Delphinus

The original plan was to take the boat to Barcelona and leave her overwinter there, but as the time drew near we felt an urge to take her back home to the UK. So we quickly set about making new plans. By this time we were only a day sail from the Spanish border. We didn't really fancy the long journey around Spain and Portugal with a Biscay passage so decided on a route previously unknown to us. Whilst in Port St Louis we chatted to a few sailing boat owners about why they had their masts on deck or had no mast at all! We discovered that they had either just been or where about to sail the French inland waterways. We had no idea that you could sail from the Med all the way to the English Channel via this maze of rivers and canals, it sounded fascinating. Certain routes would be impossible for us with our draft of 1.7m but after a meeting with a VNF rep we found there were 2 routes available to a boat with up to a 1.8m draft, it would be tight. They say the best plans are written in the sand at low tide and so our plan was rewritten, two days later our mast was down and we headed north.

We started our inland route at Frontignan where a carpenter made supports to rest the mast on the deck. Something we would do differently if we did it again. There is a German chap, Wolfgang who has a great business transporting masts up and down France, not cheap but an option we realised we should have taken, our mast was over hanging by over a metre each end of the boat and was a real pain in the locks and difficult for us to move around.

You are required to have a CEVNI certificate to do the waterways, a short course in understanding the signs and rules of the road. So that night we read the material and the next day we had passed the online test, we're on our way.

The waterways was something we knew very little about so this was to be a whole new learning curve for us. Because of the banks being shallower than mid channel we couldn't even get to the bank to moor for the first night, so we moored alongside a French couple. Finding moorings in the waterways was a bit tricky all the way to the Channel, but with careful planning and a little luck its achievable.

Next day was a foggy start, eerily quiet but very serene and when the fog cleared we were in superb scenery and back in the Camargue, but from a different view point this time. We saw an incredible list of birds, including Kingfisher, Flamingo, various Egrets and Herons and a fabulous view of an Osprey eating his fish prey from the top of a tree.

Later that day, another new experience, locks!! Had we known there were another 300 before the Channel, we may have rethought our plan, we honestly had no idea how many there was going to be but the first went without problems. That evening we moored on a pontoon big enough for one boat outside Arles, a very historic and beautiful town, where we did the tourist thing and got some provisions and had a peaceful night.

So the next day we were on our way to Avignon, we joined the comparatively huge River Rhone, the current was suddenly against us although we could still maintain a good speed. We moored up past the famous Pont Saint Benezet (Sur la pont d'Avignon) and then a walk around the lovely town, which despite it's obvious tourist attraction didn't seem to loose it's charm, a really enjoyable stay.

Our next destination, Port 2 L' Ardoise, was a full day's travel which required an early start. There was a nice little community here, very friendly place, but a bit industrial behind the greenery a popular place for live aboards and winter stop overs. We met a couple of ex brits, Phillip and Bogusha, who we invited round for drinks.

Philip and Bogusha kindly offered to take us out for a day in their car, up Mont Ventoux where Paul's dad used to be stationed during the war. We made a very emotional phone call to his dad whilst up there. The scenery is amazing and a mecca for cyclists. We spent a lovely few days in the area in good company.

Port Cruas was the next destination, via the famed 24m deep Bollene lock, we made an error of judgement mooring on the waiting pontoon, without our anemometer we didn't realise how strongly the wind was blowing us onto it, along with the current, so it was almost impossible to motor away safely. We had multiple bumps and scrapes with nearby masonry and the bank, but finally entered safely, early to bed!

The next few days saw Port Eperviere and Roches de Condrieu, we successfully completed 3 locks confidently, that was a landmark for us. Then to redress the balance, Jayne fell off the boat into the water whilst mooring! Silly but funny when she emerged with a head covered in pond weed in cartoon fashion.

Strong winds forced us to a day doing jobs and no moving, once the jobs were done we enjoyed a train ride into Lyon, where we walked around the lovely old town and enjoyed an art festival, Lily was enthralled.

Shortly after departure next day the impellor failed and the engine overheated, luckily we spotted it quickly and returned to base before any serious damage. More chores done while we waited for a replacement impellor. That evening the part arrived and Paul fixed engine, yay!! Jayne cooked and we ate it with an Australian couple on the next boat to us.

Another long day sail to Montmerle where we moored on a floating pontoon beside a lovely english couple, they helped us moor then ate pizza and drank wine with us. The fella was ex Navy and every evening he pipes the sun down with 'Amazing Grace' on his penny whistle, with his little Jack Russell howling along to the tune, it was a beautiful moment. Later that night he played some more on deck whilst we drifted to sleep, very romantic.

Good calm day sail to a disused lock at Gigny, perfect setting, nice relaxing evening and then on to Auxonne. This became our resting place for winter, we quickly realised that this route through France was going to take much longer than anticipated, and would be a shame to rush past it all, so we booked flights back home and spent the winter staying with family.