JUNE 22, 2018 – Castelsarrasin, FR
June 21 was a travel day, as I flew first to Lisbon from the Azores, and then after many queues and misdirection, I made it to the flight to Bordeaux France. I met Anne Purvis there and we embarked on our adventure with a Tesla taxi ride into the city! We stayed at a comfortable flat close to the train station and first off had to inquire about getting ourselves to Castelsarrasin on the Lateral Canal de Garonne, when the trains are on strike.
Train service to Castelsarrasin was cancelled. A nearby place with a reasonable schedule is a train to Montauban. We arrive there and ask how to complete our journey. Apparently on some connections when the trains don’t run SNCF puts a bus in place. We waited about an hour, and travelled about 25 minutes to the LeBoat base, to go through the check-in process to board our boat.
What a boat!!! 43’ – 3 cabins (one for the luggage!) and ensuite heads!! With electric flush and hot/cold showers (when on shore power of right after the engine has run for more than an hour). Though it’s so hot even a lukewarm shower would be fine.
We got settled onto the boat, had our technical training session of going downstream under a narrow bridge and through a lock. We then, our technical guide turned us around, did the lock maneuver in reverse (going up, water flooding in, which is much more turbulent), while Anne and I drove the boat for a bit. It was fun, and it was a beautiful afternoon, even though we were both a bit weary from the 2 days of travel.
We were handed the keys and we decided to stay at the dock for the first night so we could shop, get settled and unpacked. We wandered back into town after shopping for the basics and found, after a bit of an effort, a very tasty restaurant. I had a wonderful lambshank and Anne had dorado, we think, accompanied by veg and salad.
JUNE 23, 2018 – Canal de Garonne along the bank, FR
For the start of the day we went back to the market to fetch a few things, and cheese and a baguette. The Saturday market was open and there were wonderful fruit and veg available. We got some strawberries and tomatoes and think it might suffice if we needed to fashion dinner. And with the big dinner last night, we should be fine.
Off we went and slowly are learning the ways of the boat. Steering is tough as it’s so easy to over steer and the boat is slow to respond. We are very lucky to have bow thrusters and that is our main way to correct our course especially on approach and departure from a lock.
We traveled about 4.5km and went through 4 locks. It’s hard work – jumping on and off and managing the boat and the lines. At about 3pm we found ourselves in a beautiful straight stretch of canal and decided it was good place to stop for lunch. And then it became a good place to stop for the night after we had a gin and tonic!!!
Mooring is tricky – you can’t use an anchor and you can’t tie to trees as it blocks the bike paths. We have two giant steel pins and a heavy mallet. It took several tries to get the boat to stay still. Only after the pins pulled out a few times did we read in the guide that one should face upstream. Who knew there was a current in a canal, but I think when a lock empties water into the downstream portions, it creates a bit of a current for a short while. We learned, when the boat turned herself fully around, and landed one pin on the bottom (nicely tied in so was retrieved), to put the pins farther away and bang them all the way into the not so firm sandy bank. The boat steadied up nicely and stopped trying to move around. It’s good we stopped at 3 and had plenty of time to learn the ropes today!
Tomorrow we cross one of the aqueducts that carry the canal over a river. Should be a great photo op!
JUNE 24, 2018 – Pommevic, FR
It was a good night – quiet and restful. Up for a nice breakfast – tea coffee, etc.
We mobilized to depart – and had to pull the pins holding the mooring lines. Easier said than done. First learned that tugging wasn’t good enough. Then whacking with the mallet was barely working. After giving up on whacking the stern pin, whacking the bow pin worked enough to get the pin and the mooring line on board.
The other pin was another story. We finally tightened the line around the pin and flipped the boat to face the other direction, the direction the pin was hammered in from. Maybe we could pull it out with the boat. Slow and gentle tries wouldn’t budge it. So finally with the boat at near full throttle at 15K rpms I found the pin would rotate a bit. I managed to rotate more and after a few minutes of twisting the pin, it came free. Phew! At least we didn’t go anywhere overnight, but I hope we don’t have to do that again…….
Our first point along today’s journey was a “bridge” crossing over a river!!! Strange to be in a boat, yet on a bridge! We traveled quite a bit farther today than yesterday. Also we are getting much better at the locks – 4 or 5 today and it’s easy!!! But it’s easier going down than going up as the turbulence is much greater going upstream when the lock has to fill up. It’s different when it has to empty, going down.
