2003

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This Weeks "We're Here" Map:

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April 27                                 Sunday

Seurre to Lachatelet River Saône

Dull cool morning, medium wind, rain threatening, but reckoned to get on with it - yesterday was not the most inspiring day to spend on a river.

Headed up old river course to Lachatelet, the site of a river lock before the new cut and Seurre Lock were built.

A busy site is now a very charming village - probably largely Chalon-sur-Saône commuter homes - with the relics of the lock and barrage still much in evidence, but this section of the river has been allowed to silt, and the books are gloomy about the "difficulties" of navigation.

We found none, and can recommend the trip - maybe 2 to 3 hours or less from Seurre - very quiet, bucolic, flat, pretty, and pleasant.

Moorings at Lachatelet a pontoon - 3 long term moorers there, but lots of room - no facilities. Have to moor on the pontoon, which is 100 metres or so from the ruined and open "ancien" lock. River banks all sloping shallows, or steep lock revetments. Water around the pontoon was shallow, to the extent that we churned a lot of mud, and the prop wouldn’t "grip" nicely, but manoeuvring was made very difficult by the wind that had got up and blew strongly. Tried to turn round between pontoon and lock, but failed, so backed out to below pontoon, but wind and shallow water still too much, so moored up as was - no big deal - on end of main pontoon - no sticky-outy bits so entirely comfortable and safe.

Weather worsened, so apart from short walk around village in evening, remained battened down.

No Fr Telecom signal on mobile, so last week’s log not transmitted.

 

April 28                                                     Monday

At Lechatelet River Saône

Meant to be a quiet day exploring.

It was, and managed a good exploratory bike ride in morning, but then wind blew total hooly with white horses on river.

Combination wind and overcast conditions dull.

No Fr Telecom signal on mobile

 

April 29                                                                         Tuesday

Lachatelet to Gergy River Saône

Caught "klaxon" early morning - found out time of rounds last night - so no famine.

Pulled out 9.30 - no wind, so exit manoeuvring easy - and trotted back down to Seurre.

Watered on public moorings in quick time, then pleasant afternoon’s run to Gergy.

No Fr Telecom signal on mobile

We have stayed at Gergy several times - it is a very dull mooring, without the facilities promised in the books, but the pontoons are good and strong, and hold the boat nicely in the wash of the empty Canadiennes blasting upstream and it’s position is nicely halfway between St J de L and Chalon-sur-Saône or the entrance to the Canal du Centre for us going at narrowboat speed.

Gergy is pleasant facilities, and has everything in including Petite Casino.

Country still - naturally - very flat, and still no Fr Tel signal on mobile.

 

April 30                                                                             Wednesday

Gergy to Fragnes River Saône and Canal du Centre

Started in overcast, absolutely no wind at all.

Then the rain came - initially light and windless, then heavy, and real hooly blew up river against us. Temperature dropped and dropped.

Probably 3 hours of most uncomfortable boating to date - what were a pair of septuagenarians doing clinging to and cowering under a brolley (OW at that) on the open back of a narrow boat in France in a howling head on bitterly cold gale, and streaming rain, when they could be quietly changing their library books, or watching daytime TV indoors at home?

On these big rivers there is just nowhere to stop, so one has to continue until suitable shelter is found. In our case the total shut down of the system for May 1, to-morrow, affected any and all planning and thinking.

Eventually, first port of call - the cut into the Canal du Centre appeared - heralded by the blissful sight of the Kodak factory visible on it’s ridge through the rain and trees while we still had some distance to go to Chalon.

We snuck in thankfully - completely sheltered from wind in the deep cut, and tied up to pontoon below first lock - red lights - for the first time in our boating lives hoping they would stay that way.

It was LK’s lunch time so we were able to cower below in the boat with the cover over the stern, and have hot soup and coffee - bliss.

Then action, so through lock, and thence up to Fragnes as rain stopped and wind dropped.

Moored up, comfortable jetty, electricity and water, and tidied up.

This is where we will see the public Mayday holiday through!

Wandered round to village telephone - quarter price of mobile, so will try and use tel boxes this year, although had full signal on Fr Tel mobile.

Eventually got log "up" onto web-site.

 

May 1                                                                         Thursday

At Fragnes Canal du Centre

Cool, but post rain sunny first thing.

