goochie
Well-Known Member
Ok guys, I promised the lowdown on the rescue mission to Paris, so here is part 1. Part 2 to follow as soon as I get the time.
PART ONE - GETTING THERE
The background:
This was to be our main summer expedition in Amillie, our Beneteau Antares 9.80, with two and a half weeks to fill. On board were me (skipper) Swmbo (1st Mate) Daughter 2 (18 and the other qualified helmsperson) and Abbie (17, daughters friend)
The Story:
We all arrived at Amillie's home in Brighton on the Friday 23rd July teatime with a trolley load of gear and the aim of getting the boat ready for the trip. At this point we had no fixed ideas about where we would go as we thought we would see what the weather was doing. The two main options at that time were:
a) Pootle along to the Solent and then maybe head west.
b) Head south across the channel to Fecamp and then go round the Normandy coast towards Cherbourg before crossing back via Portsmouth.
It was only when we were unpacking that I suddenly thought of the Paris option. The advantages of this suddenly became quite strong - once on the Seine we would be impervious to the weather for 2 weeks and it could be a really chilled cruise experience for the girls, especially as Abbie was new to boating.
Withought making a final decision on Paris, the forecast was good for Saturday morning for a crossing to Fecamp - WNW F2-3, wave height 0.5m. So at 9am we set off and headed towards the TSS in good conditions with new girl Abbie quite happy up on the flybridge.
There won't be many pics in this section as our camera broke just before we came away, so the few I do have were on my phone. Daughter has some, but she hasn't allowed me access to them yet. Just as a practice for me and to set the scene, here is Amillie:
This is a pic of Amillie when she was new - no name on the transom!
Anyway, we had a great crossing to Fecamp, although the wind was picking up a bit as we got there, and we arrived about 1.30pm and were quickly directed to a nice spot by the friendly guy from the Capitainerie. So, after a quick hose down it was out with the beers and sit on the flybridge to watch all the Dutch saily boys come in from around 5pm onwards - dozens of them! The last ones managed to squeeze in at about 9pm. Also joining us was a beautiful and huge Van der Valk - I want one of these!! (sorry no pic)
A good night in Fecamp, and then the problems started. The morning started easily enough with the girls having a lie in while went for a wander around the town. Everything was shut as it was Sunday, but I quite liked Fecamp. It seems to be a French seaside town a bit like Bognor - lots of retirement apartments and seasidey stuff, but it has a certain charm.
I had looked at the weather and thought that things were well set for a quick hop round to Le Havre in the afternoon, but Abbie was unwell, and not for the last time! It seems she's a bit of a sickly girl who even gets carsick sometimes in her driving lessons!! Why did no one tell me this beforehand!! (to be fair we did do a practice spin a couple of weeks before the holiday and she was fine). It seems the gentle rocking on the pontoon is what set her off, but she also developed a migraine as well. Oh well. Another night in Fecamp no problem.
We had a good second night and Abbie felt better, so mid morning, with the forecast still OK we set off for Le Havre. As we rounded the headland it got quite choppy, but nothing too bad and after Abbie had thrown up over the side once she perked up quite a lot. Into Le Havre no problem to be followed by the same Dutch fleet who were in Fecamp!
Initially the plan was to try and refuel in Le Havre and press on to Rouen, but problem number two - literally. I had asked daughter Rachel to explain the workings of the boat, including the heads, to Abbie, which she did, but unfortunately missed out the bit about what should and should not go down the heads. That afternoon was spent dissasembling the heads and unblocking it before rebuilding with the spares I had on board.
Job done we planned for Rouen the next morning.
An early start to catch the best of the tide, followed by a very lumpy trip around the shallows outside Le Havre harbour before picking up the first buoy and on up through the impressive bridges (piccies in return journey section). 5 knots of tide all the way up to Rouen and a nice easy journey with pretty scenery and warmish weather. this was all working out rather well.
We arrived in Rouen at about 2pm, tied up at the Halte Plaisance on I'lle La Croix and cooked some lunch. We had made it this far on my little hand held plotter on the flybridge, but I knew I needed a Navicarte, so next morning set out to find one. Unfortunately the Marine Bookshop was closed for a long lunch, so I had to wait until 2.30pm before I could get one.
Top tip - The Navicarte for the Seine is all over Paris, but between Le Havre and Paris they're rarer than hens teeth, so do order one before you go - my fault for being spontaneous I guess.
Anyway, set off for the first lock at Amfreville at about 3pm, with plans to stop at Les Andelys for the night, or nearby Val St. Martin. We got to the lock OK although I completely missed the fuel barge just outside Rouen, so wasn't sure when I'd next be able to fill up. Through the lock OK with the novice crew member doing very well. On to Les Andelys - oops - about 0.5m depth only. It seems that all the flodding last yeat silted it up completely, but nobody seems to have told the guy at Rouen as he reccommended it to us as a stopover.
