This page covers what we are doing with Abemama throughout the year. It comprises the sort of material which we used to post on the PBO website, before a change of publisher's policy gave it the chop. We had so many emails asking 'Why?' that we have brought it back to life here. It is offered in thanks that we are lucky enough to have a job which lets us cruise for 5 or 6 months of the year and to earn a living as we go and in the hope that it will be of interest and assistance to those of you still planning the great escape.
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ABEMAMA'S SUMMER CRUISE 2004
[APRIL 17 - SEPTEMBER 9TH]
DOWN TO THE CANALS
Abemama's wheelhouse
| The cruise did not start well. The crane broke down and left us marooned , living on the boat ashore for a couple of nights. Not good in April. We then had to negotiate the River Exe in near dark and rain to find an overnight berth.. Those who decry the modern navigation equipment should have been in our wheelhouse that night. Without radar, echo sounder, chart plotter and a second pair of eyes, we would either not have been able to set off, or would have strayed out of the channel and gone aground. |
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Two nights in Exmouth at £11.50, were followed by those in Brixham at £25 (approx) for the same facilities further from the boat. The 150+ M to Camaret was (thankfully) a boring 26 hours at 1850 rpm at 6.5 knots and 3.5 litres ph into a tight-on-the-nose wind permitting mizzen and a bit of main. We did the Chenal du Four in the dark, but it was not a problem.
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Camaret is quiet enough to be pleasant and busy enough to have all facilities and plenty of berths, administered by a sympathetic harbour staff. At under £10 a night, being marooned there could be worse. Departure South is always dictated by the tides and overfalls of the notorious Raz de Sein. Treated with respect, it is not a problem. It decides when you can go. The trick is to watch the weather and the tide and get there a bit early. All the pilot books in existence cannot avoid the fact that the Raz is never the same from one tide to the next. We have spent hours with books and calculator and then still got it a bit wrong. Get it right and the Raz is as benign as in the picture.
Raz de Sein: La Vieille behind La Platte
Our favourite berth at Ile d'Yeu
Reaching the Ile d'Yeu is another overnighter, with a course shaped to the N of Belle Ile, in case the wx turns nasty. In the calm, it is a pleasantly interesting night navigation cruise. This year it was just that and we arrived IDY in time for morning coffee and to be greeted by fisherman 'Lariflet.' "Only the other day we were talking about why you have not been to see us for a couple of years. We all thought, "The poor Bugger must be dead!" It is what friends are about, so we did not mind being marooned with them for yet another week. If you cruise in April, you expect delays for windy weather. Expensive, but excellent - and still less than UK fees
We eventually dragged ourselves away for yet one more overnight run of 80M to reach the entrance to the Gironde, at low water and again took it on at night - which was, to say the least, interesting because of all the currents, sandbanks, trawlers, liners and cargo boats, also waiting to go up on the tide - a sort of marine Piccadilly Circus. But we managed.
This was our 19th time in Pauillac, but the fast tide through the harbour does not get any easier. Going in with nose to flood is easy, but the ebb was just away and the only berth available was on the crowded Fish pontoon. I was glad of Ab's canoe stern, which makes berthing going astern easier - but still not my favourite manoeuvre. Pauillac's crowding should now be eased by boats migrating to the huge new marina at Port Bloc, at the entrance to the Gironde.
Dropping the 2 masts cost about £40, but stowing them for the canals is made easier (and stops the mast bending) by being able to support them on the wheelhouse roof, the pulpit and a prop on the after capping. The Colvic's snug ketch rig does not overhang too much. You can get masts transported from here to the Med, but it is expensive (£400 or so) unless you are prepared to wait for a convenient carrier taking a boat down. Several crews had to hang around for quite a time this year and one had to travel 30 miles from canal exit along the coast to retrieve his 'stick.' Carry it if you can
ATLANTIC TO THE MED
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| Canal Laterale morning | Castelsrrasin thundery evening | You often have it to yourself |
It is possible to do the Atlantic to Med trip in 10 days, but that is very hard work. For most people this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, so it seems wasteful not to linger a bit and enjoy the ambience encapsulated in the trio of pictures above. You need a vignette ( a navigation permit) which can be for 15 consecutive days, or opt for a 30 day ticket (about £55 for a CW29) which is self policing ie you only tick one of the 30 squares on the days that you move the boat. This gives time forest and sightseeing days. We have met a number of 'having - a - domestic' couples because He wanted to sprint to The Med, whilst She wanted to enjoy the sun and the freedom from tides and weather forecasts.
