to Lyon

Aug 13

We passed through St Gilles ecluse onto the Petite Rhone at about 7am on 1 Aug - a cheerful eclusier (same as 2011) which started the day well. The rudder indicator had been playing up since we changed the rudder top bearing and it packed up (winter job) as did the 'speedo' due to mud or weed, so on full visual rather than instruments we did a fairly easy run up the Petite Rhone doing about 7 km/hr against the current (using an old fashioned watch to time it)..

Petite Rhone entrance (from Rhone)

Once we hit the Rhone we slowed right down - 'don't panic' the Helmsman cried - and we upped the revs to 1500 revsEc/hr (which is 100 over our 'fast' canal speed). Avignon was looking fairly distant at this point and we weren't sure whether an overnight anchor mooring was going to be needed.

We were pushed around a bit at the dreaded Tarrascon bridges but no real problem.

Tarrascon Bridges

Tarrascon 

Beaucaire from the Rhone.

At our first Rhone ecluse we got shut out on a 'green' at the last moment by a double commercial which didn't amuse us - but that was the last time - the next 11 ecluses we went through on the green without delays which must be a record. At least Kes got a dog break though it took a climb up 5 levels of a dolphin 'tower' to get to shore.

Road hog but we weren't arguing

We arrived in Avignon at 6pm so a 13 hour day - luckily plenty of mooring space to our surprise (and the price had increased a bit from 2011 (surprise, surprise)).  We had done all our sight seeing coming south so early to bed and early away.

Avignon from the south

Pont d'Avignon (or more correctly Pont de Benezet)

Villeneuve sur Avignon north of Avignon

We had decided on a slack day, so pottered off for 6 hrs to L'Ardoise which is 3 km up an old arm of the Rhone and new to us.  A nice little marina, very friendly and we utilised the bar/restaurant to give Angie a break from cooking - pleasant but the beer and food were a bit pricey (especially as we were fighting dehydration).

L'Ardoise marina

Herons everywhere

Another early start, so Peter had to bake bread again - having a nice warm engine room to prove the dough makes life easy. Early starts meant no wind and the Rhone was on its best behaviour.

Rhone at 8am

Donzere Gorge

We shared Bollene ecluse with a tiddler - what a waste of water.

Bollene Ecluse

We struggled with the current south of Viviers where we had planned to moor, but Viviers marina seems to have turned into a small boat port so onwards and upwards through the Chateauneuf ecluse and (as it was too early for an ecluse stop) went onto Ecluse Logis Neuf, where we moored on the plaisancier pontoon on the top sharing with a Belgian cruiser. A 14 hour day - poor Kes.

Viviers looking south

The next day was a mild 5 hours into the Port de Plaisance at Valence.  We fueled up on principle (very surprised at the low consumption) and walked for 10 mins to find a supermarket - past an attractive female looking for custom - hope she wasn't as hot as we were. Alicia pulled in (Steven Sagar's old barge) with its new Aus/Polish crew who were doing their shake down cruise from St Jean to Avignon and back (makes us look like wimps).

PdP Valence

Must be a big bateau to fit that on

The last Rhine steam (chain) tug

The next morning all ready for an early start and the starter motor failed - Merde Alors or words to that effect. Found a little french mechanic (bit worried he as was driving a newish Mercedes 4 x 4) who spent 3 hours stripping it, fitting a new solenoid and getting a new 90A battery for the grand total of €220. Rather than argue about the low price, Peter gave him a bottle of NZ sauvignon Blanc and by lunchtime we were back on the water - right into a major thunderstorm. It was meant to be going south but followed us north all day. Cowering somewhat (with Kes behind the sofa) we pushed on towards Vienne. However, after 9 hours we were still well short due to the late start so we moored at the bottom of Ecluse Sablons Very pretty watching the hotel boats going through in the dark.The next morning we locked through with a small commercial - about 150m - first Maltese registry we have seen on a peniche.

It only took us 6 hours into Vienne, in grotty weather but the screen wiper did its job just. Boat lights on for probably only the second or third time in 4 years. Onto a 25m pontoon south of the Passerelle - the commercials bounced us about a bit but we were happy to have stopped.

Quite big those floating bollards

Now for the final push. The 14kms up the Lyon 'chute' had us down to 4 km/hr and talk about boring, nothing to look at except an occasional road bridge.  We were passed with consummate ease by a hotel boat luckily it had gone by the time we got to the last ecluse.

Six hours after leaving Vienne we were in Lyon About a km up the River Saone we found the new Lyon marina (still unfinished) told Le Capitaine we had shrunk to 16m and settled in on a wall for a few days. Fuel consumption from Palavas on the Rhone au Sete to Lyon was only 150 litres - hard to believe. Lucky with the ecluses, not a lot of wind and few commercials (or plaisanciers) made for a good run.

La Confluence marina

The new Marina has a big up market shopping mall with a large Carrefour and a boulangerie within staggering distance - but despite lots of restaurants it is a a bit modern and soulless at the moment.  The drunks jumping into the Bassin on Friday night cut down the sleep but were no trouble. We did some sightseeing in central Lyon (on the way south in 2011 we did the Roman bits and museum). 

We rehydrated - extracted more money from Credit Agricole and after three days - you guessed it - pushed on.

Villeneuve to the Petite Rhone

Aug 13

Villeneuve les Beziers is a nice little town, every weekend was different music groups in the town square but despite the labels they sounded the same (loud).  Bastille Day was impressive with a massive Son et Lumiere show (fireworks, lasers etc) but but very jingoistic compared to others we have attended (Marine le Pen country)? It must have cost the Commune a fortune.

