Nicols Boat Charter Depot, Sireui ///stun.healing.lameness 45°36’20.8692″N, 0°1’30.6804″E
to
Hotel Mercure Angouleme ///prepared.rock.desk 45°38’58.4376″N, 0°9’27.9864″E
The whole crew was up before 7:00 am this morning. Oddly enough, last night was the best sleep I had for the past week. Catherine even had to wake me up! Perhaps subconsciously I didn’t want to leave the boat.
It’s hard to believe that we left Paris a little over a week ago. Time seems to have flown by, but, on the other hand, our few days in Paris now feels like a long time ago!
Screenshot above – our TGV trip from Paris to Angouleme on Saturday, September 7.
We had a continental breakfast aboard – sounds better/more sophisticated than coffee, juice, fruit, yogurt & granola. Then we cleaned up the galley & finished packing.
We were all ready to go shortly after 8:00 am – plenty of time before our Uber ride to Angouleme.
The Nicols agent came aboard to inspect the boat. We had paid extra to have the boat cleaned so her inspection was really just focused on looking for any damage.
We passed the inspection with flying colours. Plus the boat was very clean inside & outside primarily thanks to Valerie’s fastidious housekeeping for the past week. Valerie, you are a dynamo with a broom & a dust cloth. You can crew with me anytime you like 🙂
Screenshot above – the route we took from Sireuil to Jarnac & back again.
Here are some basic statistics of our week aboard charter boat Royan:
Travel from Sireuil to Jarnac and return
10 locks each way (20 locks total)
27 kilometers travelled each way (54 km total)
6 hours engine operation time each way (12 hours total)
3 – 4 hours average travel time per day including passing through locks
Bottles of wine consumed (lost count)
Euchre games played (lost count)
Happy memories created – too many to count
All in all, we had a wonderful adventure but the time went by much too quickly.
We took an Uber back to the hotel in Angouleme. Our Uber driver had a spotless Tesla Model S. Very nice!
David & Valerie had a few hours before they had to catch their first train on the route to Spain so Catherine & I dropped our bags off at the hotel & then we all went to a local cafe for some coffee & breakfast.
After breakfast we walked down to the train station with David & Valerie & said our goodbyes.
Photo above – David & Valerie at the Angouleme train station.
While we were all sad to say goodbye to each other we were all excited about the next stages of our adventures.
David & Valerie are off to Spain to walk a significant portion of the Camino de Santiago. This is something they have wanted to do for a long time. We are excited for them to be on this special journey.
Catherine & I are off to Bordeaux to explore the city for a few days. Then we will rent a car for a week & do some more exploring around the Bay of Biscay & the Dordogne region before heading back to Paris.
Photo above – after checking in to our hotel & resting for a few hours we went out for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant that we had been to a week earlier with David & Valerie.
We were just getting comfortably seated in the restaurant when we received a WhatsApp message from David & Valerie. They had arrived in Spain & were checked into their hotel.
Photo above – David outside their hotel in Spain. Travel safely dear friends. We look forward to seeing you soon back home in London.
Tomorrow Catherine & I take a morning train to Bordeaux.
Nicols Boat Charter Depot, Sireui ///stun.healing.lameness 45°36’20.8692″N, 0°1’30.6804″E
6 kilometers & 3 locks
Another chilly morning. I was up around 6:00 am & put the kettle on to make hot tea & coffee for the crew & to warm up the galley area a bit.
This also a pretty good time of day for me to begin working on the blog. It’s quiet & I can get a fair bit done before anyone else gets up.
I used to do a lot of my blogging while I was laying in bed at night but these past few years I find it harder to hold my phone steady because I keep drifting off & then whack myself in the face with it. Sitting at the table in the mornings with a cup of coffee or in the afternoons with a glass of wine has proven to be much more productive & less risky.
We left our mooring spot in Mosnac-Saint-Simeux about 9:30 am. We had 6 kilometers to travel & 3 locks to go through to reach our final destination so it was a relatively easy day.
Our first lock was less than a kilometer away & the sun was already getting stronger. Valerie & Catherine volunteered to operate the locks & David & I handled the boat.
Photo above – Catherine & Valerie working the locks at Mosnac-Saint-Simeux.
The staging area upstream of this particular lock is where we spent our first night on the boat 6 days ago.
