Ribbing to Paris 2011

JSYmartini

JSYmartini

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Grehan said:
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Tom Price said:
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Thanks for your help so far guys

As previously mentioned, I'm trying to organise a cruise up the Seine to Paris for a group of us in RIBs over the Easter hols '11. What with the royal wedding and all, there's 10 days to be had for only 3 days off work :)

I've got the relevant Fluviacarte and a few more bits of literature on the way and slowly getting my head round it all! The rough plan I have so far is:

RV at Le Havre from our various home ports, top up fuel tanks then across to Honfleur to overnight. From what I gather there's no fuel in Honfleur? (Not sure if Le Havre might be a better place to find shore accommodation?)

Leave Honfleur LW+2 and hopefully make Amfreville lock on the one tide. The impression I get is this stretch of river is pretty hectic and commercialised with not much facilities for pleasure boats so I'd like to get it done out the way then relax a bit more on the canalised section.

We may possibly spend 2 days from here to Paris, I'm yet to find an answer as to whether the locks are going to be closed on Easter sunday. Any suggestions on interesting things to see/do (apart from look at churches!)? We'll need somewhere to moor the boats and a hotel somewhere between Rouen and Paris as well, maybe Port L'ilon, by the Mericourt lock?

Looks like Paris Arsenal is the place to stay when we get there, I've heard Eiffel Quay is another option but don't know where it is yet or much about it.

One of the big questions for us is fuel availability, especially as we'll all be looking for petrol rather than diesel. And lots of it! Apparently the Fluviacarte is a bit unreliable when it comes to facilities. Possible fuel stations I have so far are:

Le Havre marina
Ile Lacroix (Rouen PK241.5) or a barge at PK239
L'ilon (PK121) Fluvia says its by cans from the garage but Grehan's website suggests it's quayside
Port St. Louis (PK81)
Conflans (PK71)
Paris - about 4 clicks upstream of the Arsenal

If anyone can confirm any of these I would be most grateful!
 
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Paris or bust!

I found fuel in Honfleur at the garage on the edge of town - but not a taxi to get it back to the boat! That could be your problem everywhere you go.

Another source of info would be the organisers of MBM Cruising Club rallies: they went to Paris a couple of years ago and the accompanying RIB has your needs . . .
 
Tom Price said:
I found fuel in Honfleur at the garage on the edge of town - but not a taxi to get it back to the boat! That could be your problem everywhere you go.
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Yep, I don't think we'll need too many fuel stops but they really need to be quayside/barges etc. I take 600l and I don't fancy that in 20l cans :eek:
 
JSYmartini said:
RV at Le Havre from our various home ports, top up fuel tanks
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You may well find the fuel at Le Havre is v slow, and needs French friendly credit cards.

Leave Honfleur LW+2 and hopefully make Amfreville lock on the one tide.
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A colleague had to go really fast from Le Havre to Rouen in a RIB, and by hoisting the French ensign people waved rather than called the river police!

Piers
 
Crazy!!

A colleague had to go really fast from Le Havre to Rouen in a RIB, and by hoisting the French ensign people waved rather than called the river police!" Piers
What are you trying to do - start World War 3?

A flotilla of boats will be recorded in Le Havre, videoed on Honfleur and Rouen radar, and even if logged onto Port Radio can expect an unfriendly visit from river police if regulations are flouted . It's not just speed limits: has OP sussed yet where they have to pass on the WRONG side of buoys?
Much more responsible preparation needed je pense.
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Piers said:
French friendly credit cards.
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I forgot to mention thats another question mark we could do with some real time info on when looking for fuel, I don't suppose these are something thats easily obtained.

Tom Price said:
It's not just speed limits: has OP sussed yet where they have to pass on the WRONG side of buoys?
Much more responsible preparation needed je pense.
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Waterways navigation is all brand new to me, I managed to pass my online CEVNI without actually learning anything from it :rolleyes:
However I've got the RYA book, I've got the pilotage book and I've got 4 months to figure it all out. My plan is to cause minimum nuisance to Froggie as possible :)
 
Can I give this thread a slight bump?

