2006

BACK TO CALENDAR 2006

 

17 April 2006 to 23 April 2006    

1.3  17 to 23 April 2006

17 April 2006 - Monday   St Jean de Losne to Gergy

 

Had decided over week-end just past to "GO", "GET MOVING", "LIFT MINESELF OFF MINE POSTERIOR"  ----- so  WENT!

 

0730 up, breakfast, tidy, dash out buy bread, make sandwiches, met Peter Schultz just opening up, said thank you, started up and in thick early morning mist WENT!   Every one - other gossiping boaters - were on about river being very high, very fast, in flood, etc etc etc - strong sucking of teeth,  Felt that if I waited any more I would just never leave, so best get on with it.

 

Weather hazy but promising to burn off and be sunny.  Continued to so promise, but never really cleared properly.  Cool.

 

Motored out of base to river, but felt mighty vibration from tiller, rudder, etc, and remembered hadn't physically checked for plastic bags, dead bodies or other rubbish the prop might have garnered during the last 18 months.   Pulled in before finally abandoning slow moving waters and lifted weed hatch.   Found prop clear, water cold, but a lot of grime and rough nasties appeared to be attached on a semi permanent basis to the prop blades - perhaps should have cleaned off with bit of wood.

 

Didn't and pushed off again.   Live with it - perhaps if I ignore it, it will go away.

River in flood, just like every one had said, and, of course, I had seen from the bridge.   Timed first km from km post to km post - 5 minutes.   Think that is 12 kms per hour over the ground.   Albert is capable of 7 when pushing it through the water, so presumably I couldn't get back, even if I wanted to.

First sections of Saône below St J de L are largely canalized so speed reasonable to normal.   First lock red and green lights,  gate open so waited 5 minutes - presumably L K busy on some project.   Then remembered this lock - Seurre - was very keen on life jackets.   Donned mine ostentatiously, red light immediately turned to green, and in we went!   Good thinking!

After lock, stopped at brand new town pontoon, just below lock, for coffee and sandwiches.    Lots of rather strained hirers hanging about.   Left them to it and offed myself again.

Next lock, Ecuelles, above Verdun supposed to be 3.5 meter drop.   Actually a bare half meter!  

Worked out I had plenty of time to get to the entrance of Canal du Centre, but felt, by the time Gergy came within range I had had enough - also know Gergy mooring and town well from several previous stops going down river.   Saw town, saw restaurant above pontoon with it's great sort of concrete crane thing sticking up,  but didn't recognize pontoon.   Got closer and realized that it was level with car park!   Remembering that the moorings are on the outside of the bend, i.e. fastest flowing part of river, bravely swung into U turn - came into the pontoon quite nicely but a bit "firmly", realizing that if I missed I would not be able to motor upstream to correct it!.   Stepped ashore with long centre line, took 2 hurried turns through mooring ring, and held everything, while Albert tried to gallop off backwards down river at, presumably, 7 kms per hour.   Bit of a struggle, but eventually moored safely with springs and ropes every which where around the safety barriers of the car park as well as the pontoon mooring rings.   If we were going to get swep down river, Gergy was coming too.    The pictures show pontoon this time round, on the left, and 2 years ago in 2004 for comparison.  

Slightly sleepless night, there being absolutely nobody about - wondering how safe I was and if I dared go to sleep - one end of the pontoon that should have been floating was stuck up on a log, and the current was fairly zipping past the boat.     Just suppose the level dropped dramatically, and left us dangling on a stuck up on a non-floating pontoon?  Also worrying as to whether would be able to turn into Canal du Centre to-morrow or be carried ever on by current.   Sort of things one worries about through the night.

 

18th April, 2006, Tuesday.    Gergy to Fragnes (Canal du Centre)

Nothing ghastly did, in fact, transpire, and in daylight, as again a rather week sun failed to disperse mist, it was obvious that, having come thus far there was no reason not to go on (had considered that it could be wise to stay here for 4 or 5 days in hope river would drop and slow down).   After all, just beyond the entrance to the canal (3 kms?) was Chalons sur Saône, complete with marina behind island with a sheltered entrance on the inside of the bend.

 

Country still looks and feels wintry, although some leaf bud and May blossom showing.  Grass and small grain crops are growing, and

the pollards are showing an olivy green haze,  but even so cold air temperatures do not encourage spring stirring of the blood.

