Green Cove Springs to St. Augustine

White Pepper was in surprisingly good shape after 18 months in the storage yard (actually 2 years save for a quickie trip to St. Augustine in the spring of 2018). She was fairly dry, and the only obvious damage was a missing Windex at the mast head. All of the electronics worked except for the autopilot. The engine started up on the first try. The dingy still had air in it.

The yard was particularly crowded this year.

John, the new crew chief

Jan and I were sad to leave Green Cove Springs Marina. We had been there for 8 years. We had grown to know the crew and trusted them with the boat. The yard was incredibly dirty and crowded, but we had grown fond of the atmosphere. However, the boat was headed back to Texas and it was unlikely that she would ever be this way again.

Green Cove Springs Marina

We had a bitter sweet last trip down the St. Johns in beautiful weather. It had been such a thrill to sail up the river in 2010. The current was in our favor for once. We swept past Jacksonville at 8 or 9 knots. We easily made Sisters Creek at the intersection of the St. Johns River and the ICW. The city of Jacksonville maintains a free dock at Sister Creek. It makes for a perfect overnight stop although the current is fierce at times.

Underway on the St. Johns

The railroad bridge

A last look at the Main St. Bridge

Danes Point Bridge in the distance

Free dock at Sisters Creek

Sunrise at Sister's Creek

The next morning we started down the familiar trail of the Pablo Creek and then the Tomato River to St. Augustine 30 nm. South. We took a mooring ball at St. Augustine to await a favorable time to enter the San Sabastine River. The next morning we docked uneventfully at the St. Augustine River Marine Center. We had a bottom job scheduled. We left the boat there and returned to Texas for an important medical appointment at MD Anderson Hospital.

The lift at St. Augustine Marine Center is quite a bit larger than at Green Cove

A second trip to Europe--Germany, Paris and Central France

What a joy it is to see a country through the eyes of a native. After a year Jan and I were privileged to return to Europe. This time we had niece, Hannah, with us. The natives that helped us in Germany were Sandra and Jens. We had met them in the Jumentoes, Bahamas and formed a solid friendship. Since we last saw each other Sandra had had a baby boy, Noah, who we want to see. We all flew into Berlin. Jens took us to his favorite lake front restaurant on the Havel river/lake, where he leaned how to sail. How far it seemed from this small, quiet lake to being able to circumnavigate the Atlantic.

Noah and Jens

Quiet afternoon on Lake Havel

Jens and Sandra showed us their Berlin including their home and where they went to eat. We were able to appreciate Berlin so much more than the usual tourist fare. But as for tourist stuff the East Side Gallery, Check Point Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate were terrific. We found a riverside beer garden and spent a lot of time there.

Most famous mural at the East Gallery. The East Gallery is made up of murals painted on the old Berlin Wall

Check Point Charlie is now a T-shirt shop

                                               Brandenburg Gate without the wall

Hannah had a particular interest in museums. I was surprised to learn that Berlin has a rich museum culture all concentrated on Museum Island, an island on the Spree river.

Museum Island

The Pergamon Museum in particular had a awesome display of antiquities from the ancient middle East. The Ishtar Gate was reconstructed with 5000 crates of artifacts gathered from old Babylon. I think that Abraham may have passed through this gate at one time. The Miletus Gate, a Roman artifact was almost as overwhelming.

The Ishtar Gate

The Miletus Gate

Hannah gets ready to board the fast train to Paris

We took the fast train to Paris. It was remarkable to see the speedometer in the railway car read 250 km/hour as the country side whizzed past. This was our second visit to Paris and it seemed familiar. It was Hannah first visit so we hit the usual haunts—Montmontre and the Sacre Coeur Basilica, the hop on and hop off bus, a walk along the Left Bank, and a river boat tour on the Seine. Regrettably the Nortre Dame remained closed after the tragic fire of several months previously.

