Escape to the country
French inland waterways are special. Where else can you voyage from the temperate dawn chorus of blackbirds to the Mediterranean hum of cicadas? We’ve been cruising these rivers and canals for many years, and currently keep our Golden Hind 31 Keppel over winter near Marseille. But this time we had something special waiting for us at the end of our voyage – our Ruby Wedding celebration!
What better excuse to lower the mast, brush up on the French and get the pilot book out for a three-month adventure through medieval towns, glorious countryside and some occasionally challenging locks.
We’d entered the French waterway system at the coastal town of St Valery-sur-Somme and plopped out into the Saône at Pontallier-sur-Saône. With a month to go before our anniversary celelbration, now our river adventure was to begin… a voyage through the Saône and Rhône, to Keppel’s winter home of Port St Louis.
Arrival with a bang!
We came alongside the town quay at Pontallier-sur-Saône with a jolt. About 0.7m below the waterline there’s a nasty jutting ledge that put a small gash into Keppel’s port bilge keel. Discouraged, we opted for the marina. At r13 (excluding showers) it was reasonable enough, and we enjoyed dinner at the Hostelerie de Maronniers, where crewmate Lindsey ate ‘friture’, a plate of fried freshwater fish similar to seawater whitebait. It was to re-occur frequently on menus during the next couple of weeks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Hare grew up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where he learned to sail. He and his wife, Janie, now live, which they cruised to the Aegean and back via Biscay. In 2018 they returned to the Med via the inland waterways.
