This report is a bit delayed, because after we left Paris we had a bit to do prior to heading back to Palma for a months work before Christmas and so the kids can enjoy the final month of the year at school.

We motored out of Paris on the 21st November and motored up the Seine to Canal De Loing. We had passed some beautiful country side, and some amazing mansions. We noticed that there are some areas that are dedicated to the rich and famous with mansions on one side of the river and forest lands on the other side of the river. In the forest we could see the other side of society, with a few neat shanty towns and tents pitched amongst the trees.

We arrived in Canal De Loing on the afternoon of the 22nd November and started to clean the boat up and get her ready for some chilly winter days ahead. Our berth is near Emilies fathers boat in Morey Sur Loing near Fontainebleau, about one hours car drive from Paris.

The morning of the 23rd was busy as I had to clean and winterise the entire boat, and while Emilie packed the bags and packed away all the bedding to make sure it would stay 100% dry in our absence. I have never left a boat in a location that has the potential to ice over, so I paid particular attention to draining all the water lines, closing all the sea cocks, and clearing out any moisture or condensation I could find in the pipes and throughout the boat. The forecast was for snow over the next week so we were think we have timed our temporary departure well.

Once the boat was cleaned we visited Phillippe for lunch on his boat then went to the train station. Issy and Max loved the train ride to Paris. I was glad we left early as it was chaos in the Paris train station, but we made it to the airport in plenty of time, and caught the plane back to Palma Mallorca.

Depending on the temperature in January we may head back to the boat for a few weeks after Christmas, otherwise it may have to be after March. Fingers crossed the world has come back to more normality then!

Thanks for reading our blogs, I hope you enjoyed them. Please keep in touch. Rich, Em, Issy, Max.

We arrived in Paris in the afternoon of the 19th November 2021. Sailing up the Seine past the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Leuve, and Notre Dame, we arrived at our marina in Port De Plaisance next to place de Bastille, right in the center of Paris!

After hot showers and a quick tidy up we got off the boat and haled a cab towards the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately the tower was closed for the night but we enjoyed walking around it and the kids has a go on the famous carousel while Emilie and I enjoyed some bubbles under the Eiffel Tower.

We enjoyed dinner at a nearby resteraunt and found some Souvenirs for friends. Emilie and I bought a beret each but Issy demanded they should not be worn because the look silly. I’m not sure where she gets her Fashsion from!

The next day we purchased tickets to the Natural history museum for the Evolution display in the great hall. We all enjoyed looking at all the different animals and bones. Included in the ticket was a chance to look around the gardens and the Zoo. We are not normally fond of zoos but apparently this zoo has an excellent breeding program saving some almost extinct species.

One of my favorite finds in the museum was a book case with journals from the likes of Darwin, Freycinet, Bates, Wallace amongst other explorers.

For lunch we found an unbelievable Moroccan restaurant opposite the museum. The smell of the food drew us inside and we were not disappointed.

We then headed back to the Eiffel Tower. Itvv be was cloudy and sadly the top floor was closed, but we waited in line snd managed to get to the second level which was amazing.
Today we enjoyed breakfast at a cafe and took a stroll around Bastille. We then washed dien the boat, did some laundry and cast off lines at 1245 to continue making our way up the Seine towards Canal De Loing where we will leave the boat to return to Palma for December.

Tonight and tomorrow shouldbe chilly with temperatures set to drop below zero!

Words can not describe how fantastic it is to sail your 45ft yacht into Paris, so here are some photos



Everybody woke up early this morning. The boat felt warm and cozy but when we ventured outside we discovered a thick blanket of fog. Visibility was less than 300m. We got underway regardless, traveling slowly with extra lookouts.

Pic Emilie working the foredeck in her thermals, wet weather gear and Nicky River Ugg’s from Tassie!

The fog gradually lifted and we were traveling down stream making 7kts. Suddenly just before midday the fog completely dissspeared revealing a beautiful sunny day traveling some beautiful regions of France.

We passed three locks in quick succession with barely a wait, and parked at Conflans Sainte Honorine at 1325, gave the boat a quick tidy and wash down then went to lunch. Today was Beaujolais Nouveau in France, so apparently we had to have a glass of red wine to celebrate. My arm was twisted.

Pic Issy feeding swans next to the berth in Sainte Honorine

We then walked up the hill and found a big park where the kids enjoyed playing on swings and in the autumn leaves. After this we visited Museum Batellerie, with nautical history of the barges and canals.

