Kerr Barging Blogs

Over the next few days we continued our pleasant time in Champagne territory, very different this year with the vines just showing their leaves whereas last year the harvest was in full swing. Instead of finding streets full of vehicles carrying grapes and juice, with pickers camping out wherever they could, the towns were very quiet.

 Talon, who was born in Chalons and designed Quebec

David and Wendy explored the Grand Cru town of Ay, just bursting with Champagne houses (and added to the ship supplies). We learned there that last year's harvest was the second earliest since 1821, so we can count ourselves lucky that we saw the grape picking activity last year.

Soon we entered new territory, continuing along the Canal Lateral to the Marne to reach its junction at Vitry le Francois. The highlight of this section of the Canal was Chalons-en-Champagne with its many waterways, beautiful public gardens and tree-lined walks. We were at the Port de Plaisance located on a small river off the Canal.  Everywhere in Chalon's town centre are plaques and signs in French, English and German to describe its very interesting history and the background of its buildings. There are several walks through the town which  inform the visitor about the places of interest, going back hundreds of years.

Here was yet another Unesco World Heritage Site (Notre Dame Cathedral- one of two huge Cathedrals) to add to our large list. As often the case, this place is not even mentioned in the "Lonely Planet" which focusses on the big tourist areas and can also be subject to the whims of the writers (or, perhaps, where they have travelled). The people of Chalons definitely make the most of their pleasant surroundings and there seemed to be a non- stop procession of runners, cyclists and families with their children in strollers. One little girl had a rabbit in her bike basket and was struggling to keep it from hopping out. Of course her dad was on hand to wrap it tightly and settle it down- at least for 50 metres.

Our granddaughter Mary was a wonderful bargee but there is not much space to crawl on the barge, so when she spotted the huge floor in "Galleria" in Chalons during our re-stocking trip to the market and supermarket, she took off in all directions. Her last really good crawl had been in the Pompidou Centre in Paris surrounded by modern art. The French are very tolerant of such behaviour and she was rewarded with smiles rather than frowns.

Chalons has three Museums and we managed to visit them all. Among many other things were:

• Two small birds that were killed and buried with him when Napoleon died.
• Plenty of beautiful Sevres jars and plates
• A huge number of beautiful wooden scale models of famous buildings/churches around France

Vitry le Francois at the end of the Canal Lateral to the Marne is mainly an industrial town, largely destroyed in 1940 and 1944. Waterways meet here to go east, west and south so it is an important junction. The southern canal, the "Canal entre Champagne and Bourgogne" has been closed for repairs for a month, to reopen on Tuesday May 28th. We arrived in time for Wendy and Mary to catch the train to Paris to the airport and home. The canal is due to reopen in four days' time and we plan to join the queue when it does. When we arrived there were five commercial barges lined up to go through; more drifted in over the weekend. As they take priority we do not expect to get away until late on Tuesday afternoon. On top of that, there are about 8 pleasure boats also lined up. Meanwhile, we are having a quiet time getting used to life without our grand- daughter's happy presence.

Notre Dame Cathedral (too big to photograph properly!)	Inside
The main street of Chalons	The main street of Chalons
Columns from ancient Cloister	Sevres
Intricate, detailed, wooden Models	Our mooring in Chalons!
Another Cathedral near our mooring location	Another view

Here is a set of photos from the following:

Vineyards of Champagne
The house of Louise and his parents
The bed of Louise Braille's parents (he slept upstairs in the unheated attic)
Here is our typical lunch
The "devil's House"- so named by bargemen of the past (they were fearful of it)
Dormans War Memorial
and one of the many stained glass windows
Modern Barrages have huge electric motors to operate them but this barrage was formed of hundreds or thousands of these rectangular steel posts which must be manually lowered into position (or raised) from a boat!
On the way to Braille's House, David visited a garden full of huge sculptures beautifully carved from the shattered stone from some wartime bombing. They are about three times life size
David Steering

Our route after leaving Paris took us up the Marne River, retracing our steps from last year, though in the oposite direction. At first we found the Marne current very strong and had to keep a sharp eye out for large logs and branches and even whole trees being washed down after the recent heavy rains. As the days went past with little extra rain the current slackened and there was less debris.The River Marne

We again enjoyed the town of Lagny with its excellent market. David rode to Louis Braille's house at Coupvray from Lagny. It looked to be a straightforward ride along the canal but ended up as quite an adventure on difficult paths. The story of his (Braille's) life was an inspiration. We won't repeat it here because you can find it in many other places. The museum curator was a total expert on Braille, his family and his life plus life at the time. He told me (Dave) about Black Brie (Brie Noir) and we were able to taste and buy some at the Jouarre Affineur.

We had hoped to stop nearby on the canal the next day so that the rest of us could visit but in the event, as so often happens, the timing was wrong and we missed out.

