Yachting_Monthly_2016-01

Yachting Monthly’s founder Herbert Reiach wrote in the first issue in 1906: ‘We shall be glad to receive the best logs and cruising

stories offered to us from all parts of the world’ 109 years later, nothing’s changed! We’re still publishing your cruising stories PLEASE YOUR STORIES [email protected]

Yachting Monthly’s founder Herbert Reiach wrote in the first issue in 1906: ‘We shall be glad to receive the best logs and cruising
Readers’ Cruising Stories stories offered to us from109 years later, nothing’s changed! W all parts of the world’ e’re still publishing your cruising stories

56 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com JANUARY 2016

Sailing south

via Calais

and Paris Tackling some of the busiest

French inland waterways singlehanded is no mean feat

After crossing the English Channel and unstepping the mast in Calais, prepared for our next adventure: Casabella and I were

navigating the French canals to the Mediterranean. But in truth, I had no idea what to expect. The next morning as I

approached the turning for the Liaison Dunkerque-Escaut on the River Aa, a few kilometres from Watten, Casabella stopped dead

in the water for a split second with a loud, low thud coming from beneath me. I immediately put the throttle into neutral and

froze in a contorted position, concentrating on the noises and

vibrations from within the boat. so I tried to accelerate again but The engine sounded fi ne, Casabella hardly moved.

Panicked, I managed to moor up on the bank, then checked the

back at Calais on a Sunday and with a Saint’s day on the Monday, the chandlery that operated

the crane was shut. Finally on Tuesday morning lifted out and to my relief it was just a black plastic bag full of Casabella was

grass and rope that had wrapped around the propeller. The only damage was to my wallet.With Casabella’s propeller

engine oil and the water strainer, the fuel and the bilges. All fi ne, so I started the engine again

and checked the exhaust. Still everything seemed fi ne. had to head back to Calais where Half an hour later I decided I

I knew they had a crane. With an average speed of one knot and limited steerage to starboard this took almost three days. I arrived

Vessels must be towed with engines off in the Riqueval tunnel Emerging from the other side of the Riqueval tunnel, thankfully unscathed

Casabellafouled by plastic bags and ropes’s propellor was badly

The Canal de St Quentin was idyllic but it looked dilapidated in places

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF RAYMOND BOWEN