The aqueduct at Agen The long straights of the Canal Laterale
If you wish to take photos, it is best to have a bike and to carry either a marine handheld (you will not cause interference so far back from the coast) or to invest in a couple of PMR sets. (See p 5) Then you can tell the boat where the camera is located, or where to pick you up, or even whether the next lock is open and ready. Both mountain bikes and radios are great canal gear. Our bikes do abut 300 miles a year for shopping and some marvelous expeditions.
This is Villeton, which was our first stop after entering the canals... a half day trip from Castet en Dorthe. There is nothing there except a tap and a clean loo, plus an electricity 'borne' which is free. The shops are miles away ... but any boat going into the canals ought to aim for a good degree of self sufficiency. Many places will have no electricity, no loo, no restaurant and no entertainment - so it is best to have them all on board.
Free berth at Villeton
Skippers are always worried about depth of water. "Will I get through?" The books quote 1.6m as the max draught for the Canal du Midi, but officialdom counsels 1.5m. But, even this is a dodgy figure. This year we kept leapfrogging a Finnish boat drawing 1.7 and he got through OK, but was seriously chancing his arm. At 1.4m nominal the CW has no problem. In 18 traverses, we have always touched in places, but have always come out unscathed at the other end.
Coincidental with page 3, our bilge keels are something of an embarrassment, because they inhibit the ability to moor close in to sloping banks. Even worse, if there are tree roots and the plates drop in between 2 of them, we can only move out laterally. How do you do that?
The mooring trick is to keep an eye open for the vertical quays and walls and spend your nights there. (See below) If anyone is making the trip, we would be happy to supply a list.
This is Gardouch, an easy day up from Toulouse and a half day from the summit. There is nothing there except a lock and a quiet deep water wall. The shops are a mile away.... just the sort of place we like.
Deep water berth at Gardouch
We have made plenty of friends over the years, especially amongst the lock keepers, who are normally a very pleasant bunch, unless you are pushy, or incompetent... in which case they walk away and let you get on with it. This is Jean Marc and family, at whose home we had a super evening of cassoulet, the famous dish of Castelnaudary
There are many rumours sand scaremongers en route. The photo shows an Irish boat being lifted out - at great expense - for road transport to Arcachon. Why there if the destination was Ireland? The skipper accosted us with the warning that we would never get through. Drawing 1.50, he had somehow managed to ground everywhere and was very fed up with a constantly blocking cooling system. He soon had all the Castelnaudary crews anxious. Even us, after 18 traverses. He was spreading the same gloom and doom at La Rochelle a month later. Suffice it to say that we all got through with ease. The canal changes with each day. If a downstream big lock is working hard, the pound above will be short of water. Tomorrow it might have plenty. A German gave a UK skipper a list of danger points where he had grounded. The UK boat bottomed at none of them. If you are doing these canals, be of good cheer. At the moment the CW with 4'6" draught will survive.
Crane out Castelnaudary. Bye-bye £1400.
Dinner chez J-Marc and family
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downstream
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This is amongst my favourite photos. It shows Ab entering one of the most picturesque of the locks along the Canal du Midi. On this day, I have cycled ahead on the mountain bike (naturally complete with GPS) which is used for lock reconnaissance, photography, talking to the natives, for shopping, for expeditions and for early morning and late evening bread. One of the better parts of French life.
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f you can both drive the boat, life is much easier. I mostly do the rope handling on land and Rita pilots the boat. In 'up' lock areas, if I do not cycle, I disembark (Canal Laterale) on the step at the lock entrance or (Canal du Midi) by climbing up the ladder which is always inbuilt into the lock gate on the towpath side. In 'up' locks, a rope handler on shore is essential and it is best if he takes and controls one rope, with a turn around a bollard. In-flooding water can create a huge pressure and beginners regularly lose the bow, which sheers across the lock . People have been pulled into the lock by the force. Forget all the smart arse lasso and boat hook techniques so beloved of office bound magazine pundits.. They do not work unless your boat is tall enough to let you see the bollard ...which can be 4 metres above your head. That needs a tall boat to get a good view and aim
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| Trebes | below Montech bottom lock | Sauzens Quay |
Three super stopping places (L-R)
Trebes is very crowded because big hotel peniches are allowed to moor for long periods, when they are not working, at what purports to be a public halte nautique. There is a water tap and little else, except a post office very near and a good supermarket about a mile away. One year, I got bread right close to the boat at 2000 on Sunday. Trebes is also renowned for a lock with 3 chambers and is always a potential source of delay.
Trebes is the HQ of a huge Connoisseur hire boat base. Mostly they return their boats on Saturday, so they come up the triple on Friday, when there is always a queue.. If you time your lock use for Saturday morning, you will probably have no queue and the lock to yourself.