Going toward one of the locks today, we noticed a huge barge of a boat in the lock. We pulled over to “hover” while waiting its exit. Massive thing, barely fitting in the lock chamber. And then we see that there’s only one person driving and managing. That’s a lot of work for these many locks.
The point we thought we wanted to stop in , around 3pm, was a nothing place – and we needed a store for a few things, including dinner!!! We continued on a couple of kms and found a bulkhead with bollards for tying up. Turns out it’s a free for 48 hr, tie up with water and electricity!!! We can run the fridge and hot water heater on 220 overnight. Though turns out that there’s plenty of hot water after running for 3-4 hours, and it holds even until then next day, even if you do have to run a bit more water to get it. And the fridge makes ice!!! Nice for our evening G&Ts!!
We walked up the street to realize that on a Sunday afternoon, nothing was going to be open. We were lucky to find the bar down the street. We had a couple of great tasting beers and were able to get some provisions to cover a few meals – wine, eggs, bread, pasta, sauce, chips, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber. Had a great dinner of tomato/cuc salad and mushroom and cheese omelet with a nice red wine, 5eu!!
Terrific evening looking up and down the tree lined canal, not too hot, and some great jazz music on the stereo!!! Thanks for bringing that Anne!!!!
JUNE 25, 2018 – Valence D’Agen, FR
Its day 4 – hard to believe! After chatting with the gent who informed us our berth was free, we thought it best to travel down 3KM +/- and stop in to go to a large grocery in Valence-d’Agen. We’ve only been to small markets so it would be good to stock up on consumables that may not be as prevalent as we move on – muesli, biscuits, etc. But it was a good sized Casino – and we’ll have to come back to get more wine, cheese, beer etc. Stuff we didn’t want to carry back down to the boat today. We did get some nice cheeses and marinated sea creatures, a baguette, olives, and a bottle of rose wine.
Nice little lunch on the top deck and the wine was really good. This is very habit forming. There’s a Tuesday market tomorrow and we need another stop to the supermarket so we won’t be rushing out. We’ll attempt to get a bit farther down the road!!!
After lunch we decided a bit of a rest would be good. Only after about 45 minutes there was a loud noise and the boat lurched. Our nearby boat neighbors saw the patio umbrella get lifted out of its base under the table and go sailing into the water in the next berth – no other boats present. We couldn’t figure out what had happened as we jumped up from below. We took a second to realize the pointy end of the umbrella was sticking up about 8” above the water’s surface. The umbrella was on the bottom but not too far. With some attempts to retrieve with some line and a cooking pot as a weight we were able to get part up. The bottom half of the umbrella slipped right out as we pulled and tried to bring the whole thing up. We had an audience of several and the gent from the neighboring boat came and offered to dive in for us. We advised not to as none of the boats along the canal have holding tanks. Difficult thought! He agreed it best not for him to go for a swim! Another spectator brought over a boot hook and we fetched ours… good to remember when retrieving umbrellas underwater! It was perfect for bringing it back up! After a good hose rinse its back in business.
Too much adventure and we tried a bit more napping. It was hot too, so little energy. Supper time came around so we wandered back up the hill to the little hotel on the square. We ended up having a wonderful meal – a very bright chardonnay/sauvignon blend, coquilles st Jacques and tuna/risotto for Anne while I had a perfect salad with smoked duck and foie gras followed by fabulous cassoulet. What a treat, what a meal, what a great time we’re having!
JUNE 26, 2018 – Agen, FR
Nice night in Valence-D’Agen – up for breakfast and another trip to the big supermarket. Final stockup and then a stop at the town’s Tuesday Market. Such a feast for the eyes! Veg, fruit, bread, honey, herbs, and many other things!!! Even truffles!!! Got a small piece, just cuz!!!
Due to our wanderings we didn’t get off until noon- and then, with only 2 locks to contend with, had a long run of a day with 26km of travel. It is also very hot…. Hot and bright sun and its good we have hats and sun cream. And lots of water to drink, along with a great supply of iced tea.
We did see some pretty country side with hills in the background.
