Great canal journey - Apres Tout Barge
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LIFESTYLE HOTEL BARGE
Great canal journey
It was chance and a big helping of get-up-and-go that
saw Caroline and Rory Macrae finally realise their dream
and launch a luxury hotel barge business in Burgundy.
They tell Jeannine Williamson how they did it…
C
aroline and Rory Macrae are the side of the Canal de Bourgogne. It also paper for a chef and a steward to work on a
standing on the gleaming teak marks the culmination of a complete lifestyle boat in the South of France. We applied and
deck of Après Tout, welcoming change for the couple, who met when were offered the positions. Neither of us had
their next group of passengers Caroline was training at Le Cordon Bleu any background in sailing – the work just
with chilled Champagne and delicious home- culinary institute in London and Rory worked happened to be on a boat.”
made canapés. The late afternoon sun casts for his family’s Carlisle shoe business.
a mirror image of the boat’s blue hull on the When Caroline began catering at A CHANGE OF SCENE
water in the small port at Nevers. Rory casts weddings, corporate events and private It turned out to be a life-changing decision
off and the vessel glides beneath a bridge parties (with Rory helping out), they decided that led to the couple moving to France
to begin its next journey along the Canal to work abroad “for a couple of years”, but in 2003. They launched their own luxury
Latéral à la Loire. didn’t initially set their sights on France. hotel barge in 2012, which mainly attracts
The idyllic scene is a far cry from the “We didn’t really mind where we went,” Americans and fellow UK Francophiles.
1950s, when the 127ft barge was built to recalls Caroline, as her six new guests settle “Rory has always been very good with the
transport grain along the network of French into their cabins and she starts preparing technical side of things,” explains Caroline.
waterways. In more recent times, she dinner in her galley next to the wheelhouse. “Within the first year of taking up that first
languished for three years, neglected, at “In 1991, we saw an advert in a national job, he became second skipper and decided
68 FRENCHENTRÉE MAGAZINE WINTER 2019
HOTEL BARGE LIFESTYLE
Clockwise from left: Après Tout
moored on the serene waters
of the Canal Latéral à la Loire;
Caroline and Rory on board
their beloved vessel; the well-
stocked galley where Caroline
creates feasts for their guests;
the lock keeper’s dogs keep
an eye on proceedings
to apply for his licence to become a captain
on the inland waterways, which involved
on the sun deck, Rory takes up the story. “We
both enjoyed our time there, but one day I
“We had a very clear
idea of exactly what
IMAGES © CAROLINE AND RORY MACRAE, JEANNINE WILLIAMSON
having to learn French.” thought, ‘Do I want to be in an office for the
Subsequently, a passenger invited the rest of my life?’. We knew a barge was up for
couple to work on her estate on Long Island, sale; in fact, I’d already looked at it on behalf
we wanted to offer
Connecticut; Caroline as cook and Rory as of the company we worked for. Caroline and guests and how we
caretaker and driver. They spent two years I had talked about running our own business
in America, but their love affair with France on many occasions and, with our background could put our personal
had been cemented and they returned to in the industry, we had a very clear idea of
stamp on it”
work for a hotel boat company. Caroline was exactly what we wanted to offer guests: how
put in charge of operations and Rory was we could put our personal stamp on it and
technical manager. He was promoted to make it different from other cruises.”
general manager, looking after all five barges Rory laughs as he describes how
operated by the company. purchasing the barge turned out to be far
As Après Tout moors for the evening and simpler than buying their French home;
passengers enjoy their first al fresco dinner a three-storey apartment on an island in ➤
WINTER 2019 FRENCHENTRÉE MAGAZINE 69
LIFESTYLE HOTEL BARGE
Chalon-sur-Saône. Their
place on dry land is a handy
50-minute drive from Saint-
Jean-de-Losne, where many
floating hotels start and finish
Burgundy cruises.
“The barge had been converted to a hotel
boat, but for three years it had been sitting
by the bank three miles away in the next
port. As time went on, the price came down.
One evening in 2011, I was sitting in my
IMAGES © CAROLINE AND RORY MACRAE, JEANNINE WILLIAMSON
office and decided to put in an offer. Ten
minutes later, I had an email back accepting
it. We made arrangements with the bank to
transfer the money and within three weeks
we owned a barge!
