We arrived right on time – although it is not the most scenic spot we’ve stayed at this summer. The raft below will be our home for eight days.
Above and below, the raft is in its usual position – at right angles to the shore. The red-over-white CEVNI sign is a directive to passing boats. Make no wake!
In the positions above, with barges moored on the opposite shore, there is no room for Aleau to get onto the raft. A motorboat is used to turn it 90-degrees so we can go upstream onto it. Before we can do that, it has to be sunk. Then, I have to guide Aleau over it – keeping between the grey, vertical poles. Below, the raft has been turned. Below that, it is being sunk so we can get onto it.
Now, it’s up to me. Position Aleau between the grey poles. A worker from the shipyard is onboard to tell me when to stop. Jeannie is there to warn me if I get too close to the poles on her side.
There’s no margin of error.
Now that we’re in position, the water that was pumped into the raft to make it sink must now be pumped out so that it will float and we’ll be high and dry..
Unfortunately, it doesn’t rise all at once. First the bow rises – and then the stern. It has Aleau’s bow looking at the sky. We were warned to secure everything inside otherwise we’d have a mess to clean up.
All the water has been pumped out of the raft and it has been turned 90-degrees. Aleau’s stern is now facing shore.
Off the water, Aleau’s wheelhouse is high up. The only way on or off is by ladder.
It’s very awkward. I can barely get my leg onto the ladder. For Jeannie, it’s too much of a stretch. She will not be able to get off Aleau the whole time we are on the raft. I know she will be going stir-crazy.
As soon as we’re out of the water, work begins. What you see in the hole is the stern-thruster – the part that needs to be replaced. It’s work than can only be done with Aleau out of the water. And it’s the only reason Aleau is out of the water.
It didn’t take long for the tailpiece of the stern-thruster to be replaced with a new one. We took advantage of being on the raft to get a few other things done. It is the last time – for what we hope is a long time – that work on anything below the waterline can be done.
Rather than risk divorce, I told the yard to put Aleau back in the water. Jeannie had been stuck onboard for four, very-long days. Well above and beyond the call of duty.
The process was repeated. Secure everything inside Aleau and watch as her bow pointed to the sky.
We’re finally off the raft – but not gone from the shipyard. There’s still work to be done. We tie to the raft. But at least Jeannie can get off.
We celebrate by going out for dinner.
We start with Champagne. If Jeannie looks fuzzy, blame the Champagne.
Our choices. The first photo has Entrées and the second, the Plats.
We both start with roasted artichoke hearts. Yup, you can eat the stem. Soft and delicious.
For the plat, Jeannie chooses Filet de Dorade – Sea Bream.
I choose one of my favourites – St. Jacques. Scallops in English Canada. Pétoncles in Quebec. St. Jacques in France.
The Champagne was superb. We ask to see the bottle so we can remember what we had.
From Reims. It wasn’t long ago that we were there. There’s still a few glasses left in the bottle. In another example of French kindness and hospitality, we are given the bottle to take with us. It is no wonder that Jeannie and I are smitten with France.
We weren’t hungry as we walked home – Champagne bottle in hand. Even so, we stopped to look at this restaurant. After all, we’re going to be in Moret-sur-Loing for awhile.
We continued our walk back to the shipyard – with no fear walking down narrow alleys at night.
We ate dinner on the aft-deck the next evening – still tied against the raft but watched over by a full moon.
It was much prettier looking that way. If we turned our head, less so.
We tried to not look out the portholes.
And then it was time… We were finally on our way upstream to our mooring at the marina in Moret-sur-Loing. We’ve always liked being here. After eight days in the shipyard (half on the raft, half tied to it), it was especially inviting.
We could eat outside with a much more pleasant view.
Speaking of eating… While we have been to Moret-sur-Loing a few times – and eaten at a number of restaurants – there was one we hadn’t tried. Until now.
It is recommended by the College Culinaire de France. (While it appears it was last recommended in 2023, that’s when I took the photo – reminding me to come back and eat. And this time, when we did eat, I forgot to update the photo. It does now say 2024 and 2025.)
Of course, we started with Champagne. (I think Jeannie is saying, “Hurry up and take the photo so I can actually take a sip.)
It was followed by an amuse-bouche.
For an Entrée, Jeannie chose prawns with guacamole, coriander maki, and mango.
Watching my waistline, I skipped the entrée so I could justify dessert.
For the plat, we both had “Le poisson du marché” – Dorade – Sea Bream – with ratatouille and polenta on a chorizo bisque.. (Two views)
As I had wisely skipped the entrée, I had “L’Entremet” for dessert – strawberry and rhubarb topped with a macaron.
All those meals mean a lot of calories have to be worked off. It’s a joy doing so in France. There’s always something new to discover as we walk. We learned that Robert Louis Stevenson may have lived in this building. The plaque doesn’t say he actually lived in it – but it is alongside the building. Your guess is as good as mine.
Stonework of a different kind was underway not far away.
A very scenic spot had been put aside for sculptors to work.
Many of the homes we pass by are also pieces of stone turned into works of art.
What is frustrating for me is that many homes are hidden from view. In every city and town we have been in, it is common to see walls along the sidewalk. In North America, doing so would be illegal. In France, privacy is paramount.
Some homeowners shun stone and choose to retreat behind vegetation.
The French put a great deal of emphasis on privacy. It is enshrined in law. A homeowner was recently charged after his neighbour felt the homeowner’s security cameras were invading his privacy. In court, the homeowner said the cameras were dummies intended to be a deterrent to prevent burglaries. The judge ruled that doesn’t matter. The neighbour felt uncomfortable. The judge found the home owner guilty of invading his neighbour’s privacy, ruled the phoney cameras had to be removed, and fined the homeowner. In France, invasion of privacy is a crime even if the cameras are not real. Don’t ask me to explain the hundreds of YouTube videos taken and by posted by people walking through Paris. I think it’s time for the law to catch up with technology.
One example… One night when we were moored at Arsenal, someone broke into a boat and set it on fire. The next day, police officers knocked on our door and asked if we had security cameras that may have recorded images of the culprit. A real Catch-22. If we say yes, we’re admitting to the police we’re breaking the law. If we say no, we may be denying them the evidence they need to catch the bad guy. Fortunately, we were able to honestly say, “No, we do not have any recordings.” I still find it amusing that the first thing police did was look for CCTV footage – even though the law says individuals can’t have security cameras.
At least it’s not illegal to show scenic shots with no one in them. In this case, the Loing River a few metres from where Aleau is moored.
We are moored in Moret-sur-Loing on the Loing. It is too shallow for boats to go any farther on the river. So in 1719, King Louis XV ordered the Canal du Loing be built. It may not look it, but that tiny entrance can take boats all the way to the Mediterranean.
The Canal du Loing is just the beginning. After 49 kilometres, it becomes the Canal du Briare, then the Canal Latéral à la Loire, and then the Canal du Centre. The names change but it’s really one long canal until it reaches the Sâone River. Farther south, the Sâone merges with the Rhône which flows into the Mediterranean. In the summer of 2022, we went from the Sâone to where we are now via all four canals. That voyage is described in Chapters 143 through 179.
A rare occurrence. In fact, it has happened only once since we started barging in 2019. We are joined by fellow Canadians.
Flat Bottomed Girl is owned by Boyd and Laura from Vancouver. We shared dinner onboard Aleau. Even though the opportunity was there, we did not talk about Canada – but about barging in France. Like us, they have chosen to live over here full-time. It is hard for us to imagine being anywhere else.