We turned around and headed for Val St. Martin only to head in and discover that the situation was the same here. Luckily we were directed by the lady owner to the side of the entrance that was deep enough, although exposed to the wash from the Peniches - the huge barges that ply their trade on the Seine. A rather rocky night, but also something like a scene from a horror film as soon as we turned the lights on - the windscreen went black under a coating of insects from the stagnant shallow water - so it's was lights off and straight to bed.
Morning - settle up and head for L'ilons, out next stop. A good days cruising enjoying the sights and scenery with a coule of locks to go through. We cruised quite gently and enjoyed the day. Even Abbie was in good spirits in spite of being sick again during the night. L'ilons turned ou to be a delightful place. It's an old flooded quarry and you make your way through a couple of turns inbetween trees, and then under a 5m bridge. There is a good diesel pontoon and decent facilities, and the people were very friendly. I was invited to go and have a drink with some of the locals who were celebrating a birthday. A few Pastis and Malts later I staggered into bed and set the alarm clock for 6am ready for our final push to Paris. Here is Amillie in L'ilon.
Good final push on to Paris. Very warm, especially in the locks, but a very long day for me. Rachel did do some of the helming, but not as much as I would of liked, and of course I did the locks. The result was a very long day for me, especially in the sun.
Before long we were heading for the outskirts of Paris. This is La Defense - Paris's version of Canary Wharf.
Eventually, after a few further escapades, like being held up by a barge that was going to pull a coach out of the water next to the Eiffel Tower, we got into Paris Arsenal Marina.
For those of you that haven't had the privelege - it's right in the centre of Paris next to the Place de Bastille, and is a very comfortable marina with good facilities (for France!)
I was starting to feel tired after my 12 hour day at the wheel in the sun, and it was only after we'd tied the boat up and the adrenalin stopped that I realised I'd overdone it a bit. I was really suffering from heat exhaustion and felt terrible so I went to bed hoping I'd feel better in the morning.
By this time Abbie had another migraine and was starting to feel homesick (as you do when you're a youngster away from home and feeling ill) and Chris (swmbo) and Rachel were starting to feel the effects of a dicky tum. The next morning I succumb as well, and we're all in bed, all feeling dreadful, and all rushing to the toilets far too often for comfort.
I had it worst of all and after three days of this I decided enough was enough and instructed Rachel to book flights home on her iphone. This was really depressing - we'd seen nothing of Paris, we all felt ****, and worst of all I'd just had to fork out £400 for flights back to Luton of all places. Anyway, I cleared it all with the Capitainerie, closed up and locked the boat, and off we went in a taxi to CDG airport.
Rachels boyfriend collected us from Luton and we arrived home depressed and weak and worried about how we were going to get out beloved boat home.
Well, as you know by now - forum to the rescue! Full story and loads more pics in part 2.
Goochie.
PART ONE - GETTING THERE
The background:
This was to be our main summer expedition in Amillie, our Beneteau Antares 9.80, with two and a half weeks to fill. On board were me (skipper) Swmbo (1st Mate) Daughter 2 (18 and the other qualified helmsperson) and Abbie (17, daughters friend)
The Story:
We all arrived at Amillie's home in Brighton on the Friday 23rd July teatime with a trolley load of gear and the aim of getting the boat ready for the trip. At this point we had no fixed ideas about where we would go as we thought we would see what the weather was doing. The two main options at that time were:
a) Pootle along to the Solent and then maybe head west.
b) Head south across the channel to Fecamp and then go round the Normandy coast towards Cherbourg before crossing back via Portsmouth.
It was only when we were unpacking that I suddenly thought of the Paris option. The advantages of this suddenly became quite strong - once on the Seine we would be impervious to the weather for 2 weeks and it could be a really chilled cruise experience for the girls, especially as Abbie was new to boating.
Withought making a final decision on Paris, the forecast was good for Saturday morning for a crossing to Fecamp - WNW F2-3, wave height 0.5m. So at 9am we set off and headed towards the TSS in good conditions with new girl Abbie quite happy up on the flybridge.
There won't be many pics in this section as our camera broke just before we came away, so the few I do have were on my phone. Daughter has some, but she hasn't allowed me access to them yet. Just as a practice for me and to set the scene, here is Amillie:
This is a pic of Amillie when she was new - no name on the transom!
Anyway, we had a great crossing to Fecamp, although the wind was picking up a bit as we got there, and we arrived about 1.30pm and were quickly directed to a nice spot by the friendly guy from the Capitainerie. So, after a quick hose down it was out with the beers and sit on the flybridge to watch all the Dutch saily boys come in from around 5pm onwards - dozens of them! The last ones managed to squeeze in at about 9pm. Also joining us was a beautiful and huge Van der Valk - I want one of these!! (sorry no pic)
A good night in Fecamp, and then the problems started. The morning started easily enough with the girls having a lie in while went for a wander around the town. Everything was shut as it was Sunday, but I quite liked Fecamp. It seems to be a French seaside town a bit like Bognor - lots of retirement apartments and seasidey stuff, but it has a certain charm.
