2006

BACK TO CALENDAR 2006

 

15 May 2006 to 21 May 2006

 

1.6 15 May to 21 May 2006

 

 

15 May, Monday, Paray le Moniale, Canal de Centre

Sunday's black painting of gunwales and topsides seemed quite successful, so decided to do back deck.

 

Not quite so good, but will do - it'll have to.

 

Decided on a massive formal clean of kitchen, and to do some washing.   Method, so far, of doing latter is to leave it soaking in water - initially hot - with half a ball of washing machine soap in it.   Stir vigorously whenever I think of it, with wooden spoon.

About 24 hours later, extract, spin dry, fill with hot water again and spin again.   Repeat until bored.

16 May, Tuesday, Paray to below lock 26 Digoin side of Paray.   Canal du Centre

Rained all morning, but determined to escape, so after early lunch set off of Intermarché at the top end of town, the one that is used by all of us (boaters, that is) as they are just over the road from the canal, and one can wheel their trolleys down to the boat.

Intermarché bit of an adventure.   Fortunately did full formal tie up by road before leaving boat.   3 cans diesel and sundry shopping required.

 

Got shopping OK while waiting for fuel cashier to arrive.  Dumped shopping in boat, then back to fill cans.   The till cashier in the kiosk was one of those selfopiniated women who insist on trying to swipe one's card, will not listen, then declare. with great triumph, that it (the card) won't work.  Silly discussion,  I pointed out that there was nothing wrong with my card - her computer was faulty, or she was using it wrong!   Much distress as queue of motorists who wanted to pay got longer, but held to my guns - sorry, no cash, and no other cards - inappropriate to put diesel back in pumps!.   Manager came running (really running) - an almighty thunderstorm was just starting to plop.   Manager demanded my presence in the store - self, no - got to get my things - including the diesel - into the boat, and the boat shut down against the rain - I would come and see him, in my own time, after!   More distress, but did just that.  Eventually, into shop with big golf brolley having loaded boat - raining really hard by now with very heavy local thunderstorm - major welcome by manager and several sidekicks - probably thought it was a bum card, and I had done a runner - card duly worked splendidly first time, being properly poked into slot in proper machine, pin number applied, etc etc.   I have a sneaking feeling that our current chip and pin cards will not, in fact, work being swiped at all.    Will take that line next time!

 

Then off - rain still pouring down - unmoored and down to first lock.   No signal lights, but hire boat just coming out, so went in after waiting couple of minutes - one is taught that under absolutely no circumstances must one enter a lock unless lights are on andgreen) .   L.K. cowering in hut put me through on automatic (no lights because they hadn't finished the installation!), then to second lock, to find loaded peniche - "chargée" -  also just coming up.  Stayed in boat, watching for a bit and waiting, then got wrong vibes, took centre line, got off boat, and wrapped round youngish - 4 to 6" diameter trunk -  but stout tree.   Peniche came out as though sound barrier awaited adjusting and only he could do it.   Held Albert, but tree virtually pulled out of ground, and rope slipped as bark stripped off.   Ethics of mooring to trees are arguable, but there was absolutely nothing else to use, and there was no way I would have been physically able to hold Albert unassisted!   As it was, it took me all my time to keep her out of the péniche' s stern wash.

Recovered situation, and went down lock - rain still belting down, but felt a bit more organised.  Low and behold, another chargée approaching as I exited, followed by yet another.   Never before seen so many commercials on this canal since can remember.   Possibly 2 in a season, not 4 in convoy!   Poor little hire boat traipsing along after - they must have been fit to be tied.

 

Tied up with piling chains below 3rd lock where VNF used to keep their work boats.   Lovely spot - moored here once before, peaceful, rural, deep water, grass cut yesterday or today, pretty.   Most satisfactory for first "bush" mooring in 2006.   Just finished mooring, and sun came out, so able to dry everything off, birds sang furiously, and everything was super

 

 

17 May, Wednesday, Lock 26 Canal du Centre to Croix Rouge la Beaune, Canal Roanne a Digoin

Loath to leave mooring - so idyllic, but must get on.

