Information About Rouen (including mast photos) and the River Seine
Information about stepping/unstepping
It pretty well certain that Stephan Reiset in Le Havre has now closed. I was there on Tuesday morning and there is no sign of life at his location. Confirmed by Wolfgang Graf, the mast transport guy.
Using the excellent facilities at Rouen means not having to negotiate the entrance to the Seine, nor the tidal Seine itself, mast down.
 
whether you lower/raise your mast in Honfleur or Rouen makes little difference to the trip up/down the Seine
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I think there are good reasons to keep your mast on as far as Rouen - first, your boat will be much more stable - until you've tried it, you won't believe how much more easily a boat without its mast can roll - and secondly, of course, it gives some backup if the engine fails. Finally, it's a long, hard push from the mouth of the Seine to Rouen, so having sails to ease the strain on your motor would also be useful.
However, I still wouldn't attempt the trip unless I was sure my boat had a reliable motor, capable of driving the hull at least 6 knots.
I am delighted to hear that the facilities in Rouen for mast removal have improved since I was last there and would certainly now have no hesitation in keeping my mast in place until getting there.
 
greenalien said:
I am delighted to hear that the facilities in Rouen for mast removal have improved since I was last there and would certainly now have no hesitation in keeping my mast in place until getting there.
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As am I. That there are now good facilities is good news.

Grehan said:
The disparaging comments about Rouen are completely out of date and Rouen is now indisputably the Best Place to step/unstep masts..
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... "disparaging comments" ... I told it like it was.
 
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