log blank 2000


2001

"We're Here Map"




June 24 Sunday
Longecourt to Brazey.
Weather fine calm, and heating up - considerably.
As we dropped through Longecourt lock, saw narrow boat in distance going same way as us.
Caught up Mr Bean, Colin and Yvonne from Yorkshire, at next lock, and from then on went as pair.

Little doubtful about concentration on part of steerer at times - subversion is creeping in. Note in pic that wake of boat clearly indicates that Albert is moving.

Did 2 more locks, then nearly L.K. lunch time, and we found the right shade, in the right direction, with deep water and vertical bank.
Moored up, temporarily.
We were still there, and the ladies of the party were still talking, 8 hours (timed and agreed by men present) later, still in shade - although we did have to move the chairs about every 2 hours.

Yvonne is the first person, with no prompting from us, to question the provenance of Albert's name - she knows her Wind in the Willows.
It was hot getting hotter, all day.

Colin is totally after our own heart - understands instinctively the expression "we will make a plan", and has made and is still making, some absolutely superb ones.
Longing to see his bike rack - knowing him, it will be supported on water skis to take the weight off the boat - or even a hot air balloon above the boat with a pair of bikes dangling.
Believe he volunteered to help Chris Coburn - of boat loo and Progress around the Welsh Coast fame - take his narrow boat across the Sahara.

Brazey is 8 kms from Longecourt, and 5 km from St Jean de Losne.
We were not moving fast.
Therefore, little to report in log!
Average speed 6 to 7 kms per day.


June 25 Monday
Brazey to St Jean de Losne.
Weather hot as yesterday, but more so.
Made it to the canalside mooring just outside St J de L, that we have used before - nearer to S.M., shops, etc, and free - but it was in total searing sun.
Opposite was full shade offering to about 1400, so made use of it.
More gossip, slightly languid at times.
Explored and looked for friends in moorings. No luck - nobody we knew!

H2O horribly full - great seething mass of boats cheek by jowl - mile after mile of them, and equally seething mass of boaters talking loud English or fractured French to anyone silly enough to pause and listen.
Passed on hurriedly to S.M. and Post Office.

Yveline arrived dragging a trail of about 6 hire boats - still cheerful, but only just.
As he came into moor, Ives stuck his hand out to pull his boat in. I shook it, and gave it back. He gave it back to me, so pulled him in. It (the weather) was very hot.
They had suffered even more than we did with the student L.K.s. A hotel boat had got stuck on the cill coming out of a lock.
The student L.K. was defeated, and everything and everyone got badly hung up behind it.
Eventually, someone suggested washing it through the lock by partially opening upstream paddles. (Quite a usual practice on these occasions, but perpetrator must know what he is doing)
Over-enthusiastic, got hotel boat through and away, but virtually drained the pound.
Yveline is quite typical of any number of private boats on French Waterways - sold off by hire firms after "useful" life with them over, but with a bit of tlc at the outset more than adequate, comfortable, cheap, cheap to run, but unbelievably ugly!

Spent rest of day hunting for shade - interesting logistical problem, how hot and sweaty should one get in shade hunting, before giving up?
Supper in little auberge at bridge overlooking Blanquarts. This is the place we have never managed to get to before - always moaning that it is shut when we go. New ownership, very satisfactory and pleasant. Good meal - unpretentious.


June 26 Tuesday
St Jean de e Losne to 3 kms upriver to-wards St Symphorien.

Sometime during the morning - in the traditional boater’s manner - Yveline wandered off with a cheery toot to turn right down river, to the Centre and home (theirs) at Digoin.
It must be admitted that we were a little hesitant at first - 2 elderly English speaking only fractured French do not - on the surface - have a lot in common with 2 young (only recently retired, and not even 60, yet) French in a plastic cruiser speaking only French, but they were great fun, went along with us language-wise, did our French a lot of good, and more than pulled their weight in locks.
We shall miss them, hope to see them again next year, and wish there were many more of them enjoying their own waterways. As we have neither their address, nor do they have a computer, we shall just trust to luck.