The Montech berth we chose was on a landing stage at the lower end of a flight of 5 locks spaced close together. On the way up, I cycle them. Coming down, you are entering a full lock, so need no crew member on shore to take the warps. I just step off with both lines, put one round a bollard and hand it back to Rita, then double the other ditto, so that I can get back aboard and go down with the boat. Down is always much easier than up
We berthed in isolation (no shops or houses for miles) on the wooden landing stage and, next morning ,were aground ... but in soft mud, so we turned the bow in, put on some power to swing the tail out and backed off.
Sauzens Quay has nothing but half a dozen houses, a tap, a hound kennels and a lady baker who passes at 1030 every morning and who will stop to sell you a baguette, if you leave a request at any of the houses. We stayed for 3 days work and cycling - and scarcely saw a soul.
These are all deep water berths with a vertical, stone wall and mooring rings. Ideal for the CW's deeper draught.
Colvic Watson problems .... sometimes you need to berth nose in with a spider's web
of warps to hold her tail out ... the high bow makes getting on and
off difficult, so R passes C's lunch and chair out onto the bank for an hour
In general, the CW is a good Med and canal boat because of generous living space and the advantage of a wheelhouse when the weather is cool. As already mentioned, the bilge plates are an embarrassment in places where there are tree roots - most of the canal. You mostly cannot see the nature of the bottom. There are stones in some places, there Rita nudges the boat gently in at a steep angle, so that she can back out again if it turns out to be not so good. I jump down onto the bank - nearly a parachute job with our high bow - and pick up the 2 warps already thrown ashore. Occasionally the wind holds us off. If not we make the bow fast and then watch which way the current is setting us, so that we can take a very long warp, from the stern, as far as possible along the bank, in order to create a sufficient angle to pull the stern out towards the canal centre. I would not stay like this overnight, but for enforced lunch stops, waiting for he 1330 re-opening, it works
Sometimes it is a feat of gymnastics to get back onto the boat, so I do not bother, but have my picnic lunch passed out to me.
End of the canal road at Agde
Our canal trip usually takes three weeks and ends at Agde, where it is a very short run down Le Petit Canal to the River Herault and the 3 miles East along the coast to the marina at Le Cap d'Agde. You can turn out about 50 miles earlier and pass via the Canal de la Robine and Narbonne to Port La Nouvelle. We abandoned this route one year because there was insufficient water for to cross the Aude and any boat other than a trawler is not welcome at P la N and the crane is more expensive. Also, we like the Cap. Some call it a totally 'naff' place, but if there is a more amusing entertainment than watching the 1000s of tourists parading the main drag, I have yet to find it.
Berthing is reasonably priced and always available. They take down/put up both our masts in 15 minutes for about a tenner
INTO THE MED
Cap d'Agde has a vibrant night life Med weather can be menacing The £145 mast monkey
You either love Cap d'Agde holiday town and marina, or you hate it. We are Category One and always ask for a berth where we can see the comings and goings and watch the evening shenanagins along the main drag. Pure free entertainment voyeurism! That apart, the place has every marine service you could hope to use and is not too expensive 'for the Med.' The weather varies between super and the full force of the Tramonatane, scourge of the infamous Golfe de Lions. It is a good place to be gale bound and is even warm when it is cold.
We broke a forestay, which took the mast monkey 30 mins to free from the retaining plate, but the bill for a replacement 6mm stay and rebuilding the roller reefing was £145. It could have been worse.
To get the boat changed from canal crawler to seagoing, we take a gentle week, interspersed between earning a bob or two for the bank. A week's berth cost about £80.
ALONG THE COAST
Port Vendres east entrance PV is a commercial harbour
The first Med leg is an 8 hour cruise from Cap 'd'Agde to Port Vendres, close to the Spanish border and adjacent to the very unimpressive promontory Cap Bear which (justifiably) has a vile reputation for very strong winds. One year, on the bikes, we got blown up the hill without pedaling and had to walk down because the wind was too strong for cycling.
PV is a good leap off place for The Balearics, but is very crowded. The harbour staff are excellent and do their best to find you a space, but they are very short of berths in what is mainly a fishing harbour and commercial port specialising in the import/export of fruit. Facilities are very good and the prices are reasonable, but you might have to shift places a couple of times if a local returns to his berth.
In the right hand pic, you can just see us (stern on) on the furthest pontoon, 'a couple' with a French yacht. We rafted bow to stern, which is a good way of keeping a bit of privacy (rather than having alongside cockpits) and makes crossing the inside boat to get to the pontoon much easier. People do not like rafting to CWs, because the capping is a bit high for geriatric non-athletes going ashore, plus we have scuppers full of dinghy, bikes, diesel cans and junk. A real obstacle course!
