Latest Adventures
French Waterways – River Saone
Last part of the trip - Dole to St Jean-de-Losne It was lovely to have our friends El and Mo an board for the next few days. El got the full lock experience, with 9 locks in one day, down the canalized part of the River Doubs. The weather was great and all locks...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn
Back down to St Jean-de-Losne 20th to 28th August 2016 And so we headed back down the Canal du Rhone au Rijn towards St Jean-de-Losne, 78 kms and 26 locks all over again! We wanted to break the back of the trip to Dole so planned a hard days boating, with a view to...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn
Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th August Besancon Having tied up we made a quick exploratory walk across the town and found the alternative marina. Much better - floating pontoons, with security gate. Next morning we took Shangri La up through the lock and tunnel under...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn
Part 2 - St Vit to Besancon Tuesday 16th August Locks on Canal du Rhone au Rijn We wanted to get to Besancon not too late in the day, so made an early start - or as early as the locks open which on this canal is 08.30 am. It was also a pleasure boating early, before...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn
Part 1 - Dole to St Vit Monday 15 August 2016 The canal du Rhone au Rijn The Canal du Rhone au Rijn, as it's name suggests, connects the Rhine in Germany to the Saone and thus eventually to the Rhone in France. It follows the valley of the Doubs River and is the...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn – Dole
August 2016 - Time out in Dole We spent three nights and two days in Dole. The first evening we located the tourist office where we got the usual city map, as well as the walking tour. Most French towns have a self guided walking tour marked out on the street by small...
French Waterways – Canal du Rhone au Rijn
Canal du Rhone au Rijn - St Jean-de-Losne to Dole - Friday 12th August Finally, we left St. Jean-de-Losne and on our way. After a leisurely start to the day, we left the H2O marina around 10.00 am. Compared to when I was here a couple of months ago, during the rains,...
On the French Waterways – 2016 – Back on board Shangri La
Shangri La in St Jean-de-Losne For waterway wanderers, we did a lot of trains today! King's Cross St Pancras Overground from Tolworth to Vauxhall, Underground to King's Cross St Pancras, Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, RER to Gare de Lyon, SCNF to Dijon-Ville and TER...
On the French Waterways – 2016 cruise – Shangri La in water again
Shangri La back in water at St Jean-de-Losne Shangri La in the water again - I like it when a plan comes together! Back from my 2 week stint in St Jean-de-Losne, and Shangri La is back in the water, sporting her new underwater coating, and a brand new generator. Messy...
On the French Waterways – Repairs and preparation
Boats at St Jean-de-Losne Hurry up and wait! The tenet of a mariner's existence I seem to be doing a lot of that lately - hanging around St Jean-de-Losne, waiting for the weather or something to happen. Fast flowing River Saone! The weather has been the...












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.