We likewise wandered off - watered in lock on way out, and filled with diesel at bunker ship in river.
Been suspecting prop is weed bound for last 3 days - This half of the Bourgogne is very bad for weed.
Used the bunker ship pontoon to remove weed hatch and look at prop.
Enormous bundle of soft floppy weed tied around it, largely neutralizing it’s power - no wonder we’ve been overheating recently. Had been blaming warm water in canal, and hot weather.
For the record, we took - no can’t remember - but it cost about Ffr950, and priced at Ffr 6.03 per litre. Over 500 litres, and the price came down to 5.60, which is current road side average price. The extra 40 centimes per litre is more than worth it just to stuff the nozzle into the back end of the boat, or the jerrycans, rather than making like the 7th U.S. Cavalry on bikes, trailer and jerrycans to local S.M..

Up to our "usual" picnic spot on river bank, and had lunch in cool shade. Probably the 4th time we've hid there in 3 seasons. Even took the Thornes there.

Boat back to her "Greyhound of the Ocean" speed capacity, with mighty bow wave.

Too hot to move, so dossed all afternoon and stayed the night.
Only agreed to this mutually, so long as to-morrow we start at 0700, and have breakfast on the hoof.
Some pleasure in 2 laden peniches powering down river at top speed in the evening, sounding like a regiment of cement mixers, and looking like motorised crocodiles.


June 27 Wednesday
3 kms upriver from St John de Losne to Heuilley sur Saône.
Started at 0700, as promised, and settled down to go.
This part of the river is very wide, and whilst we like it, and there is plenty of interesting things to see, it is not an area to linger in, so it was appropriate to get on with it.
Had to resist - reasonably firmly - efforts of L.K. in Auxonne lock to put us at front (exactly as he did in 1999, and bumped us to hell and gone), so cruiser behind could tie to same wall and water up.
Cruiser went on other side - plenty of room side-by-side - we stayed at back, and everyone was happy! Passed hose over us - no problem.

Stopped on town jetty at Pontailler-sur-Soane, right behind an English cruiser.
Don’t know whether the couple were suffering from not speaking to anyone - they had just come out of the Marne a la Saône - or what, but never have the 2 of us received such an ear-bashing on every subject under the sun, from the ills of her grandchildren, to a day-by-day history of his experience in narrow boats.

Slid off quickly after lunch, actively looking for moorings - we had been going for about 7 hours in the morning, were making good time, and wanted to stop.

Rain wind got up - very gusty - and blew the "anchor shade" brolley in-side-out with a loud clap, whilst we were negotiating a bend, and a lock entrance. All hell let loose, with acres of nylon and bent brolley ribs fooling around.
Luck was against us mooring-wise - or we duffed it.
Neat jetty above Heuilley guard lock - right in the depths of the forest, and only 1 boat long - was occupied. (By 1 boat, a lovely little old tug, with an old man from the mountains fishing triumphantly from the bows.
The "sand quai" of Port St Pierre, where one is supposed to be able to ring for and get a taxi to the "Vieux Moulin" no longer exists.
However, just beside the probable site there was a beautiful and brand new long concrete and stone jetty, complete with rings, a welcome notice from Pesmes telling us all about it’s various services, shops, businesses, and hotels, and claiming to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. Please visit!
Fixed firmly to a large upright on the jetty was the standard waterways "no stopping" sign - a large black P in side 2 square borders of red, with a red diagonal slash across it.
One is wise to obey this things, whatever one’s opinions may be.
It was now raining quite hard, so obeyed the notice in theory by going 20 metres up river, and mooring to a barge side firmly set and dug in on land that may, in fact, have been the lost old sand jetty. As the rain precluded sitting ashore anyway, it was no hardship that the side was too high to climb - we just stayed on the boat had our drinks, and sulked.

We still do not know the story of the smart new jetty - as a terminal for trip boat, would have though it far too far away from any likely trip boat start point such as Gray, and scenically there is really not a lot for trippers to see, anyway. Sure there is a good explanation - the French are an incredibly logical race - even if it is only the result of a war between the Commune and the Departiment.

Rained off and on all night - beautifully cool and fresh.
Roughly, we think we covered about 56 kms against the current - but not sure.


June 28 Thursday
Heuilley sur Saône to Gray.
Left at more normal time of 0930, having washed a an enormous number of corpses of some small fly like bug from the roof of the boat. They must have hatched after the rain, and committed mass suicide in the rain drops. Dreadful mess.

After pleasant cool trip pulled into Mantoche for lunch.
This is - with some justification - generally considered one of the most beautiful moorings on the river.
It looked lovely and peaceful when we arrived at 1230 - 1 hire boat only.

