Back on the move

Saturday was a cool (18 degrees) and wet day so not much got done once
we were back in Pont de Sables. In contrast Sunday dawned with mist
which burnt off by mid morning to give clear skies and by the afternoon
the temperature was 29 degrees. We took advantage of the fine weather to
cycle to Marmande and then in the afternoon we cycled to Mas d'Agenais
making use of the cool shade along the tow path.
Marmande looked like the main town of the area with lots of shops. The
town is situated on a bend of the Garonne and looked to have been a
major port on the river. We enjoyed going round it as it had retained a
lot of its early architecture and was very picturesque. The cycle ride
to Marmande was a bit tedious as we were just pedalling along a cycle
way parallel to the main road, but again it was a good cycle way deviod
of the glass and potholes that characterise most English cycle ways,
when they exist.
Mas d'Agenais is a much smaller town but equally picturesque and worth
the visit. We bumped into a Australian couple who we had met on
Saturday when we were towing Mango and they pulled in to Caumont in
their camper van just after we had stopped their for lunch. In some
ways it was a mistake leaving Caumont as it had free water and
electricity, but we were better off being convenient for the mechanic
and also there were showers and toilets at Pont de Sables (not many of
the stops on the canal have had toilets to date).
Whilst we were in Pont de Sables we met a couple who had just left the
Med and we got from them a second hand chart and pilot which cover the
Gulf du Lion and give us enough info to allow us to work out what we
will do when we get to the other end of the canal. In exchange we pass
on what we had found out in our pottering around the the Ile de Re, Ile
de Oleron, Charente and Gironde.
The good news on Monday morning was that the problem on the engine was
the carburettor gaskets, was easily fixed and the spare parts would
arrive on Tuesday morning which they duly did and we had a fully
functioning engine back in the boat by lunch time and we were off again
under clear skies and in a warm breeze.
Got to Buzet by evening and managed to find somewhere to tie up for the
night.

engine update

The engineer came and it is a workshop job as it is either the coil or
computer. As we were tied to the bank half way between stops and
opposite the road we decided to move Mango back to the stop where the
engineers workshop is. We found that as the tow path here is in very
good condition and cleared of bushes it is relatively easy (and faster
than paddling) to move Mango by one of us pulling her along using long
bow and stern warps. We lucked out though as a British canal boat who
was going in the same direction offered us a tow to our objective which
have the time it would have taken, especially as there were a couple of
sections where we would have had to paddle.

Into the canals

We left Begles 22nd September on the flood and got up to Castets in good
time to lock in to the start of the canals, in this case the Garonne
lateral canal.
The trip up to the lock was uneventful as it was sunny with little wind
and we had planned to travel on neap tides, with spring tides it can be
a different story with tricky currents to contend with. Spring tides
would also have made being tied up in Begles or on the Bordeaux pontoons
stressful as the current on flood and ebb would be very strong
(4-6 knots at least I expect as we were seeing 2-3 knots). There can
also be a lot of floating debris here, we saw branches and tree trunks
and as we travelled upstream we passed a team of workers clearing the
banks with a chain saw.
The locks on the canal are about 2-3 feet wider than we are so it is a
tight squeeze which makes it slow to get in, mind you it does mean that
we don't swing around much when the lock is filling! We have worked out
a good system for doing the locks (which are DIY so one of us has to be
off the boat whilst the lock is filling) with the ropes led back to the
cockpit for the person in the boat to control via the winches.
A French couple watched us lock through the first 2 locks and began
asking us questions about Mango, it turned out they and their son each
have a Tiki 21. The eclusier (lock keeper) was highly amused by our
additional fenders, empty 5 litre containers.
The night of the 22nd was spent in front of our 4th lock as we did not
get to it before the 7pm lock closing time.
Today, 23rd, we got into the lock shortly after 9am on another warm day
with clear blue skies. We were doing well until about 1630 when after
lifting the engine to clear weed from the leg we could not get it too
restart, even after checking fuel and spark and allowing the engine to
cool down. Helen used the Brompton to go to the next and previous stops
where there were hire boat companies and was lucky enough to find an
engineer who knows Yamaha outboards and we are hoping he will be able
to come and look at it tomorrow. So the early stop and a stroll around
the historic town of Mas d'Agenais has been cancelled.
The canal is very pleasant to travel along as it is tree lined and in
beautiful countryside, the only downside was the noise of the outboard
and this afternoon's failure has further engrained my general view that
sails are better than engines.