SOUTH TO THE BALEARICS
Fornells is still good anchorage Mahon, super but played out
Mahon, Cala Rata used to be a favourite Abemama in Mahon for the last time
Above is a quartet of pictures, which say "Hello" and "Goodbye" to The Balearics. Ten years ago, they were a super, no hassle cruising ground, which we loved. I am glad that we saw them then. They were a justifiable dream. Now, they are as crowded as The Solent and, if that is possible, even more money grabbing. I am sorry if that spoils some dreams, but that is the way it is. If you seek freedom and relaxed places to anchor, free of charge, you need to move well East - but even Croatia is now starting to charge for anchoring in some of the popular places.
Having said that, we went deep, deep into 'cala' Fornells and anchored well away from the crowds gathered near the town - thanks to a big dinghy and a big outboard we can cover the ground to the shops. . There we were not bothered by other anchoring boats and even managed to find a fresh water tap. The supermarkets are open every day and the butcher comes three times a week.
From Fornells, we moved to Mahon, which is now as greedy as MDL. There is a free anchorage 3M S of the city, which used to be great - 30 boats was a crowd. Even in June 2004 there were 50 there and space was tight. Some Brits were staying there all summer. In August, a friend counted 80 boats, all on short chains. As soon as there was a hatful of wind, everybody started to drag and it was a dangerous chaos. Even in June, whilst we were there, boats dragged in a Force 4 - 5. Not nice at 0500.
Up near the town, the harbour authority has abolished all anchoring to force you onto pontoons (water lecky, no shower, no toilet, you need a dinghy to get ashore) which cost 38 euros a night for 9 metres and up to 55 for a 12 metre hull. We always used to find a buoy, but these re now all occupied by permanent berth holders. You cannot blame the authorities for taking permanent money, but we need to blame ourselves. There are now too many of us for comfort and low prices.
We shall not go back to The Balearics. This is said with great regret. We had some super times there.
| The ferry always comes close to the anchorage | A visiting Dutch barque |
Mahon still has pleasures - like meeting the CW 41 Arley , but seeing Grampus looking very sorry for herself and neglected on a permanent mooring was not so good. The ferry comes in every morning and looks as though it will visit you for coffee, but has never hit anybody - yet!
The trip back to the mainland was 26 hours of calm motor sailing. Enjoyable - even at night, with the wheelhouse door open.
PUERTO DE LA SELVA
Ab thankfully anchored at La Selva With a view like this, who needs to eat ashore?
We made a foggy, radar and plotter assisted, landfall at Port Lligat, renowned as a Tramontane bolt hole, but were turned away buy the police, because it has been bought by a private concern and all the buoys are taken Anchoring is not allowed.
We moved 7 miles East to Puerto de la Selva and anchored away from the marina. It was super. Crowded but manageable, so we stayed for nearly a week of walking, speaking Spanish, cycling and dinghy expeditions. There were the usual French yachts determined to anchor in our cockpit, but the Paddington Stare and a few well chosen words of counsel about my having laid out 35 metres of chain usually does the trick.
La Selva (in Spain) to Port Vendres, our first return port of call in France, was a pleasant 2.5 hours run to a now very crowded port, also threatened by a Tramontane. Our stay was as pleasant as ever, but Port Leucate (4 hrs) is also good. There is plenty of space, in what must be the most laid back marina along this coast. The harbour staff are invisible, but seem to keep an eye on things. They take your ship's papers (ours are duplicate set) as security and leave you alone until you call to return the key to the showers etc.
The inevitable Douanes
Inevitably, the French Customs called - 3 of them, so they do not seem to be overworked. They just glanced at our previously demanded Attestation de Controle (We've already been done!) ticket and whilst two took details from another boat, their colleague stayed to admire and talk about the Colvic Watson as an ideal Med boat which, when he retires, he would like to own. We wish him well.
Port Leucate is not an easy place for shopping because everything is a mile away and very 'touristy' - so pricey. The bikes were great again, for this and for getting to the swimming beach. The marina is backed by a huge lagoon, which made a super, day-long, picnic and dinghy expedition down to Port Bacares, then out to sea and back 5 miles along the coast to PL again and home for a late tea, a swim, a cockpit aperitif, the a a pontoon barbecue. A real Med day, as long as you have the big dinghy and outboard and othr gear.
We will not bore you with another eulogy of Cap d'Agde's services, but we had both masts down and roughly stowed in 20 minutes. We were apprehensive about going into the canals again in the peak of French holidays and a possible lack of water, but it was a super 3 week easy return to Castelsarrasin, via a stop at all our favourite places.
