Time and tide Poses question
In case you're wondering about the stray capital P it's a pun.
Today was the day we set off from Rouen. Igor, in his habitual thorough way, checked what state of tide was best to help us with the journey. This morning, low water was around 6.30 am so he judged that setting off no later than 8 would give us the benefit of the flood tide up the Seine towards the Amfreville lock, the one which marks the end of the tidal river.
We set off at 8.10 am. Firstly we went back downriver a short way to exit the marina, then out into the main channel of the river through the commercial port. Strange. The water was against us. Knowing that murky green water can be deceptive we carried on a little further until we reached the first bridge across our route, Pont Gustave Flaubert. The water was rushing towards the sea, making eddies and even small whirlpools. The boat speed (our speed through the water) was 6kts while the actual progress over the ground (speed over ground or SOG) was only 3 kts. Was this a local anomaly? No, we continued with our SOG consistently 2-3 kts lower than boat speed even though the tide was rising according to the tide tables.
On the upside our leisurely pace gave us the opportunity to really appreciate the scenery. Yesterday we drove to today's destination, just beyond the Ecluse d'Amfreville. It took half an hour by road. The A13 cuts across the twists and bends of the Seine, taking the direct route. We, in contrast, savoured every meander, and of course our speed was less than 10 km/h rather than 110+ km/h.
Rouen and its suburbs go on for ages and ages. There is a lot of industry, factories and warehouses, but these give way to steep forested slopes with chalk outcrops and picturesque villages.
The Seine has a system of kilometre posts which count down as you move towards Paris. Rouen Marina is at PK (Point Kilometrique) 244. The entrance to the marina is PK 245. After an hour we were at PK 241, an average speed of 2kts, and still within sight of Rouen. After 2 hours it was getting prettier, Ile de la Crapaudiere, which translates to Toad Island. We couldn't hear any toads over the engine noise and it might be a bit early in the season for them but it was beautiful, fresh green spring leaves on the still nearly bare branches of the trees. The sun was shining, we had a cup of tea. This is definitely what we signed up for.
The PKs passed. Unlike on the journey from Honfleur to Rouen there were no physical signs with numbers on them but the slightly out of date Fluviacarte (2010) gives numbers which I could tally with our location on Google maps.
The time passed very quickly. We saw quite a few peniches (barges) coming downstream but didn't see one travelling in our direction until around 1.30pm at PK 220. The tide was now weaker and our speed picked up. The barges obviously have far better knowledge of how the tides work than we do. They may have left a bit later than us but this was more than compensated for by the advantage of less resistance to forward movement.
After lunch the sky clouded over a little, but we still had sunny spells. Lots of cups of tea kept us going. The scenery got better and better, nature, white chalk cliffs, swans and cormorants on the river. Stunning. I kept a record of the trip in the boat's logbook, intending to write every 60 minutes. I'd make a note, then, after what seemed like about 10 minutes check my watch and find over an hour had passed.
Finally we reached the approach to the Ecluse d'Amfreville at around 3.50 pm. I radioed the lock keeper who said that a ship was coming down and would be through in around 20 minutes. Once the lights on the lock turned green we could proceed. We motored very slowly towards the gates, then saw the peniche exiting and the lights change colour. We motored forward, our first real big river lock!
The walls were green and slimy with seaweed, wet to a height of around 3-4 metres. Igor, at the aft, placed a loop of rope around a bollard and I hooked mine, at the midship, to a ladder. The lockkeeper radioed to say another boat was entering the lock too. We worried that it would be a peniche which would mean we'd need to move forward. We weren't too keen on that idea as the nearer the lock gates you sit, the more turbulence you experience. Luckily it was just a small motorboat. The driver nonchalantly hooked his boathook to the ladder. The gates closed and the process began.
The flow of water started slowly then there was a rushing noise and our rise up the dirty walls became obvious. I had to reposition my rope several times as we ascended. Eventually we reached the water level of the river upstream and the gates opened. We serenely cruised out and moored by the riverbank in the very pretty town of Poses. The locking process took around 30 minutes from when we contacted the lock keeper.
So, if you are planning to follow this route, what would have made an excellent day even better (apart from a packet of chocolate digestives)? A bit more knowledge about the tides!
We have done most of our sailing on tidal waters in the UK. You decide where you want to head, then study the tides. They either help you or make your life difficult. For example, if you choose to sail up the Thames you have to be near Southend-on-Sea around low water and the flood carries you up to St Katherine's Docks. Even on the lower, tidal reaches of the Seine the same rules apply, but as you move away from the sea the flow of the river itself dominates the tidal stream. Add to that the weird standing tides and it's no wonder that we were slower than we anticipated.
Who cares though, it's not about the destination, it's the journey that matters. We are fortunate not to be in any hurry.