May 2019 – SV Chinook

Honfleur – May 10 – 13

We left Cherbourg (May 10 @ 07:30) on our maiden voyage to Honfleur. It was an overcast morning and then turned cold and wet as we traveled along the English channel. A small white parakeet bird flew into our cockpit to keep warm and spent a good part of the trip with us.

We arrived before low tide and passed through our first lock at the entrance to Honfleur without too much difficulty (floating bollards helped). We moored just outside the old harbour.

The next day we explored this beautiful quaint French town. We went to the market – local cheese, fresh pastries, calvados and more. We walked up the hill above Honfleur to the Notre Dame de Grace – a charming chapel, built by locals and sailors, with model boats hung from the rafters.

Tancarville – May 13 – 15

Chinook had her mast taken down in Tancarville. See more …. https://sv-chinook.com/2019/04/preparing-for-the-french-canals/

Rouen – May 15

We left Tancarville at sunrise to catch the favourable tide and current to reach Rouen (approx, 96 km upstream) before sunset. We had to wait 45 minutes at the Tancarville lock to enter the Seine and we traveled with the freighter Smack in the lock. We clocked up to 10 knots and reached Rouen by 14:00. The marina was full but we were able to snag a spot at the end of a finger dock which worked well for the size of Chinook.

Unfortunately we had only one night in this historical city (in order to make our Paris arrival on the 18th) so we set off (walking of course) with Jamie and Jess to see the sites. Notre Dame Cathedral, the Gros Horloge (a magnificent monumental town clock), the Gothic Law Courts (Palais de Justice) and Joan d’ Arc church were a few of the sites we saw.

Lavacourt – May 16

Our day started out well and we saw some interesting countryside including Richard the Lionheart’s castle.

We had planned to spend the night in Vernon however upon arrival there was no suitable spot for a boat the size of Chinook. This was soon the theme for other possible stops further down the river. Headlamps, spotlight and flashlights were brought out as darkness set in. Close to midnight we spotted a small vacant commercial dock
in Lavacourt – sold! A very long day for the crew.

Rueil-Sur-Seine – May 17

We left our ‘restricted’ dock at the crack of dawn. Our day was much shorter due to our extended travel the day before. We arrived in Rueil-Sur-Seine and were relieved to find a long empty dock suitable for Chinook.

We had a great evening with a french dinner not far from the dock. Jamie and Jess were introduced to a taste of Calvados which was well deserved after the long previous day.

Off to Paris tomorrow!

May 18 – Arrival into Paris

One of the highlights of our trip was arriving in Paris mid-afternoon along the Seine River passing by famous sites such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre and under the ornate bridges of Paris . Living the dream as they say. It took us 3.5 days (3 nights) to travel the Seine to Paris.

We reserved a spot at the marina in Paris, Bassin de l’Arsenal, right off the Seine close to the Bastille. As we approached the marina we were greeted with cheers from the right bank of the Seine as our family stood waving their hands and a large Canadian flag. The best day ever!

Once we were settled into the marina (rafted to Gazelle) we opened champagne and toasted the start of the Spence Tour de France. All the planning to reach this day was well worth it.

The kids were all wearing ‘Chinook’ jackets which were a surprise to us. They presented us with our jackets which was very special. They’re great jackets – warm and water resistant and make for an unforgettable family picture.