2006

BACK TO CALENDAR 2006

 

8 May 2006 to 13 May 2006

 

8 and 9 May, Monday and Tuesday, in Montchanin

Still doing things to boat - is this an indication of idleness, and  that I need an excuse to stay here?   No, the significant thing being done is the installation of a large  filter in the diesel line to separate water and rubbish from the diesel fuel in a manner such that it can periodically be drained off from a transparent glass bowl..   These are the sort of things they have in sea going boats that jump around and swill their diesel about.   Narrow boats - in principle - do neither, but as Albert is now approaching 10 years old and has been abandoned for the past 18 months there is a good chance that water has condensed in the diesel tank.  Also my habit of filling from jerricans has possibly introduced a certain amount of dirt - so...

 

10 May, Wednesday still in Montchanin

Woke up to heavy rain.   The rain got heavier and heavier.   Really heavy!

 

No question of going boating in this.

 

The bilge pump I have in the engine room for pumping out collected rain water went on strike.   It is all a bit of a botched up job with gutters, pipes and things leading into a large square plastic bucket with a float switch and pump within (have an ocean seal for the prop shaft, so no gland grease and water - just rain water off back deck).   It has, on the whole, worked well for some years, so no reason why it should not now.   Tinkered some, Jeff suggested cure, did it, put it back, and it worked fine!

 

Then horrors.   Went to fill main diesel tank from a couple of jerricans - a totally routine job.  "Invention" installed in Roanne years ago to do this electrically discarded one of it's hoses and sprayed diesel - about half a gallon - onto the floor of the engine room.   In the course of time the various hoses - plastic - have become hardened and shrunk, so they had pulled off and flapped in the breeze.   Not funny.   Made temporary, adequate, but not half so elegant an arrangement with fresh tubes going straight into top of tank, and set too with kitchen roll to clear up mess.  ugh.   Crowning glory - knocked balance of roll of kitchen towel into washing up water.

 

These have been a fairly frustrating 3 days, and the sooner we get away the better.

 

Rang VNF and booked lock passage for 0930 to-morrow!

 

11 May, Thursday, Montchanin to Montceau les Mines

Cold, grey, but dry.

 

No 1 Lock Ocean,  at exactly 0930, Jeff helping to thread under cables etc to get off  moorings.

Significance of the name of this, and the other locks in this flight is that Montchanin is the summit between the valleys of the Rivers Saône and Seinne, all locks on this side or the South West (canal curves round later to North at Digoin) are on the "ocean" (Atlantic) side, those we came up from the Saône are the "Méditerranée" side, and number down from 1 at the North East end of the Montchanin summit pound, and thence to the River Saône curving round to run east and then South quite quickly on its way down.

Countryside lovely lush green overall - naturally the small grains have not started turning yet - with masses of buttercups, Dandelions both flowers and puffballs, and white Charrollais cattle.  Feels very rural, although lots of settlement about - + factories dotted in the French fashion quite neatly down in a field nowhere in particular.   The N70 is never far from the canal, and unlike most French roads is very busy, with as many lorries and as much noise as any English A road.   When we were here last - 3 years ago - they were doing great extension and straightening and bypassing work on this road, and I presume it serves parts not served by the Payage autoroutes, or else is used instead to save drivers money.

Vital to this canal is the enormous le Clerk supermarket just over the crash barrier between the last 2 locks into Montceau.   We always stopped here, tying the boat to the crash barrier, and wheeling the trolley straight to the boat after.   Naturally, although I had stocked up in Montchanin, I couldn't buck tradition, so tied up - properly, I may say - there are a few commercials on the canal, and many boats don't slow down for an apparently deserted moored up boat - had a quick bowl of soup, and went to "look round".  40 euros later I escaped - I now have a fridge completely full, enough loo paper for 3 months, and milk till July.  Also wine - they are selling 10 litre boxes now, that is half a jerrican and they are just too heavy, so stuck to 5s.   Unfortunately I have a well developed siege complex, so overbuy appallingly on these occasions.   Cast off - eventually - and set off again, but 50 metres later there was their filling station and bottled gas dump.  It would have been crazy not to take advantage - was going to wait until the far side of Paray, where there is an Intermarché across the road, but this was nearer.   Moored up again, and went through tedious operation of unpacking and freeing everything that gets packed around the gas bottles, took trolley off roof, and trotted over and bought replacement bottle for the one that ran out on me in the middle of supper the other night.

By this time, I was knackered and hungry and it was 1500, and struck again one of the problems of single handering.  Somehow, there has to be a drill whereby sufficient food is consumed at reasonable times so that vast and unsuitable meals are not gobbled destroying appetite for future proper meals.   In fact, Montceau port - where I had not intended to stop was 10 minutes away, and overnight charges were only 2.50e without water and lekistry, so moored up backed in on tiny short pontoon, ate and relaxed!  After, cycled to brico through frighteningly complicated traffic system.  I must paint the roof of the boat as soon as possible, and needed sanding discs.

