A 9km motor to Castelsarrasin this afternoon. Seven locks, a stop at the supermarket where Bob purchased a couple of beach umbrellas along way and we were soon there.   Image: the scene from Gratis.      

After the humid 40 degree heat of the past few days a grey morning with thunder reverberating around the hills greeted us. A quick walk of Moissac in rain freshened air and we were off.   The power of the water as it filled the locks was immense. One wouldn’t want to fall over board. An occasional […]

More pics on the link below: http://www.gratisaustralis.com/?page_id=2676    

Moissac is a town overshadowed by St – Pierre Abbey Church and saw its beginnings as a Roman settlement. Sadly, as a result of invasions that took place at the hands of the Saracens, Normans and Magyars, much of the Abbey’s history was lost during those times of destruction. Legend goes that this massive structure […]

There was time for a walk through Moissac this morning. For more about the Abbey: www.gratisaustralis.com/st-pierre-abbey-moissac/ The old water mill, now an hotel, provided us with an insight to its working as we wandered around it. On the bridge leading up to the Pont Napoleon, where we had supped the previous night, we came upon […]

A thunderstorm blew in from nowhere last night. Upon waking this morning a Gratis covered in leaves, twigs and fruit greeted our eyes. A rapid clean up and we were off: or maybe not!! Arriving at the first lock of the day 5 minutes later, no lock lights greeted us. Mooring to a dredging barge, […]

A spot of rain this morning,   but we were back on the move regardless. The train track ran parallel with the canal for some distance, whilst the long, straight watercourse stretched for endless kilometres ahead of us. The waterway was wider in this section and depths of two metres made for easy motoring and […]

It was a short move from our Agen mooring this morning. The guys were going to move the outdoor helm from its position in the cockpit to the stern. Visibility would be much improved. A little visitor popped his head out in curiosity.

  It was another day spent exploring the Lot River region. First stop was Villeneuve – sur – Lot, a town first constructed in 1276. Bastille Day, the forces were preparing to march in celebration of the ‘Storming of the Bastille’, the commencement of the French Revolution (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day). . Massive gate entrances, enticed the visitor to […]

Our planned itinerary for the previous day nowhere near covered, this morning had us setting out for part two of our River Lot exploration: the towns of Cahors and Bouzies were the places on our list, whilst La Bastide was an unexpected find. Agen-France-to-Agen-France-Google-Maps-13th-July.pdf Upon the way, we came across the only bakery that made and […]

One would think life would now slow down with our arrival in the canal system. Not the case: there is so much to see and do that. Keeping up with the pics and spiels is proving difficult, but we are slowly wading through them. Yesterday saw us enjoy delightful motor to Pont des Sables, followed […]

We stayed put today and took a bus into the nearby town of Marmonde. This was a town known for its tomato festival, Eglise Notre Dame – sections of which date back to the 13th century and wall mural created from millions of small tiles. A quick visit to the tourism centre enabled us to […]

A beautiful motor up the Canal du Garonne and we arrived at Fontet. [map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” address=”Fontet, france” marker=”yes”]  

Oft times, we found ourselves shaded by cooling canopies of creeper encrusted trees stretching their branches out over the canal, creating an emerald world reminiscent of the Land of Oz. A smoke filled haze filling the air created an ethereal landscape as we rounded one of the bends. It was created by a landowner burning off. […]

A sleep in this morning and our lazy days of travel have commenced. A change to the dinghy arrangement, a quick ‘house’ clean and we were off. Boats are moored close together here and the stern mooring is placed dead centre. In reverse, our motion rapidly came to a dead stop. Believing the prop had […]

Full moon having been a few days prior, this was the day upon which the tidal stream would be fastest and for the shortest length of time. An early start, rearrangement of the mooring lines to ensure ease of cast off in what was already a strong flow. Pull in the stern line, slowly release […]

[map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” address=”Bordeaux, France” marker=”yes”] The mast was removed and stored upon Gratis early this morning. After a wonderful sojourn up river at speeds of up to 10 knots we arrived on the outskirts of Bordeaux.

  By mid – morning we we upon the river and ‘motoring’ toward Bordeaux. Fifteen months after departing Adelaide and three major ocean crossings later, it was almost with disbelief that we realised we were truly setting out upon the next leg of our adventures: exploring Europe and the Mediterranean. Approximately 5 knots speed of the […]

After a pleasant day or so, it was go, go, go this particular morning. With the estuary/river tide (mascaret) always flooding or ebbing and low tide leaving mud flats in its wake at Pauillac, it’s imperative that any work be carried out at high tide: the ½ hour of still water between tidal change is […]

  [map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” address=”Pauillac” marker=”yes”]   We go to explore Pauillac today. Mast down tomorrow. Some shots from the marina.