Wednesday 4 September 2024

The Ogilvy family had given Lady P a river cruise for her birthday and after much meteorological advice, today was the day to take it. So, we planned to drive the half hour to Port D’Envaux and to Guinguette Buvette’s Boat Hire, to pick up a 16’ aluminum electric boat.

All going to plan, as we departed at 10.00 am and headed for Taillebourg nearby, where we had a very average coffee on the banks of la Charente River. This was excused however, when we walked a short distance to the local boulangerie and bought two baguettes, an éclair, a chocolate gateaux, a brioche loaf and two croissants. The latter consumed overlooking the river for a late breakfast.

Then it was a short drive to Port d’Envaux and our electric boat. Here in France, there are many bureaucratic infringements on your life but not so today. There was no requirement for a life jacket, no boat licence, no request for identification. We could have been Albanian people smugglers for all they cared! The pre departure briefing, conducted in Fronglaise. Was “here, turn on. This go front. This back. OK?" It seemed pretty simple to Flashy, after all he does have a boat license and is qualified small boat coxswain and grew up on the Murray River, which I might add here, is very similar to la Charente.

We loaded in the picnic and Flashy hit the throttle. The nimble French lad only just managed to untie the stern line! Stern line? What stern line?

These boats are very comfortable, particularly for two  people and they do about 4 knots flat out, down stream, so no danger of breaking the speed limit.

We cruised past chateaux, grazing cows and green paddocks; saw herons and crows and some jumping fish; but practically no one else. France’s summer holidays are over!

After a short while, we broke out the Moulin de la Horizon Loire Cremant and both skipper and forward hand both toasted Lady P’s birthday. No water police to breathalyse us either! Joanne joined us via What’s App for some of the trip.

Despite the crémant, Flashy executed a perfect U-turn at Saint Savinien and Lady P tied up at a cleat with a nice X&O. We had a picnic of chicken, tomato and baguette and some more of that nice crémant before heading back upstream to dock back at Port d’Envaux. A very pleasant day out.

A brief stop at the massive shopping malls on the outskirts of Saint Savinien produced only bandaids, bee anti venom and a singlet top for Lady P. But hey, shopping malls are a tourist attraction. 

Home to GnT and some spicy tacos. The hottest taco kit from Intermarche is “mild.” Luckily we have Tabasco and chilli powder!

On the Charente.
Forward Hand doing her job.
A little chateau 
An interesting statue in Port d'Envaux

Comments

  1. Graeme5 September 2024 at 19:46

    Hmmm, the skipper forgot to mention some of his other boat handling skills; losing an outboard motor of the back of an SES floodboat, beaching a yacht and being marooned on an island, running a boat into the Great Barrier Reef, to mention but a few. PS you can see the GBF from the moon, hard to miss!

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  2. Anonymous6 September 2024 at 05:12

    Now, now Major. The crashing into the Great Barrier Reef was Franksy at the helm. I was merely the minder of the Esky. And as to the marooning of the yacht, Steve Garrad was the skipper. I was only carrying the drinks. And, they did recover the SES motor at the bottom of the Hume Weir!

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