Cycle ride along superb tow path converted for pleasure cyclists and roller bladers from Chalon up to Chagny. Just like the Strasbourg and Dijon ones. Very smooth, and, of course, to-day being national holiday, it was busy.

Up to Rully - 3 kms short of Chagny - looking for l’Etal, but no joy, and we’ve lost their mobile number - not clever!

However - super ride, nice country, flat, small farming, veg gardens, spring like - lots of bright yellow oil seed rape fields.

 

May 2                                                                                         Friday

Fragne (Canal du Centre) to Gigney (River Saône).

Meant to be early start, followed by earnest day’s boating.

Woke latish, dull, cool, rain off and on. Watered in slightly haphazard fashion, then nearly led astray by neighbours - Festina Tarde, Jack and Jerdil, who suggested staying over, in view of weather, for a couple of days!

Resisted temptation, and blasted off with intention of getting bread at E le Klerk, between us and exit lock, 15 metre with floating bollards

Quick runner in, but breadery in main shop behind checkouts, (usually they have a separate boulangerie in the foyer) and each check-out had 6 to 8 full chariots waiting, so decided to withdraw our custom.

Bimbled down and into Chalon-sur-Saône main city P de P. Nostalgic - our first experience of big marina type P. de P. 5 years ago was here.

Official looking guy tried to encourage us onto a finger, but a stentorian below, from us, of "dix minutes" destroyed his interest, and we moored up on the main pontoon, off-loaded bike, and made for city.

Inevitable, met - at once - Darling Buds of May, Jim and Brenda from IOW/Hants, so instructions, directions, advice, beer and gossip become the order of the day, and we eventually left for down river - the day’s journey proper - at 1300.

Passed perfectly enormous hotel type ship as we left Chalons - must have been several millions of tons (how they fill them with guests don’t know - gather this year none of the hotel boats are much more than quarter booked, so there’s the answer - perhaps Saddam’s WMD has a different guise, after all ). Even going dead slow the boat had huge bow wave and wash.

Weather deteriorated steadily, continuously re-battening down for yet another rain shower all afternoon.

Real hooly + rain straight in our teeth hit us about 3 kms above here, - Gigny - but lots of slightly weary teeth gritting got us through. We took it!

Gigny was our - much reduced - target for the day - some 20 odd kms altogether, so considerable relief when seen through squalls.

It is one of the old river locks, barrage completely gone, and large stone lock basin used for moorings and a small hire base.

Wind dropped as we approached, so got into pontoon comfortably, settled down (aprox 1600 - so no great distance covered) and in one of the short fine spells got chairs and drinks onto the grass. Moorings good strong pontoons, but pricey - E7.50 + E2.50 for lekistry) and there is no mobile signal from anybody.

Countryside still (of course, we are in a major river valley - the Saône becomes the Rhone at Lyon) flat and a touch featureless, but pleasantly green and rural, except on periphery of Chalon.

Spent sleepless night last night worrying that we were letting Albert go downhill, when after each day’s trip we should be leaping ashore and polishing and cleaning, rather than gossiping, drinking, sitting in sun reading books, snoozing, or just sitting.

So leapt into engine compartment when we tied up, dusted with paint brush, sucked up dust with hoover and went and sat in chair on bank, satisfied with a job well done, and exhausted.

 

May 3                                                                                             Saturday

Gigny to Tournus River Saône.

Warm, sunny bright morning - set alarm to ensure catching bread bearing klaxone.

Managed to get communications going with neighbours before we left - young French couple in yacht with 2 toddlers aboard. Older one - toddler kept trying to talk to us, but our French not yet progressed that far. Brave couple - them, not us.

Very gentle day through very environs. Wide river, but low banks grassed and turved like parkland.

Into Tournus before lunch, and found acres of good strong new pontoon, with water and electricity awaiting us, largely empty, except for a small hire base of enormous gin palaces, and a tiny Belgium yacht.

Asked him if he spoke English. ("Monsieur, bon jour - parlez-vous Anglais?" "Yes I should, I come from Burton-upon-Trent")

Tied up, and sat in sun - bright but cool, and explored town later on bikes. Market day, so streets seething, but nice small town - visited cathedral and most impressed with what we saw, but they were holding a baptism, so tourism was inappropriate. 9th Century - and recently done up - very well and unostentatiously.

Discovered moorings free - happiness - last night was E10 at Gigny!