Not quite The African Queen

going down river

We went on our first boat trip yesterday. It's something we've been thinking about doing for ages but had never got round to. Then the possibility arrived, when French friends rented a boat for a two hour float/ride, whatever it's called on La Vienne, which runs through Chinon. As there were ten of us we could have the boat to ourselves. 

We picked the boat up from a staging opposite the Chateau. Weather-wise, it couldn't have been better. Gorgeous sunshine with a reasonable river breeze. We were all wrapped up. Once the sun had gone it, you got cold quite quickly.

Traditional Boats

There are several types of traditional boat that are found on the river. They are all flat-bottomed. Small like the one in the photo, that comfortably take four. Ours was significantly bigger but open to the elements, so you really needed to have a decent day, otherwise you'd get soaked. There's a bigger version still, which has a enclosed cabin in the middle. They all look so lovely when you see them floating along, and our experience when it came to it, was great.

In good hands

Ours was a motor driven boat, but we were hardly aware of it. The engine was very quiet and steered by a local who clearly had excellent knowledge of the river. I'm not sure how difficult it is to navigate, but with the boat lying low in the water, you're more aware of the currents. There seemed to be a good variety of cross currents, with markers built into the river bed to show the channels. From our point of view it was a very smooth ride, which took us about ten kilometers down river to a canton called Rivière. It's somewhere we drive to quite often, to visit wine producers François Médard and Domaine de la Noblaie. The return journey took us back to beyond the Château at Chinon, before we turned round and headed back to tie up at the original staging. Around thirty kilometres in all. 

There were a few people on the river or by the river fishing. Some families were out having a picnic, but not that many and no other traffic on the river. So it was pretty idyllic and really interesting to see Chinon and other villages and hamlets from a river perspective. The mast in the photo when without a sail, is held at a lowered angle. It's a big piece of timber. The type of sail is similar to the viking sail boats, with one sail rigged, which puffs out when it catches the wind. We've seen the boats fully rigged and they look so majestic on the river. It's at times like this, when the river is running well but smoothly, that the appeal of boating becomes easily understandable. A good trip.