Puffin - a 1937 Hillyard sailing yacht

All the crap was moved out of the forepeak and redistributed around the boat to make way for the bikes. This included the dinghy and the sails and all the random bits of wood that I can’t throw away because they ‘might be useful’.

Here’s a couple of pics of the inside, estate agent angle to make it look massive!

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First of the Rhone locks, 9.75m fall. Took this pic about a 2/3 of the way down. They have floating bollards set into the wall so pretty easy, no messing around with lines.

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God it is massive! Is this as big as they get on the Rhone or is that still to come?

Bollene lock still to come with a fall of 22m!

Very cool. We did the barrage lock coming out of Cardiff Bay last March, which is 16m if I remember right. It felt vast. Can't imagine what 22m will feel like – chasmic!

Bollene lock

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Blimey

Holy crap

The last lock! A total of 335 locks over 1532km, 6 canals and 7 rivers. Next, the Etang de Thau and then the Mediterranean Sea. A long way for a little old boat.

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the Ètang is going to be a real change of scene after all that time spent on the canals

How do the locks work, do you have to pay for their use individually?

You have to buy a vignette from VNF, which allows you to travel on french waterways (apart from the Somme, which is free). It cost €85 for 30 days. Charges are based on size of boat. I think in total we have spent about €250 on vignettes - a couple of 30 days and some 1 week extensions. Some locks are automatic, you get detected by a radar thingy and it starts to fill/empty then traffic lights tell you when to go. Some have lock keepers and some are operated by you. There is a pole dangling over the canal that you twist to start the process then more poles inside that you pull to fill/empty the lock. A few are manual with hand cranked sluices and push beam gates but not many on the canals we were on. We had the most trouble with the radar locks as we were too small to always be detected. Lots of floating around waving arms at a camera on a pole! When there were lock keepers they sometimes travelled between locks on a moped or in a van so you had to agree a schedule for the day with them. On the really big locks you contact them on vhf radio as you approach and they then direct you what to do - usually wait on a pontoon and go in to the lock after the big boats and commercial traffic. Sorry, long answer, I’ve learned a lot about locks on this trip!

Now at anchor in Bouzigues on the Etang de Thau. Mast needs a few coats of varnish at the top, will then go back up in a couple of days time. Not sure how that will happen yet, either crane or a few strong people to lift it.

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335 locks over 1532km, 6 canals and 7 rivers

Wow, incredible. Good work!

What's the plan for when you make it to the Med?

Could you have sailed around the Strait of Gibraltar hugging the coast or would the Atlantic have been too much for a boat of this size?

Even if you can survive the Atlantic, you've still got the orcas waiting for you

Photos of the crane lifting the mast please of you go that route. I like cranes...

Boat is a bit small for crossing Biscay. Well the boat would be fine but the crew would be miserable!

Here you go. Only took one pic as I was generally holding a rope and trying to follow instructions from the capitanerie in French which was tricky - my French is terrible. They didn’t charge me for the craning which was very nice of them.

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That’s a lot of crane for a mast!

At anchor on the Etang de Thau. Had the first sail today, nothing broke and I remembered how it all works! Will spend a few days sailing around the Etang before heading out to sea and up towards Marseilles next week.

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Nice! Lovely to see it in a more fitting environment.

I've just read this from start to finish again for the first time in 10 months. It is such an amazing thread to read. From the inspiration to do it and chronicling actually doing it.

Thanks!

A lovely sail down the lake today, cruising in company with my friend on his Morecambe bay prawner.

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