Leaving France

We travelled back from France the day we had our narrowboath lifted onto a low-loader for her journey back to the UK.

I had mixed feelings. 

Cruising somewhere on the Loire/Nivernais waters

First, there were the dozen or so years we had spent exploring the French (and Belgium) Inland Waterways. We had some pretty hairy 'adventures', but also some wonderful times.We'd met oodles of interesting people (from around the world) along the thousands of km we'd cruised. I learned that the rural  towns and villages of France are very different from the tourist spots. Each region has its own identity and the people are fiercely protective of it. 






And then, there was the food - and the wine. Again, each region has its specialities and we both have our favourites.

When we first started cruising, in 2000, we had confidence that we would have a traditional (regional) meal whenever we stepped into a restaurant or bought produce in a local bakery or deli. As the years passed, this became less frequent. 

So, it was pleasurable for us eat each evening  in the centre of St Questin, at the Grand Cafe de L'Universe, knowing that the food and wine would be good.


And it was. Food and wine from Alsace featured strongly on the menu and wine list. 

MWNN no longer enjoys red wine, but has begun to drink white wine. At L'Universe, he ordered a carafe of Dopf et Irion
Gewurztraminer. This is a truly stunning, complex wine. Like many Alsace wines, it is dry, but fragrant and flowery on the palate; the nose,  floral (roses) and fruity, with complex white flower blossom, mineral and honey. 





The search is on for a similar Gewurzt at a reasonable price.

Flammenkuche at L'Universe

On both eveninings, MWNN ordered Flammenkuche.

I opted for steak on the first evening and lamb cutlets on the second. Not very exciting but very acceptable with a coupe de champagne.

The decor at L'Universe is Art Deco. We had hoped to sit in the high-backed chairs at a table for two but they were all occupied on both evenings.

Mixed feelings about leaving France for the last time have more to do with how France has changed over the past 14 years, than anything else. Moorings that were almost brand new in 2000 have been neglected and locks (built for 39 meter long cargo barges) and canal banks are in a state of dis-repair, making navigation dangerous for a narrowboat.







Our home mooring at St Quentin is no longer secure now that VNF has taken over responsibility for the Port. There is no 24 hour security now that the capitain is gone ( friends of ours had their narrowboat vandalised and lost several costly items), and there is rarely anyone there with whom to socialise. The numbers of boats moored is down by 60%.

We have been photographed many times but rarely seen any of the photos taken by other people. 
This one was taken by  Rick of Mary and Mick  Munden, cruising Orca’ their 31-foot Westerly Berwick, from Cambrai to Chauny in 2011. Rick wrote in his blog. One of the joys of cruising the canals is seeing the variety of boats and people along the way.  North of Chauny we ran across an Irishman on an English narrow boat.




Our new adventure begins in Oundle. By October, we hope to be safely moored at Blackthorn Marina and exploring River Nene - and beyond.

Day 2 Boat Repatriation

It rained hard on Monday evening, so we checked the boat to make sure that the automatic bilge pump was switched on. 

As we entered the port, we passed the CPL truck that was our boat transporter back to the UK. We decided to make an early start on Tuesday morning so that we could speak to Richard, the driver, and  finish off getting the boat ready for the journey home.

Crane setting up.

We arrived at the port at 08.40. There was no sign of the VNF port manager or the President of our cruising club.

It was a good thing that we made such an early start. The crane was booked for noon but, on the stroke of 09.00, we spotted the 'convoi exceptionnel' approaching the gates. The crane was preceded by an escort vehicle, and followed by a low-loader carrying the weights, straps, and spacers.

The crew told us it would take about 40 minutes to set up the equipment ready for the lift. During that time, we finished clearing the boat and stowing stuff safely on the floor.

When the crew was ready, I walked back to the CPL truck to ask Richard to reverse into place.

Straps in place. Lift begins

Getting the straps and spacers into place was a tricky operation. It needed four men and the crew was down to two. MWNN and Richard were pressed into service and I was left holding the remaining boat rope. Using one hand on the rope to stop the boat drifting out while the straps were hauled into place underwater, was made doubly difficult by trying to help Richard manoeuve the rear strap against the pull of the water and the movement of the boat. 

