Sketchy Itinerary

• 30 August: Depart Paris via Marne River
  September: Traveling through Canals (Marne, Marne de la Soane, Soane, Rhone)
  Early October: Port St Louis on the Mediterranean Sea
  Mid-Late October: Mediterranean sea to Gibraltar (via Balearic islands? Etc)
  November/December: Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands
  January: Atlantic crossing
  February-June: southern Caribbean
  July - ?: Panama

One of many homeless peoples “homes” or squats I guess. There are so many homeless men in Paris its pretty sad. These squats were the most elaborate we have seen there was string of them tucked behind bridge abutments they looked to be getting power from somewhere as they had stoves and lights etc. They all looked pretty new but then of course they would get washed away when ever the river floods.

Coming into the Surneses Lock 15km by river out of Paris

Typical river frontage shot at Conflans – the town at the confluence of the Oise and Seine rivers. Conflans is the barging capital of France, some 40,000 barges tie up there every year. Conflans is some 70km by river from Paris and from there on there is less commercial traffic and thousands of riverboats of all shapes and sizes being used as peoples homes. Lots of the loaded barges look like they are about to sink they have so little freeboard. The average barge is about 80m long, 6m wide and can carry 1,000 tonnes of load.

This is the crane that took the mast out of PC at Rouen, check out the access stairs for scale – big enough for you?

Typical tide streaming past a channel marker

Screen shot of the GPS showing an over the ground speed in excess of 10 knots (20km/hr) as we rode the flood tide from Honfleur to Rouen.

Large dredging vessel traveling up the Seine to dredge the tidal channel – the bridge in the background is the Pont du Normandie which has the longest unsupported bridge span in the world.

This was an amphibious landrover that was taking some sort of geophysical survey of the marina at Neiuwpoort in Belgium, at the end of the survey they just drove up to the launching ramp and drove away in a cloud of steam with seawater gushing from everywhere – I think they must have had some sort of propeller and shaft arrangement that lowered down from the chassis of the vehicle, I reckon it would have been easier to put the survey gear in a boat!

Claude Oscar Monet's pond at Giverney

Wednesday 24th August
After casting off at Les Andelys (PK 174) we bumbled up the winding verdant river to Vernon (PK 150) for a lunch stop and a bit of sightseeing. We rode our bikes 3km from Vernon to Giverney where Claude Oscar Monet (1840 -1926) had spent the last 40 years of his life, painting and eventually getting cataracts and dying 4 or so years after having an operation that was reasonably successful at restoring his sight. It cost 5. Euros to wander through Monet’s large eccentric colorful home and exquisite gardens. The garden was laced with narrow paths through large flowerbeds, over abundant with colour and fecundity. The pond at the bottom of the gardens where he painted the water lilies was immediately recognizable, as was the Japanese style bridge and trellises. It was incredible to realize how Monet, through a lifetime of dedication and striving for recognition, influenced the western world so profoundly. His painting, ‘Sunrise, LeHarve’ gave the impressionist movement its name. We only sailed though there three days ago! I bought a small book on Monet and through reading it gathered not only gained appreciation of his talent but more so, sharpened my momentary outlook on the world into light and dark shades, depth, illusion and movement. There is inspiration for masterpieces everywhere!!
Again we made way up river, past farmlets and high white chalk cliffs that coax the river into slow meanders and pin the chateaus between the white high walls and their luxuriant lawns that stretch to little slate steps to the rivers edge. We stopped at Limay in the rain and tied up at a wall beside a road. We had to use the plumb bob to check the depth as keel boats are not really adequately catered for in the river system and quite often the little floating pontoons, marked as "port de plaisance" are not in very deep water!
This morning as I opened my eyes Nick was smiling. He told me how glad he was that I was awake because something funny had occurred that he wanted to tell me about. As he lay there in the morning, with the rain pattering quietly on the cabin top he thought the heard voices right outside the boat and wondered why they should be so close, - perhaps some people were standing along side the embankment we were tied to discussing the boat. Then one of the conversations broke into a, …how do I say in French, QUARK, Quark quark quark. He he.
From the master cabin portholes I could see a 12th century gothic church. All the guide books note the churches and the shopping streets for tourists. We need one with mountain bike trails, internet cafes, bakeries, groovy bars and hang outs for people who are not adolescent. So now we are in the outskirts of Paris at a place called Isle St Denis, with an ETA of lunchtime tomorrow.