Before the engine oil cooled, we changed it, plus the oil filter, air scrubber, 2 Racor diesel filters and one on the engine. Then it was change the fanbelt, top up the hydraulic, check the gear box oil level and the engine anode, grease everything, clean the heads, add some antifreeze to the cooling and exhaust systems, do some other odd jobs, then declare ourselves ready for winter storage.
Starting the lift out for £50.00 Round she comes Stop the traffic
In she goes for the winter Here is home until May 2005
This was well and carefully done, before lending us a power washer, then moving us across the road into a huge barn. The yard loaned me a van to collect enough diesel to fill the tank as a precaution
against condensation. We spent a hilarious afternoon and evening in the shed, where it was very dark, even when the sun was still shining, before taking the train to Toulouse and Easyjet to Gatwick.
The postscript is interesting. We did not miss the long flog up from Bordeaux in September's doubtful weather and dark evenings. We have saved about £1200 by storing inland in France, even allowing the travel costs ... which are also eye opening. One hour train ride to Toulouse £7.50. Night for 2 in Toulouse Hotel - £25. (We are paying £105 + for LIBS) Flight to Gatwick - £25 inc. Shuttle Gatwick to London £11.50. Train 3 hours Waterloo to Axminster £38.00 single (£38.10 return) Crazy!
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SUMMER 2005 - OBJECTIVE BARCELONA
| The year 2005 was always destined to be
different. It was the first Winter the boat had spent ex-UK and the
first Summer when we did not have a long 'leg' to do to get to the
cruise destination and there were no night trips on the agenda.
Both, as it turned out, good news and bad news. Getting all the gear down to out Winter berth at Castelsarrrasin was a cause for much head scratching about loads and what to do with the car. The malady was cured because we managed to cram everything into the 4 x 4 and the boatyard offered to keep the car under cover for the 5 months we aimed to be afloat.
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| The load piled up in a corner | We just managed to get it it all in the car |
| The projected ten days to get the boat ready, turned out to
be sixteen, but we had no bad feelings about this. Our Winter berth
is in a nice place and we got a lot done. The Beta 2203 fired up
after just a few starter turns, we put on 5 coats of a varnish (which
seems to have survived the Med climate well) did a pile of work to earn some
money, got the comms re-organised and installed some Standard Horizon gear
to be tested ... with double sided sticky pads.
We could have reached the Med in seven days, but we took three weeks. This year we were determined not to let pride pressure us. There was only one really hard day: - Castel - Toulouse - 56k and 18 locks. We have many friends along this 160 mile stretch and we did plenty of mountain bike expeditions. We even got to visit the Obelisk marking the canal's highest point and celebrating Ricquet's achievement in building Le Midi, with the rudimentary technology he had at his disposal. |
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| CastelS is pleasant. We go through the tunnel at Malpas | 'Up' locks can be turbulent.. good warps essential |
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| Montgiscard is a super free berth | Montgiscard from across the water |
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| Jamming them in at Trebes | Exit Trebes 3 chamber flight |
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| Bike ride to The Ricquet memorial obelisk | Canal banks are great for BBQs
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| Leaving a favorite berth at Agde | Rita turning and backing to quay at Agde lock |
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| The Cap - we stayed on the visitors' pontoon | Every Friday they roll up to take a boat driver course ... they all pass. |
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| 22ND JULY BARCELONA - THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS |
| Everybody should cruise to Barcelona and we have not met
anybody who has been there and been disappointed. The pleasure started as
soon as we got to the main (new) entrance and were faced with a selection
of docks. "Which is the right one?" we asked ourselves.
The chart plotter
answered and showed the way past liners and cargo boats to the very corner
of the port... where there are hundreds of yachts.
Our adventure really started when we called and called the harbour office on the advised vhf Channel 9. There was no reply, so we called on the mobile telephone, to be told "We work Channel 68. Call me back in 5 minutes and I will point you to a berth."..... which she did. It was right down the end of Port Vell, where they send all the smaller boats. It was a tight turn in, but no problem in flat calm and with a marinero and a couple of local professionals to offer a friendly hand. Our marina 'lecky' plug was too small, so the marinero changed it. The berth was only 20 metres away from a barge restaurant/bar, which stayed open until 0300 but, even with the wheelhouse door and all windows and hatches open, we did not really hear it. Barcelona was hot, but our new 12v fan helped and the harbour office sells ice. On the bikes, the beach is only 5 mins away along the quay and the super wide pavements, where bikes are as welcome as strollers. We swam 3 or 4 times a day. The marina has good security and a handful of Brit liveaboards, who are knowledgeable and helpful. The market and entertainment street La Rambla - should not be missed, nor should a ride on the tourist bus where a €17 ticket lasts all day and you get on and off where and when you please. Ship's animal, Hoolie, insisted that we stop at the stadium of Barcelona F C where, he feels that, in a more just world, he would be playing. There were also plenty of open air concerts and folk music gigs to be appreciated and bargains galore from 'illegal' street traders, regularly moved on by the police, only to pop up again 100 metres down the road. We are cruisers, rather than tourists, but Barcelona is something else and the bikes meant that we saw more of it than any pedestrian could hope to accomplish.