The hop on hop off bur

Scaffolding over Norte Dame

However, for Hannah, the high point was a visit to the Louvre. While she took off at high speed to see as much as possible in 8 hours, Jan and I were able to take a leisurely second look at the Louvre. In the basement is a remarkable display of 6000 year old pottery. There were artifacts from Ur, which is possibly the first empire that ever existed, over 5000 years ago. On the third floor is a display of famous impressionist paintings. I estimated that in one particular room alone the auction value of the paintings on display was over one billion dollars—and not a guard in sight.

The Lecture by Renior

6000 year old pottery

After seeing Hanna off on the plane, Jan and I took the train to Paray Le Monial in central France to meet our friends—Gillian and Philip. They had moved their converted sailboat/canal boat, Zubenel, this far along the Bourbince River.

Zubenel

 

The plan was to lock over the mountain pass and gain the Rhone River on the way to Lyon. This remarkable lock system was completed in the 1880s. It connected the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. This canal was once a mighty artery of commerce in 19th century France.The drought and lack of water in the mountain canal put a stop to this plan. We were able to travel to Genelard and then Montceau-les-Mines before being brought up short by low water. Since the trip to Lyon was canceled we explored the surrounding countryside. I was very interested in our trip to Cluny. Cluny was a monastery that figured very prominently in Medieval history. The first crusade was launched from the pulpit of Cluny. Sadly there is almost nothing left of what was once the largest church in Christendom. It was dismantled by the French Revolutionaries. A trip Beaune was interesting. Beaune is a tourist stop in the heart of Burgundy country. The entire town is devoted to the wine trade. The town of Montceau-les-Mines put on a dynamite Bastille Day fireworks display that went off directly over the Zubenel.

This is all that is left of the entrance to the Cluny cathedral

Ladies in France wear red, white and blue ribbons in their hair on Bastille Day

At this point a serious illness intervened. I became quite ill with an intestinal infection. We were able to get to Lyon by train. From there Jan dragged me across the Atlantic. Back in Texas I had to go into the hospital for 3 days to get my kidneys restarted after some sepsis and dehydration. Thus was the sorry end to an otherwise wonderful trip.

Very ill in Lyon



Paris

What to do with three days in Paris before the time comes to take the plane home? Especially since neither Jan nor I had ever been to Paris. Many books have been written about what to do in Paris. But knowing we could only scratch the surface, here is our journey.

The Arsenal Marina in the heart of Paris. Zubenel is about half way down on the right.

First stop was to wander over to Notre Dame which was only a short walk from the marina. Notre Dame is so important to the French psyche that the plaza in front of the cathedral is mile zero when measuring the highway distance from Paris.

Iconic

We have learned that a quick way to get a feel for the city is to take one of the open air 'hop on hop off' tour buses. These give a quick if superficial tour of the city. From this vantage we went up and down both sides of Seine and caught a glimpse of the opera house---site of Phantom of the Opera. We hopped off along the Champs Elysees for lunch and a visit to the Arc de Triomphe.

The Opera House as seen from the bus.

Note the gold leaf on the bridge decorations.

On the last stop of the bus tour we hopped off to explore the Eiffel Tower. We spent 2 hours waiting in three lines, but finally got to the top. It was well worth the effort. I have to admit to a bit of vertigo in the elevator and at the top. We bought a glass of champagne to and took a selfie. The view was amazing.

Worth the effort to get to the top.  Mr. Effiel lived here and used the stairs every day.

I got dizzy looking down.  Jan was fine.

Another full day was devoted to the Louvre. By the way it is highly advisable to buy your tickets online and in advance. The Louvre has to be on everyone's bucket list even if you don't enjoy art. The scene at the Mona Lisa was comical because of the crowds but I least now we can say we saw her. In every room there were pictures that said, “OMG, I've seen that before in pictures!” You can look up all the pictures in art books, but I do want to show you the “Raft of the Medusa” which seems appropriate for a sailing blog. And finally “Winged Victory.” This statue somehow provokes an emotional response that is difficult to explain. I felt it and had to force myself to leave her.

Mona Lisa mob scene.  It was like this all day.

The Medusa.  Sort of like Wednesday night races?