No Brits in port - in fact of the 10 or so that were there, only 3, a German, a Canadian, and us were occupied, so no socialising.

Although slap bang in middle of town all traffic ceased about 2030, and a quiet night was enjoyed(!).

 

12 May, Friday, Montceau les Mines to Gènélard

Through double lift bridges out of Montceau exactly on promised 0930.

 

Lovely day, lovely views, pleasant countryside.

 

Locks started to be manual - i.e. conversion is in progress, but in 2s and 3s.   Discovered a group of workmen in one pound - literally in it - clearing tree out of the canal.   Suspect they had sawn them off and dropped them in by mistake.   

 

Then had to wait for L.K. - no hardship, it was warm and sunny - but then had to wait longer for huge German plastic floating brick covered in scooters, barbecues, spare outboards, badges, crests, and what all.  Overtook me after the lock, but they were made to wait for me at the next 3.   Only left me about 14 metres to tie up, in first lock, so inevitably dinged their backside while avoiding gates!  Not hard, but  sufficient to make point!   He was a very regimental sergeant German, and she likewise - yelling "instructions" when they were overtaking.

 

Trouble about sharing is one has to pay attention and be professional.   No letting the boat wander around in the lock on it's own while downstairs brewing coffee, or suddenly going backwards to re-capture a nice photo.  Never mind - it is all part of it, and been very lucky up to now with all the automatics.

 

Again, problem with mid-day meal, and tiredness.   Told L.K. needed to stop for lunch, but he wasn't having it - his job is to see his group of boats through his section, and out, without anyone wasting time for silly things like food or rest.   Fortunately, prior knowledge of canal ensured that I knew perfectly well there was an adequate mooring just round corner at Gènélard with water, electricity, and gravel verges on one side, and no water, grass and no electricity on the other.   Stopped on grass, to discover one new electricity/water point had been installed on grass side,  but a long way away.   Moored up quickly and used long cable round to point.   Think the L.K. had been intimating that this side was for the peniches, other side, sanitized with gravel and curb stones, for us.  Anyway, later a péniche went past very slowly looking into windows while I cowered in loo, but he didn't try and make contact, stop, or say anything.

 

Discovered, to intense pleasure, that charger went onto stand by almost as soon as switched on - batteries were totally full after day's run - as they should be, but all too often in the past weren't- but needed shore mains to power up spin drier, to drain off washing I did day before yesterday, but forgot in bathroom.

Evening - swallows doing low passes on water - usually sign of yet more rain to come.   It is already raining heavily.

 

13 May Saturday Gènélard to Paray la Moniale

Did endless "consideration" first thing - shall I leave Gènélard, or stay here and do a bit of painting/boat maintenance.   For staying - nice low edge to mooring, and grass surface, weather overcast, misty and chilly, good boulangerie in village. alto-gether a nice mooring, and familiar, they have even installed an electricity/water point on the opposite side to the formal sanitised moorings where all the big boats seem to congregate.   Need a very long cable, though, which I have.

 

 Against - booked lock for 0930, and want to get on and use boat as boat, not something to be endlessly fiddled with - i.e. to cruise, Road traffic noisy.

Finally left (!) 0930, for a pleasant day's run through flat peaceful agricultural Charrollais (white moos - superb general purpose leaning to-wards beef breed of bovine - French love them dearly) country.   Have commented before - we travel, naturally, in the bottom of the valleys, and here the land runs from the canal gently up to wooded ridge tops.   Lots of settlement, but not intrusive, and factories or businesses just stuck, all on their own, neatly in a field.   Horrified to see what appeared to be a grain crop already in head, although still green - but time passes so quickly one does not realise how the season advances - especially when it is, on the whole, cold and apparently late.

 

Just made it too Paray - seemed to be only boat moving to-day and had same lock keeper all the way - before rain started dribbling.

 

Moored up on very good clean - i.e. bricks, no gravel - town moorings, but saw a sign pricing electricity at €8.00, plus moorings at about €2.50.   latter OK, but former very steep.   Didn't connect, but got so cold had to, so could put heater on and warm boat!

However, remembered from before,  the money collector doesn't work Saturdays and Sundays!

 

 

14 May Sunday In Paray la Moniale

With the suitable canal edges, decided to paint gunwales.   Boring, messy, but managed to get a coat of black on both sides.  Couldn't find black undercoat - and I am sure I bought some - so sanded, and hope the gloss will stick.   Found the grey non-slip we always put a strip of along the top had not been closed properly last time and was solid.   "Last time" was Sept 2004, so it had had plenty of time to consolidate. Do remember when we were doing our "routine" autumn paint touch up on the Saône we were in a great hurry to get home, so naturally have come across a couple of anomalies, although all the brushes are fine.

While working in the afternoon (yes, really) looked up and saw another Narrow Boat had slid onto the moorings - "Idling By no 2", Paul and Dianne from the River Idle - Northampton or was it Nottingham? can never remember which is which!  Permanent live aboards

1.5 8 May to 13 May 2006