Some recent pictures

ile d'Oleron and Cassirion light

Wave in the way

Crutches ready for mast to come down

Mast down 

Ready to Leave Pauillac

Ready to leave Pauillac 2

Vitrezay at low water

Vitrezay at high water

Fishing nets at Conac

Heading for the Canal

Yesterday we moved from Bordeaux to Begles as planned as there is a big
supermarket here as well as a fuel dock so we could get stocked up to go
through the canals. Our second night in Bordeaux was marred by 2 youths
coming on to the boat at around 2230, we think that they thought there
was no one on board as when we shouted at them they ran away. We will
let the Bordeaux authorities know, but until they improve the security
on the dock we would now only use it as a day time stop.

Begles is just upstream from Bordeaux and there is a bus service to
Bordeaux so it is well placed for visiting Bordeaux as well as
reprovisioning. The only downside is that, like Pauillac, the pontoons
are in the stream but unlike Pauillac you moor on the outside so the
boat is vulnerable to any debris floating on the river. The currents on
the river are strong mid tide and the tidal difference between places is
becoming significant: we left Bordeaux on the tail of the ebb and an
hour later when we got to Begles marina there was at least 2 knots of
flood running!

Today we are heading upstream to Castets where we lock in to the Garonne
lateral canal and get out of the currents. We will allow 30 days to get
through the canal but hope to do it quicker than that.

Arrived in Bordeaux

19th September. Another wet trip, this time under power as the mast is
down, took us to Bordeaux today. The current was much stronger than we
expected from the tidal diamonds in the chart of the Gironde and Garonne
(in places about 4 knots instead of the expected 2 or so as this was a
smallish neap tide) so it took us much less time than we expected and we
were in good time for lunch.
We moored to the Ponton de l'honor which is a new pontoon on the left
bank downstream of the pont de pierre and is very handy for the centre
of the town. The harbour master in Pauillac had made a reservation for
us but actually there was no other boats on the pontoon other than an
excursion boats until 2 boats travelling downstream arrived on the ebb.
As it was very wet we did not take any pictures, but the scenery we
passed on the way was a mixture of very rural (complete with fishing
huts), large docks, power stations and other industrial sites and the
odd chateau and ruin. The Vauban fort at Port Medoc was just a green
mound and we were too far away to see what Blaye was like.
This afternoon we had a walk round the centre of Bordeaux and got some
information from the tourist office on things we can go and see
tomorrow. Our first impressions of Bordeaux were very favourable,
though we noticed that it does not have the architectural variety of,
say, London and I suspect that a lot of it was built in a relatively
short space of time or the builders were constrained to match the
original style; we may find out tomorrow!

Pauillac and Mast Lowering

Sunday 18th September, pics to follow when we have a better connection.

We are now in Puaillac after a very wet sail
followed by cooler weather with rain showers, a bit like an English
summer. The cooler weather has been a blessing as it was a blazing hot
29 the day before we left Vitrezay and we have had 2 days of intensive
work getting the mast down and Mango ready for the canals which would
have been a struggle in that much heat.

The pilot books warn to be aware of the currents in the marina and they
are not wrong as we suspect that they swirl a bit; however, as long as
you do not come in at mid tide, especially on springs, and you have a
maneuverable boat it is something to take care of not rather than be
frightened off. The harbour staff are very friendly and did a very
competent job of lowering Mango's mast (we have not found anywhere
suitable to dry out to do it ourselves) using a small crane with the
bonus of a free bottle of wine which we drank that evening when
everything was finally done.

We did well in using Pauillac for demasting as not only did we get the
free bottle of wine but all the wood we needed was available on the dock
left over from boats who had had their masts put back up. We needed some
screws and other bits to make the mast crutches and the tourist office
told us where the local independent hardware shop was (the nearest DIY
stores are 10km away) which was a step back in time: wooden shelving
everywhere and loads of stuff round the back, but you had to know what
to ask for. We also managed to find some scrap iron rod that will done
for mooring stakes when we are on the canals.

