French canals 2013

Cardo

Cardo

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www.yacht-tinkerbell.co.uk
I've noticed quite a few of us seem to be working our way through the French canals this year. We've been having various discussions over different threads but I thought it would be an idea to start a thread dedicated to updating others with people's progress and experiences. Also any information about closures and other problems could be useful to others.

I'll start by saying we're currently in Cumieres on the Marne enjoying the free mooring with electric and water. The pontoon can hold probably three "average" sized boats plus those rafted up. The water supply works however the outlets are very wide in diameter, larger than the standard Gardena tap thread adapter thingy so we've not been able to fill up from these. Our next stop is Epernay where we're hoping to stay a night and do some shopping for provisions and some boaty bits before heading up the Canal Lateral du Marne.

The water flow down the Marne is pretty hefty. Just watching it you can see there's a good 2-3 knots of current and the forecast reckons there's going to be 4 or 5 days worth of rain from tonight/tomorrow onwards. Uh oh! We're hoping the canal might be a bit calmer!

For those of you contemplating Paris, we did it a week and a bit ago and it was doable but not a walk in the park. The currents are strong and going under bridges is "exciting" to say the least. Avoid the side channel next to the Grandes Bras! We went that way and could have easily come a cropper!
 
We had a quite different trip last spring... I think there was a dry spell and they were more worried about low water levels. I do hope you get improved conditions and have an enjoyable journey. We had just a great time and in the end made 5 films about the trip across France (24 minutes each). https://vimeo.com/ondemand/distantshorestv9

We only had heavy rain in Paris but were tied up in Arsenal so it was no big deal.

I have been thinking alot about our trip through the canals since we have recently been editing the footage to make the shows, so have been reliving it all! Ahhh, menu-de-jour, wines, quiet tie-ups...

Best wishes for a safe voyage

Paul Shard
SV Distant Shores II
 
I agree that several of us are making our way through the canals and it will be great to share out experiences and information. We are presently in Rouen, but heading out tomorrow. There is a power boat race here this weekend so i think it's probably best to steer clear. Anyone have any information about the best places to stop between here and Paris? All information gratefully accepted as we are canal virgins.
 
Grehan said:
BTW - any information 'from the water' that's adds, corrects or amends to what's on the site is gratefully received and incorporated.
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I had been meaning to update you re. Port St. Louis, Poissy. We stopped there for a night. The place is massively run down but very much in use. Water and electric are available (though electric requires the management to run various extension chords and splitters, the system isn't exactly a modern and "safe" installation!). Fuel is also available between 1000-1200 and 1400-1900 however we arrived at 2000 and after sending the prettier half to plead with the management they agreed to come out and top us up (when I say top us up, it was 180l at €1.59/l!). Berth for the night for our 10.5m was €13.

The place is actually very protected and with some investment could be an amazing stop before Paris.
 
Cardo said:
. . . The place is massively run down but very much in use. . . . The place is actually very protected and with some investment could be an amazing stop before Paris.
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Unfortunately it's under threat from replacement by a large industrial port development. Which is why, I guess, it's run down and lacking investment.
"Our Port is in Danger !!" - http://www.nouvellemarinaportsaintlouis.fr/?page_id=18
 
Grehan said:
Unfortunately it's under threat from replacement by a large industrial port development. Which is why, I guess, it's run down and lacking investment.
"Our Port is in Danger !!" - http://www.nouvellemarinaportsaintlouis.fr/?page_id=18
Click to expand...

The story I was told was the government were trying to shut it down and replace it with a rubbish dump for Paris. However, the adjacent land is owned by a wealthy chap with contacts who put the kaybosh on that plan. This is apparently the reason the place closed down, however has now reopened.
 
Andy and Lyn said:
thanks Cardo!! Fenders, lines, anything!!!!! also let Capitainerie know please. They promised to keep an eye on just that. cheers
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No probs, you should be good now pending any crazy weather!

As a note to others - Epernay is a nice place to stay. The Club Nautique, whilst very pleasant, is surprisingly small and the couple in charge don't really seem to know about boats of our size. When I arrived, they were indicating for us to moor up across the slip ramp! So I would suggest you moor up in the location you feel is most suitable. Plenty of leccy and water points. It's €2/metre (rounded down) for the night, which includes a pass for a free tour (the pass covered two of us) at the local champagne house (the tour normally costs €10/pp). We did the tour and it was very entertaining and came with a free glass of champers at the end! The marina itself also provide an "aperitif" at around 1800 hrs after the capitanerie closes. This is usually a small kir royale, which was very nice. :) In fact, I think I had seconds, also on the house. :D
 
Grehan said:
Unfortunately it's under threat from replacement by a large industrial port development. Which is why, I guess, it's run down and lacking investment.
"Our Port is in Danger !!" - http://www.nouvellemarinaportsaintlouis.fr/?page_id=18
Click to expand...

We are meandering very slowly along the Canal du MIDI East to West, not quite to Carcassonne yet. Came up La Robine from La Nouvelle and ran aground a few times, as well as bumping lots of unknowns in the water. So I'd avoid that stretch unless you have no keel.
 
JustinC said:
We are meandering very slowly along the Canal du MIDI East to West, not quite to Carcassonne yet. Came up La Robine from La Nouvelle and ran aground a few times, as well as bumping lots of unknowns in the water. So I'd avoid that stretch unless you have no keel.
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Your point is well made - the lower section of the Canal de la Robine (Narbonne to Pt la Nouvelle) can be shallow, esp right at the la Nouvelle end.
However, no connection with 'nouvellemarinaport . . . .fr' which is an inland marina on the Seine.
 
Thought I'd provide an update as to our travels. We've arrived at Chalons-en-Champagne and are staying the night. Grehan, here's an update for your website:
There is a brand spanking new marina just upstream of the lock on the port side (right bank as per CEVNI rules). It's called Relais Nautique. There are 12 berths on finger pontoons with electric and water by each berth. The fees are €8 up to 10m or €10 for 10m and up (plus €0.40 per person per night tourist tax). The fees include water, leccy, wifi (pretty fast!) and use of the brand new loo/shower facilities. They also very kindly allow you to tie up for free for the night if you don't wish to use any services. Depth was around 2.something metres, not much more.
 
Also, now that we're on the Canal Lateral de la Marne we have found the currents aren't an issue anymore. The speed limit along here is 8kph overground and we find we can easily do this at just over tick over. You can see the canals are pretty full, but it doesn't seem to be an issue. Well, unless you're the barge that struggled to get under the low bridge!
 
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