Out of the water

The crane driver was very skilled. There were hazards to negotiate. 

Tight on space

A lamp-post, an abandoned truck trailer, and a parked car limited the available space.

Cleared the lamp-post and turned in one smooth action

The boat had to be turned as it was being lifted as the truck driver wanted the bow at the front of the trailer.

Getting the props into place.

Once over the truck trailer, the crane driver took instructions from Richard and the other crew-member, who were re-adjusting the props on the deck of the trailer. 

Barnacles cover the hull and anodes.

The boat is covered in barnacles and some sort of worm. It was a good thing we didn't need to start the engine to motor the boat to another lifting point because the barnacles had colonised the prop and joined it to the lower stern gear bar.

Props in place

Once the props were in place, the boat was lowered gently into position.

Richard signalled to the crane driver to make tiny adjustments to make sure the stern of the boat was not over the end  of the trailer.

Straps are removed

By 10.30, the straps were off and the boat was secured to the trailer.

MWNN gave Richard advice about the best route out of the port and the approach to the UK boatyard on Wednesday morning and, a few minutes before 11am, the truck was leaving the port on its way to Calais.








The crane crew were busy dismantling the crane while we packed a few boat things into the car. There was still no sign of the VNF port manager or the crusing club President. We had to leave our shore-power cable behind as the electricity point was locked. There were no rubbish bins in the port so we piled our rubbish sacks underneath a boat that was out of the water for repair work.

MWNN signed the paperwork and we headed off to the hypermarket for shopping and lunch. We were half-way through our shopping by noon - the time at which the crane should have started lifting the boat.

On board Le Shuttle

After a leisurely lunch, MWNN drove us to Calais. We were booked on the 18.50 crossing but arrived so early that we were on board and leaving the station by 18.15.








There was 15 minute delay at the Dartford Crossing (it really should be automated to prevent the bottleneck at the toll booths.) We arrived home at 20.15. It had been a long, tiring day.


We were not looking forward to an early start today when the truck delivered the boat to Oundle. What a pleasant surprise it was to receive a phone call from Oundle, just as we were setting off. The manager at Oundle had phoned Richard last night and they had organised everything for early morning, instead of noon. By 10am, the boat was off the truck and into the water to soak before being cleaned and blacked tomorrow.

Day 1 Boat Repatriation

Ibis Hotel room

MWNN had booked us in for two nights at  the Ibis Budget Hotel, St Quentin.

We'd not stayed there before, so it came as a surprise to find that the shower and basin are in the bedroom. There is a door into the separate toilet.

The room is spotlessly clean. The checkin staff are on duty 24 hours a day and speak excellent English.

Boat exterior is really filthy

After we'd booked into our rooms on Sunday afternoon, we went to look at the boat. She's looking very sad and is absolutely filthy outside.

We were quite worried about what the inside might be like, but didn't open her up as we knew that the rain-covers over the engine compartment would  be unusable once they were removed..

MWNN begins removing the rain-covers

We knew that Monday was going to be a wet day but that the main part of the work was to clear the roof and clean the outside of the boat so that the crane crew could do their work without getting dirty.

MWNN set to, removing the covers in drizzle while I waited in the car.

The inside of the boat was good. No damp, and not much dirt other than dust that had entered through the ventilators. The electrics were working which meant I could give the whole boat a good vacuuming and boil a kettle for tea,

There was a little respite from the rain, allowing MWNN to clear the roof, while I cleared the inside of the boat of spiders (sign of a dry boat), dead insects, and cobwebs. We stopped for lunch, which we'd bought from Monoprix, and we ate in the car. 

MWNN removes the rain-covers

After lunch, MWNN worked in heavy rain, cleaning the outside of the boat. I removed anything breakable from shelves and cupboards and packed it all away in boxes on the floor of the boat. There was a lot of rubbish to be dumped. Out-of-date and open food packets and bottles, all the pillows and a sleeping bag, along with lots of leaflets and other no-longer-needed stuff.

By 3.50pm, MWNN was soaked and getting cold and I had backache, so we called it  a day. Most of the work is done, just a few things to put on the front deck and rubbish to be dumped before the crane lifts the boat onto the low-loader tomorrow at about noon.

A good day's work.