2003

 BACK TO CALENDAR 2003

This Weeks "We're Here" Map:

The Map is also "thumbnail", same as the pictures - so click on it for full size whilst still connected.

 

 

 

May 18                                                                                                     Sunday

In Decize Basin. Canal Lateral a la Loire.

Weather dull, cold, intermittent rain, mobile signal half strength.

Decided to stay and, with shore side electricity - and try and sort computer/mobile telephone/e-mail/web connection out.

Work stopped shortly after start by Anna announcing we were all going to an auberge one lock back down the canal for lunch - all arranged, we were going in Bruce’s ex hire boat, and we were ALL going - Anna (Margeretha F), Bruce (Zizz), Dr Bruce and Jane (Prince Kanga), Mace (Paradise Waters), and of course, us - 7 in all.

Took about an hour of frivolity and hilarity to organise party into Bruce's boat (ex CBL plastic hire boat) and amid lots of technicalities off we went up the lock onto the canal, and thence through first lock on Gannay side.

About 45 minutes to "ordinary" canalside auberge - forgotten name.

In spite of having a large family lunch party - 25+ - quite happy to feed us all.

plat du jour - steaks - all round, and were they good! Also larger than French custom for single servings - virtually no-one finished with a clean plate.

Anyone passing - between lock 14 and 15 on the South side of the canal, not marked in Navicarte, well worth visiting.

Trip back quite quiet - all replete!

Tried again with computer/mobile phone modem, but something has gone very wrong - puzzled out all the tests one should make, but seems there is no contact with mobile phone modem - although built in line modem happy.

Very light super!

 

May 19                                                                                     Monday

Decize to St Leger de Vignes. Canal du Nivernais.

Weather still grey and blustery. Mobile reception good. Long committee meetings over communications between mobile's modem and computer. There isn’t any! Complete blank. All "tests" agree!

Decided to move to St Leger de Vignes - only just over Loire, and still in Decize, but the Crown Blue Line Moorings are ridiculously expensive, and the only advantage - electricity - we can do without at €8.00 a night.

Many good byes, and off we went - 90 minute run!

St Leger moorings enormously improved from first stop over 4 years ago. Grass cut, banks tidied up, and vandalised electric/water points removed and replaced with new ones fenced off in little iron openwork boxes.

Took bicycles on train into Nevers to visit France Telecom. Appears local trains ("ter") carry bikes for free. They did ours!

They make enormous difference - nothing so boring as plodding around streets on foot in rain looking for places - bikes less tiring and at least 20 times quicker. Also interestingly hairy, at times.

Fr Tel (Orange) pleasant, but flatly refused to let us try mobile and cable on one of their machines. Standard fittings, plugs, standard accessory, so unable to understand why!

Discovered that we had earned almost complete cost of new phone and cable in form of "points" on tel bill, but although both items on site, and we wanted them, we were unable to buy as the cable wasn’t "stock". Too difficult for us!

Had got convenient mid-day train into Nevers, but had to wait till 1840 to return.

Not desperate - Fr Tel took up most of afternoon, so went to cyber-cafe (Forum) to check on unreceived e-mails.

Always an experience - nothing so difficult as driving something nearly identical with own item, but - apart from key board - just different enough to cause tension. This one insisted on pressing an "OK" button after each action, which was new to me. Anyway, succeeded eventually.

Back to station, via P de P - a bit gloomy, under the trees, but the gypsy camp seems to have gone, no one we recognised, and via a walk through a bit of town walls - pity about graffiti.

Station seemed surrounded by beggars - quite verbally insistent - but duly caught train and back on boat by 2015.

Found - to intense amusement, Anna and Bruce moored up beside next door peniche! They also found CBL far too expensive - €19 for Anna’s big boat (I think). Bruce left his boat with CBL for repair - domestic batteries not charging?

More rain, followed by more wind, so to bed.

 

May 20                                                                                 Tuesday

Decize to picnic site at pk 10, Verneuil, Canal du Nivernais

Back to real boating on real canal. Super.

Once out of Decize environs, this canal is superbly pretty. Intense green of trees, back drop of distant hills ( Morvan) white Charollais, buttercups. Super.

Took it easy to mooring at picnic site we know well - not very adventuresome, perhaps, but why risk discomfort for adventure, when you know somewhere better?

Chairs out, but bitter cold wind found us cowering on the fore deck. Tried to find somewhere out of the wind, but it kept switching - at one time through 180 degrees - so we froze.

Fell in early evening, and able to have drinks out in sun.

Full signal on mobile.

 

May 21                                                                                     Wednesday

Picnic site at pk 10, Verneuil to Panneçot. Canal du Nivernais

Weather as before - rain showers followed by further rain showers - have not worn shorts, except for a chilly half hour as a matter of principle and protest, for over a week.

No mobile signal.

Enjoyed run through more typical Nivernais country - as before, paddocks, Charolais cleanly white (until looked at closely) buttercups, young green growth.

Some sections of canal shallow and narrow, causing old propeller rattle problem to re-emerge. Live with it!

As we drew into Panneçot moorings met NB Longfellow - writer of series of articles in Waterways World about taking a Narrow Boat to France - going down canal on the last awkward corner just outside guard lock.  Reversed engine, pulled into moorings, but beyond a shouted greeting, they didn’t seem to want to stop, so continued to pull into moorings.