Pootled gently into Digoin, "stopping" a couple of times to take photos.   Finding it very difficult to do this, and must work out a drill.   By the time I have seen what I want, have already pass it, and it takes a up to further 10 minutes to stop the boat, back up. unhook camera, etc.  If there's no traffic - and there was none - no worry - but what if another convoy of chargées arrives around corner to find Albert stopped diagonally across canal and me fiddling with camera?

 

Stopped briefly in Digoin - well before lunch time - to buy bread, then on to the deep lock beyond the lovely aqueduct carrying the canal over the Loire.

Unfortunately - now 12.05, and L.K. on lunch 1200-1300.  Let boat jiggle around in basin while got and had own lunch.  Then through, left into Canal Roanne a Digoin, and up the 3 lock flight at the beginning.   Countryside - once passed the N70 bridge - immediately showed how this canal calls itself the "canal tranqil".   Small paddocks, very green, lush, pretty, and not too much going on.   Confirm, very tranquil and delightful.

 

Stopped at le Croix Rouge - have several unfinished water colours of the nice house up by the bridge - now a bar - with lovely tree and shrubs about it.   Unfortunately the mooring has deteriorated, planks loose in the jetty, sticking up nails, and the actual mooring has silted up.   We were always able to moor here properly, but although the canal is full, there was no way this time, and had to be satisfied with a lusty jump from ship to shore.   Nonetheless, a pleasant spot.

Sat in shade - got very hot and muggy - and did not very much.

 

 

18 May, Thursday, la Beaune to Avrilly, Canal Roanne a Digoin

Woken at 0545 with very sudden hot wind storm trying to blow tarpaulin off boat.   Dropped after 10 minutes, by which time thoroughly awake. 

Then it started raining, and continued heavily, or more heavily till 1600.

 

Moved off, fully clothed in wet weather gear, golf brolley, and all, but got very cold, and really not much fun.

Battled on for a couple of hours, then tied up to old foreman's house - Wisteria Mooring - in nightmare of thunderstorm and sheeting rain, and sat it out till 1700, when sun appeared.   

 

Re-moored boat, and wandered off to take photos.   From yesterday's mooring till Roanne this canal closely follows the Loire, which seemed to me to be "flowing strongly" - a good backdrop or foreground to views.

 

Not a very successful day, but all part of it!

 

 

19 May, Friday, Avrilly to Artaix, Canal Roanne a Digoin

Drizzle and/or rain, and dull grey weather all the way.   Pity, this canal is so nice and peaceful, rural - idyllic, probably!

Nobody on the Artaix mooring - we used it quite often in the past - first time, according to my Navicarte on 1 June 1999!

 

Found electricity - one plug point tucked away in the little  shower block - and settled in.

 

Object of coming here was to paint roof, and generally tidy up the outside look of the boat before going to Roanne for 2 or 3 days - shopping and hardware.   The roof paint shouldn't have been necessary, we did it 3 years ago.  However, whilst the boat was originally being fitted out the guy had the hull moored at the bottom of his garden on the River Saore near Sheffield, with just a thin coat of primer on her right through an English winter, so there was a lot of incipient rust well painted over when we trustingly bought her.  We have, over the years, chased up and abolished a lot, but during this last 18 months of 2 winters and a summer a lot of junk, including coils of rope too thick to dry out, were left on her roof at the moorings, and any week spots were thoroughly attacked by water that should have been able to drain off.  

Cleared and sanded off half roof.

 

 

20th May, Saturday, Artaix, Canal Roanne a Digoin

Rained all day but found an epicerie in the village who is also a bar and depot de pain - bought in proper bread every day for re-sale.   New since our last visit - and very welcome.

The little factory I described last time making lorry axles is exactly as it was when we were last here, except the grass has grown up through the stock steel and pile of finished axles!   All still neat and tidy.

 

In between showers, and when it cleared in the evening, managed to sand off remainder of roof.   Rust patches - far fewer than at first appeared - a lot of it was just ingrained dirt, and probably could have been removed with "tee-cut" - ground off and treated.

Made threatening noises in evening to myself that undercoat must go on to-morrow almost regardless.

 

 

21st May, Sunday, Artaix, Canal Roanne a Digoin

Got under and first gloss coat in dry but gusty conditions.   Virtually every bug in France settled on the wet paint,  joined by windblown debris.

Still, a much more successful day.