After we passed through the lock we took a few minutes to look around & recall the beginning of our boating adventure.
Photo above – the vineyard beside the lock at Mosnac-Saint-Simeux. We think these are the kind of grapes used to make Cognac. This was right beside where we were moored.
By the time we got back underway the sun was really beginning to warm us up. David was manning the helm & I was checking the charts to figure out how far it was to the next lock.
Photo above – We noticed swinging/swimming ropes tied to trees with nicely overhanging branches at several spots along the river. Looks like it would be fun to try – but not on this trip.
It wasn’t too long before we arrived at our next lock.
Every lock on this part of the Charente River has a house right beside it. “Back in the day” when the rivers & canals were important transport routes a lock master & his family would have lived in the house. He would have been responsible for operating & maintaining the lock & perhaps even for collecting a toll fee for the use of the lock.
The rivers & canals lost their importance as main transportation routes when railways & highways were developed. Lock masters were no longer needed so the houses were often rented or sold off to people who had nothing to do with the locks other than the fact that a lock was right in front of their house.
Photo above – the lock masters house near the village of Champmillon has a small fenced in area beside it. When we got off our boat to get the lock ready we found that our activities were being closely watched by some of the residents from their comfortable perch.
And now there was just one lock left to go. At the previous lock a couple from Frankfurt, Germany caught up to us just as we were preparing to exit the lock. We had met & chatted with them a few days before. We helped them prepare the lock for their lift up & then we moved on. We told them that we would wait for them at the next (& final) lock of our journey.
Photo above – our German friends enter the lock before we close the gates & began filling.
Photo above – Catherine & Valerie take in some scenery & sunshine while we were en route to our destination, which was just past this bridge.
We arrived at Nicols Boat Charter depot around 1:30. We were glad to have made such good progress but also a bit sad that our boating adventures had come to an end.
Our galley was pretty low on provisions & there was a small pub/restaurant just a few feet away from where we were tied up so we went there for lunch.
After lunch Valerie & David decided go for a walk. Catherine took a nap & I worked on the blog.
We all had a pretty lazy afternoon & then spent some time organizing our belongings so we could be ready for an 8:00 am checkout the next morning.
Before we knew it, we were starting to feel hungry again. David & Valerie volunteered to be in charge of a galley cleanout dinner. Catherine was in charge of preparing the vegetables. The crew came up with a very tasty salad & penne pasta with vegetables & meat sauce. I could take no credit for this meal so I volunteered to clean up the galley after dinner.
Photo above – David & Valerie working their galley magic.
Photo above – in no time at all we were enjoying another fine meal aboard our little boat named “Royan”.
After dinner & the galley cleanup we played a few more hands of euchre. I’m almost beginning to understand what I should be doing.
Even though we had not travelled far today we were all pretty tired so we turned in early & agreed to get up early to have breakfast, finish packing & do the last bit of cleaning before our checkout inspection.
Another chilly morning greeted us. I was up at 5:00 am trying to figure out how the gas heater works so I could heat up the main cabin for the crew.
On board the boat Catherine & I have essentially reversed our morning wake-up times. At home she is normally up around 5:30 – 6:30 am to practice yoga & to work on her writing projects. That’s at least 1 – 2 hours before I get up.
Here on the boat I’m usually the first to get up around 5:00 – 5:30 am to boil some water for coffee & tea for the crew & to also try to generate some heat in the main cabin. After those tasks are completed I have a bit of time to work on the blog before the rest of the crew wakes up.
The boat has a propane gas heater but it requires shore power for the hot air fan to work. There have only been a few mooring spots where shore power was available so I have resorted to boiling a large pot of water on the galley’s propane stove to help warm up the room. It’s crude but it works!
I guess if I had the right skills I could be baking baguettes & croissants in the oven. That would warm up the galley, make the boat smell amazing & give us some tasty treats for the day. Sadly, my culinary talents are pretty much limited to boiling water so I will stick to that routine & we will have to rely on the local bakers for our treats.
Photo above – I was especially motivated to get up early this morning because we were having choclatines for breakfast that the crew bought yesterday afternoon from a bakery in the village.
We only have 5 locks left to go through before we arrive back at the Nicols charter boat base in Sireuil. We planned to go through 2 locks today & spend the night on the mooring wall at Mosnac-Saint-Simeux.