Comfortable quiet moorings, a bit shallow, electricity and water, and a few bollards. Notices everywhere - as for the last 2 years as well, stating mooring fee €8.00, but again like previous years no one comes for fee, and there is no warden that we could find!

 

May 22                                                                                 Thursday

Panneçot to Chatillon-en-Bazoir

Dull overcast and cool - wind, fortunately from behind, blew vigorously.

mobile signal half to nothing.

Bread van arrived on tow path right outside boat before we left - handy.

Nice run.

Always fond of Chatillon, and pleased to get there after uneventful days boating. Trouble with several runs along the same canal is that certain spots become "our" spots - i.e. the corner of the moorings in Chatillon basin we regard as ours. No joy - unattended tatty steel cruiser, in process of being done up (if they do a good job it will be a very nice boat indeed - nice lines) sitting there.

Settled close by.

Did something been intending to do for 4 years - removed sticking up bolts on wooden jetty that, before it rotted away, held capping plank. Hate to think of number of people - including ourselves - that have tripped over them over the years.

Shopping and anti mildew chemical for the flowers bought and directions deciphered.

 

May 23                                                                                     Friday

Chatillon-en-Bazoir to Baye (on the summit)

Clear high cloud clearing steadily to lovely hot bright sunny day - summer clothes - shorts for first time in 10 days!

Mobile signal steadily improving to full on summit - Orange have built a new mast up here.

The weather made a length which is always a pleasure into total joy - green meadows, trees and bush, blue sky and warm.   (See previous pictures)

LKs all - except Chatillon one - on time and got on with it.

There are 2 double staircase locks, and one triple on this section, and we had the experts on them. British Waterways - and most Brit boaters - would probably be horrified at their method - it does require concentration!

Put boat into bottom of staircase. Open all intermediate gates. Open - fully - topmost gate paddles. Close again when boat has achieved level appropriate to lock it is in. Move boat forward to next lock. Close gates behind and repeat process!

View of full head of water foaming over 3 cills rather fun.

Needless to say, in spite of our normal custom we put a head rope back to a bollard in all these locks!

I don’t think the LKs actually save themselves any work by eschewing the conventional way of doing staircases, in fact there is more walking involved, but it is a splendid chance for professionals to show off their professionalism.

One can speed up the process considerably by nosing over the sills as soon as there is enough water to float the boat, and shutting the gates behind it at once. This saves a lot of water and time - especially with a flat bottomed steel narrow boat that doesn’t mind feeling for the cill, but the boat needs an extra crew member on shore to handle ropes, as well as customary steerer and rope handler on the boat. Pretty sure we did it this way somewhere - may have been here year before last.

Moored up to long wall separating canal and lake at Baye about 1530 - not another boat to be seen - except dozens in the marina at the end (Water €2.00 a fill!)

Called at Pete and Christine’s at Bazolles on way to gossip and invite to supper.

Pleasant reminiscing and gossiping sort of evening - good fun.

 

May 24                                                                                 Saturday

Baye (on the summit) to Sardy

Got up to clear bright overcast. (cheerful overcast)

Formed up to entrance to tunnel as promised smack on 0900.

By 0920 not only had we not got the promised green light, the lights were not lit at all!

Did some arithmetic - reckoned if there was anyone into, or coming up to the tunnel it would be 1030 or after before they could even arrive at the entrance after "mounting" the flight, and if they had slept over in the tiny top pound at the far end - sloping uncomfortable side and no moorings - they would be through by now. Suspect LKs don’t let boats come up flight and sleep over there - just push them through to the Baye wall, so question didn’t arise.

Lit flashing "look-out-Albert-is-coming" yellow tractor light, and in mild trepidation went through the cuttings and 3 tunnels - all dead straight - 700, 200 and 200 metres, unlit but ends visible from entrance.

Met bevy of LKs at exit pound, looking startled - red light at that end was correctly on! Body language was that of people just arriving for work at 1000 who should have been there at 0800.

Watered at hose under LKs hidey hole on summit pound, and came down flight to Sardy comfortably and quickly with usual 1200 stop for an hour for lunch under auspices of 2 LKs. Met 2 CBL (Decize) boats going up in second bottom pound, otherwise met nothing coming up at all - in fact only boats met since yesterday start was them and one Dutch yacht.

Weather slowly deteriorated through day with little spitting showers, getting steadily colder.

Moored up in dry at Sardy - just - then it bucketed down and got so cold that winter clothes were re-donned.

Enjoyed the run - LKs good and helpful, scenery here always a little overpowering - dark tall forest, high embankments, but green and fresh.

Overcast weather, and poor light reduced photography opportunities..

Have regularly been told - with usual tooth sucking - since start of season, that Nivernais very short of water, and may have to be closed later.

Up to summit all levels right up, and many overflowing. (This of course, does not relate to reserves - they may be little or none)

Coming down so far, all pounds overflowing heavily over the gates and bye-washes. Quite difficult getting out of some locks neatly through one gate with the strong current from behind slewing and pushing the boat. Came out of one or two like a cork out of a bottle.

Considerable major re-habilitation works have been done at several sites, both this and the far side of the summit since we were here this time last year.