There is a remarkable power in Winged Victory

One whole morning was devoted to a visit to the Pere Lachaisse cemetery. This is an old urban cemetery that served Paris for most of the 19^th and early 20^th century. Jim Morrison is buried there as well as Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf. Jim Morrison's grave is said to be the fourth most visited site in Paris. As you can see it is modest memorial.

Jim Morrison's grave

Oscar Wilde's grave

For me the highlight of the visit was an evening tour of Montmontre and the Sacre Couer Church. Montreal was the old red light district but has been gentrified. The Sacre Couer (Sacred Heart) Church is a newish church that was built on the highest hill in Paris (Montmontre) as a memorial to the WWI dead. The church seems little used but the views of Paris from the church steps are spectacular.

Paris at dusk from Montmontre

Many young people gather on the steps of Sacre Couer in the evening to picnic and sing.  What were they singing this night? Johnnie Be Good!

Finally we had to say good bye to our friends, Jillian and Philip, and return to the USA. After such a short stay in Paris the only reasonable thing to do is to resolve to return.

Sailing Into Paris

This blog post is about the most remarkable day in White Pepper's sailing experience—sailing into Paris along the Seine river-- around Notre Dame cathedral, past the Eiffel tower, back around Notre Dame and then into the Arsenal marine in downtown Paris at the foot of the Bastille site. But first a bit of build up.

From Barcelona Jan and I took the train to Narbonne, France. Our mates, Philip and Gillian, live in Moussan which is a little village out side of Narbonne. Narbonne is an old Roman garrison town on the Mediterranean coast. There is a lot to see in Narbonne including a cathedral, a canal side promenade and an old town. But for me the best site was an excavated Roman road in the middle of downtown. It was remarkable to think of the many Romans that trooped over this road so many years ago.

Philip and Jan stand on old Roman road

Philip and Gillian, ever the good hosts, took us to Carcassonne which is the site of the Cathar heresy, crusade and holocaust. It remains extraordinarily picturesque even 6 centuries after the horror.

Extraordinarily beautiful with great natural defenses

Memorial to Cathars dated 1210

We went to a nearby walled city (that I forget the name of) for lunch.

And finally we all drive to Migennes in central France. Phillip was keeping his boat, Zubenel, there. Migennes is a very pretty French town although the boatyard was fairly scruffy.

Park Decoration in Megennes

Zubenel in the yard

From Migennes we all drove to the magnificent chateaux Vaux-de-Vicompte. This remarkable house is the direct precursor of Versailles. When Louise XIV saw the place he was so jealous that he had the owner thrown in jail and hired the architect to start building his own chateaux—Versailles.

View of Vaux de Vicompte from the front. Note how you can see all the way through front door.

Jan and I pitched in with the painting and getting the boat ready for launch. Eventually she was ready for splash and off we went down the Yonne River heading north for Paris.

We saw many remarkable sights along the river bank. Captain Philip was cussed out in French by an angry bargeman who though we should have called as we approached the confluence of the Yonne and Seine.

In one of the many locks along the way

Angry barge operator

We stayed at primitive canal side quays or in marinas. The last marina was the Charisse Marina in suburbs of southern Paris.

Charisse means cherries in French

Finally the big day arrived. We departed Charisse Marina and headed downstream on the Seine. There was one last huge lock to negotiate. The out skirts of Paris are industrial as you might expect, but finally the unmistakable shape of Notre Dame loomed ahead. Norte Dame is on an island. We passed her along the Right Bank. Zubenel passed under all of the exquisitely decorated bridges that span the Seine. We passed the Eiffel Tower before turning around to re pass the Norte Dame along the Left Bank. 

Boats going downstream go to the right. Then boats going upstream use the left side or the "left bank".

Eiffel tower in the distance

Less than half a mile from Notre Dame was our marina—the Arsenal—in downtown Paris. The Bastille has been torn down, but the dock to the Bastille remains as one of the boundaries of the Arsenal Marina. The famous statue of Winged Victory on her column was only a few hundred yards away on Bastille Square. We had arrived!

Narrow entrance to the Arsenal Marina

Our view from the slip at the Arsenal Marina