We then returned to the park until sunset snd made our way back to the boat. Tomorrow we have secured a berth in Paris Arsenal marina!

Everybody woke up early this morning. The boat felt warm and cozy but when we ventured outside we discovered a thick blanket of fog. Visibility was less than 300m. We got underway regardless, traveling slowly with extra lookouts.

Pic Emilie working the foredeck in her thermals, wet weather gear and Nicky River Ugg’s from Tassie!

The fog gradually lifted and we were traveling down stream making 7kts. Suddenly just before midday the fog completely dissspeared revealing a beautiful sunny day traveling some beautiful regions of France.

We passed three locks in quick succession with barely a wait, and parked at Conflans Sainte Honorine at 1325, gave the boat a quick tidy and wash down then went to lunch. Today was Beaujolais Nouveau in France, so apparently we had to have a glass of red wine to celebrate. My arm was twisted.

Pic Issy feeding swans next to the berth in Sainte Honorine

We then walked up the hill and found a big park where the kids enjoyed playing on swings and in the autumn leaves. After this we visited Museum Batellerie, with nautical history of the barges and canals.

We then returned to the park until sunset snd made our way back to the boat. Tomorrow we have secured a berth in Paris Arsenal marina!

Today we had another good run with 6 locks and 69km. Some of the motoring was a bit slow because of 4km/hr speed restrictions (2kts) and slow commercial boats ahead of us.

One of the barges had a African grey parrot onboard (similar to a cockatoo) which kept the kids entertained in the lock.

At the start of our trip when we were entering the big locks we have the kids the iPad to watch Bluey (Aussie cartoon) and we were finding them very wound up by the end of the day. Now we are more confident with the locks all screens have disappeared. It is amazing the change in the children with snd without screens. Without they are happy inventing games snd doing craft. Issy even made her own cardboard computer which gives far more enjoyment than the real one! The kids are also having a lot of fun with the walk-in talkies, though their radio etiquette requires some improvement!

We are now just 2 days away from Paris and we are trying to book into Bassin de L’arsenal, a marina right in the Centre of Paris. Fingers crossed there are not too many cruising boats mad enough to be traveling through France in November!

We have been experiencing quite a bit of weed and algae so maintenance today included cleaning out the log and mud box strainer as well as researching how to change the seals on the leaking injection pump.

Today was the canal equivalent of running downwind in the southern ocean – cold & fast!

This morning we departed the dock just before 0800 and were in our first lock at 0810. By 1000 we had already passed through 4 locks, dropping a total of 32m

We then had a 10nm run until the next set of canals which also happened in quick succession.

At 1415 we entered the 1.5km tunnel La Panneterie where the kids were allowed to go up on the bow with Emilie to enjoy the tunnel.

We then had another 4 locks traveling behind a cargo ship, and finally just on dark we docked next to a freight train bridge (oh the serenity!) at 1730.

A long day with 12 locks covering 58km we barely had a chance to take a photograph. It is awesome to be making the miles again! Paris here we come!

Yesterday started at a very slow pace. The canals were still well behind schedule due to the long weekend and commercial vessels were given priority. Whilst we left the dock in Sains Les Marquion at 0800, were were promptly told there would be a two hour delay until we could join an appropriate ship in the dock. Most of the canal ships are made so two of them can squeeze into the dock, therefore if you have two regular sized ship in a row, or a ship and barge combination we were put to the back of the que until a slightly larger or smaller vessel entered the dock and there was room for a pleasure yacht.

Finally at 1000 a ship of appropriate size came to the lock and we were notified we could enter. Im glad Emilie speaks fluent French as I would not have a hope in communicating with the lock keepers or other captains.

At 1245 we arrived at lock 2 and told there would be at least a two hour wait. Luckily this lock was close to a town with a laundromat and had a fresh water supply close enough for our 40m hose to reach. Emilie went to town to do some washing, I filled the tanks with fresh water and then pulled the engine compartment apart to search for leaks.

I had been finding some mirky liquid in the engine bilge over the past few days and I wanted to know where it was coming from. I found a leak in the Jabsco water pump, and another leak in the engine governor. Both these leaks could not be repaired at the time, however we would take measures to slow the leaks down until we have a few weeks in one place and I can get to a machine shop to get some seals and o-rings for repair.

I had just finished mopping the bilge clean, and checking all the other bilges at the same time when Emilie returned onboard, and we got a call from he lock keeper advising we could enter the lock.. Perfect timing! We entered lock 2, and then carried on to the entrance of lock 3 where we were required to tie up for the night because pleasure vessels can not operate in hours of darkness on the canals.

