Brienon to Flogny                                           Canal de Bourgogne

We are within 3 days of about 5 major hire bases. On top of that, bases that would send half their clientele down the Yonne to the Nivernais couldn’t as the Yonne was strike bound. Further, hire boats from Joigny (on the Yonne) and from the Nivernais that were trapped on this canal last week as a result of the same strike, have been sent up here as well.

All have to come up with us.

The canal and it’s moorings and locks are busy busy busy!

Almost chaos, and attention to boating technicalities etc totally uppermost in minds, and little time left over to enjoy this superb canal.

In all fairness - VNF appear to have pulled out all the stops. Every lock is manned, and every lock keeper is competent, well trained, polite, and enthusiastic.

There does not appear to be the promised water shortage, pounds full, and gates running over.

Well done V.N.F!

Weather warming up still further - hot!

Countryside very green, beautiful, smallish farms, paddocks and Charollais.

Vineyards too! The Bourgogne is super, and is busy proving itself, although completely closed for most of last year, and water shortage reports reducing boaters coming this year.

Flogny to Tanlay                                                 Canal de Bourgogne

Tanlay to Ancy le Franc                                         Canal de Bourgogne

Writing in retrospect, it was on this stretch both yesterday, and over the next few days, that we encountered the standard French "husband and wife" team of fiction. Every action, however insignificant, was accompanied by hysterical screamed instructions from wife to husband, who bent slightly before the storm, but remained - with large pot-belly exposed - completely phlegmatic. All ropes were passed - with maniacal shrieked curses - in a soggy tangle, all locks were entered sideways in so far as the boat (a CBL small cruiser) could - with further shrieked contradictory instructions, boat was tied up as though to prevent the Poseidon from turning over, the buttons on the automatic lock panels were pushed so hard they almost came out of the back of the box to a running commentary of curses to and about all and sundry - . We got used to them quite quickly, and both accepted and enjoyed them, but took great care not to catch any L.K. eyes. Met the female of the partnership on a couple of locksides off our respective boats, - where she, an indeterminate blond of middle years - proved to be sensible, charming, and interesting, and claimed to have boated all over for the past 6 or 7 years in hire craft.

Eventually, as is the nature of sharing, they went forward one couple and joined a New Zealand manned hire boat. Gave them a quick warning, but none-the-less, when we met them on moorings in the evening they were white and shaken.

Ancy le Franc to Buffon                                         Canal de Bourgogne

Canal still lovely, but still hot!

Buffon to Les Granges                                         Canal de Bourgogne

Very hot - frankly, too hot these last few days, to write a coherent log. Mooring meant fastening France to boat and heading for shade.

Thoroughly enjoyed all runs this week - but, sorry, computer has heat apoplexy in evenings!

The Bourgogne is as lovely as ever, and in this lowered sections there has been little evident water shortage - just the odd low pound.

Les Granges to Venarey                                                             Canal de Bourgogne

2 locks and about 5 kms.

Moored up, connected up, collapsed into shade of trees.

Utterly stinking hot.

Moored up in basin - but deeply suspicious that Locaboats - who have taken basin over from connoisseur - have a habit of charging private boats. Anyway, all their water and power points are not working!

3 hotel boats on moorings just outside basin, and as soon as one moved off at lunch time nipped in to his position. Not really necessary to "nip" - there was not a single boat along all day! One Locaboat came into the basin to finish sometime in the morning - that was the total traffic - 1 hotel boat to up, us from down, and 1 hire boat from down!

Venarey                                                             Canal de Bourgogne.

Stayed put all day in Venarey - this is waiting-for-family time.

Some preparatory shopping for week-end - but too hot to be sensible, so just sat on grass, in shade of - fortunately - some large trees between moorings and road.

Family arrived - hot and bothered but cheerful - after crossing and drive down from UK.

Transported us, and lots of goodies, to Ecorsaint holiday house.

Inevitably, whilst packing up, weather broke, and heavy squally rain arrived.

Arrival at Ecorsaint proved the place fabulous.

No more overheated boating for nearly a week.

Good company (family) swimming, eating, drinking, talking, dossing.