Back to tidal saltwater in Bordeaux

Le Bateau is back where she belongs in tidal saltwater, almost the Atlantic, at Bordeaux.

A seriously big ecluse at 23 metres

It is seven weeks since I arrived back  at the winter mooring at Pont a Bar.  Since then Le Bateau has motored just over 1600 KMs and gone through 330 ecluses (locks) with happily just a couple of small scratches on the hull paintwork and still looking fairly tidy. I used about 200 litres of diesel and put just over 200 hours on the engine. The water strainer didn't need to be cleaned at all and I swam to clean the propeller only  about 10 times. There was a kilometre of weed near the Canal Bourgogne junction and the last 10 KMs were a bit weedy but really no trouble.
The excitement could have been the very last lock which had a hydraulic problem but 3 vehicles and 5 VNF workers managed to get me down to the Garonne River. Surprising to me that I  was the only boat moving the whole 50 KMs to Bordeaux on a beautiful mid summer, holiday season day! I think the world over a lot of boats just don't get used very much.

The only lock on the Rhone a Sete

Our quiet dawn tucked well away

John was on board  for two and a half  weeks, then Liz and Scott for 3 weeks, they will rejoin the boat on the Spanish Atlantic coast.

Son Josh and his friend Hollie came on board for 24 hours at Beziers as part of their whirlwind European holiday. They probably got the most exciting lock of all with a staircase of 6 locks, 3 boats in each of the locks and fairly stressful even with 5 on board. The mast overhangs had the skipper using careful amounts of forward and reverse even with 3 active rope handlers. With 3 boats and turbulence on filling we all a bit on edge. Also they scored the only tunnel in the SW canal system.
 I was on my own for some of Canal du Midi and the Garrone and the 120 ecluses in that stretch put me under a bit of pressure with rope handling and general manoeuvring but I actually quite enjoyed the challenge.
I will be taking Le Bateau out of the water at Pauillac just down the estuary from here to antifoul the bottom and also rerigging the mast. Kerry and Jenny arrive in 12 days or so to sail down to Spain.

Typical fortification/castle on the Rhone

The conditions changed a lot from Lyon to Bordeaux.
The Rhone was a big river with massive (and very  easy and safe) locks of up to 23 metres (90 feet) drop and sharing the water with fairly big commercial boats, and big hotel ships. On the hills plenty of fortifications from a long time ago, some back to Roman times.

Riding school in the Camargue

Then onto the Le Petit Rhone. This was like a mangrove lined river with no traffic and few stopping places. You could almost hear the duelling banjos! We got to St Gilles ecluse near the closing of the day and the eclusier let us tuck in behind a wall amongst the VNF (Voices navigables de France) boats. Magic quiet spot to ourselves.
Next was the Canal du Rhone a Sete. This canal is like a road cut through Coorong like coastal lakes. Salt water, Reed beds off to the side, Camargue ponies along the bank and the Mediterranean just to our left. One evening we tied to the canal bank and walked through for a swim in the Med. Fishing shacks spread along the canal and a relaxed feel to the place.

The point of impact

The girls get involved as well

One of the jousting boats

Frontignan was a highlight with the Bastille Day water jousting event. A cross between Dragon boating and jousting in old England! Boats with 8 rowers passing each other with a"knight" with no armour on a stand high and behind the boat with a wooden lance and a shield. Lots of serious fun for hours.

Nice eating and only one minor injury incurred

Open water on Etang de Thau

Then Etang de That, a fairly large body of water that puts the wind up the charter boaters but a doddle for us ocean sailors. From my experience flat bottom canal boats don't like waves but we were fine. Highlight here was a lovely feed of big local oysters.

A bit tight on Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi was next and it was different with its oval shaped locks dating back to the 1600's. All the time we were expecting crowds but the hot weather, the economy, the loss of trees to fungal attack but the crowds weren't there. Twas lovely and as Liz and Scott departed they commented they were very happy to have seen so many different canal and river types over 3 and a bit weeks.

Liz and Scott off for Spanish language lessons

Josh and Hollie for breakfast of croissants and coffee

Rope handling on the Fonserannes

A mural celebrating the ecluse staircase of 6 locks

High up on Beziers Cathedral

The Garonne after Toulouse was a bit industrial but then became a charming country cruise. The hot weather finally abated and even rain in Bordeaux.

The skipper at old wall gate at Aigues Mortes

Typical night tie up. Towns for day, peaceful canal by night.

Lots of families riding the canal side Velo route Bordeaux to Sete

At Montech on the Garonne to eliminate 5 locks the VNF built a 3 degree water slope and 2 1000 hp "tractors " pushed or lowered a wedge of water weighing 1500 tonnes up or down the slope, and a boat would float on the wedge. Safety concerns shut it down. The water was held in front of apparently a big dozer type blade with rubber rollers against the concrete floor and walls. They still hope to resurrect it but think the numbers don't justify it.

French ingenuity. Two "tractors"pushing a wedge of water.

A boat on the wedge of water

A 13th century building still occupied just as you would

After a ride on country lanes a beer at a canal side bar

 Just a quick comment on Bordeaux. A big city that somehow has kept cars number 3 or 4 in the pecking order. Bikes, scooters, skateboards, pedestrians, trams all have priority over cars. But the footpaths are a bit fraut not really sure so I just ride carefully and slowly!

A marina all to myself at pont Cite de Vin in heart of Bordeaux

Next time will be a sailing blog!