JANUARY 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 57Raymond Bowen, 28, from Broom, Bedfordshire, fi rst set foot on a sailing boat to complete his RYA competent crew course in February 2013. He earned his
Day Skipper practical ticket a few months later, followed by his Yachtmaster theory certifi cate and has spent many weekends practicing up and down the River Crouch
aboard Snapdragon 24. He is self-employed and plans to work while cruising the Med, eventually ending up in the Dodecanese.Casabella, his 1972 bilge-keeledRaymond Bowenfree from grass and plastic, I set off at the earliest opportunity. Determined to make up for lost time I decided to take the Canal
du Nord, but at Arleux I was warned by a lady on a barge that there was a fi ve-hour queue for the lock up ahead and that
the Canal de St Quentin was much nicer anyway. I turned around and headed towards my new destination, checking
the beginning to worry about the number of locks and the tunnel that requires a tow. Fluviacarte as I went and
as I encountered the beauty of the Canal de St Quentin, travelling through small quaint villages and My anxiety soon disappeared
slow-paced towns. The canal is now rarely used by commercial barges and the surroundings provide a tranquil and relaxed
backdrop. It is not without its challenges, though: the locks are no longer manned and you are given a remote
control, which works most of the time. But when it doesn’t, you can be left in a lock for
up to an hour waiting for assistance. More worrying is what lurks beneath the water and
what is laying across it: large metal rods poked out from the water a metre from the bank in
one place, and semi-submerged shopping trolleys can be seen near the towns. At one
point a fallen tree was blocking three-quarters of the width of the canal and the state of ‘possible moorings’ and subsided banks
were just the most visible signs of neglect.5.6km Riqueval tunnel, through From Cambrai I set off for the
which vessels are towed by a chain ferry. As if the horror stories of boats being thrown against the sides didn’t have me
worried enough, I also didn’t have the required length of rope for the towlines, so I had to tie my mooring lines together to
make the 2 x 30m towlines. I was positioned at the end of the tow, behind a fi ve-metre-wide barge and a Dutch motorboat. peniche
As no engines are allowed, I was worried about being able to stop in time at the other end, so I tied a bucket to a line off my stern.
The chain ferry set off at 2 knots and it took just over 90 minutes to pass through without incident.
through the Canal and a turn down the River Oise brought me to the Seine at Confl ans-I enjoyed the rest of my cruise
Ste-Honorine. After the smaller, less commercial canals I was unprepared for the wide, wild and busy River Seine. The supersize
barges take advantage of the increased speed limit of 14 knotsto create almost unbearably large wash. I was concerned about the impact of the continuous rolling of the mast on the A-frame, and
with few moorings and a constant headwind, the trip into the centre of Paris was a tentative one.After a night opposite the Île
des Impressionnistes, I made the trip upstream into the centre of Paris under a cloudless sky. I was soon surrounded by commercial
barges, river cruisers, restaurant barges and ferries; poor was thrown about non-stop. But the awe-inspiring architecture, Casabella
monuments and skyline eased my worries: the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Musée D’Orsay and Louvre were all impressive sights.
de la Cité and the magnifi cent I passed alongside the ÎleNotre Dame, heading for Port l’Arsenal. I had almost made it through unscathed, when, in the entrance lock, a Swedish-fl agged
Vancouver 36 hit my stern, forcing Casabellainto their protruding anchor. Thankfully, the only damage was ’s bow to swing straight
to a stanchion – another item on the list for when I reach the Med. smallest boat in the Arsenal and Casabella seemed to be the
as I returned aboard that evening, an English couple asked with interest about my route. After giving them a brief outline of my
journey, the lady asked: ‘What was the hardest part? Crossing the Channel singlehanded? Working all of those locks?’
replied simply: ‘Casting off.’I contemplated briefl y andFinally approaching the Eiffel Tower made the excitement of the Seine
seem worthwhileCasabellabut Ray had to return for a complete lift-out’s mast was unstepped in Calais,Passing écluses (locks) single-handed takes
practice and can be exhausting