A short cruise today, just the other side of the lock to the Halte de Plaisance at Andresy. Although we had radioed the lock to advise of our arrival, he left us sitting tail-winded in the lock for 15 minutes. It was only a matter of time before a big gust caught hold of the sun canopy and we were left scrabbling to reattach it in the strong winds. We radioed again to ask 'Pour quoi attendons nous, svp?' We didn't understand the reply but the gates started closing straight away so it seemed to do the trick.
The moorings at Andresy are accessed from the upstream end of Ile de Nancy. A long stretch of low quay to the north is reserved for non-commercial visitors, and at the far end there is a single pontoon which is the most suitable spot for yachts. We had hoped to again find the advertised free water and electricity, but using our best diagnostic efforts we could only determine that no power was coming into the distribution board. As we were again alone at the halte we could employ the generator to make up for what the moorings lacked so were not too disappointed.
The road next to the pontoon leads to a popular jogging path, and on Sunday morning there was a steady stream of people font du jogging - the path leads all the way to the old locks of Carrières-sous-Poissy, now closed to navigation. Opposite the moorings the Ile de Nancy is laid out as a riverside park and a regular foot ferry crosses the Bras d'Andresy to take visitors across. For the market lovers amongst the crew, every third Sunday of the month an Antiques and Collectors market is held under the covered market on the quay, and our visit coincided with one of the regular outings for some treasured collections of old postcards, 45s and assorted silverware.
Although most of the shops and services lie along the quayside, a walk inland reveals a network of ancient, but well kept streets, and at the top of the hill the ancien and nouveau cimetières, whose inhabitants enjoy a superb view across the Seine valley.