On arrival in Agen we circled in the large boat basin but found it crowded and without shade. We did a quick turn around and headed back upstream a few hundred yards where there were trees and shade along a nice stretch of river bank with bollards to tie up to. How convenient. When we arrived there was one other boat. Chris stepped out and helped us with the lines. We invited him aboard for some beer and conversation. Apparently the canals are drained over the winter for maintenance. Every now and then a boat is in the canal when it’s drained and we passed a casualty – a small sailboat with outboard on its side, half full of water. It went down when the canal was drained and only filled with water when the canal was filled up in the spring. There it sits. It’s odd there’s no marking on the chart for “shipwreck”.
Dinner was a light summer supper of fresh salad, tomatoes, baguette, and marinated seafood (mussels, shrimps, calamari, octopus). And some wonderful Bordeaux wines followed by desert of cherries, strawberries, chocolate and sauternes wine. So good.
JUNE 27, 2018 – Bruch, FR
Seems we didn’t get a full tank of cooking gas and we’ve run out!!! Hard to start the day without our tea and coffee. We called in to make the report and then walked into Agen to see the Wednesday market after a bit of breakfast. I think the breakfasts we do on board are so much better than what 5.5eu can buy here in Agen.
The market was not as copious as the one in Valence-D’Agen but we did find a nice cheese vendor and got more cherries and strawberries. We looked a bit puzzle at the cheese place as we couldn’t decide which cheeses to select. After a few minutes, the young lady at the counter smiled, and in very good English, said, “can I help you?” such a surprise in this small town.
Turns out Agen is more industrial than anything else. We saw the steeple of the cathedral and that was enough for us! And we passed on the art museum as well. Agen’s main product is prunes in all forms. Lots of them at the market.
We returned to the boat and our technician showed up with the gas cylinder around noon. Quick change out and we were on our way about 12:30 or so.
Today was crossing the great aqueduct over Le Garonne River. Unfortunately it’s like any other aqueduct from the top – we couldn’t see the 23 arches. I guess part of the crossing here is that once you start, you much not stop until across the aqueduct and through the 4 downstream locks. They are automatically set up for you to enter and leave without any other boats in your vicinity. I can’t tell if other boats can follow you, say a lock or 2 behind. If you are going the other way, you have to wait until it fully clears.
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After the 4 locks the canal appears to narrow due the overhanging trees on both sides. It’s shady and very otherworldly. We cruise along with only a few bridges and one boat going the other way. Seems we hang out in and under the trees as the other boats cruise by nearly hogging up the entire canal!
When the trees thinned out and the sun was on us, it got very hot. Another hot sunny day! Our weather has been really good, even if very hot during the day/afternoons.
We hoped to find a pull over spot after about an hour from the locks. What we came across was full up with boats and had a noisy processing plant next to it. We continues on passing another spot that barely looked like there was anything to tie up to and then after the lock at Bruch we found a small dock to tie up to. After a little lunch we decided to stay put for the day. We took a little walk to see the adjacent apple orchard and then walked over the bridge to see if we could see any of the many ponds at the fish farm on the other bank.
The scenery with the ability to see into the far distance on both sides is a nice change. Another boat came along as we were having dinner and moored up on the other side just downstream of the lock. We played music and enjoyed the brilliant sunset after having a mix of salad, marinated octopus, smoked salmon, artichokes, fruit, wines – the standard fare we seem to be having. We shouldn’t be eating so well, but we just are!! And really enjoying it.
We have made great progress, much more than expected for it being Day 5. Since starting on Saturday, we’ve traveled 69+km. Now hoping to find a nice place, preferably with shade trees, where we can park for 2-3 days and just enjoy being on the boat and exploring a French town.
Tomorrow we’ll get the bikes and ride 1.6km into a small town just to see it. We haven’t used the bikes yet so feel we should as we are in an area of flat terrain!
JUNE 28, 2018 – Buzet sur le Baise, FR
Another perfect day! – the weather has been hot but very nice with clear skies. We got the bikes off the boat and got them adjusted for a short ride to Bruch. It’s a small village with a fortified central area where we found a little café. A pretty little place and nice to ride the bikes even if it was for only a few kms round trip!
As we were getting ready to depart MV Sunflower and captain Chris came along under the bridge and we asked where he was headed. We ended up following him, somewhat like a baby duck following Momma!!! Though we are quite a bit bigger than Sunflower! It was fun and we had a double lock so we double upped in the lock with him and made our way to Buzet sur le Baise, where the River Baise joins the canal. We got a slip for the night for 12eu and I was able to back in once again, for the second time now. It’s nice to be able to get on and off and not deal with pins in the bank for mooring lines.
