Latest Adventures
On the Saone – Tournus
On the Saone - Chalon to Macon and back Saturday 1 to Tuesday 18 July - Part 2 Tournus Tournus (pronounced Tour-noo) was a delight! We called in there twice, on the way down to Macon and again on the way back up the Saone. The mooring was a floating jetty that could...
On the Saone – Chalon-sur-Saone to Macon and back
Saturday 1 to Tuesday 18 July - Part 1 The Saone River The Saone is a lovely wide and (at the moment) gently flowing river and made for pleasant boating. The weather was mostly very hot, with a few rain or thundershowers. No half measures here. And the...
Preparations – and off down the Saone
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th June 2017 First thing Tuesday I commandeered a fellow boater to help me take Shangri La up through the Ecluse St Jean-de-Losne and to the H2O slipway. I am sure I could have done it alone, but discretion is always best, particularly...
St Jean-de-Losne again
They say half the fun of a trip is in the planning. I think that is true to a large extent, but there is just nothing like being back aboard our beloved Shangri-La!! I arrived here yesterday evening after the usual trek from London. It was a Sunday, so of course I had...
French Inland Waterways – 2017 cruising plan
The year is flying by, and I have been furiously making plans and checking flight and travel costs. The longer you leave it, the more expensive it becomes. So I have finally booked the South Africa to UK flights, and now need to look at the Uk to St Jean-de-Losne bit....
French Inland Waterway Cruising – Reflections on 2016
Before getting into the planning for 2017, I thought I would have a quick look back at our 2016 cruising, and how different it was to 2015. Last year we did only 2 short trips, one up the Canal du Rhone au Rijn to Besancon and back to St Jean-de-Losne, and another...
French Inland Waterway cruise – River Saone
To Chalon-sur-Saone and back - 11th to 17th October 2016 Part 4 - And return to St Jean-de-Losne There was a beautiful full moon over Chalon-sur-Saone on our last evening there. It was slightly sad as next day we would head back up the River Saone to St Jean-de-Losne...
Barging in France – River Saone – Lyon
To Chalon-sur-Saone and back - 11th to 17th October 2016 Part 3 - Day trip to Lyon Why then take a train trip to Lyon? It's all to do with planning the next few years on Shangri La. A while back, quite some time before we bought Shangri Lawe did a section of the Canal...
Barging in France – River Saone – Chalon-sur-Saone
To Chalon-sur-Saone and back - 11th to 17th October 2016 Part 2 - On to Chalon-sur-Saone Thursday it rained all day. Fortunately we were heading downstream, and there were no locks to negotiate, so we made good speed and arrived in Chalon-sur-Saone after about 2...
French Inland Waterways – River Saone
River Saone - To Chalon-sur-Saone and back - 11th to 17th October 2016 Part 1 - to Verdun-sur-le-Doubs We really have not done a lot of boating this year, mainly due to my work commitments. And we have usually wintered Shangri La by end of September, as it can start...
About Me
My love of boats goes back to my early years when I went on holiday with my parents to Knysna in the Cape.
We stayed at a hotel on stilts, and I played in rowing boats and little motor boats on the lagoon.