Photo above – looking back at our mooring spot at Chateauneuf-sur-Charante as we depart for Mosnac-Saint-Simeux.
Photo above – a home beside the river on the edge of the village.
Photo above – a little bit of someone’s paradise located just a few hundred meters before we reached our first lock of the day.
Photo above – entering our first lock. Thankfully the sun was getting strong enough to warm us up.
ByPhoto above – Valerie taking in some sun while the boat is rising in the lock.
Photo above – The place where we have docked for the day is also directly in front of Pub Gabariers.
We arrived at Mosnac-Saint-Simeux around 11:30 am, so this was a very short travel time for us.
This village is very pretty but doesn’t have any amenities other than the pub.
Valerie and Catherine went for a walk through the village to see the church on the hilltop.
Photo above – morning glories and cat along the way
Photo above – kitten crossing sign – go slowly!
Photo above – the interior of the church
Photo above – amazing light pattern through the stained glass window onto the stone floor inside the church.
While the women were out walking, I noticed a really nice sports car in the parking lot & walked over to take a closer look at it.
Michel, the owner of the car & his friend Gilles came over to talk with David & I.
Photo above – this is a 1971 Renault Alpine.
Michel has owned this car for 44 years. He didn’t speak much English but his friend was quite fluent so we had a great conversation about classic cars & all the work that Michel had done to the car over the years.
They told us that there was a big classic sports rally & races in Angouleme this weekend. And, lucky for us, many of the rally cars were touring the area & would be driving on the road past where we were staying for the night.
We had lunch in the pub & it was very tasty. David & I had hamburgers & Valerie & Catherine had chicken burgers.
There was a unique snack “vending machine” close to where we were sitting. You could buy little cans of peanuts, jelly beans, olives & other snacks from it. The cafe owner told us it was very old but still worked & was restocked frequently.
Photo above – David getting some snacks from the vending machine. You find what you want to buy & then manually turn the entire top until the column of snacks you want is lined up with a little door. Then you put in a 1 Euro coin to unlock the door!
After lunch we all had a brief rest. About 4:00 pm some sports cars started arriving in the pub’s parking lot & some of the drivers told us that there would be a few dozen classic cars coming down the adjacent road very shortly.
Photo above – David told me he used to own a car just like this. A 1972 MGB GT from 1974 to 1976. His was aqua colour.
Photo above – Citroen CV – very classic French. I’d love a car like this.
Photo above – Porsche Speedster – Catherine wants one of these. However, this particular model of car is worth as much as a very nice boat that I would love to have. So, I guess we will have to decide. Quite honestly, I think the value of the car would increase over time whereas the boat is likely to depreciate, so the car is a better choice.
Photo above – this would be a fun car to tour France in.
Photo above – or how about this one?
Photo above – this one is very sporty
Photo above – another! Sadly, I have so little time & even less money to pursue these gems.
While we were watching about two dozen classic cars drove by. We were able to get a good look at each of them as they passed because they were coming up to a 90 degree corner & had to slow right down to navigate the turn.
Catherine & I walked a little further down the road to view a little basin off the main river channel that had been restored a number of years ago. Part of the infrastructure in the basin was originally designed to trap eels that the fishers would sell to locals & eat themselves.
Photo above – a view of the restored basin
Late in the afternoon we began to think about our evening meal & also about what provisions we would need to finish off our cruise on the Charente. We have to return the boat by 9:00 am on Monday morning so there isn’t much point to buying more groceries. We decided to make the best with what we have on hand & then look for a cafe if we need more.
Photo above – we started with a late afternoon chaqueterie board. If you take a close look at the photo you will see that it is a pretty meagure offering. We all had a pretty good chuckle over that & then poured ourselves another glass of wine.
Catherine & Valerie once again worked their “galley magic” & came up with additional snacks that were more than sufficient to satisfy our cravings. No one has gone hungry on this cruise!
As the sun set our minds turned once again to euchre & we played several rounds until bedtime.
Photo above – The moon was now rising & was about 3/4 of the way to being full. We had a nice view of it from our stern & enjoyed it’s reflection in the water.
I am still learning how to get the most out of the camera that comes with my new phone. Hopefully I can get some nice moon shots over the next week or two.
Tomorrow is our last day on the boat. We just have 3 locks & a few kilometers to go to arrive at the boat charter base.