We awoke to a cold drizzly morning and we were ready to leave the dock at Sunrise (0800!) Again we were told to wait for a suitable boat we could join in the locks. At 1000 we were asked to enter the lock behind a ship called Homer. This ship had a very good captain who used little wash in the locks making it much easier for us to tend the lines and prevent our yacht from being scraped along the lock wall.

We had a good run with Homer for the next three locks, and then followed her into the Ruyaulcourt Tunnel. The Ruyaulcourt Tunnel is 4.6km long, 5m wide, 5m high and passes under raised farmland and a village called Ytres. The tunnel is at 130m above sea level and is the summer of the Nord Canal. It is a once and a life time opportunity to for a family of yachts to sail their 45ft yacht through a 4.6km tunnel! What an experience!

I’m happy to say that I have now seen the light at the end of the tunnel!

This evening we are tied up prior to lock 8 at Moislains ready to enter lock 8 at sunrise (hopefully) and carry on down the Nord Canal towards Paris. We aim to be in Paris in 5 days time.

This morning we back tracked along the peaceful canals of Sensee and turned onto the canal Du Nord so we could avoid the algae bloom up steam on the Sensee

We were making great progress until we came to our first canal of the Nord. We noticed two dozen cargo vessels tied to the banks of the canal. When we switched Chanel on the VHF radio it was chaos.

The afternoon shift lock keeper had missed his shift and a replacement had just been found, the lock had technical CCTV issues, and the lock upstream was also backed up.

We informed the lock keeper of our readiness to transit the lock, we were informed there would be a delay so tied to the canal bank and took a stroll along the canal.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing games and doing puzzles. I took the opportunity to do some work, pay bills and reply to emails, while Emilie kept a close ear on the VHF so we didn’t miss our spot in the que.

This evening we are still secured to the bank of the canal. We have been informed that we will be in the 0930 lock tomorrow so we can continue down the Norde to Paris.

Yesterday we toured Valenciennes looking for a bakery before heading off shortly before 10am. On arrival at our first lock we found out that locks and canals were all closed for Armistice day. So we turned around snd headed back to the marina at Valenciennes.

I took the “day off” as a good opportunity to wash down the boat deck to hull. Emilie’s father told us we should experience the local beer, so we found a nice pub for lunch. The pub involved a tram ride which was the highlight of Max’s trip!

After the pub we returned to the boat and I cleaned out the bilge while Emilie did puzzles with the kids.

This morning we woke up early to try to make up for lost time. There is a superstition that ships should never sail on a Friday… well we had one of those days.

On departure from the marina we had to turn the 45ft yacht with 10ft mast overhang in a 60ft river with 2kts of river current. The boat just did not want to turn, and it took quite a bit of persistence.

As we made our way up the river a cargo ship approached taking up most of the channel, I was forced to starboard and took out a tree branch in the process.

At our first lock Emilie reported to the office with boat papers to get our official VNF waterways pass. Emilie returned snd we passed through the lock. At the next lock however they told us that we left some papers behind do we motored all the way back to the first lock.

The rest of the day followed suit with two steps forward one step back. It was so comical Emilie and I could only laugh about it!

Where the canal split in two the other vessels continued on the Sensee canal and we followed the Escaut. At our next lock Pont Du Bassn Rond we picked up our remote control for opening up the small locks to Paris. The remote looks a bit like a 1980’s roller garage door opener and took a while to get used to.

Throughout the day we were trying to contact the office of the tunnel we plan to enter on Sunday. It took a whole day of calling around, leaving messages and we have still not been successful. It seems everybody is on holidays until the 15th!

We continued along the Escaut to Cambri where we would stop for the night. We were laughing on the way to the marina how our day could not get much worse. As we were parking the boat along the dock, we could almost breathe a sigh of relief. Max was on deck “helping” and put a line over the side. Before we could blink it was wrapped around the prop!

I have dived in cold water in my life, but 4*C with only a short wetsuit is pretty bloody cold! It took me three dives, returning to the marina to warm up my head, but the rope came off easy and we were ready to leave tomorrow. But…. while I was diving Emilie was talking to the men from the boat next door. Emile discussed our route and the shook their heads, informing her the canals are clogged with algae and another boat had recently been stuck fast in the algae ahead for over a week!

We are now re routing our passage to go down the Canal Du Norde to Paris Hopefully tomorrow will not be quite as adventurous as today!