“It was much easier than buying our home,
as we viewed around 30 properties and
couldn’t find what we were looking for. In the
end, I told Caroline to continue searching by
herself, which turned out to be a good move Clockwise from above:
as the next one she went to see turned out to Al fresco dining on Après Tout’s wonderful teak
deck; the comfy salon where guests mix in the
be the one we bought.”
evening; this area doubles up as an indoor dining
They spent the winter carrying out room; the boat passes through the Pouilly-Fuissé
extensive improvements to get the barge vineyards; navigating the Briare Aqueduct
70 FRENCHENTRÉE MAGAZINE WINTER 2019
HOTEL BARGE LIFESTYLE
shipshape for its first cruise in 2012. “The buying sumptuous deck chairs that convert with friends and family – in 2018, they
deck was grey and at first I thought I’d into loungers, replacing the fleet of on-board introduced a new Loire trip between Nevers
have to take it up, throw it out and start bikes and taking delivery of a new Mercedes and Briare. It includes crossing the imposing
again,” says Rory. “Then I had a closer look minibus to transfer guests to and from Paris 2,170ft Briare canal bridge, which opened
and realised it was a teak deck and I could and take them on daily excursions. in 1896. It took six years to construct and
sand it right back and oil it.” With the aid of a second skipper, guide was the world’s longest navigable aqueduct
To this day, Rory oils – rather than and on-board hostess, they offer six-night until 2003, when it conceded the title to the
varnishes – the deck when the barge cruises where everything is included – from Magdeburg bridge, which spans the Elbe
is at its winter moorings in Saint-Jean- Caroline’s gourmet meals heralded by hand- river in Germany.
de-Losne. It is a head-turning feature, written menus, an open bar and expansive
along with the hot tub and his fine-wine cellar, to private vineyard tours A BRIGHT FUTURE
innovative sun canopy, which and châteaux visits. Looking ahead, Caroline and Rory plan to sail
can be lowered at the touch of “We want our guests to feel that in Alsace from 2020 and are set to extend
a button to fit beneath low everything is taken care of and they their hospitality to dry land by opening gîte
stone bridges. don’t need to think about anything,” accommodation in La Bussière-sur-Ouche.
says Caroline, who has written a The latter is another of Rory’s spontaneous
HAPPY ENDING cookery book that many passengers decisions that echoes acquiring Après Tout.
Other changes include the take back as a culinary keepsake. “We “You can see the house from the water and
name, which was switched try and do the thinking for them and we had watched it being built since work
from Le Premier to Après anticipate their requirements. Luxury, started in the 1990s,” says Rory. “We really
Tout, meaning ‘after all’ in to us, means relaxation in great liked it and I am always on the lookout for
French. Caroline remarks: “It’s comfort, so we pamper our guests,
a reminder that we are proud to and hopefully educate them about the
finally be running our own business, region, but the most important thing is that “The deck is a head-
after all these years in France.” they feel at home.” turning feature, along
Carrying just a handful of passengers Originally, Après Tout sailed through
in style, the barge has a cosy salon that Burgundy, from Saint-Jean-de-Losne to Pont with the hot tub and
doubles as an indoor dining room and three
beautifully appointed cabins. Each year,
d’Ouche, and into the Beaujolais wine region
from Saint-Jean-de-Losne to Lyon. With an
sun canopy, which
the couple refresh and upgrade Après Tout, increasing number of repeat passengers can be lowered at the
recently equipping bedrooms with chargers – some have booked up to five times and
for phones and other portable devices, others take whole boat charters to travel
touch of a button”
another project to keep me busy in winter.
One day I was browsing online, looking at
properties, and was surprised to see it up for
sale. At the time, Caroline was on holiday
with friends. I arranged to see it the next day.
I met the agent on the drive and he said I
might not want to go any further as the house
had never been fully completed or inhabited
and there was no running water or electricity.
He seemed surprised when I said that was
even better, as it gave me a blank canvas to
work with. I made an offer there and then and
that evening told Caroline I’d bought it!”
His impulse buy is now in the final stages
of being converted into a three-bedroom
house to the same high specifications as
Après Tout. The couple hope to open its doors
to the first guests in the very near future.
In the meantime, as the barge floats
away taking passengers on another tranquil
voyage, it’s easy to understand why Caroline
and Rory took the proverbial plunge in France
– a choice that really did change the course
of their lives. ■
www.bargeaprestout.com
WINTER 2019 FRENCHENTRÉE MAGAZINE 71
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