Travelling upstream on the rhone

[kalindi]

After entering the rhone at Port saint louis it seems the first place to stop is arles. Are there other suitable places before, can you more alongside the bank if a suitable place can be found? I would like to go through the port saint louis lock in the afternoon and would not make it to arles before nightfall

 

[Grehan]

Unfortunately a) nowhere to stop between PSL and Arles and b) the only place to stop in Arles is to moor next to a restaurant peniche near the bridge.
Bankside mooring is not really on on the Rhone - with maybe a few exceptions. If you can find a safe looking place, anchoring is more feasible. But passing barges/coasters/cruise ships can make anywhere 'informal' untenable.
I do hope you have a navigation guide - Fluviacarte or Breil (Breil is better) - vital.
Our own page is quite good, but intentionally limited navigation-wise. http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/rhone-2.html

 

[kalindi]

We do have the Fluviacarte guides but just wanted to know if we had missed something. It really means that we will have to set off from psl at the first transit time to be sure we get to or past arles before darkness. Just arrived in port napoleon and hope to enter the rhone through psl early on Tuesday morning
Thanks

 

[Windy_Stu]

I did the trip a couple of months ago... its v hard to find places to stop.... i think best bet is to use the waiting pontoons at the locks

each lock pontoon can take a couple of 30 ftrs.. if you get there late enough the lock keepers will let u stay

its a long hard grind... hope the currents not to strong...

 

[kalindi]

Thanks windy stue we will set of on Tuesday morning at the first opening of the lock from psl
Into the rhone and then we will find out what speed we can actually make. A couple
of people have suggested using the waiting pontoons especially as the pleasure boat traffic is very low at the moment. Thanks for the update

 

[Windy_Stu]

I assume you have seen this site?

https://www.inforhone.fr/inforhone/en/commun/index.aspx

it shows the flows all the way up the rhone...

 

[KAPTAN]

At Port St Louis, immediately as you leave the lock there are often "local" boats moored to the wall and just into the RHONE there are often barges and river cruise boats alongside next to the tourist office TOWER.
If permission is required I do not know.
My suggestion would be to go thru the lock in the afternoon, tie up immediately and then leave at first light the next day.

 

[kalindi]

Thanks for all the comments. We left port st louis at the 0620 time slot with dawn just breaking. Moored up at a place called vallabregues approx 60 km from psl. The rhone was generally kind to us, no mistral and very little current. Now at Auxonne on the Saone where the boat will be left over winter and I return to the UK. Thanks for all the advice