Treverien port was completely full, mostly with old wrecks, which seemingly were dumped on the town when the pound at Evran (downstream) was emptied for repairs earlier this year. We tied up reluctantly against two of them. Our cats seemed quite sanguine about the whole move - quite excited in fact, with lots to climb on - this first night, we all woke up quite late and with a leisurely breakfast set off around 11am for Evran -
Frankly, we were glad to leave Treverien but sad for the town. It is such a pretty port and village with a lot to offer - if one can squeeze in between the wrecks.
Evran - not only the town with our annual pantomime group members (I'm the piano player, for my sins, Lucie turns the pages!) but also a lovely little port, with useful shops, electrics and water. Nice friends took Lucie back to Tinteniac to collect our car. A whole 18kms from home, normally 20 mins by car! (click on photos to enlarge)
We feel we have been away a long time already ! These slow cruises mess with your mind. A very 'freeing' style of travel. We are enjoying the beauty around us with all the new Mod Cons available this year.. a very smart Port is Evran, attracting smart boats - but the Mairie would do well to take charge of the youth on motor bikes who have been setting off fireworks and zooming about - noisily and illegally - since late afternoon today
Maybe it's just a one off - but a reputation can be tarnished by such easily policed nuisances - Very irritating after so many improvements have been made at great expense to the local tax payer.
Today (Wednesday 17th June) - boy! has it rained! But now, with our lovely old Peugeot 406 we take the opportunity to go by road further down-stream to Taden, through Dinan, to check on the availability of a mooring space. It is here that we plan to tie up until we are sure of the Chatelier Lock opening times, published each Friday. We find that a new 'borne', complete with 4 electricity points and water is installed. Through this lock we enter La Rance Maritime and into tidal waters.
Our leisurely trip to St Malo from Tinteniac is summarised below:
(approx. 58km and 17 locks)
Tinteniac - Quebriac -Treverien - Evran - Taden - Le Chatelier Ecluse at Livet - Le Barrage de la Rance Ecluse - The Port of St. Malo Ecluse - Le Bassin Jaques Cartier (Dry dock lift out)
Friday 19th June. After a couple of nights moored in the lovely port of Evran catching up with friends and making new ones. We left, almost reluctantly, this morning for our favourite summer mooring at Taden.
Lucky to find a space and newly installed water and electrics - allowing us 2 hours power before automatically switching off. Restoring power is simple but requires us to physically reset it each 2 hrs. (a simple gadget preventing owners from plugging-in long term. It is a free service from the local Mairie and gratefully appreciated.)
I'm glad to say that our new batteries are serving us well and keep the fridge and freezer going all night, without the help of shore power or solar. We have bought the same as last time, 6 years ago - 4 x 6v 'Trojan' 225ah - and as before I linked them in series and parallel to give us 12volts. Boy! were they heavy for an old man like me? Those discarded, in fact, could have lasted longer if only we had not had an accidental burn-up when they cut the shore power unexpectedly. Two of them were perfectly OK and gratefully received by our lovely neighbours - as spares.
Thanks for your comment (lady (D) in orange?) Can only read some of it for some reason, but will try to fix this.
The trip from Evran to Taden (9.30am - 1.00pm) is one of our most beautiful and memorable with the weather warm and windless. It was completely free of other boats and very few tourists until we passed through Dinan Port where we were received with some cheers and glasses raised in appreciation from those few just tucking-in to their lunch. Dinan Port is always full of tied up yachts worth millions but rarely used, it seems, by their owners - but they do look good!.
Our plans may continue changing because of possible weather variations, but the current plan is to exit Taden on Tuesday 23rd to reach the Chatalier ecluse (Lock) at Livet, at around 9.30am for 10am opening. Our friend Guillaume St. James will meet us in his speedy boat, ready to accompany us down the Rance Estuary, through the Barrage ecluse and for the short but hazardous hour or so 'out to sea' and into the safety of Port St. Malo and the Bassin Jaques Cartier.
So far, the weather forecast looks good to go. For those of you still fond of the Salcombe Estuary (Devon) - as indeed I am - the trip we are about to make, is also full of similar beauty but is much bigger, wider and longer. It will indeed be another real treat.
Guillaume's boat will give us protection should our slightly 'wonky' rudder finally break, or our engine fails for some reason, leaving us without steerage or power at sea. We hope this will not happen of course but his presence will be reassuring.
We also have increased insurance cover just for this trip from the Barrage as indeed we did when we made the reverse journey 5 years ago. We have of course, once again, sort useful advice from Louis, the Capitaine, at St. Malo Capitainerie as to tides and times, so with all this help and guidance 'gung-ho' is only a mildly appropriate criticism !
Wish us luck because it isn't going to be plain sailing y'know
(you can click all these photos to enlarge)
Lucie relaxing at Taden