The one thing we're still struggling with is fuel planning.
It's proving difficult to get info on fuel locations, whether they have petrol and whether French credit cards are required.

So far there seems to be petrol at Rouen, Port D'ilon and Paris. Le Havre is the main place I'm looking for info on, I've got nothing for that area if anyone can help?
Ta
 
Well, we made it...sort of!

Myself and another rib from Jersey met a Poole based rib in Alderney where we proceeded to Le Havre. Then tried and failed to gain entry to Honfleur so returned to Le Havre for the night before heading up the Seine to Rouen where we overnighted in the newish marina in the old commercial Bassin St. Gervais.

Maybe it was because of the easter weekend but the river was dead, we must've passed half a dozen boats from Le Havre to Rouen.

We found the locks very easy and usually had them to ourselves. It helped to have a fluent french speaker in our group but not essential. It's certainly worth writing down in french a message to let the lock keepers know you are coming 10-15 mins before arrival. We found them all very friendly if not suprised to see us!

Petrol, which was our biggest concern, was available in Le Havre by card operated machine. Current price is €1.53 per litre, it only dispenses around 100 litres at a time and will only let you take €500 worth per card per 24 hours.
We managed to pick some up via cans at Bassin St. Gervais, there's a concrete bank with a set of steps accessible by small boat near HW. From here it's only a few yards to a forecourt.
Next available waterside fuel is at Port D'ilon, next to the mericourt lock. We were clobbered here @ €1.73 per litre, I needed 350 litres :eek:
Ideally you need the range to get from here to Paris (120km) and back although there is one other card operated machine at Port St. Louis, near Poissy. However when we stuck our noses in there the machine was turned off and there wasn't a soul around.

Entering Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower and all the other wonderful architecture was all I imagined and more.

Unfortunately for me, I had a breakdown on the way to Paris, possibly a blown motor, in Conflans St. Honorine, 70km outside Paris. I've had to abandon her in a little marina that resembles a swamp and hitch a lift the rest of the way then home to Jersey. I'm now banging my head against a brick wall trying to find someone to carry out repairs so I can go back a fetch her home :(

Enroute from Alderney to Le Havre
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Pont Jean D'Arc
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Locking through
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Port D'Ilon
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Paris
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Eiffel Tower
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Tom Price said:
Informative AND artistic, well done - I hope certain co-called professionals read and learn.
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I thought about it and pondered whether to respond - I know you're not having a dig at me as I've never posted a trip report....

But ...


Put a f&cking sock in it ... and I can't even be arsed to elaborate ...
 
Nice report, bad luck about the break-down though.

Would it be an option to take a trailer to France to retrieve the RIB and bring her home for repairs?
Any room on the transom to attach an auxiliary engine to get you to the nearest boat ramp/slipway?

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.
 
Thanks, I do have a trailer but the gross weight is over 5000kg, if I get stopped by police then I'll be in it even deeper! (Mine's the big, grey ex-mil one with twin o/b's)

She's normally permanently afloat so I can get away with the odd tow over here for maintenance etc.

Although she's a twin rig and will get you home, when home is 350nm away it's too much work for the other motor.

I've been really lucky last few days, I've sent out a virtual panpan and the French rib community have come to my rescue. I've got a local keeping an eye on the boat for me and a friend of the director of a nearby Mercury agency has got them going out to look at the motor soon despite being too busy already.

My other reason for getting it fixed over there is that it happened on the way to Paris, I still haven't got that photo of her under the Eiffel Tower! If I bring her back to Jersey I'll never go again, It's a bloody long way in an open boat!
 
Ah the big RIB, so that's how you carry 600 litres of fuel, you must have deep space under the cockpit sole?
What Merc engines are you running, Optimax, Verado or general 2 stroke?

BTW interesting avatar, is that a trusty Browning 30 or 50 cal. bow mounted machine gun or something far less sinister ;)
 
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