Attacked in Arzal! - La Vilaine

I suppose I should elaborate on the first part of the blog title before I invoke the wrath of the good people of Arzal. I wasn’t caught up in the midst of gang warfare or mugged. Nope. I was assaulted by a fuel pump!

How, I hear you ask, can you be assaulted by a fuel pump? 

Well, in common with many marina filling stations, this one had a long fuel hose coiled on a sprung reel. The only difference with this one was that the spring that wound the hose back onto its coil seemed stronger than usual, such that it required quite a bit of effort to drag the hose to the boat’s filler.

All was well until, filling complete, it was time to step off the boat with the pipe and replace its nozzle into the side of the pump. 

The appearance of a little slack in the hose lulled me into a false sense of security and I took the opportunity to step off Cyclone. The spring was, however, clearly biding its time and, when I was in mid step, it yanked at the hose with a vengeance and snatched the nozzle out of my hand.

I made a valiant attempt to catch it but it dodged my grasp, leapt up into the air and clouted me in the face before retracting to its full extent and lying innocently on the pontoon!

Result? One small cut and black eye to me! Fuel nozzle unscathed. 

A face only a mother could love... It looked much worse two days ago before the swelling went down!

Even inanimate objects hate me!

Fuel filling stations with violent tendencies aside, we really enjoyed La Vilaine. The first 6 miles or so of the river are tidal and then you come across the Arzal-Cameol Dam.

The Arzal-Cameol dam

The dam began operating in 1970 with the primary purpose of blocking the tide that formerly rose as far as Redon. During spring tides, the combination of the tides and rising river waters (the Vilaine drains 1/3rd of Brittany!) caused recurring floods.

The dam also facilitated commercial river navigation but this no longer exists. Instead, several marinas have been created upstream of it to encourage recreational boating.

The only problem with the dam is that you have to get your boat through it. This requires a lock. A big one. 80m long and 12m wide. Port Solent this isn't!

The lock opens at set times whereupon as many boats as possible are squeezed into the available space. As we approached we were pleased to see the gates open to welcome us and plenty of space inside against the wall. We were directed to tie up to chains strung vertically down the side of the lock and did so without drama. A little later, a small and uncommunicative yacht was told to tie alongside us. The available space in the lock was gradually filled in this way.

There is a road running along the top of the dam and whoever designed the lock decided, no doubt for very good reasons, that the best place for its bridge to cross the lock was half way along the lock's length. So, having tied up to the wall and collected another boat alongside, we were told that we had to move up the lock once the bridge was lifted to make way for our mast.

I've never motored forward whilst tied to another yacht but this shouldn't really have been a problem. It was a small one after all.

Unfortunately the skipper of this uncommunicative yacht ignored my request that he not use his engine and powered ahead regardless, effectively turning our collective "vessel" into a 2 engined boat with each engine operated by a different person - a recipe for disaster!

All went well until I put our engine into astern to stop the boat alongside the chains we needed to tie to. Unfortunately the skipper of the attached boat kept his engine going forward which, as anyone who's manoeuvered a 2 engined boat (or seen one manouevering) will know, has the effect of rotating the boat about its centre point.

The result of this was that our stern was pulled away from the wall before I could get a line attached. We therefore ended up skewed across the lock until our raft "mate" realised what he was doing and cut his engine!

Ho hum. No harm done and great for all the spectators who no doubt assumed it was my fault. It was me who'd failed to get the line attached after all...

Inside Arzal lock. This lot were behind us...

... and this lot were in front!

Once through the lock we were able to relax and enjoy the scenery as we motored the 4 miles to La Roche-Bernard where we spent our first couple of nights in the river. Here we had the pleasure of meeting up again with Frank and Jennifer, who we'd met briefly in Loctudy and with whom we'd shared a glass of wine or two in L'Herbaudiere. I hope they won't mind me saying that both are now in their 80s. As well as being excellent company, they're amazingly fit and enjoy 3 months of sailing together each year. Long may they continue to do so!

La Vilaine scenery

La Roche-Bernard marina

The "Roche" of "Roche-Bernard"?

Hill leading away from La Roche-Bernard marina

Pretty house on that hill

La Roche-Bernard's artists quarter

More pictures of La Roche-Bernard...