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| Abemama berthed at Barcelona | Hoolie, in club colours, should be playing for Barca |
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| Our chartplotter track into Barcelona new entrance | We plotted other vessels on the NASA AIS Radar |
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THANKFULLY BACK TO FRANCE |
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| We are told that as soon as you get West of
Barcelona yacht life becomes a little more pleasant and the populace less
greedy. Our poor impression of this corner of a country we like, was
intensified at Puerto de la Selva - a harbour which we love. After
two days in an anchorage where we stayed for 2 weeks last year, the
harbour policeman (with whom I had enjoyed a long conversation about
French and Spanish linguistics the day before) unarguably told us "Marcha"
... Get out! Our questions as to "Why?" were rebuffed with
"I do not need to give you an explanation Just Go!" The
chief had decided to clear the anchorage. We
instantly regretted having spent so much money in the town and disappointed
to be pushed out into what was a head wind with not much
shelter for many miles. As it was, we by-passed a number of small
harbours that we were looking forward to visiting and high tailed it
towards France.
As something of a sop to our disappointment, which was heightened by nosing into several calas, only to find them full of small, moored boats, we ended up in Cala Montjoy, tucked under the nose of Cabo Creus, where we spent a pleasant, restful night, before heading up to Port Leucate ....... where we planned to stop to do some work, but were blocked in by yet another Tramontane. Cruising is a hard life! Others coming to Port Leucate grumble "There is nothing here." Exactly. That is why we like it. Get a bike. The shops are a mile away, but no problem for the wheels and the beach and a swim in warm water is just 5 minutes down the road. Because "there is nothing here" PL is very modestly priced and the facilities are good. The harbour staff is very courteous and leave you entirely to your own devices. We planned a week and stayed a fortnight. |
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| Cala Montjoy was a real pleasure | Las Islas Medeas - go inside or outside |
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| In The Med heat - the 12v fan was much in use | The CW's high bow leads to much improvisation when moored 'bows to.' |
| Sticking with our 2005 philosophy of short
legs, we revisited Le Gruissan - another purpose built marina and holiday
village. When I explained our high bow berth difficulty, I was
simply asked if I would prefer a finger pontoon. This turned out to
be in the windiest 'gulley' of the entire harbour but, berthed in the lee
of a large, unoccupied motor cruiser, this was not uncomfortable, even in
the most fierce Tramontane I remember.
In addition to the courtesy of the harbour staff, Le Gruissan offers good facilities, an interesting hinterland for cyclists and gives free use of the internet. Here, we were accosted by a French guy who introduced himself by saying "Je vous connais." (I know you.) He is a lock keeper who has several times let us through. He confirmed that the canal was about 50cms down on the norm for August - a fact which we had also learned from our lock keeper friend Jean-Marc. The Toulouse head office told us that they had enough reserve to guarantee an average depth of 1.40metres, but that is what Abemama draws. Also, we know a couple of stretches where the level is often well down because a 3 chamber lock is being well used, but only being fed by a single chamber unit ... it takes more water than it is getting. We might have got through, but I am chicken about damage and there was always the fear of being irremovably grounded out in the wilds, where they could not get a crane to us. In the event, we decided to 'call the bluff' of our friend Bernard of Chantier Fluvial, who had always joked "If the canal is dry, I will come and get you with the lorry." He did. At about €1100, this was bearable (plus €120 for lifting out and loading) and was very professionally done, not only by the driver himself, but also by the helpful marina staff, who did not rush us and made a super job of manhandling our weight and girth into the lifting bay in a wind of a genuine force 10.... when I had expected them to refuse the job. The transport costs are partly defrayed because we burned no diesel and were relaunched to spend an unexpected 3 weeks getting boat jobs done, where the berth is € 2 per night, before being moved back into our last year's under cover winter berth, getting on the tarpaulin to protect Abemama from dust and heading back up to the Le Havre ferry home. |
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| Gruissan in the lee of a big cruiser | Gruissan hinterland of marshes and lagoons | |
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| In the basin, waiting for the hoist..... | .... which did a super lifting and loading job for €120 | |
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| Cheerfully helpful staff at Cap d'Agde | Back to Castelsarrasin by lorry | |
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| Under the tarp for the winter | Console serpent's nest is due for simplification | |
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ULTIMA VERBA
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The news of ABEMAMA'S SUMMER CRUISES 2004 & 2005
have both been moved to page 6.