We took a little walk into the town, fetched some provisions and looked at the restaurants. Seems there’s a Friday Market here so we’ll get fruit and veg tomorrow.
Came back and gave the boat a partial hose down just to see how clean it might get if we tried, and its ok I hope to pass inspection when we turn in next week. We may want to give it a couple of scrubs before as stuff from the trees seems to stick.
Chris came by and Anne invited him to join us for a drink and then we all went off for dinner at his favorite restaurant here. Another family on a Le Boat we’ve been seeing for the past week is also docked here and was at the restaurant as well.
JUNE 30, 2018 – Lavardoc, FR
Now into our second week – having a wonderful time and unbelievably favorable weather even if it is terribly hot – mid-afternoon temps pushing 35degC.
We stayed 2 nights in Buzet sur le Baise which was nice. Didn’t do much other than change to another slip and get a few things at the market, but it was nice not to be on the move. We got some good advice about going up le Baise so that’s what we did.
It’s a river, without canal banks/walls and is a bit narrower and shallower. The locks are 1-2m narrower but we still fit and there’s less banging back and forth. We managed 2 locks today and they are deeper but the techniques we’ve developed are working well.
We traveled about 15km today and stopped for lunch in Vianne, a small town of slightly more than 1000 residents. We moved on to Lavardac where there is a large easy quay to tie to.
We were enjoying the shade and drinking a beer when a Grandmama appeared with her camera and explained her family – children and grandchildren would be arriving soon in their kayaks!!! It took a while and we attempted conversation. She spoke quickly but we got the gist especially when she spoke of the good Buzet wine, the cheese, the sauternes, and the foie gras in the region. We concurred heartily!! More kayakers appeared and the one carrying the dog was funny – poor dog!!!
We’d hoped for a restaurant nearby but it was a bit of a walk after stopping at a sports bar for a drink. We’d hoped for some dinner at the bar but they only serve lunch. The dinner we had at the suggested restaurant 1km away was really nice. Of course the local Buzet rose, again! And salmon for me and a stirfry collection of sea food for Anne.
Back to the boat and the heat is still up there. As we came along to the quay there was a sizeable picnic going on in the area adjacent. And then 6 little girls showed up asking me my name. I responded and said I was American and they started to speak a bit of English and I tried a bit of French. There were 10 and 11 years old. We had a great chat. Anne appeared and there was more chatter as we learned they were in dance school together. Then all of a sudden they were all doing a split!! They continued to chat and giggle up on the hill.
Unfortunately we’re starting to think, only a little bit, about plans for next week and how to manage the remaining nights on the boat. We have time to sort it out, but it’s now beginning to come into our consciousness to get the most out of the next week.
JULY 1, 2018 – Nerac, FR
Short drive today, 7.5km, from Laverdoc up thru 4 locks to Nerac. This is as far as we can go as it gets shallower and the locks get narrower than the boat. We were told it’s a lovely old medieval town and it does not disappoint. It’s great – old houses and very narrow streets. Flowers and window boxes too. The town is on both sides of the river with 2 bridges for crossing.
We arrived and were the second boat to tie alongside the quay. By 7 there were 4 more. Maurice, the Captain of the Port came along with some info and stories, and said they often have 20 boats here. It’s great – cafes, restaurants, a good grocery about 10 min walk into town.
Nice lunch at the restaurant down the quay that seems to service sweet and savory ice cream with every dish offered. We did not add a scoop to our salade nicoise. We were the only ones who didn’t!!! After a nap and general lazing about, and watching other boats arrive we went to the hotel on the quay for dinner. Had my first, and probably my last magret de canard. I read how it’s a specialty here, and why it’s not done well in the US. These are ducks raised in the fois gras style which is very unappealing to think about.
We’ve decided to spend 2 nights here and enjoy the town. Continuing with our goal to go slow and enjoy the scenery. It’s very lovely here in Nerac!
JULY 2, 2018 – Nerac, FR
Big rain last night! Lots of lightening but no thunder here. First rain since our start.
Watched boats manage the locks going downstream – it’s an awkward entry. Our turn tomorrow
Wandered off today in search of the grocery store for a few things. We seem to have more wine than we are drinking so need to remedy that!!