The crew woke up at 7:00 am this morning. Today is “turn-around” day for us. We could probably travel further down the river for one more day but then we would feel pressure on the return journey in order to have the boat back at its base in Sireuil by 9:00 on Monday morning.
Photo above – a very chilly morning on the Charente River. The outside temperature was about 7 degrees C.
Photo above – when I said the crew got up at 7:00 am I should have said that SOME of the crew got up then.
Valerie was lounging comfortably in her bed with a hot cup of coffee that David had fixed for her. When Catherine got up & saw the vacant space in the nice warm bed in our neighbour’s cabin she jumped in beside Valerie & started calling for me to bring her a hot cup of tea!
It reminded them of sharing a tent in Algonquin park except no one brought them morning coffee – they had to get it for themselves!
I can understand the desire to stay under the covers because without any heat on the boat it was just as cold inside as it was outside. All we could do was bundle up in warm clothes & drink hot tea & coffee until the sun warmed things up. Such is life on a small boat.
Back to our travel plans for the day…
Our goal for the day was to travel from Jarnac to Chateauneuf-sur-Charente. This is a distance of approximately 17 kilometers & going through 5 locks with about 2-4 km in-between each lock.
On our trip from Sireuil to Jarnac we were travelling downstream on the Charente River so we dropped down in each lock we passed through. For the return journey we will be going upstream & each lock we pass through will raise us up between 1 – 2 meters.
Photo above – the first lock in Jarnac is beside the Courvoisier Distillery & warehouse. It was tempting to try to get a barrel of Cognac to take with us but at a weight of 500 kilograms each we would have had trouble handling it.
Photo above – with David at the helm he & Valerie are settling in nicely to the boating lifestyle. David spent the day at the helm & I helped out with the locks. He is proving to be a very competent skipper & can easily handle a much larger boat (Valerie, I have “set the hook”, now it’s time for you to reel him in!).
I’ve already got Valerie looking at various boat brokerage websites for a suitable yacht. It’s amazing what is available “out there” for not much more than the price of a new car! And I’m telling Valerie that based on my 30 years of boating experience, buying the right boat can be a sound investment!
For some reason Catherine & David are not convinced of my logic. Oh well, it’s fun & costs nothing to dream & fantasize. Plus there’s always that potential winning number lottery ticket that could buy a very nice yacht!
Photo above – as we travelled upstream we went past some pretty nice looking places! This particular property on the riverside – Maison Brillet – has a nice vineyard & winery that people can tour by appointment. I expect we will see several more of these places while we are here in France.
Photo above – one of several arched bridges that we passed under today. Normally it is safe to pass under one of the middle arches but we must avoid going under the ones closer to shore as the water there is usually too shallow for the boats to get through.
Photo above – Catherine straightening up the bow lines as we exit a lock.
Photo above – we are catching up to another boat in front of us as they are approaching the next lock.
Photo above – passing by a Roman era bridge over a small side channel on the river.
While we were passing through the various locks we met a German couple headed towards Jarnac. They have been on the Charente River before & were telling us that they planned to get to Saintes – another 50 kms! – before they were going to turn around. The skipper was a man on a mission!
We also went through a few locks with a couple from the Channel Islands. They were also experienced boaters but, like us, they were much more laid-back with their river travel plans.
We arrived at Chateauneuf-sur-Charante around 1:30 in the afternoon. We had made great progress today & now it was time to relax & enjoy the community & the warm sunshine.
We had a light snack & then David & Valerie & Catherine went for a short walk into the town commercial area. I stayed behind to rest & work on the blog.
The crew returned within an hour with provisions for dinner tonight & for our breakfast the next morning – fresh choclatines (essentially a croissant filled with chocolate). I could get used to having one of these for breakfast each morning!
Photo above – the view across the river from our mooring spot. It turned out to be a glorious day. Sunny & about 22 degrees C.
Photo above – while we were relaxing in the sun a small armada of canoes paddled by, with each canoe carrying one or more dogs. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves – especially the dogs!
We finished our day with a nice bowl of soup & chicken salad prepared by Valerie & David, followed by another few hands of euchre. Catherine & I were beginning to understand what we should be doing but she proved to be a much better player than me. Oh well, hopefully I will do better tomorrow.
All things considered, Friday the 13th turned out to be a great day for our crew.