 

2 reaches above canal entrance felt slightly foolish over last night's worries - complete rowing club, about 8 coxless fours, were buzzing about the river like gnats - admittedly only going up stream on a smooth stretch, but there they were!

 

Saw entrance to canal from about 1 km away - usually overgrown and invisible until one is actually opposite it.   This had been one of my worries - that I wouldn't actually find the entrance until too late to turn in.

 

Just drove in - and to add to the anti climax, 5 metre canal lock was closed and red lighted and appeared abandoned.   Suddenly an incomprehensible loud haler shouted at me, and when I scratched my head made the same noises over again.   Then the bows of a working peniche appeared - as they do on these occasions - away up in the air hanging over the gates.  Tied to pontoon securely - hate being bounced with only a roof centre line - and water issued forth from lock, and gates opened.   Nothing in it, or coming out!   Popped in - first canal lock solo, so thought, as it was convenient - to put rope over floating bollard.

 

Up we went - and there were a double peniche couple uncoupled, and a hotel/trip boat.   The constituent parts of the pair, - even uncoupled - were too long to get in, apparently!    One has to ask, in that case how did they get there, and where did they come from.

 

In view of amount of adrenalin pumped into personal system over last 24 hours, quickly lost interest, and headed from Fragnes - a very favourite mooring of ours.   On arrival, horrified to see it has been grossly vandalised with a dirty great building of the community hall/library/marie light yellow cemwashed type completely overlooking one end of the moorings, and taking over and destroying most of the rather nice gardens below the trees under which we used to doss.

 

Went to other end where the grass re-starts (main mooring is that awful white gravel that enters boat on shoes, the wind, and any other imaginable means) and squatted for duration with very long lekistry main.   Sun came out, and it got quite warm - shorts and short sleeved shirts.

 

Did nothing very much beyond take the odd photo - reckoned both Albert and I deserved at least 2 days off.

 

 

19th April, 2006, Wednesday.            In Fragnes

Puttered about all day - finally discovered boulangerie (always a problem on previous occasions).

 

Rigged biminy, initially inside out.   That, of course, is not possible, but I did it.   Fortunately, I did not start re-drilling any holes before discovering the problem.

 

Seemed to be a source of constant wonder and amazement to locals who started promenading as soon as the sun came out.   Unfortunately, Albert is utterly filthy and badly scratched and scraped on the outside.    Inside, she is just dirty!

 

 

20th April, 2006, Thursday          Still In Fragnes

Continued to enjoy sun, and do a little bit of cleaning - not a lot, and charge around on bike.

 

The towing path back to Chalons (presumably) and up to Chagny has been given that super smooth tar treatment, and is busy with cyclists, roller bladers and all.   One of best sights - family party.   Pa and Ma on tandem - Ma in front steering while Pa provided motive power on rear seat (I imagine)  towing a chariot with what looked like twins seated side by side.   Zigging zagging about in front 2 more kids, slightly but not much bigger than toddlers, on their own proper bikes.   Saw them and waved on their way up, and on the way back, but was too slow with camera.

 

 

21st April, 2006, Friday             Fragnes to Santenay.

Sorry to leave Fragnes - in spite of the vandalism done on the far end of the mooring, we were very comfortable at the top or lock end, with grass, electric, and water all present, and reasonably quiet and scenic.

 

Usual problem entering chain - once you're in they won't let you stop - but they are at times hell to get into with permanent red lights.  Did, in fact, go green for about 90 secs, but that was the exact time I had chosen to change slacks for shorts, and by the time I was decent - I was being closely monitored by a party of Swiss hirers - damn thing was red again.

 

Found list of tel nos for lock keepers obtained on a previous trip through, and worked marvelously.   From then on entire trip to Montchanin green lights and open gates all way.

 

Into Chagny mid afternoon.   Not very nice mooring - ground up white gravel and dust.   Found spot, locked boat, and "went shopping".    Completely unlike me found Supermarket by sense of direction only - also boulangerie.   Then, wonder of wonders, took different road back "because it seemed the obvious way to go", and there was Albert parked at the end of the street!

 

Found had indeed locked Albert securely - the front end, that is.   Rear door open and swinging.   Not clever.

 

Bimbled gently along from Chagny at tea time with intention of spending night at quiet little tourist mooring overlooking Santanay 4 kms out.   This is a particularly attractive section of the French Waterways and I wanted to make a specific effort to appreciate and enjoy it.  The canal runs slightly above, twisting and turning through vineyards all along the valley , - especially interesting for me as have never seen vines prepared for the season - pruned and tied - but not yet sprouted.   This bit of the Canal du Centre, is one of those sections - like that part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal east of the cow tunnel, where you could spend time just going backwards and forwards very slowly almost for ever!