Pauillac has a very smart frontage from its heyday as a wine port and
the emphasis at the tourist office is on wine tasting and selling so it
is not hard to guess how important wine is to the local economy
(there is even a giant wine bottle on at the entrance to the marina).  However,
 Wine is now complemented by hitech industry as down stream from the port is an
oil refinery and a port for offloading and loading airbus components.

Depending on the weather we may do a short cycle tour around the
countryside before heading off to Bordeaux on Monday or Tuesday.

Visiting Port de Vitrezay

We are enjoying a couple of days in the tranquil inlet that is the Port
de Vitrezay. More pics when we have a better internet connection

Vitrezay visitors pontoon looking towards the entrance and the Gironde

It is another place that is well managed by
Charente-Maritime with a restored wetland habitat, the local square
fishing nets for hire, a visitors centre and what looks like a nice
restaurant (unfortunately shut during our stay) in addition to good port
services. The only thing missing was WiFi, which we could probably have
got in the restaurant if it was open, which means that you will have to
wait to see the pictures. The major upside is that it is a free stop, we
were put on to it by a visitor to Royan who keeps his boat here. It is a
very rural area on the Gironde flood plain. We cycled inland to the
hills where there is a small town, chateaus, vineyards and not a lot else.
Our next stop will be Pauillac where we may drop the mast if the
facilities are suitable.

Getting weather information via SSB radio

Whilst anchored in Boyardville we had no internet access so we played around with the equipment we had brought for getting weather faxes transmitted on the SSB frequencies.  We were successful, but the images were not very good, probably down to the aerial being an ordinary telescopic one extended by a loing piece of wire hung on a shroud and blowing around in the wind.

Equipment we used laid out on the chart table

In action in the cockpit

We also found that it is critical to keep the aerial away from all electrionic devices, in particular computers. The set up also requires patience as you have to ensure that it is all turned on at the right time and careful manual tuning was needed at the start of and during the broadcast.  We are hoping that if we get a good quality external SSB aerial to plug in to the radio it will improve the picture quality sufficiently otherwise it will be a matter of abandoning it or getting a replacement radio with better tuning facilities.

Cycle out to Bonne Anse

After a rather frustrating Saturday morning and early afternoon when
everything seemed to take longer than expected, not helped by having to
empty the port forward locker when we found that some water had got into
it, we were finally ready to go for the ride we had planned to Bonne
Anse for the afternoon.

Bonne Anse is the lagoon at the entrance to the Gironde behind Point de
Coubre. It is a drying lagoon with a harbour which we thought might
make a pleasant alternative to the marinas further down the channel.
Once again we experienced the wonderful cycle paths of the Poitou -
Charente region: clearly marked, segregated from cars and pedestrians
and clear of glass and debris. The route we followed initially took us
through the towns along the coast and then into the woodland that runs
between the beaches and marshes leading up to Bonne Anse harbour.

The beaches are delightful but busy, and I would think heaving in
August. Bonne Anse itself lived up to our hopes, shallow water almost
fully enclosed by sandy bars and islets which looked particularly
picturesque in the late afternoon sunshine. Unfortunately the harbour
does not appear to take visitors so we would have the option of either
anchoring in the lagoon and drying out or anchoring near the entrance
and being ready to move if the weather changed. We treated ourselves to
an ice cream on the way back which rounded of a really good excursion
which would only have been improved if we had had time to stop for a
swim. If the weather permits we will sail up and have a look at Bonne
Anse on the ebb (it is not a good idea to attempt it at night so it was
not an option when we came in).

Today, Sunday 11th Sept, it is blowing old boots with some rain and a
big swell, as forecast, so we have stayed put and are hoping it will be
fit to move on tomorrow. As always our consolation is that the weather
is much worse in the UK.

The only downsides we have found to Royan are the loud live music at
night (at weekends at least), no WiFi in the marina and the long walk to
the sanitary block.

The french sailors have been very friendly and interested in Mango. We
have as a result picked up some tips on where to call in on our way up
the Gironde.