... and more

Looking downstream from the Roche

Looking back at La Roche-Bernard - old and new bridges

We got a wash done at the smallest laverie (launderette) that we've ever seen and reprovisioned the boat before setting off to find somewhere to anchor for the following night.

The decision to anchor was driven partly by choice - the scenery is much better viewed from the peace and quiet of a boat at anchor than from a marina - and partly by hard economics.

France's peak holiday season is the 2 months of July and August and marina rates are raised substantially during those months to reflect this. I suppose we shouldn't complain as English marinas charge summer rates from April to October inclusive and, even in their peak period, France's rates are lower than those on the south coast of England.

If you're on a 2 week holiday, marina fees of around 30 euros per night are not prohibitive but, when you're away for 6 months, they add up!

Anyway, the pictures below were taken from our first night's anchorage - just 2 miles upstream from La Roche-Bernard.

View from our anchorage...

... and another. Better than a marina!

Local fishing boats with a framework that supports a net which is lowered into the water and then winched back up

From our anchorage we headed up river to a pontoon at Rieux, passing the Cran bridge on route.

Cran Bridge opening for us

The river has lots of resident Herons and Jo managed to photograph these 2 (look carefully!).

Herons

It also has otters but, whilst we managed to see a couple, unfortunately we didn't have our camera handy.

Rieux apparently has an important history, but there's not a lot to show for it now except for the ruins of a chateau surrounded by woods.

Chateau entrance...

... and wall...

...and view. Glacial, you know!

Someone had also created some "interesting" carvings in the woods, including this one which we thought was rather a good likeness of Jo's father!

Keith

Rieux was playing host to a theatrical event of some kind during our stay but we have no idea what it was about, despite trying to work it out using Google translate! What we do know is that it went on for 4 hours, had 4 professional actors and 80 local volunteer actors (200 locals were involved in some way with the event), included a meal and there was music as well as acting. Oh, and a barge that motored down river past us and then back up river again.

The barge's passengers included the Queen (yes, that's "ER" on the bow!), a woman with a gun, some convicts, Shrek, a couple of Smurfs, an angel and a couple of girls who were either princesses or off to a ball!

The barge. Note Queen and Smurfs!

I look down on him, but up to him...

Early morning mist on the river at Rieux...

... and again. I had to show Jo the pictures as it was too early for her!

From Rieux it was off to Redon, which is as far up the Vilaine as you can get with a mast and deep draught.

Redon's historical importance comes from its position at the crossroads of two canals. In a suitable boat, you can navigate from St. Malo to the Vilaine and from Nantes to Brest via Redon!

"Fixer upper" just downstream from Redon

Entrance to Redon marina via disused lock

Inside la tour romaine, the 12th century tower of the Abbaye St-Saveur

Patissier in the old part of Redon

For sale? Would you buy it?! Needs knocking down before it falls over...

Crossroads of the Nantes-Brest canal and the Vilaine

La Vilaine as it passes through Redon

Another shot of Redon's canals

Abbaye St-Saveur, Redon

One night at Redon was sufficient to enjoy its charms - and the noise of the road passing just ahead of our bow! Then it was back downstream passed Rieux to find another suitable anchorage.

View from our second anchorage...

... with cows for company

After one further night at Rieux - it was only 13 euros! - and a night on the free pontoon at Halte de Rohello, Beganne, we passed through the Arzal lock again and spent a sneaky night on the waiting pontoon for the lock. I'm not sure you're supposed to do this but our prepared excuse, if questioned, was that we wanted to set off early in the morning before the time of the first lock.

Wash day at Rieux!

Standing stones at Rohello, Beganne

Looking back at our Rohello, Beganne mooring

Waiting pontoon, Arzal

We set off early from Arzal as planned, ploughing a gentle furrow in the riverbed in the process with our keel. It was low water at the time and the river had clearly silted up since it was last surveyed. There was supposed to be over 3 metres of water but we had just 1.5 metres (and draw 1.7!). We soon got through the shallow bit though!

We're now in Vannes having sailed through the inland sea of the Morbihan to get here. More of that in our next post.

Thanks for reading.