 

Duly found little quiet touristy moorings.   Full of tourists!   1 hotel boat moored - politely - well back, and 3 "Snaily" (that is the name of the hire firm) boats end to end on pins on the mooring.     Perforce had to moor up to own well beaten in pins - had to find them first, hidden under the bed - put 3 each end, but soil soft and know they will not hold Albert against peniche, and/or Snaily hirers who are known for being in very large plastic boats driven by - usually - central Europeans who see no reason to drive as their boat company's name would seem to indicate.   

 

However, all joy, all 3 pushed off after supper, and I relievedly re-moored on 3 bollards.

 

 

22nd April, 2006, Saturday          Santenay to St Berain de Dheune

Took bike and wandered round Santanay - beautiful little town, but disaster at present.   Town centre more like a bomb site - dug up road, enormous piles of huge pre cast concrete things, tractors and machinery in what were flower beds last time we came through, and everything filthy and down at heals and thoroughly taken over by non caring workmen

Cycled along Chagny road just to have a look, and then cut back to canal tow path.    Very  quiet to-day, after being very busy last evening.   Most enjoyable - took lots of photos and plenty of time.   Lost map, but cycled back and found it!

Set off - rather vaguely - up canal about mid-day, still enjoying views and scenery, although we do actually leave the wine country quite soon.  Into St Leger de Dheune - famous to us for about 2 hours spent in pissing rain in a telephone cabin trying to get sense, help, and even interest, out of Messrs CompuServe about 5 years ago.  In those days St Leger was a pleasant wayside canal mooring with all facilities.   Loca boats took it over about 4 years ago, sanitized it, filled it up with their plastic monstrosities - some of their "modern" boats look more like floating boots, than boats - and completely changed the character of the place.

 

It rather looks - from reading what I have said so far - that I am qualifying - fast - for that programme of "grumpy old men".   I am!

 

Through 2 more locks to country mooring - just bank, wall a few bollards, and permanently moored private boat - at St- Berain-sur-Dheune, where we stopped before on several occasions.   Made monumental cock-up of stopping and mooring as forgot to lower biminy, and it is virtually impossible to moor up on own with biminy up - frame gets com[pletely in the way.  But had non-celebratory glass of wine at picnic table on bank to cool down when all was complete, and covered myself in glory by ringing the point control at Montceau les Mines to tell the dear lady what I had stopped, and my intentions for to-morrow.

 

As before - although traffic on road over the canal is very noisy, it ceases almost completely with dusk, so good quiet restful night.

 

 

23rd April, 2006, Sunday      St Berain de Dheune to  Montchanin.

Off - boiled eggs for breakfast of course - at 10 with thoughts of just see how we went.   17 locks to Montchanin!

 

Everything went well - pleasant trip through agricultural France, weather sunny and hot, all locks green lights and waiting, Albert behaving beautifully.

 

The point of the exercise was to get to Jeff's yard to-day or to-morrow for hauling out,  wash down and blacking of underwater hull sides, so best to get on with it.  Looked longingly at St Julien-sur-Dheune where we moored in the very early days, and where the original photo of Albert for the web site was taken, but moved on. 

 

Half way up, inside and at the bottom of one of the deepest locks - 5m - a loud haler bellowed at me.   Got fright of my life, but could see nothing and nobody.   Continued lock manipulations, and at full level found a complete professional cycle race screaming past - about 100 cyclists - going far to fast to count, but managed about 25, or the first quarter.   Beautifully and prettyly dressed, preceded by motorcyclists with backward facing pillions with cameramen, police, and more loud halers.   Followed by massive convoy of cars with adverts and spare bikes and bits on top.    Whole thing was most impressive - but the initial bellow when I was in the bottom of the lock was un-nerving.

 

Arrived at Jeff's yard to find it somewhat grown, dozens of boats, cars, and all sorts everywhichwhere

Jeff welcomed me in, squeezed us in, and invited me over to a barbecue that was just starting amongst 14 or so other boaters, moorers, etc.

 

Was not very good company - 17 locks in 4.5 hours on the trot wasn't really very sensible, but once one is in the swing of things it is really quite difficult to fight the momentum.   It was great turning Albert into the yards and stopping the engine!