Next was Meaux where getting into the port de plaisance was quite difficult across the strong current and blown also by the wind. This had been one of the spots where David knew that the bow thruster would be missed and so it proved, but after a couple of attempts to come into the quay, we were finally successful and appreciated the presence of others who were ready to take our lines.
  Sunset at Meaux
Here we were in Brie and our visitors were very keen to visit the dairy where Brie de Meaux is made. We discovered that it would be possible to visit for a tour in English only on Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm. For once we were in the right place (almost) at the right time, the catch being that Meaux cheese is actually made in Jouarre, 40 kilometres away. It was possible to get to Jouarre by train and reach the Cave after a 3.3km uphill walk. The men in the party took off to do this and enjoyed the chance to hear the story of the cheese's production, see the storage and finally taste the many varieties available. They arrived back at Anja carrying a huge wheel of Brie de Meaux cheese which we have been working through ever since.

Affination of Brie (5,000 per annum)

Another daughter joined the crew along the way, en route from Croatia to Guernsey, and soon with a very full barge we were in Champagne territory. Again our visitors were very keen to sample the local product but we were reminded of the difficulties of touring in May- there are so many public holidays. We had already had May Day (May 1) and Liberation Day (May 8) and now (May 17) it was Ascension Thursday, a date which changes every year as it is tied to Easter. Chateau Thierry promised "Magnificent Cellars set in a medieval quarry" but the English language tour would not be conducted on Ascension Thursday or on the next day which also seems to take on the status of a holiday, even in train timetables.

When we pulled up at the town of Chateau Thierry, we were rather surprised to see that a circus was in town and right next to the barge were giraffes, llamas, donkeys and plenty of other animals. We stayed there for a while so that the baby could visit the animals but then moved further upriver where it was quieter.

Chateau Thierry

So we moved on to Dormans to find that the tiny village of Vincelles, only two kilometres away, offered several Caves which met our needs and provided us with Champagne to go with our Brie de Meaux.

The Halte at Dormans is very pleasant, adjacent to a camping area with play equipment, a mini golf course and several petanque courses. Our petanque set had a good workout. Dormans also has a train station which allowed us to farewell two of our guests. One of our daughters and our  granddaughter will continue with us for another week.

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

 First of the spring cygnets at Dormans

Here are some photos- mainly of the excellent views of Paris seen from the barge as we moved up the Seine. The cars are from the car rally at St Mammes.

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We had some trepidation about entering the marina in Paris without a bow thruster. We had visited the Arsenal Marina during our five day trip to Paris in 2009 a year before we bought Anja and remembered it as full of boats moored very close together. We had booked our spot there before we left Sydney and David emailed a week before our arrival to inform the capitaine that we would be less manoeuverable than usual so might need assistance. In the event we had been allocated an excellent position at the end of the marina and were able to pull in and tie up without too much difficulty. We felt quite at home because straight opposite we saw Sundancer II, a yacht from our Cruising Club in Australia.

The Arsenal Marina is very well positioned in Paris between the Place de la Bastille and the Seine River. There is a metro station at each end which made their trip from the airport much easier. Our daughter Wendy, son in law Dave and 9 month old grand-daughter Mary met us there the day after we arrived, and we spent several enjoyable days exploring a few Paris highlights. The very cold and damp weather was a shock for our visitors but the central heating on Anja kept us warm at night.

Since we arrived in France we have been aware of the Presidential elections. The first round involved ten candidates, reduced to two for a run- off two weeks later, the Sunday of our stay at the marina. We had seen the voting tents being erected in the square outside the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) in the centre of Paris. Now we found that we were going to be very close to the action, as the supporters of the favoured candidate, Francois Hollande, were gathering in the Place de la Bastille. The election results would become public around 8pm and by five o'clock the streets were being closed down and the gendarmes gathering. The results were quite tight but by 8.30, it was clear that Hollande would win and more and more supporters poured into the Place, many climbing the monument  for a better view. The party continued well into the night. It had clearly been arranged beforehand as there were sound systems, music and singers as well as many speeches. It was actually difficult to get out of the marina because all gates were locked and guards with dogs and police launches were on patrol.

 St. Martin tunnelHollande's win

There are several Canals that go through Paris, joining up with the Seine at both ends of the system. We decided that we would enjoy seeing Paris from the water so obtained permission to leave the Arsenal Marina via the Canal St Martin, later turning into the Canal St Denis which in turn joins the Seine to the North of the City. The trip begins with a tunnel 2 kilometres long under the Place de la Bastille and roads leading from it. The tunnel is not lit but there are regular gratings above which provide some light. Once we had negotiated the tunnel we were faced with several double locks placed only a few hundred metres apart, lifting the level some 45 metres to the Villette Basin, then the Canal St Denis drops the level again more slowly until it reaches the Seine. We met a couple of long term eclusiers (lock keepers) who are leaving because the locks are being automated and their work enjoyment was from meeting people from all over the world.

Along the Canal St Martin we admired many fine Paris houses and old buildings. The Canal St Denis passes through a mainly industrial landscape and we came across several shanty towns which looked quite permanent.

