Port Cassafières and surroundings

On sunday, 06-Sep-2015, we leave Wildenrath at 9.30h a.m. Our first target is Macon, where we booked a room in the Fasthotel Well Inn. The room is cheap, small and simpel arranged, but clean and the bed is okay.

Next morning after a small breakfast we go on to Port Cassafières, the base of Le Boat. Our intention was to reach the base at 15.00h, but it already is 15.45h when we finally reach the harbour, so our boating trip starts not before next morning. Our boat, type Cirrus A, is ready to use, but it lasts a while, before the registration procedure is finished. The employees are all friendly and polyglot, but on monday there are many people going on their boating holiday.

About 16.30h a technician comes to us, who introduces us to the most important things on the boat and after that he steers the boot out of the harbour. He shows us how to turn the boat in the middle of the canal, I reproduce this and he tells me to steer the boat back to the harbour.

I dock the boat fore and aft at the pier and he shows me how to turn the boat to the rear, so it is easier to come on board or to leave the ship or to put our baggage on board, thats all. We get to know, that the locks can be used from 9.00h to 19.00h and  that the boat has no wastewater tank. The whole wastewater has to be pumped out. For the shower and the kitchen that may be okay, using the toilet however not. May be, it is allowed to do this in the Canals of France, but crossing the Etang de Thau as we will do it is forbidden and will be punished with a big fine. Also in the harbours it is not allowed to do so and some harbours (for example Frontignan) have no public toilets and showers. If we had known this fact before we had chosen another boat.

 Meanwhile we have 17.00h and to bring our baggage on board lasts another hour. So we don't believe, that we can pass the two locks near Agde today and decide to stay at Port Cassafières, where we use the restaurant and the showers.