Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure

[Giles]

Change of plan.

After buying a load of books and guides and getting deep into the planning for Paris, we have decided that our cojones are just not large enough to take SAKURA up the Seine to Paris. My primary concern is that the airdraft of SAKURA is 5.1m (as measured by me and P with a piece of string, a bamboo cane and a fishing weight), and the bridge under which we need to pass to get into the Parisian marina is 5.2m. No one can tell me if that is measured when the water is at the highest it can be, or the normal depth. So if there has been large rainfall upstream of Paris, 5.2m may become 5.0m. So, we risked knocking off the steaming light, I just don't need the stress.

We have a hard date when we need to be in Paris, so Paula is more concerned about the unknowns, How fast will we be able to travel, the speed limit is 10knots, but what if we get stuck behind a slower boat for ages? Commercial vessels, quite rightly have priority over leisure craft, may have to wait ages to get into locks, and there are 6 lock systems between us and Paris? It is virtually impossible to plan where we will stop overnight, because we don't know what distance we have covered etc etc. Those and a few other small details fill someone who plans shit to the nth degree, full of dread

So, the new plan is to cross the Channel to somewhere like Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue on the northen Cherbourg peninsular, spend a day or two there, then muddle our way south, stopping as we see fit, possible stops are , Cherbourg. St Malo, Port Dielette, Barneville, Carteret and Port-Bail-sur-Mer. At any of those we can leave the boat behind, and get to Paris overland and get to the party on time.

Coming back we will likely stop at any or all of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney. Fuel is tax and duty free in the Channel Islands, so would be stupid not to take advantage of that.

We have plus or minus a couple of weeks, so should have a blast.

[weftyarn]

Maybe if you pack enough cake you are heavy enough to clear a couple inches and pass the bridge? Just an idea from a hungry German.

[Giles]

@goosehd 's suggestion was load up with of cider

[endo]

But then you would have to wait for the ebb tide for the trip downstream.

[Giles]

hahahahaha

[Tago Mago]

@Giles that would have been my suggestion, too

[Giles]

Crossing the channel on Saturday, possibly could have departed on Friday, but weather is a bit better on Saturday, and anyway, P is currently running around like a headless chicken and is mega stressed (not trip related), so an extra day to run around in ever decreasing circles is apparently a good thing.

Three nights booked in St Vaast harbour. It is a tidal harbour, with a locked entrance. The lock opens at 19:12 CET, so we'll leave here at about 09:00 BST......

[Giles]

St Vaast have been in touch. There will be no marina staff on duty (just the Lock Keeper), so we have been told to just grab a free space on one of the pontoons I have indicated......

[goosehd]

Safe travels G and hoping the weather works with you. Bit worried about the extreme air temperatures you guys are experiencing and the potential for squalls. I've been looking at predict wind and it looks like it's fairly stable for now and shouldn't be an issue.

What's the exposure time whilst transiting the channel?

[Giles]

At 10 knots about 6 hours

[goosehd]

@Giles going to make the crossing first thing in the morning or later evening to avoid any potential storms? Our mid day is when we most often run into issues.

[Giles]

Leave at about 9 or 10. No point in going earlier because the lock gate into the harbour does not open until 17:12 on Sat

[Giles]

I think we will get a bit of wind over tide for about 3 hours, but the wind is slight, the current is only 2 knots and it is abeam, so we will not be going into standing waves....

[Giles]

@goosehd I'll time when we lose sight of land and when we see land again. It'll be an interesting data point. Thank you.

BTW, think I'll get oysters in St Vaast ?

[goosehd]

@Giles salivating thinking about it.

[Giles]

I think last time I was there, a dozen were €5 in the market.....

[endo]

that's 10€ for the dinner then plus the cider

[goosehd]

@endo I am requesting that you stop this imagery…please. Seaside dinner, fresh oysters, good company, and chilled cider…where does it end?

[goosehd]

You know, I’m going to say it now: Between the guys hanging out in Germany, @Steve and @Lynne sharing their beautiful trip to Japan, and @Giles and @Madame-Buttonfly heading to France…I don’t know if I like this place any longer. Even @endo sharing his weekend retreat is getting to me…I don’t know if I like this place any longer. Love yes, but like…I don’t know any more ️