However, with the plane trees ripped out it was hot and became fairly boring - primarily waiting for things to happen.  With another UK trip Angie managed to get the NHS to confirm they would operate on her - but not when -  'it is urgent so in a few months' - hate to think what non urgent is - a year - before you die - maybe? Our carpenter was running late and not very interested once he realised he wasn't going to make a big profit (should have listened to a prior warning from 'Merlot').

Peter was also unimpressed as one of the solar panels packed up - cooked by the heat at a guess.

Villeneuve les Beziers

After three weeks we gave up on the carpenter and headed east to Portiragnes to get some shelter from the sun and put in a few days resealing windows etc before a threatened storm. Angie stocked up on melons and grapes which seem to have become our staple diet. Moving on we stopped at Vias for a cuppa with 'Gladys' (Eric and Lisa) and Balestra (Barry) then on to the Ronde ecluse again, after which we traversed the River Herault for a short stretch.

The Canal du Midi is there somewhere

River Herault

Angie went into 'bird spotting mode as we moved east

Hoopoe

We shared our final Midi mooring with 'Dunvegan' - Steve was making his second attempt to get up the Rhone.

Eastern entrance to Midi

From this point I could have copied some of the photos from our trip south in 2011 but tried for some variation. The Etang de Thau seemed a bit choppier than last time.

Etang de Thau

Mussel frames

Sete marina

We headed straight into Frontignan and moored for the night - - Dunvegan passed through and was never seen again :) so hope they made it. We moored next to the jousting area by coincidence and as the town was celebrating a Saint's Day we had a grandstand view.

Parade of the Saint effigy to the church.

Then it was the long run along the Rhone au Sete through the Camargue

Lots of little fishing villages

but a lot of ''your turn to helm' stretches as well

We diverted onto the River Lez to fuel up (diesel and food) at a new Carrefour (last fuel stop for xxx kms) - first sensible supermarche ever with a pontoon 6m from the pumps, so jerricanning 360 litres of diesel didn't strain Peter too much.

At the River La Vidourie junction found a nice little greenbank mooring and we met our first proper 'commercial' for two years

La Vidourie junction

Not a lot of boat traffic but the usual wildlife kept Angie quiet

Egrets everywhere

Bulls with egrets

Camargue horses

Egret tree

Buzzard in action

We finally pulled into St Gilles ecluse and found a little wooden pontoon to overnight on off the commercial channel. Big mossies and at dusk we had shoals off fish on the surface (eating mossies - no idea what type of fish). After seeing the size of the carp, catfish and pike down south (and pike taking ducklings) Angie doesn't dangle fingers or toes in the water any more and Peter gets to clear the weedhatch.

fish shoal

All set for the Rhone,but when Peter checked the flow rates they had doubled in two days (lot of rain up North). Much dithering about delaying the trip, but at 6am the next morning the rate had started to fall so action this day and through the St Gilles ecluse at 7am onto the Petite Rhone

Agde

Jul 13

The run down to Agde was taken fairly quickly, certainly at the start which was familiar territory.  The bumper boats weren't too bad and we were confident enough to go under Capestang Bridge with the wheelhouse roof up this time. We didn't stop at Malpas this time to sightsee either.

Malpas Tunnel

Fonserannes was busy but we overnighted above it and got an early start (after two hotel boats).

The Fonserannes flight

Fonserannes ladder

Fonserannes Lift (unused)

Then into Beziers - a dire port with no facilities and a lot of dodgy looking youths - so we pushed on eastwards.

Beziers Port

Beziers town

Just after Beziers we went under the only lift bridge on the Midi/Garonne.

The three exit Ronde ecluse at Agde is a pain to manoeuvre around but Angie managed OK and we dropped onto the short canal down to the River Herault for the first time.

Ronde Ecluse

Herault canal

Then we trundled down the Herault River to Allemand shipyard in a howling gale 80 km gusts).  Angie did a fantastic job of getting us in for lift out (the deck crew had their eyes shut and fingers crossed which must have worked as we didn't hitanything).

Liftout

Considering Kotare hadn't been lifted out for cleaning for 4 years the hull was remarkably clean with virtually no mussels (thank you International Paints). Onto high chocks and straight into action pressure washing after removing fenders etc - those rope 'buttons' are heavy.

Then we put four coats of paint on over four days (two of antifoul and two black Intertuf 16). Peter also got Allemand to do some minor mechanical jobs - new rudder top bearing, bowthruster prop etc (the new  6 blade Vetus props are definitely quieter not sure about more efficient).

Angie did the fine work while Peter rolled (and rolled).

Good masking tape from Lidl

 The turnover of boats in Allemand was incredible with a new range of boats every day.

We were only 400m from Grau d'Agde plage so Angie did her morning walks paddling on the beach and in the evening there were lots of little restaurants to choose from - Angie was feeling poor so we didn't get to any upmarket ones (they might not have let us in anyway as we were striped in red and black paint). Somehow French tourist resorts are a level (or three) above UK ones and it is not just the weather.

Luckily no wind on lift in, so after 5 days we were back on the Herault river - Angie refused to do 'just a little 400m excursion' into the Med despite some deckcrew pressure but she had the wheel and control!

Lift In - a bit cleaner

River Herault mouth

Herault river

Then it was back up the Midi to Vias where Eric on 'Gladys' let us raft up for water and an electricity piggyback (for a couple of loads of washing) and then on to Villeneuve les Beziers where we have settled in for July (Angie has to go back for another sparring bout with the NHS and Peter is getting a local carpenter to look at window seals).

We would thoroughly recommend Allemand shipyard - friendly, efficient, a good chandlery and the overall bill was €300 less than Peter expected (what is not to like).