I had looked at the weather and thought that things were well set for a quick hop round to Le Havre in the afternoon, but Abbie was unwell, and not for the last time! It seems she's a bit of a sickly girl who even gets carsick sometimes in her driving lessons!! Why did no one tell me this beforehand!! (to be fair we did do a practice spin a couple of weeks before the holiday and she was fine). It seems the gentle rocking on the pontoon is what set her off, but she also developed a migraine as well. Oh well. Another night in Fecamp no problem.
We had a good second night and Abbie felt better, so mid morning, with the forecast still OK we set off for Le Havre. As we rounded the headland it got quite choppy, but nothing too bad and after Abbie had thrown up over the side once she perked up quite a lot. Into Le Havre no problem to be followed by the same Dutch fleet who were in Fecamp!
Initially the plan was to try and refuel in Le Havre and press on to Rouen, but problem number two - literally. I had asked daughter Rachel to explain the workings of the boat, including the heads, to Abbie, which she did, but unfortunately missed out the bit about what should and should not go down the heads. That afternoon was spent dissasembling the heads and unblocking it before rebuilding with the spares I had on board.
Job done we planned for Rouen the next morning.
An early start to catch the best of the tide, followed by a very lumpy trip around the shallows outside Le Havre harbour before picking up the first buoy and on up through the impressive bridges (piccies in return journey section). 5 knots of tide all the way up to Rouen and a nice easy journey with pretty scenery and warmish weather. this was all working out rather well.
We arrived in Rouen at about 2pm, tied up at the Halte Plaisance on I'lle La Croix and cooked some lunch. We had made it this far on my little hand held plotter on the flybridge, but I knew I needed a Navicarte, so next morning set out to find one. Unfortunately the Marine Bookshop was closed for a long lunch, so I had to wait until 2.30pm before I could get one.
Top tip - The Navicarte for the Seine is all over Paris, but between Le Havre and Paris they're rarer than hens teeth, so do order one before you go - my fault for being spontaneous I guess.
Anyway, set off for the first lock at Amfreville at about 3pm, with plans to stop at Les Andelys for the night, or nearby Val St. Martin. We got to the lock OK although I completely missed the fuel barge just outside Rouen, so wasn't sure when I'd next be able to fill up. Through the lock OK with the novice crew member doing very well. On to Les Andelys - oops - about 0.5m depth only. It seems that all the flodding last yeat silted it up completely, but nobody seems to have told the guy at Rouen as he reccommended it to us as a stopover.
We turned around and headed for Val St. Martin only to head in and discover that the situation was the same here. Luckily we were directed by the lady owner to the side of the entrance that was deep enough, although exposed to the wash from the Peniches - the huge barges that ply their trade on the Seine. A rather rocky night, but also something like a scene from a horror film as soon as we turned the lights on - the windscreen went black under a coating of insects from the stagnant shallow water - so it's was lights off and straight to bed.
Morning - settle up and head for L'ilons, out next stop. A good days cruising enjoying the sights and scenery with a coule of locks to go through. We cruised quite gently and enjoyed the day. Even Abbie was in good spirits in spite of being sick again during the night. L'ilons turned ou to be a delightful place. It's an old flooded quarry and you make your way through a couple of turns inbetween trees, and then under a 5m bridge. There is a good diesel pontoon and decent facilities, and the people were very friendly. I was invited to go and have a drink with some of the locals who were celebrating a birthday. A few Pastis and Malts later I staggered into bed and set the alarm clock for 6am ready for our final push to Paris. Here is Amillie in L'ilon.
Good final push on to Paris. Very warm, especially in the locks, but a very long day for me. Rachel did do some of the helming, but not as much as I would of liked, and of course I did the locks. The result was a very long day for me, especially in the sun.
Before long we were heading for the outskirts of Paris. This is La Defense - Paris's version of Canary Wharf.
Eventually, after a few further escapades, like being held up by a barge that was going to pull a coach out of the water next to the Eiffel Tower, we got into Paris Arsenal Marina.
For those of you that haven't had the privelege - it's right in the centre of Paris next to the Place de Bastille, and is a very comfortable marina with good facilities (for France!)
I was starting to feel tired after my 12 hour day at the wheel in the sun, and it was only after we'd tied the boat up and the adrenalin stopped that I realised I'd overdone it a bit. I was really suffering from heat exhaustion and felt terrible so I went to bed hoping I'd feel better in the morning.
By this time Abbie had another migraine and was starting to feel homesick (as you do when you're a youngster away from home and feeling ill) and Chris (swmbo) and Rachel were starting to feel the effects of a dicky tum. The next morning I succumb as well, and we're all in bed, all feeling dreadful, and all rushing to the toilets far too often for comfort.
I had it worst of all and after three days of this I decided enough was enough and instructed Rachel to book flights home on her iphone. This was really depressing - we'd seen nothing of Paris, we all felt ****, and worst of all I'd just had to fork out £400 for flights back to Luton of all places. Anyway, I cleared it all with the Capitainerie, closed up and locked the boat, and off we went in a taxi to CDG airport.
Rachels boyfriend collected us from Luton and we arrived home depressed and weak and worried about how we were going to get out beloved boat home.
Well, as you know by now - forum to the rescue! Full story and loads more pics in part 2.
Goochie.