Our travels for the next few days will be fairly relaxed, with only 3 locks on Saturday & 2 locks on Sunday. This will give us more time to get off the boat & explore our next two stops.
Last evening we decided that we would leave the boat in Jarnac on Friday & take a cab to Cognac. It would take us about 4 hours & 3 locks to get to Cognac on the boat but only 20 minutes by car! While we are having a lot of fun on the boat we don’t want it to dominate our visit to this part of France.
We took an Uber ride to Cognac & started our tour of the city on the riverbank in front of the Hennessy Distillery.
Photo above – Hennessy Distillery in Cognac
It would have been interesting to take a tour through Hennessy but we had already booked a tour in the afternoon through Courvoisier & that was enough Cognac in one day!
After a short walk along the riverbank we began to pass through one of the historic districts of the city.
Photo above – a street leading up from the river towards the historic center of the city. It wasn’t a steep incline but walking on all those cobblestones did not make it easy.
Photo above – stores were just starting to open as we walked through the beginning of the commercial area.
Photo above – we walked through the public market in Cognac. Vendors were just starting to set up their stalls for the afternoon market. The building design & construction is very similar to the market in Angouleme.
Photo above – Cognac Hotel DeVille. It is located in a very large & beautifully manicured park.
Cognac City Hall was just a few minutes walk from the historic commercial district. From there we wandered through an even older part of the city.
It seemed like the buildings got older on every street that took us closer to the river.
Photo above – it would have been fun to have stopped for a coffee & some lunch at this place but it wasn’t opening for a few more hours.
Photo above – this fortification is almost on the riverbank & appears to be part of a much larger castle that is surrounded by scaffolding & safety screen.
Photo above – the Charente River in Cognac with the Hennessy Distillery in the distance on the left bank.
We spent about 5 hours exploring the historic districts of Cognac & then took an Uber back to Jarnac.
Back aboard the boat we had a light snack & a brief rest before heading off on another much-anticipated adventure – a tour of the Courvoisier Distillery!
Our tour began at 3:30 with a very nice young woman named Gaelle. There were only 6 people on the tour so we had lots of opportunities to ask questions & get more information.
Gaelle began the tour by explaining the origins of Cognac & how the original distiller managed to get his product to become a favourite of Emperor Napoleon. Naming his best quality Cognac after the Emperor may also have had something to do with his business success!
Marketing is Critical!
Cognac is made from a special blend of double distilled, unaged wine made with ugniblanc grapes which are specially grown for making Cognac. The initial wine from these grapes is virtually undrinkable but it is ideally suited to making Cognac. Each batch that is distilled produces 3 distinct Eau de Vie (water of life) – basically the beginning, the middle & the end of each distilling batch. These products are then separated & blended later on in the process to create the Cognac.
The photo above shows examples of the different Eau de Vies that are blended in recipes to create the various types & qualities of Cognac.
Photo above – the barrels of various Eau de Vies are stored in warehouses where their aging process is carefully monitored. As each batch/barrel arrives at its desired quality it is blended with other barrels to end up with the particular type of Cognac the Master Blender wants.
Up to 40 types of Eau de Vies are blended to make cognac. We saw some barrels in this warehouse that were labeled as early as 1986. Each barrel weighs up to 450 kgs. Our tour guide explained that once Cognac ages 30-40 years there is really no benefit to further aging.
They make 20 million bottles of Cognac per year which makes Courvoisier the fourth largest producer in France. Hennessy produces half of all of France’s total.
Gaelle had a lot more to tell us but it’s time to cut to the chase… the tasting!
We were treated to 3 drinks with Cognac – the first was a cocktail called Airmail, which is made with Cognac VS, orange tea, honey, triple sec & verjus. It was delicious! Next were samples of VSOP & XO.
This was a fantastic tour & well worth the 20 Euros it cost each of us. I could go on & on for quite a while longer but I think you get the idea.
After the tour was over we went back to the boat for a brief rest. Then Catherine & Valerie & David headed off to the local laundromat while I stayed on the boat to fill the water tank & hook up to shore power.
This was all a bit of a comedown from sipping premier Cognac but we managed to salvage the evening with dinner out at a local Bistro.
I’ll end this posting with a photo of the Cognac that was not on the tasting list – 3,000 Euros a bottle!
