Week 12

Saturday 13 October 2007

Got up early but again the winds were high so a bit of a lie in. Eventually set off about 10.00am as the wind had dropped off but within about 20 minutes it was back and pushing us along the river. Today we went in the deepest lock in France – Bollene – it was 26m deep! When the wind eventually dropped off again it was another lovely hot day. Due to the late start we knew we were not going to make Avignon as anticipated and spotted a mooring by a little town called St Etienne des Sorts so decided to stay there and see if we could find somewhere to watch the ruby semi- final. The towns now seem to have a Mediterranean look about them. We wandered into a ghost town! Every house was shuttered up, as were the two wine cellars, the local store, the restaurant etc!! Spoke to two old French ladies and asked if there was anywhere we would be able to watch the rugby, they said no … and that France were going to beat England anyway! Listened to the match on the radio … and England WON!!!!! We considered running through the town screaming and shouting but thought better of it as the locals may not have appreciated it!

Sunday 14 October 2007

A cold but sunny start to the morning as we set off from St Etienne. Covered the 40 km to Avignon and the locks were kind to us. The turning off the main river into Avignon was very confusing – there were red and green markers everywhere! Managed to get in ok without hitting anything. From the river the town looked beautiful …. the Palais du Papal up on the hill of the walled town was stunning. Moored up on the quayside where there was water and electricity but an English guy came along and told us the Capitainery was closed which meant we didn’t have to pay – hurrah … unfortunately this also meant we could not get the code for the showers! Walked back along the river to have a look a the Medieval Fete we had seen on the way in and then crossed back over to look round the town. A very nice town (although everything was closed as it was Sunday). Watched a Frenchman doing a mime act in the main square which was really funny. Walked up the hill to the Palais with lovely views back over the Rhone. When we got back to the boat another 2 yachts had moored up – had a chat with the French guy from one boat, he did not speak English and our French is pretty limited but still managed to have a full conversations about our boats, where we were from and where we were going. The other boat was German with a husband, wife, daughter and dog on board. The guy spoke fluent French and fluent English. He invited us to join them for a drink. He was a really interesting guy, with lots of stories to tell about his trip on the canals from Germany to France. He very kindly lent us his canal books for the next section.

Monday 15 October 2007

Up early again which was just as well as just as we were pulling away from the quayside the Capitainery arrived … probably wanting some money! It was a slightly misty start but the sunrise over the Rhone was beautiful. We passed the area where Chateau Neuf du Pape is made ….. our favourite red (although we have now discovered they also make a white Chateau Neuf du Pape which we have never seen in England). Mid afternoon we turned right off the Rhone onto the Petit Rhone. The German boat passed us … they left about an hour and a half after us but their boat has a 50 bhp VW diesel engine!! They told us where they were headed in case we wanted to join them later .. but there was no way we were going to make it that far! From the Petit Rhone we went through a lock … very bizarre. We entered the lock, the lock keeper came and took our details and gave us a message from the German chap and then the lock gates the other end opened. When we looked we had moved, at the most, 6 inches!!! We had not even felt it move. Arrived in St Gilles but there was nowhere to tie up but we had passed some wooden pontoons on the way in so back tracked and tied up for the night.

Tuesday16 October 2007

Had a nice lie in til 8.30am as did not have to go anywhere – bliss! Cycled into town but not a lot to see, although a pretty little town. Found a supermarket and stocked up on some supplies. Met an English couple from a barge just up stream from us. They invited us to join them for a drink, a very interesting couple who lived on their yacht in England for 20 years before selling it and their house to live on their converted narrow boat in France. Their boat is completely solar powered, with 42 90 watt solar panels on the roof. They told us about the time they sailed to the Canary Islands by following the aeroplane flight paths at night!! Apparently there are no rocks off the Canary Islands so nothing to hit!!

Wednesday 17 October 2007

Had a lazy day on the boat as Darryl had picked up a bug and felt pretty poorly. Sunbathed on the deck in the beautiful sunshine and read books all day – this is the life!

Thursday 18 October 2007

Set off for Beaucaire but unfortunately the wind had got up and was against us the whole way which really slowed us down. When we arrived in Beaucaire the marina was absolutely jam packed so we managed to moor off a boat in a boatyard just outside the main town. Went to ask at the Capitainery about leaving the boat their for the winter but unfortunately they were fully booked. Beaucaire town is apparently very famous for an old street fair held up to the beginning of the 19th Century. Boats from all over Europe would come to the fair to sell their wares – up to 800 boats would come to the tiny village of 8,000 people. The fair would last for 10 days and about 100,000 people would come so the locals would rent them whatever they needed for their stay, from rooms down to simple items like knives and forks. If they were lucky, in the 10 days of the fair they could make enough money to last them for the whole year! The town is very pretty, lots of little cobbled streets with lovely old buildings, an 11th Century castle up on the hill …. and a Notre Dame!! Asked a French lady for directions to a supermarket and she very kindly took us to one – bless her. She did not speak a word of English, we told her we had arrived on our little boat and she said she would look out for us on the canal!

Friday 19 October 2007

The wind was still pretty strong when we got up so decided to wait for a while before setting off. Found the local launderette and did a huge load of washing. Set off about 11.00am, still pretty windy but at least this time it was blowing in the direction we were going! Stopped at Bellegarde on the way to ask about a place for the winter but again, they were fully booked …. Oh dear! Arrived back in St Gilles about 4.00pm and moored off the English barge whose owners we had met on the way down. They invited us in for a drink on our way back from town about 7.00pm ….. we left about 1.00am having drank lots of wine, told lots of stories, watched Dirty Dancing and the Meatloaf Story on their enormous pull down screen … it was like being at the pictures!

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