In the Gironde estuary

After several days of watching the forecasts whilst anchored off
Boyardville (an anchorage we have come to really appreciate) we decided
to head for the Gironde on Thursday 8th Sept as the swell was forecast
to be under 2m and it looked like some nasty weather was heading across
the Atlantic for Friday/Saturday.
The forecast 3-4 with occasional rain turned into a overcast skies with
steady drizzle at the outset, a nasty 2m swell and a force 5 which
slowly moderated. However, we were still sailing in shorts (albeit with
waterproof jackets) as the water and air temperature is such that
getting wet is not the nasty shock it is in the Channel and we would
steam under full waterproofs.
We got to the Gironde entrance early and so hove to to await low water.
The passage in was in the dark but it is very well lit and as the wind
had eased the seas were OK; however, the wind was dead astern so we
ended up motoring which meant a slow journey to Royan where we are now.
Of course today started grey but has turned into a beautiful sunny day
with a light breeze and clear blue skies.
Looking back at the weather information we had we made the correct
decision, we suspect that the cold front which was passing went lower
than expected. We have also come to the conclusion that it is very hard
to predict the weather down here, or at least the way we are using to
interpreting weather information does not work as well.
Royan is an attractive well to do holiday town with lovely beaches. We
will be here a couple of days and are debating whether to spend a bit
more time exploring the Gironde estuary or to hot foot it for Bordeaux
and the canal.

Boyardville

We initially anchored in Boyardville because it was going to be a long
and wet beat to Saint Denis, the optimum place on ile d'Oleron to wait
for good weather to sail down to the Gironde estuary. Once anchored
there we realised that it was miuch more protected than we thought,
especially on higher low waters of neap tides which allowed us to get
closer in to the beach.
The beach is the first we have come across where we would be happy to
dry out. As it is September the beach is not as busy which also helps.
There is a longish walk in to the town which is small with limited
facilities, but there is a very pleasant restraunt / cafe on the beach
and behind the beach is a lot of pleasant woodlands with paths and the
municipal camp site.

Boyardville beach looking towards harbour entrance

What makes the biggest difference here is the weather: blue skies,
strong sun, warm water and wind means that buildings that would look
dreary in Britain (stained by rain and algae) look at worst OK here.
Our only problem whilst on the anchor was getting weather predictions as
we could not get a decent mobile phone connection. What we found is
that it is essential to carry something like an iPhone around with you
as there are cafes and restaurants (such as the one on the beach) which
have Wifi but do not advertise the fact. Going in to the marina at
Boyardville was not really an option as it is small, full and access
restricted to close to high water and we would be wanting to leave
closer to low water.

Left Rochefort

We left Rochefort on Saturday 3rd Sept hoping for good weather to get us in to the Gironde. Below are some pictures we took on the way

One of L'Hermione's boats passing the Cordierie Royale

Waiting pontoon in front of the end of the Cordiere Royale

 
Unfortunately, a low pressure system is going through which has meant strong winds and a biggish swell; so, as we have not been in to the Gironde before we decided to anchor off Boyardville (Fort Boyard is in sight) and awaiting more settled weather.
The coast of ile d'Oleron on this, the Northern, side is sandy with lots of trees so looks very appealing. It does have the inevitable mussel and oyster farms, including two in the channel, which means one has to be
circumspect about going close inshore. There is also the inevitable sailing school, which has provided us with some entertainment.
Today is Monday and we are monitoring the weather forecast to see if
tomorrow will be settled enough for us to leave.

Views of Rochefort

Below are some more photos we took in Rochefort.

Starboard side of L'Hermione

Mango at other end of visitors pontoon facing 17th century naval warehouses

Rochefort harbour lock gates near high water on a big spring tide

View from the suspension bridge at Tonnay Charente

Ship passing whilst we are on waiting pontoon

Latest

Still in Rochefort but aiming to leave soon.  We now have a decent size awning made from a white tarp and have refitted the tillerpilot to give us electronic self steering to complement the wind vane steering.  The linkage for the tillerpilot is a recycled 49er tiller extension (thanks Matt) so is light but it is quite long so there is some play and we will need to do some trials to see how well it works. Below is a photo of Mango with the new awning up.

Moored in Rochefort harbour with awning

 

 

We have been in Rochefort longer than expected, but have had a side trip to Cognac to visit friends of friends who live there which was great.  We have also both passed the CEVNI tests, though have not found somewhere to print of the certificates yet!