CRUISE 2006
This is where we start again. Since we locked Abemama in her shed at Castelsarrasin in August, life has been hectic enough to preclude much computer work in he evenings and weekend. Not a case of qui s'excuse s'accuse, but a reality. There has been a lot happening.
The 2006 plan to get as far as Monaco was aborted at the Camargue, because family obligations in UK made us apprehensive about being too far away from a safe haven for the boat and easy access to the car, in case we needed to return at very short notice. It happened. In the past we had sympathised with other crews coming home in mid-season and always knew that it might happen to us. It did. So the season was curtailed by a month.
In the event we made it down and back via the 160 miles and 80 locks separating us from The Med and, along the way, were able to dispel a few myths. Canal use is changing. There were more people in hire boats in May, than we found in August. There was more water in the canal in August, than we had found in May. The reasons for this are not really for debate here but, if you are planning to take your boat to The Med along the along the Bordeaux to Sete route, there is no perfect time to go. The best you can do is to avoid being close to the hire boat bases (Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, Trebes, Port Cassafieres) on the days when they are all rushing to get back to give up their boats on Saturday.
As an example, the 7 locks at Beziers are always a real pain on Friday morning, when there can be as many as 40 boats waiting to descend at 0900. At 0845, they all slip their moorings to be the first boat into the lock. There is no thought that there might be a queue, so the air is more blue with human out-pourings than with diesel smoke. . We arrived at 1000 on Saturday and had the whole flight and the attention of 2 lock keepers all to ourselves. We came back up at 1600 on a Thursday and were similarly favoured.
Even though we have made some 18 transits, the canals remain a delight. There are many stories of locks causing divorce papers to be filed but, as long as you have a good system, they need not be a pain. The first priority is that you must both be able to drive the boat. If it looks as though it is going to be 'physical,' I go ashore to climb the ladders and handle the head warp's tension against the in-rush current. That is most of the time. We no longer throw (and occasionally miss) the warps. Rita loops the ends over the boat hook and passes it up to me, handle first. Very gentle! Very safe!
The canals are changing. No longer is everything free. The vignette licence is payable according to a length x beam formula, but will not break the bank. The Canal Laterale is free, but some towns on the Midi charge for berthing ..... so you tie up elsewhere for the night and go shopping on the bike.
| Let's do it a bit differently this year. Instead of a straight, planned narrative, here is a photo gallery, with comments added, off the cuff, as they occur to me. The pix might not even be chronological, but they might hold a gobbet of advice and interest. |
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| We spend a lot of time at Castelsarrasin, our Winter berth, so get to know all the important personalities, like Aggie, the port mascot, who visits every boat at least once a day ... but visits Rita a dozen times a day | Mog lives on the boat next door and is left on board when the owners go home for the week. He is well fed, but lonely, so hopes he will not be noticed if he hides in a forepeak locker. No chance! We like cats, but not as permanent guests. |
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| One of the charms of the Southern canals is the facility to pull in for the night ,wherever Abemama's bilge plates will not catch on tree roots. This is the wall below a lock. We have a couple of metres of water, no neighbours and a quiet night. | Some locks on the Midi have a landing stage above and below. These are really pontoons intended for boats waiting for the lock to operate. Some anti social owners leave their boats there almost permanently. If we arrive at the end of the day, we sometimes stay overnight, ready to be the first boat through tomorrow. |
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| This sort of day is one of the real pleasures of a canal traverse. Rita is driving the boat, with no hassle from the frequently objectionable hire boats, who persistently break the speed limit and flout navigational common sense, whilst I take the mountain bike to get the next lock ready. | This shot is from below the 3 chambers of the lock at Trebes, known as a place where there is often a traffic delay. We once waited 6 hours to get through. This year, a charming young lady lock keeper called us through alone during her lunch break. There was obviously no shortage of water, even in August. |
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| The 4 chambers of the lock at Castelnaudary are always interesting. We are going 'up' and the keeper is doing it 'portes ouvertes, which means instead of doing them one at a time, he fills 2 at a time. The water inrush is quite spectacular. | Here is a normal 'up' lock (Trebes again)a bit deep, but does show why you need a stout head warp and must take a turn on the bollard in order to hold the boat against the turbulance |
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| An early morning shot of the 7 lock chamber at Fonserannes (Beziers) with all the gates open. There are set am/pm times for coming up and going down. At a busy time it is a real slow pain. Left to ourselves, we manage the flight in about 45 minutes. | Journey's End ... the turning in from the River Herault into Le Petit Canal and the Round Lock at Agde, where we come out of the Canal du Midi, or go back in to begin the return towards our Winter berth. |
