Locks, Tides- and French Brie

About the Book

Five years a go my wife and I decided to take our small sail boat through the French canals,  reaching the Med. via Paris and the Biscay via Bordeaux. Re-rigged, we proceeded to southern Brittany to cross our earlier track from the UK, achieving a sort of circumnavigation.  

Throughout the trip we met and enjoyed  many people, experiences and events. The search for strange beasts in Paris; coping with giants on the Rhone; out-facing bloody handed Popes in  the South West; encountering heroes of Louis XIV and WW2 were sort of common daily fodder. A theme therefore emerged of Authors Dorothy and the Scarecrow following their own Yellow Brick Road; Dorothy to find herself and the Scarecrow to get some brains and meeting the real-life heroes and villains of this French-style  Munchkin-land.

This is not just a travel account but seeks to explore the  major features of the physical and cultural landscape. We had a medieval tapestry to find in Paris before tackling the high canals and facing the bully Rhone. With Paul Riquet we enjoyed France’s southern canals and traced the Celtish traditions and the awful events of the Cathar Herasy.  Sabastian Vauban and his Atlantic Wall left his mark as did the battle to breach the  German Atlantic Wall.  And so on.

This  is not a technical pilot but does intend to be informative and entertaining.  It is designed to be of interest to the amateur sailor, to the inland waterway enthusiast and to any casual and curious reader. We all hope for that, so you must be the judge! If you want to know why these Bretton ladies (below) are mooning at the departing ferry, you will have to read the book…

About the Author

The book is penned by Don but with much photography and prompting from Jacky. For years they have explored by small boat the western coastline of Britain and the English Channel ports (both sides). In discovering now the inland waterways and Atlantic seaboard of France, they bring with them not just the practical knowledge of small boat cruising, but their own professional training. In revealing their love of France and all things French, they are supported by a background of general art studies, textile design, architecture, Town Planning and occasional journalism.  Does that qualify them to trace the culture, the history and the turbulent story behind these dark and mysterious waters? Well, yes, it should. You judge!

This does not pretend to be a technical pilot book; others have done that already. It is however, an entertaining and perceptive description of a most leisurely five years by a couple who, at last, had the time to chase a long held ambition.  It is written both for boating enthusiasts and for those who just like a good read. In a relaxed way it describes how the Authors set about organising their trip. The experience of Paris-by-water is enjoyed as were the high canals which negotiated central France. The Mediterranean, the Canal du Midi and the islands off South Brittany were visited with friends and family, old and very new. All was shared with various magazines, including  ‘Sailing Today’. However, beware! 

You could catch the same bug!