After stowing the groceries we wandered a bit more to explore this pretty little town. It’s Monday so not much is open. We found a little café for a nice lunch and then wandered along another route and found a restaurant that might be nice for dinner. It’s across from what’s left of Henry IV’s chateau. The other 3 massive wings were destroyed during the revolution.
Of course, tho not as hot as recently, it seemed appropriate to take a nap. It’s the wine!!!
We talked ourselves into a bike ride in the garden along the Baise this afternoon and weren’t disappointed. Lovely ride, with a number of fountains celebrating one and another along the way. The most famous is the one for Flourette. The story is she was a gardner’s daughter who knew young Henry of Navarre before he became Henry the IV, and they were sweethearts. Henry’s mother sent him away to marry another and Flourette took her life by jumping into the Baise. There’s a statue and a fountain in her name. Evidently the word evolved through the centuries to be the basis of the English word flirting, or so our Captain of the Port says.
Onto another meal out at a lovely restaurant next to the old chateau. Great dinner and fun conversation with two next to us who have travelled extensively. We had a good time!!!
Off tomorrow as we start our journey to the base where we turn the boat in on Friday. A few more nights. It’s been the best trip!!! A great adventure……
JULY 3, 2018 – Damazan, FR
We make a good start in the morning for a long ride down the Baise and back onto the Canal de Garonne with the hope of getting past Buzet to Damazin. We may stop for lunch if a suitable spot turns up.
We forgot to heed the advice of Maurice, Captain of the Port, who, when he looked at the width of our boat suggested when going down stream in the narrow locks of the Baise River, we should remember to bring up the fenders alongside the boat. Of course we did not do this. The water took us down, and once down the fenders had rolled up along the lock walls and firmly wedged the boat in the lock. We could not move – with the engine at any rpm forward or in reverse. Having been warned of this, and provided the solution, we realized we had to restart the sequence – go back up the lock, waiting for it to fill, and then once the upstream gates were open we could back out, and then get the fenders in place, on the deck, and start over again. Cost us a good 45 minutes to make this maneuver. A lesson well learned.
The rest of the day went uneventfully. We found a shady easy spot to tie up to for lunch and then we resumed on our way. We were not keeping good track of the bridges until all of a sudden I realized we’d come up on our sharp left turn into the double locks at Bizet. I asked Anne to stop, asked again, and she questioned, “why”, meanwhile we headed farther downstream!!! I point to the left and say, we have to “go there!” We tied up to signal the lockkeeper, one of the very few we’d seen, and made our way back onto “our” canal, and downstream past Buzet to Damazan. We found a quiet place to back into and tie up to but it had no services.
JULY 4, 2018 – Le Mas-d’Agenais, FR
A quick walk into the tiny town of Damazan in the morning provided a nice bit of bread and visit to a lovely church with a Rembrandt painting. We then departed to our last stop, about 10km away, the port to return the boat to. It was a short but pretty run with lots of shade trees over the canal along the way. We wanted 2 nights in Le Mas D’Agenais to relax and get organized and clean up the boat.
We found a pretty shaded spot with a nice dock to tie to for a bit of lunch, and then got back on our way.
We found a slip at Les Mas D’agenais and backed in for the final time. A cleaning effort started as the decks were covered with stuff from trees and mud from locks. A rainstorm came along to help! But then it turned into a squall and the wind nearly blew me off the boat! The boat was nearly cleaned and the wind produced an enormous amount of leaves and bits of bark all over the boat. Oh well, maybe tomorrow!
We had leftovers to get through, pasta one night and eggs the last night. We made our way through our overbuy of wine by having 2 bottles a night!!! This worked reasonably well if we didn’t have gin and tonics before dinner!!!
JULY 5, 2018 – Le Mas-d’Agenais, FR
Our last day….. it will be hard to leave our chateau sur le canal! We started getting things in order and started the cleaning in a leisurely way. The water tank took over an hour to fill and then the hose went to work again to clean the decks. This time no wind storm to sabotage the efforts and the effort yielded a nice clean boat to enjoy our last evening on. Took a short walk where the Garonne River comes very close to the canal. It’s substantial!!!
We hosted the Le Boat manager for some beer and cheese and had a nice evening. We signed up for the late checkout so, again, no rush.
We were nearly packed and ready to go. Friday morning we’ll need to get the stuff to the office when the taxi comes at 11. Off to Marmande to catch the train to Bordeaux.
Many great memories made over the last two weeks. What a trip!