Wednesday 12^th August

We left the confluence marina in Lyon at 8.30am and the half km down the Saone to join the river Rhone. The weather was excellent with light winds, sunshine and not too hot. We booked to stay at the marina in Les Roches de Condrieu so no worries about where we would end up. We negotiated the first lock without a problem and our details were entered on the CNR website so we could be tracked down the Rhone. Another lock and 40km later we arrived at Les Roches  shortly before 1pm. In the afternoon we walked around the town (not very exciting) and visited a local lake where there is aqua skate boarding. In the evening we checked the weather, tomorrow afternoon storms are forcast with gusts of wind up to 75kmph!

End of the Saone 

Saone Rhone junction

Goodbye Lyon

Our first Rhone lock

Les Roches des Condrieu

Aqua skate boarding

Thursday 13^th August

Our plan had been to move down to Tournon-sur-Rhone today but now we needed to stop early and be safely moored up before the storms arrived. We travelled 27km to Andancette and moored up on 15m pontoon between 2 Ducs (large piles). As forecast a furious storm arrived in the afternoon and we had to tie everything down. Further checks on the weather showed that high winds were predicted for Sunday and Monday but after that conditions improve.

Wind starts to increase 

Mooring at Andoncette

Le calvaire des trois croix

Andance

Friday 14^th August

Another short journey today, 15km to St Vallier where there is a new pontoon with easy access to the shore. We brought curtains to make extra mosquito nets that we will need further south. In the evening a French cruiser arrived looking for a mooring. They had travelled 75km upstream against the wind and the couple were exhausted.  We were happy for them to raft against us but their bollards made a terrible noise every time a boat went past. The big commercials and hotel barges move overnight so we did not have much sleep.

Mooring at St Vallier

Saturday 15^th August

We reached Tournon-sur-Rhone today mooring on a sloping quay D put out spacers and lots of ropes, it took about an hour before he was happy that Tesserae was secure. We are opposite Tain l’ Hermitage and can see the vineyards from the boat. In the afternoon we walked around Tournon and then across the oldest suspension bridge in use in France (built in 1825) and visited Tain l’ Hermitage. We took the tourist train through the town and up to the top of the vineyards. There was an excellent view of the Rhone valley and the Vercors Mountains to the east. Tomorrow is going to be another windy day so we so we will not be moving.

Town quay at Tournon

Vineyard St Joseph

Tournon

Passerelle de Tournon

Tain l' hermitage

View of the Rhone valley

Tourist train

Tournon at night

Monday 17^th August

Slightly less windy is forecast for the next 2 days so we decide to head on downstream leaving Tournon at 7.30am. We have been told about 2 possible mooring places, a new quay at le Pouzin and a couple of ‘ducs’ at Donzere. The quay at le Pouzin looked very commercial with metal projections that would make mooring difficult so we carried on. The northerly wind started to increase again and we were not very happy about spending the night moor to “ducs” in the river. L contacted the capitaine at Cruas a port just off the main river that sometimes takes larger boats. He was very helpful and said we could moor for the night. The port at Cruas has a tricky entrance with a sunken wall by it. The wind was gusting up to 50km/hr as we arrived and D was a bit anxious but he made it safely into port and we were helped to moor up by the jolly capitaine and his friendly assistant Jack Sparrow pirate of the Caribbean (his dog). The wind is increasing again on Wednesday so we have booked two nights at the port de l’Ardoise, located on a side arm of the Rhone and sheltered from the strong north wind. It is 78km and 3 locks downstream and will make an early start, before the wind get up.

Around ten o’clock we noticed a pair of small cruisers circling outside the port. It was pitch black and they were trying to find the entrance without hitting the shallows or sunken wall. After 20min one made it in and moored up. The German couple on board were so relieved they talked very loudly and excitedly, waking up everyone in the port.

Cruas

Tuesday 18^th August

At 7.10am we were making our way onto the main river to be greeted by a double pusher coming down stream. These monsters take up a whole lock so there is no point in trying to keep up with him. Just outside the port entrance was the other cruiser who had arrived in the dark, they had spent the night anchored in the river. We arrived at the first lock at 8.45am the double pusher had gone down but we would have to wait 45 min as a boat was coming upstream. We moored on the waiting pontoon and turned off the engine. At 10am we were still on the waiting pontoon, the vessel coming up stream had finally gone through the lock but now we had to wait for a hotel barge coming down stream, they have priority. There was room for us in the lock behind the hotel barge and at 11am we are finally through the first lock, so much for the early start! At this rate we wondered if we would make l’Ardoise before dark. The next lock is Bollene, which is over 22m deep. We arrived just as a hotel boat was entering, went straight in behind it and were through the lock in 45 minutes – much better. We arrived at l’Ardoise at 5pm and the capitaine was on the pontoon to greet us as his dog is trained to bark whenever a boat is approaching.

EDF making their nuclear power child friendly

Waiting and we mean waiting pontoon at  Chateauneuf

We are not the smallest boat on the river

Bollene lock 22.5m deep. The deepest lock in France

Leaving  Bollene

Wednesday 19^th August.

Today was the windiest day yet with winds of 35 and gusts of 65kmph. The mooring is well sheltered from the Mistral, even so the wind whistled across the deck and our VNF flag is now in shreds. We had an excellent lunch at the capitainerie and in the evening we had drinks on board Calipso with Steve and Jeanette. They are travelling upstream and waiting for the weather to change, as their small engine does not make much progress against the current plus strong wind. Before going to bed we checked Thursday’s weather forecast. Although slightly less the winds were still 30 with gusts to 60kmph. We decided to stay a third night at l’Ardoise.

VNF flag in ribbons

Getting it wrong on the Rhone!

Lunch at the capitainerie

Moored at L' Ardoise

Duck house -a bit wonky

Saturday 22^nd August.

We arrived in Avignon yesterday morning. An easy journey, not too much wind and passage through the one lock was very quick. The quay seemed full but after a bit of boat shuffling we were able to moor alongside an old barge.

Isobel and Tom arrived from the UK today and in the afternoon we all danced “sur le pont d’ Avignon”.

Villeneuve les Avignon

Pont St Benezet

Mooring at Avignon

Our boat in the distance

Dancing sur le pont

Palais des Papes

Tuesday 25^th August.

Sunday, the weather was cloudy and wet, a day for visiting museums. We were about to set off for the Palais des Papes when a Belgian on an old barge asked if he could moor alongside us to pick up some water. He had some difficulty leaving his mooring and hit the mast of a sailing boat, we thought it prudent to stay and help him to come alongside us and to get off again once he had filled his water tank. The Palais des Papes would still be there after lunch.

Yesterday there were thunderstorms and heavy rain in the morning and we did not venture out. In the afternoon we visited the Grottes de Thouzon and the town of l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Today Isobel and Tom have gone to a water park that has the largest water slide in Europe (apparently), we declined their kind invitation to join them.

Palais des Papes

Tom tries on a helmet 

Grottes de Thouzon

Sheep in L' Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
No you can't have one for the boat!