The Haute Seine darling!

Hello fans!  We've spent the last few days cruising the Haute Seine - haute translating as the upper crust!  And what an apt translation - this really has been the most picturesque part of our trip so far with increasingly less commercial traffic and miles and miles of woodland dotted with to-die-for houses.  We saw lots of sculling so think of Henley, only bigger and better!

Wednesday 12-Thursday 13 June - Draveil
We've been away from home for 6 weeks now yet it seems we've never lived any other way.  I think it's fair to say we've adapted pretty well to our new lifestyle and, despite its challenges, we're happy to be travelling around, visiting some lovely places and meeting new people in the comfort of our own boat. 

After a 4 hour cruise from Paris Arsenal yesterday, we arrived at the lovely PdP - Port aux Cerises - in Draveil, 25km south of Paris.  It is just off the Haute Seine and has very good facilities with the luxury of a holding pontoon for new arrivals until you're given a mooring.  It is set in a green and leafy leisure park and a town centre about 1km away.  It is also home to two cranes, amazing birds with the most unusal call - it reminded me of the alien in "Predator" - spooky to hear first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Resident crane at Port aux Cerises, Draveil

We were going to set off on Thursday but, sadly, Katie (of "Stardust" fame) has pulled a muscle in her back and needs to rest before she can go onwards through the locks.  Plus, rain is forecast for much of the day so we thought it best to baton down the hatches and leave on Friday.

Locks: 3 (total 45)
Miles: 15 (total 229)

Friday 14 June - Draveil to Melun
We decided to get a few miles under our belt and started the final leg of the Haute Seine to St Mammes where we join the Canal du Loing - the start of the Bourbonnais route through the Loire and Burgundy regions - can't wait to sample those world-famous wines!

After a full day cruising with "Stardust" they moored their steel boat just before the final lock but the quayside wasn't suitable for our GRP yacht so we continued a little further upstream to Melun, a quayside mooring in a town that was once the Brie capital of France.  Sadly, we saw no trace of its ancestry in terms of fromageries but it was a nice little town.  The mooring was rubbish though: billed as a 'quiet' mooring off the main canal it was actually the main thoroughfare for barges en route to their next lock.  The wash from the barges was as bad as on the Seine (you may recall the pleasures of Port van Trough), so much so that it actually sheared a line off of one of our beloved fender boards.  One upside though: we got a free mooring as the 'capitainerie' didn't turn up!

Locks: 3 (total 48)
Miles: 22 (total 251)

Saturday 15 June - Melun to Avon
After stocking up we returned to the boat and were amazed to see "Stardust" on the quayside!  We'd heard from Ken & Katie last night that they'd developed engine trouble again.  It sounds like their water pump is faulty and they decided to book into nearby Chartrettes PdP (looks nice) and get an engineer to assess/fix the problem.  So we cruised a bit further up the Haute Seine with them and through a lock where they turned off - really sorry to see them go in this way as we've been cruising partners for about two weeks.  Good luck Stardust and see you again sometime, somewhere! 

Au revoir "Stardust"

We ventured another few km upstream and moored at a Port de Pays Fontainebleu in Avon.  Perfect for us: a light current, easily accessible visitors mooring with power, water and showers so that'll do us for the night.  Tomorrow is a long day and the final section of the Haute Seine and circa. 12 locks!  So, a full on Saturday night for us: dinner, DVD and early night!

Locks: 1 (total 49)
Miles: 11 (total 262)

So, that's our update.  Tune in for the next part of the blog: the lock-filled Bourbonnais route - this stretch alone has 149 locks (OMG!!!!) so watch this space!

F&M