Chateau Gailliard

On Seine

25/8/05 Thursday

We set off from Honfluer (PK355 = 355 km from Paris) at 0830 hrs on Sunday 21st, one hour after low water so that the incoming tide (springs) would carry us up to Rouen (PK 241) but not so low that we would run aground when exiting the lock. Getting out of Honfluer was dramatic with two other yachts rafting up to us (trusting!). Once the downstream lock was open we were exposed to a swift tide sweeping us into pylons on one side, or shallow banks on the other side.
Arrived Rouen at 1600hrs. Rouen is a very old, big, partly industrial town surrounded in green forested hills. Here we could get the mast taken out before the bridges across La Seine become too low for us to get underneath. We found the pontoon for "yachtsmen" which was free to tie up to for 48 hours. We tied up and took off on our bikes around the docklands. These were relatively deserted but had a yesteryear feel to them- huge poplar trees lining the avenues, big sheds and enough parking space to cater for a free Stones concert. We cycled along the busy promenade along the Seine upstream, found the harbourmasters office for the morning and, on the way back, scavenged some wooden planks for the mast cradle out of a discarded heap of pallets (why pay more?).
The next day….We cycled franticly (just because that’s Nicks cruising speed) to the harbourmasters office and he booked us in for the crane to take the mast out within the half hour. RUSH back to the boat, loosen the rigging, make a cradle and motor across the wharf to the crane. Where is the crane? Surely not… the crane was a ship loading 500 tonne monster. We could just make out the driver waiting on the ground beside it, mite like. You’re kidding right. Amazingly, the de-masting transpired without any damage to Pina Colada, despite the fact the driver did not speak one word of English. During the exercise more adrenalin squired out of my pituitary glands than my last motocross start. The mast came out. The wharf was far too high for Nick or I to get off the boat. Instead, much to my grief and desperate suggestions for alternatives, Nick put both of his arms through the crane hook and the driver lifted him dangling through the air, high above Pina Colada (just like he had the mast), and then swung him over the dock and put him down so that he could prepare the mast for settling on top of the boat. Soon thereafter, when I patted the wood in place to carry the mast and offered "ce’ bon" to the crane driver, he laughed down at us. When the mast had been set on deck we motored back to the yachtsman’s pontoon for the night, and lashed the mast securely to the boat. It sticks out a long way past the pulpit.
The next day we obtained out canal cruising guides "Voies Navigables France navicartes" (89 Euro for five to take us all the way to the Med) and our canal license (68 Euro’s for the first 16 days), and set off up the Seine for Les Andelys. On this trip we encountered only one lock.
A bit about the locks (our only actual source of tension, fright and well, work I guess).
The lock walls are either vertical concrete, or concrete pillars with cavities for bollards, or steel pylons also with occasional ladders, rings or bollards to tie too. As the sides are submerged regularly the bollards and walls are slimy and covered in dirty dark mud that smears onto the ropes, hands etc whilst trying to secure the boat against the rushing waves of incoming water filling the lock and raising you up at alarming speeds. The verticle increments so far have ranged from 2.8 m at Elcuse d’Andressy (Ecluse means lock) and 7.9 m at Elcuse d’Amfriville. Amfriville was the first and by far the scariest as we were confronted with visible waves of water funneled towards us as we were still trying to put the ropes on. The last lock we motored upon was the best so we must be getting better at it.
At Les Anderleys (PK174) we rode our bikes up to the imposing Chateau Gaillard, a ruined castle overlooking the Seine built by Richard Lion heart in 1196 to protect the city of Rouen (35 km downstream) from the French. Dick lionheart was English and supposedly the son of Robert the magnificent who was mates with Robert the Diable (otherwise , Bob the devil). How do people get these names? their mothers? or do they give them to themselves? From now on I Nick will be known as Nick the Wicked and I shall be Blue the Willing. Okey doky?
Anyway, we tied up so that we could see the caslte from the deck all illuminated in changing red and white lights. Pretty nice. The river being nice and wide here (120 metres) gave enough room for the one or two working barges to go past in the evening.

One lock transited - 159 to go!

Pina Colada snugged up to a stone wall earlier this evening in historic Honfluer - Normandy Coast - France

Biking Blue @ belgiun brick built beach!

London - Belgian Family Vaffels - Arrive France

20th August 2005
I vividly remember what I was doing the previous phase of the moon like we have at the moment. Val, Gayle and I were climbing mount north the night of Nick and my farewell from KDC on site. Wow I cant believe the things that have occurred since then. We spent a night in Hong Kong (should have shopped a LOT more – that place is so cheap!!) And then arrived in London late at night and met Karen and Boyd on board Pina Colada. The boat is a Young 43 design, fiberglass fractional rig sloop- a great cruising vessel and Karen and Boyd are the most easy going people I have ever met. We spent six nights in London on board getting to know Karren and Boyd and the boat, and waiting for our gear to arrive. We bought a mountain bike through a questionable black dude who had lots of bikes but betcha he didn’t know how to ride one (specialized rock hopper with LX gear and rock shock judys) and another off a Japanese guy who said he liked Mile End because he felt he belonged there with all the other ethnic people – bizarre!!(Giant escaper with LX and XT gear).