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| Central Toulouse at night. Calm. There are a couple of marinas, but we prefer the wall under the office block, which is very quiet after they all leave work at 1800. It is free and very close to small shops for bread etc. | At Castelnaudary, we co-incided with a very Mickey Mouse Fete Nautique - at least they were trying. After a lot of inveigling and teasing, I agreed to join a rowing crew. I have been 'oaring around' since I was a kid, so it was not a problem .. just a surprise for my tormentors. "Ah alors, I think you have done this before." |
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| The incredible Cobb BBQ oven. When invited for aperitif, on another boat - generally a 2 hour session - simply put a chicken on the grille and some vegetables in foil in the grease trap moat beneath, add a drop of red wine and - voila - when you get back it is done and readily delicious. | Rita checking the chicken at Port St Maries (Camargue) Note the super colour. Also note the CW high bow and the semi-inflated fender, which we use as a step ladder. This year we have a patented boarding ladder. Fingers crossed that it will work and not be as gymnastic as the contraption above. |
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| The Tinker Foldaway RIB, with sailing kit, was one of our best 2006 buys. Later, I will do a full report, but here enough to say that it gave us a huge amount of pleasure and inspired a great deal of admiration and envy. | The little RIB is seriously rigged with a 15ft mast, which is in 4 sections, a 1 m dagger board and deep rudder. She sails much better than first thoughts would believe. Here we are going to windward at Cap d'Agde. |
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| When the TFR is at rest, she looks 'balanced' and level, with the sponson just clear of the water, even carrying the weight of the engine. In engineering parlance, ' It looks right, so it probably is right.' | In another mode, the Tinker Foldaway RIB becomes our harbour taxi and expedition boat for rivers and creeks. She goes at about 7 knots with 2 up, full day bag and a Yamaha 4HP 4 stroke. She is a surprisingly dry ride in a chop and rows well. |
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| In the marina, during the day, the TFR moors alongside Ab's quarter, snuggled against one of our inflatable fenders. The extra warps in the picture are across to the next finger to haul us off the lee pontoon in the Tramontane. In Cap d'Agde, one boat usually gets a finger on either side. | Not my best, clear visual, but is included because it reminds me that the TFR's mast rake is critical. You need to rake it forward to prevent her being a real little 'sod' to keep away from rounding up into the wind, with much weather helm. |
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| A pleasure/peril of the job we do is that we need to replace and evaluate new equipment, each year, which must be taken down to the boat near Toulouse, in addition to our own personal purchases. That is a big load, even for a spacious 4 x 4. The big problem on the ferry was the yellow box of flares - but that is another story | Grau du Roi, with the river running out and the wind blowing in. The waves do not look impressive in the picture and the little RIB agreed. It was the crew that gave up and 'chicken-like' abandoned the expedition and retired to eat our picnic on the beach. Later we visited the area by mountain bike. |
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| This was our only visit from any official and they did not have any real reason for coming .. except to collect statistics for research. My demand for the 'attestation de controle' bit of paper was laughingly refused, because he did not have the appropriate 'carnet.' The only ticket he had in his briefcase, was a summons, which I politely refused. | Re-stepping the mast was a catastrophe, because the deck mounted plate fractured - a mixture of metal fatigue and clumsy crane operation by a newcomer. We gave the repair to a firm we trusted, without getting an estimate. Mistake. They ripped us off for £360 for the small job, even though the fabricator had only invoiced them for about £240. I should have arranged the job myself. Laziness and trust are not always a good cocktail. |
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| Abemama is a non-sexist boat believing in women's equality, so Rita gets to do some of the more gymnastic labouring and wiring. Here fitting a radio and instruments. As you see, it is a sitting down job. Easy. | The new dinghy and instruments were not cheap, so somebody has to slave away in order to pay for them, but it is not a bad office I am occupying here. This is more sexual equality and division of labour in action. |
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| Abemama on visitors' pontoon at Cap d'Agde. Putting up both masts was done in 15 mins and cost £11.50. | We had planned to cruise to Monaco, but the hand of fate and domestic responsibilities forced us to turn at the Southern tip of the Camargue. But it was still a good season. Here the Simrad CX44 in plotter mode |
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| We visited Henshaw Inflatables at Wincanton and watched Geoff putting the tubes onto our hull. The care and quality are most impressive. | The TFR out of the bag for the first time and showing the way the sponsons tension the 3 compartments and the seat braces thwartship. NB dagger board 'box' and dodger |
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| The TFR is a real pleasure to row. | TFR and Yamaha 4hp stroke are a good harbour runabout and taxi down the harbour for a swim off the beach |
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| End of another season and Bernard pushes us into the hangar ready for the tarpaulin and a winter in the dry. |
