We had planned a fairly long cruising day today as the following day, being the 14 juillet, would be a public holiday in France with no locks operating. Our first challenge was to pass under the low bridge just downstream of the moorings on the Bras de Limay. This bridge can be avoided by taking the main Mantes arm of the river but this would have involved going back downstream a couple of kilometres to rejoin this arm. With an advertised headroom of 5m we could easily pass under by lowering the radar arch and the old Mantes bridge, with its broken central arch, did not present us with any difficulties.

We stopped off at Poissy, nosing up the shallow backwater near the town and found an almost derelict mooring barge at the Hostellerie de Bon-Vivant. We persuaded the patron that we could tiptoe across the broken planks and nettle covered passarelle and were welcomed in to enjoy Sunday lunch from their €35 carte!

At Andresy we tried out a new lock technique, with David climbing the ladder with the idea of looping ropes round the quayside bollards. Unfortunately the 10m rise proved further than I could throw the rope and after three attempts we gave up and secured the boat forward and aft to the ladder. Passing through the barge capital of Conflans-St-Honarine, we noted the usual compliment of peniches awaiting work or just enjoying the sunshine, probably augmented by those gathering for the holiday celebrations.

We radioed ahead to Bougival lock and announced our arrival for 20 minutes time. As we approached we were rewarded with the opening of the small middle lock, which we locked through in minutes using our new "tie to the ladder" technique. We opted to stop at the Halte Fluvial at Rueil Malmaison, which seems to be rather overlooked by the guide books. We found it very convenient, next to a Canary Wharf style office, leisure and residential development, with riverside cycle paths extending in both directions. The halte nautique de Chatou, on the right bank, was closed down with missing planks on the pontoon, and a no mooring sign.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 35 nm

Total to date: 1592 nm

Avg Speed: 6 knots

Duration: 7 hours

Diesel: 100 litres (est)

Mooring: Free

Electricity: N/A

Bridges

Pt de Limay

Vieux Pt de Limay

Pt de la deviation

Pt rails de Mantes

Pt de Gargenville

Pt des Mureaux

Pt de Triel

Pt de Poissy

Pt rails de Conflans

Pt de Conflans

Pt rails de Maisons-Laffitte

Viaduc Autoroute A14

Pt rails du Pecq

Pt du Pecq

Pt de Bougival

Pt rails du Rueil

Pt de Rueil

Locks

Andresy

Bougival

Min headroom: 5m
(9m on main river)

Min draught: 3.5m

Charts

Navicarte 1