The 2nd round of London bombings that tore through the commuters two days before we arrived were still rocking the populous, so much so that a rubbish truck making a loud boom as it dropped off a curb caused an Auldgate yuppie to just about drop his mobile (plus other droppings). Nick and I were walking by, searching for an internet café. London should not be considered first world anymore, the whole place smells of raw sewage and everything is broken, stopped, late, unavailable or unheard of. We found it difficult to find someone who spoke English. But we did catch up with Nicks mate from school days; Graeme Douglas; for a meal on Monday night. He’s loving it and obviously finding a vibe that we never did. Of course it takes a while, especially if you require a very specialized groovy groove like Graeme who is seriously into tributary music as opposed to main stream.

We had decided to take the boat to Neiupoort to prepare it for the big trip home because it is cheaper and has all services we require to get the boat ready (although we told the Belgian people that we came because of their beer and they understood completely).

Before leaving London, Karen and Boyd Turner, who own Pina Colada, collected their campervan that is to be their home away form home until they can make it to Auzzie to live in Chancellor St, and we took a trip in the campervan to the county to visit fellow yachtsmen Chris and Shiela. Chris and Sheila live in St Lawrence, Essex. We were shown some warm English hospitality, warm beer, and a bit of the area such as the Ferryman 600 year old pub, and a Saxon church of similar age. Chis and Sheila have recently completed a six year circumnavigation and were good enough to sell us heaps of useful cruising guides.

On the 4th of August Pina Colada left St Katherine’s dock tucked right next to the Tower of London, its home for the last two years. We motor sailed past Greenwich Mean Time and the majestic and beautiful buildings of the Royal naval College that Henry the Eighth used as his summer home on the Thames. The GPS flicked through 00O 00.000 and the reality of the half circumnavigation prickled.

London is pretty industrial from the water; occasionally a traditional Thames barge went past with tan sails and a gaff rig. The millennium dome, the Thames barrier too. That evening we tied up to a rusty iron hulk at Queensbourough between the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Sheppy. Beautiful twilight after an interesting 8 hour motor sail down the Thames.

Crossing the ditch was a bit windy, rough and rainy but in Pina Colada the trip was fast and comfortable. There were heaps of ships that would appear out of the gloom as the boat got shoved high on a wave. One required us to take an evasive course. We were glad to be out of the shipping lanes and into the shallower and surprisingly calmer waters of Belgium. Nieupoort was still blowy and rainy so there were not very many other boats in the long channel flanked by two piers of tall wooden white pylons. The Belgian coastline was very obvious from sea as it is wall to wall with multiple story brick seaside apartments (There is an expression that the Belgians are born with a brick in their stomach!)

The facilities are amazingly clean, new and easy at Neiuwpoort. There is room for over 2000 yachts, each with a wooden floating pontoon, ablutions that are white spacious and well lit, a marina shop, and very good information. The adjoining ship yard has a fiberglasser, carpenter, painter, rigger etc (except the rigger was on holidays and we did the antifouling painting ourselves). The list of jobs we got done is phenomenal, partly made possible by the fact that there were four of us, Karen, Boyd, Nick and I all working 12 hours a day and also that the guys were given unlimited access to a full workshop with lathe, drill press, welders, stainless steel, etc. Miracle, we would never have guessed we would land in the hands of such friendly helpful people.

The local sail maker mended three sails and the cockpit cover and allowed me into his huge loft with a view of the river to make bike bags, caruba seats and other small mending jobs on covers etc. Because Nick and I had our bikes we were able to explore from one townlet to the next, through fields of maize and two massive wind turbines with 58m diameter prop spans, church spire to church spire. Pina Colada was lifted out onto the hard on the third day, and we spent nine days living on board whilst various tradespersons worked around all our “stuff”.

Early on we met a young Belgian cruising couple on a Belgian built Etap 38 who are planning a circumnavigation next year. They gave us charts to help us get to Honfluer, car rides, a nautical atlas, heaps of sandwiches etc etc. Great people who we hope to catch up with again on route somewhere.

We were put back in the water job done on the 17th. Karen and Boyd flew back to London on the 18th after a ceremonious last night’s “feed of cheese” as we came to call eating out at the local. It must be hard for Karen and Boyd to have worked so hard on getting the boat ready and then leave her in our care. (K&BT: if you are reading this we will take utmost care of your baby!).

We had one day to wait for the dinghy outboard to be fixed and for the first aid shop to open which we productively spent by motoring out of the harbor to test the newly fitted Monitor wind steering gear (taking advantage of the solitude by jumping in the frigid sea and getting goose bumps all over, then getting rid of them by entering the world of bare bottom land on board in the Belgian summer sun) Crazy. Then on the 19th of August, at 1115 hrs, we set off on our own on Pina Colada, which I’m sure will feel like our home in a very short time.