By 13.30 there were some 20 children of all ages running around swimming - with attendant yells - at one end, and about 12 older youths between the boats - there were now 4 - or at the other end of the jetty smoking and fishing.
This was our 3rd visit to Mantoche, and it has always been the same - hassle with totally atypical large numbers of ill mannerdly aggressive children, either fishing, or gathered into noisy groups till late at night, talking and shrieking, smoking and drinking, and riding noisy scooters around the moorings. There have always been far too many of them just for this small village, so where they come from, and why, we know not. Don’t think we are paranoid about this spot - why should we be, but each year it has been getting more and more unpleasant.
Watered up, pulled out, and went on up to Gray.

Moored up on stone key - only just too shallow for our square sides-to-bottom to come in properly, so we occasionally bumped and gritted.

Did chores - bought gas (the old one technically wasn’t empty, but it has done over 4 weeks, and will almost certainly run out during my shower somewhere in the bush in the next few days), did big S.M. shop, paid France Telecom bill, visited and were defeated by bricolage, recced boulangerie, recced town - had bikes out anyway - for to-morrow, and generally made like competent and experienced boaters.

June 29 Friday
Gray to 4 kms above Rigny.
A distinctly traumatic departure from Gray.
Weather hot and still. Splendid.
Got bread, muti, and coffee first thing, then set off for town lock - a "tirette".
Twisted handle (it is a new one, but, as usual, it dangles from a strong steel gallows across the waterway about 250 metres short of the lock).
The main light was red, and stayed so, but the orange flashing "OK I acknowledge that you want to come into the lock, I have taken note of you, just wait patiently" failed to work. It is vital that this light does work, it is the start of the whole sequence
As several of these so-called automatic locks on the river are manned by L.K. (job creation, one assumes, there is absolutely no reason for their presence, whatsoever, - in fact they are a nuisance and confuse the issue) we reckoned that probably this lock, right in the middle of the town, just below - 50 metres - a hire base, and 25 metres from VNF local HQ was one of them.
Besides, we could see a bod doing things in the lock, and a boat was coming down.
Just to make sure, did 360 degree, and operated the tirette again, from both ends of the boat - i.e. twice more. - nothing.
Drove up to the gates, red light still on, gates dully, and correctly, shut behind the boat coming down.
Made lots of noise, and flashed yellow beacon light to wake up L.K. to re-open gates and let us in.
Bod on lock turned out to be a road mender, working on the main road bridge that crosses the lock, not an incompetent L.K.
Climbed up ladder, to "discuss" situation.
No L.K.
Phone on wall of L.K.’s office didn’t work.
Extremely talkative VNF lady with clipboard and lots of papers arrived and asked if we wanted to come through the lock.
A brilliant question!
Through and away amidst lots of complicated explanations!
Imagine the damn thing worked faultlessly for next boat.
On up the river very happily, no intention of attempting yesterday’s mileage, but just keep going.
However, found perfect mooring, in perfect shade for lunch.
Shade stayed all day, so did we, and slept over.
Did absolutely nothing except read and drop asleep ever 15 minutes. Is this age, I have to ask myself - perhaps we just cannot take it.
Most enjoyable day, anyway.


June 30 Saturday
4 kms above Rigny to 4 kms above Seveux.
Still gently bimbling up the river.
Had lunch dangling from the enormous old dolphins - or "duc de bacs" (I think). 5 minutes too late for L.K.’s lunch.
Then, Just settled in lock, water just starting in, everything happening, telephone, that has been dead for virtually 3 weeks, rang. Banting - who else!
Very hot, breathless and muggy sweaty day.
Past Seveux - hire boat base, P de P and Nanni agent, but absolutely full - Sat change over, and no shade anyway.
We know from previous trip that overnighters in this length are not that easy, and we did not want to spend 3 hours hunting.
Nice bank, comfortable mooring, but no shade.
Sky clouded over, hoped shade not necessary, so put chairs out and sweltered whilst millions of terrorists charged up and down like bluebottles.
Sun came out - hotter still, so tried brolley tied down to pegs.
No totally successful - had to move every 20 minutes - and anyway, we were not generating the coolth a proper tree generates. But many lots better than nothing, and better than grinding on looking for suitable nightovers.
Most welcome rain storm, typical of this are. No warning, no rain wind, one minute it isn’t raining, and the next it is - hard.
Everything cooled off splendidly, and enjoyment looked up.