 Canal St. Denis

Once we turned into the Seine we struggled against the fast flowing current (from the floods), especially through the bridges where the current seemed to pick up as it met the pylons. Many spots along the River were flooded. We travelled some 20 kilometres up the Seine at a very slow pace before we reached the highlights of the trip, starting with the Eiffel Tower and continuing with a view from the river of the many famous buildings and bridges along the Seine, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, Quai d' Orsay, the Tuilleries and the Pont Neuf. The current past the Ile de la Cite became even faster as the River narrowed, so Anja was battling to maintain any forward momentum. We estimated the current at about 16km/hr and at maximum power we were doing 2km/hr- well below the minimum speed limit. We had plenty of time to enjoy the sights at less than walking pace. We greatly enjoyed this part of the trip though we found that we were sharing the view with many "Bateau Mouches" showing their passengers the same sights and speeding in both directions every 30 seconds or so.

Seine in flood 

It was getting quite late as we left the city area and turned into the Marne River to tie up adjacent to the lock, closed by now. We found the pontoon where it was marked but all the bollards were under water. We had our first experience of tying to underwater bollards, yet another new skill to be learned by the crew. The level of the Marne was a metre or more above the usual level. It too was running very fast with the barrages significantly lowered to allow the impressive volumes of water to pass. There were plenty of branches and trees floating down.

 Fighting the current

Statue of Liberty

One of many beautiful bridges

Hi everyone,

We left Montereau a little nervous.

We were tackling the Petite Seine and did not have charts as they are being reprinted. We also saw this "expedition" as a test for whether or not we would be fine for the following six months without our bow thruster.

Things went well on the first day. The locks were large and easy. The lock keepers were friendly. We reached Bray sur Seine which was about 25km upstream from Montereau. It was a very enjoyable small town with many very old and beautiful houses, some of them in a Normandy style. Some of the houses leaned so far over small lanes that they were leaning on the houses from the opposite side.

We were moored alongside a beautiful park with excellent gardens, shaped hedges and about 60 very old and very large Plane trees. The facility provided to boats by the town was excellent and free.

The rain and very strong winds continued. Several canals had been closed due to lack of water from the drought. However, the waters became muddier and the levels continued to rise in the Seine. The current also became stronger and we noticed that the barrages had been lowered to allow the water to escape.

After Bray, we headed further upriver to the industrial town of Nogent sur Seine, which is the third largest cerealeal port in France. There was quite a lot of commercial traffic, with some barges up to 2,500 tonnes carrying capacity. These are really ships and were up to 110metres in length.

It was along this next section that did struggle without the bow thruster. We had been following a large ship and sharing locks with him (boats are masculine here). The lockeeper ever got him to overtake us in a lock. This was a little nerve racking but the Captain was very skilful.

We were in a very narrow section of canal and approaching a narrow bridge when a large barge appeared from the other direction. "Our" ship ("Hebe") decided to pass through the bridge first, so we dutifully followed. There is only room for one boat at a time under the bridges. Well, Hebe then stopped after the bridge as there was not much room. The other barge slowly approached. We had to try and sit behind Hebe, keeping right over to the side despite the strong wind and the current. Well, it was very challenging, particularly as we needed some movement to keep station. Then Hebe needed to reverse and we were being sucked towards the other barge by his propellors. Well, it was all very "tight" with us only centimetres from Hebe's stern and centimetres from the other barge. We ended up being bumped by the other barge but avoided Hebe. Next time, we will stay further back.

Nogent was a very pretty town with lots to see and do. Here is our spot with a view of the old Mill.

Again, the town provided an excellent stopping point and we will go there again one day. It was necessary to book the locks for the weekend as travel by "Plaisanciers"= Dave and Penny is only by arrangement on weekends. This was a bit of a problem as the lockeeper also needed to woman the barrages. However, all was fine and in a couple of days, we were 70km back down the Seine at St Mammes on the way to Paris.

The rain continued to fall and then we heard that the upper Yonne (from which we had come) was closed due to flooding as were several other canals and rivers. Large barges and ships were also precluded from navigating in Paris. From drought to flood in a few weeks. We certainly noticed the extra current in the Seine which added at least 50% to our speed.

We timed the stay in St Mammes to do some more work on the boat which had been delayed due to the poor weather. We also needed fuel and obtained it there (the cost was about $1,000 to half fill the tank with diesel!)

On May Day, nearly everything was closed, including the locks. We experienced the best weather of the trip so far and enjoyed the annual vintage car rally wich came to St Mammes and displayed some 70 beautiful old cars. The oldest was 99 years- not as old as Anja- but still elderly. As is the custom, we bought sprigs of snow drops from some children.

While in St Mammes, we took time off to go and really explore the Chateau at Fontainbleau. Wow! It was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the splendour and the history of the place where many kings and queens spent time.

Some rooms at Fontainbleau	Nice baby bed!

We headed off on May 2nd for the comfortable two day trip to Paris. There are not many stopping places along the way and we had planned on staying at a disused quai about halfway along the Seine. We reached there in good time only to find it underwater. It would have been too dangerous to moor there and so we continued another 10km downstream and tied up below one of the large Seine locks.

Tomorrow, it is on to Paris.

Best Regards,

Dave and Penny

Other photos: Seine at Nogent, A friendly bird, large barges (linked together. 7 together is the most we have seen- about 6,000tonnes)..