The passage from Neiuwpoort to Honfluer, France, took just under 29 hours, reaching peak speeds of 9.5 knots with the tide and punching painfully slowly at 2.5 knots against it. The tides fairly ripped to and fro as we made our way down the English Channel. For a large duration of the passage we had a deep reefed main and a triple reef in the headsail because rain squalls kept moving over. We did cover about 156 nautical miles in 24 hours though, so it was pretty good going.

Couldn’t have timed it better getting to the incredibly quaint and old French town of Honfluer. The lock opened just as we arrived and the tidal stream that can be so dangerous was still one hour from peaking. There is just no way of describing the town of Honfluer and the surrounding clearings with farm chateaus, orchards and occasional spire of woodsmoke drifting up the forested valleys. Piano accordions, carousels, harbor side cafes neatly arranged on either side of the narrow cobbled streets. The language barrier is a huge difficulty, but we are slowly getting the bare essentials down pat.

We are both absolutely weary and wobbly from the passage and I’m writing this from the comfy warm saloon as Nick has a hot shower in the aft cabin head (sounds big but he’s going solo for a reason). We have tied up against the stone wall that borders the happening little French town. Of coarse its built around the water so we are central and whilst the numerous other tourists have to book hotels, eat out and pay through the nose we can crawl into the cozy warm cubby house, Pina Colada, make a big delicious dinner and crash out big time after our first great, wondrous and successful cruising passage on PC.

warm beer

Nick and I experienced Honk Kong’s full fun in the 24 hours we were there, whiffing up the cabbage sewer smells whilst spinning out at the clean pavers, wet with air conditioners dripping on them from the rows and rows of shanty flats above. The busses and red taxis stack up within the tunnel formed by hanging neon signs in Chinese and English. There seems to be far fewer Caucasians there since I was there in 92, and not so many beggars either.
We found a luxurious cheap hotel named Stanford Hill hotel. There were chandleries in the foyer and the lift was lined with cherry wood and marble but it was not so plush as the other hotels in the downtown Kowloon district we were in. I love Honkas. We had a great meal of sushi, beer and fried rice for under $20. Compare this to the $20 we spent on catching public transport today just to collect the wind vane from Parcel force in Greenwich north. We did some shopping; new deck shoes, t shirt and pants and nick bought shoes, a shirt and mouse (blind as it turns out).
We visited the flower market and the bird garden which was raucous with the chirping of song birds in little plastic cages. I felt particularly awful when I saw the lovely big parrots, including major Mitchell’s ($1000), chained on aluminum flat bar perches that they could neither get a comfortable grip on or fly away from.

The Chinese girl I was crammed next to for the 12 hour Cathay flight had terrible flatulence. I noticed there are so many more bakeries and patisseries in Honkas - the new wheat diet is not good. Of course our seats backed onto the emergency exit space (and toilet cue) so we could not fully recline and the man in front of nick had his seat fully back so that nicks meal tray was pushed right to his tummy and his seat movie screen was at the end of his nose. Blanket, pillow, headset, shoes, socks, magazines and everything else smothering your legs. I am glad we are taking the long way home. I don’t think I could handle another flight like that for a long time.

But it was all worth it when we lugged and wobbled our way through Heathrow airport, straight through passport check and customs (customs day off) emerging into the cool bustle of Tower hill tube exit at 10.45pm on Thursday night. The tower of London and London Bridge were all lit up like a fairytale illustration, and the red tail lights of the London cabs whizzed past. St Katherine’s Docks are quaint and pretty trendy. There were lots of young crew hanging outside the bars at the far end of the docks and we trundled past them onto the boards of the marina. Karen and Boyed were still awake and I was enthralled at how comfortable I immediately felt with them. I had a moment of being overwhelmed by finally making it to the boat when we first ducked under the cockpit cover and looked inside; I had to excuse myself for one second as tears came to my eyes. What a journey (we are in for).

And then today, we got up super early and walked along the Thames for a few km before circling back, to greet Karen and eat breakfast. London is pretty tragic since I was last here. There are many wasted, heavily pierced, enormously overweight, dirty, and illiterate people everywhere. There is litter in all places the street sweeper can’t reach and the canals and docks have these strong foamy upwellings of water coming from some large submerged pipes or something. However, the weather is beautiful, sometimes cloudy and then shiny bright again. Generally people are pleasant when you persist with them. We walked around the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich and the Royal Naval College that was built by Christoper Wren and inhabited by Henry VIII and his daughter when they got tired of their other castle. It is an amazing place to visit.