2006

BACK TO CALENDAR 2006

 

2.3  10 July to 16 July 2006

 

 

10 July, Monday, Chatillon-Coligny to pk 36, Canal de Briare

Left after shopping and lunch

Inevitable - had to make 2nd trip for things like bread, forgotten first time round.

Through Montbouy, and cast nostalgic looks at large tree just above the lock where I stayed some 4 - or was it 5? - years ago while Herself went to England and bought our home on the Isle of Wight.

Weather now piercingly hot, but more comfortable to move, than to stay on moorings and stew.   More fun, as well.

Pleasant run, finishing on superb "bush" mooring.   

House owners whose land borders on the canal are not able to buy the length of land (6 metres wide??) alongside the canal itself - this remains -for ever, I understand - state property.   Many, however, include this land into their gardens (presumably with the approval of the VNF) and treat and look after it as such, and although these would be good moorings under trees on short grass, one feels a trespasser and privacy invader if one uses them, and there are very few as inclusive as that.  

Here, however, another not very common but most desirable practice had taken place.   The canal strip's grass was cut short and neat, the banks were revetted with steel sheet piles with holes in the top, and the whole area was fenced off from the properties with a strong wire link fence.   The water was - unusually- plenty deep enough, and over all was a fine natural growth of large shade trees.

Moored up very comfortably and coolly, but within 10 minutes was visited by people from both the nearest houses - each property has a gate through the fence.   Both visitors very polite, and very curious as to who and what this strange boat was.   Both, in turn, stayed to gossip.

Great joy of Albert - we creep into moorings without loud backing and forwarding of engine, we don't set the woods ringing as we beat steel pins over the head into the ground, and the boat is an appropriate size and colour for not being noticed or for lying inconspicuously in someone's view without spoiling it.

 

11 July, Tuesday,  pk 36 to Cepoy, Canal de Briare

Really sorry to leave this mooring, but there was, in fact, no route - except over private property - into the outside world.

Down through the 5 automatic locks after Montcresson.  

Very efficient, but a might scruffy - no VNF live in the lock houses now.

Passed through Lock 31, where we spent Bastille Day some years ago.   Same lock keeper wearing the traditional working dungarees with a bib.   This is the chap - he is getting very portly - who entertains those interested with his old air driven organ, played by sheet upon sheet of concertinaed waxed card punctured to play the right notes as it passes through the machine.   Went up to see - he always seems delighted and pulls the machine out into the door way so one can see properly.   Any other boats that want through have to wait

Through Montargis, but although in the past we quite liked the town, the moorings looked very hot, bleak and dead.   Also, they were full! - even the ones out of reach of the trees were full of boat.   There have been break ins on these moorings this year, I am told - and there is no way it is possible to close boats down securely in this sort of weather, so it is best to try and avoid them.

So, gently on and through, with the heat blasting off the brick, stone and roads.   Having said that, the canal flowers and window boxes were as good as ever.

There appears to be lots of development of the old  railway sidings and industrial complexes below Montargis with what looks like a port, or a hire or hotel boat base, or something.   At present it is just a large area of hot yellow sandstone, but we'll see

Just beyond Montargis the Canal de Briare becomes the Canal du Loing after Lock 36.   This lock has all the appurtences of an automatic, including new gates, steel foot bridges, lights, etc.  It is not properly lined up with the canal, and the approach is at an angle of 45 degrees - quite usual and no problem at all, but difficult to make out what is there from any distance, as the perspective is all wrong.   Being to-wards the end of a hot day I was half asleep and not really concentrating, assumed that as it was automatic both gates would be open giving me lots of room to sort out anything that needed sorting out when entering, came up to it much too fast, to discover, on starting to turn in without lining up properly, that only one gate was open, and a slightly twitchy L.K. was watching me with evident concern.  Had to wake up extremely quickly, and do the narrow boat equivalent of a handbrake turn to stop Albert unwittingly increasing both the width and length of the lock basin..  

However, the boat behaved beautifully, coming to a dead stop in the right place on the wall facing the right direction under the eyes of a L.K. who thought I had done it all on purpose!   

It was, actually, a very frightening moment, and emphasizes the value of - at least - 2 sets of eyes on these occasions!

Had noted some years ago, good moorings under shade, a little up from the lock.

Whether the map reading was wrong then, or now, couldn't be sure I found them, but found shade and deep water, but alongside a very well used footpath.   Too late to do much about it, so stayed put.

 

12 July, Wednesday Cepoy to Chateau Landon

Point of last sentence in yesterday's - found good bush moorings just below (Seine) Cepoy lock.   We didn't stay there before, so no actual experience of them, but last night was not all that clever, a bit insecure, although perfectly comfortable.   Definitely not Fri/Sat night moorings!   Once again, notes and map-reading not reliable.   In all fairness, it is not easy reading the map while it tries to blow away, and one is steering with one's bottom - and even more difficult making notes.    As I have said before, the answer is to stop the boat dead in the water in the middle of the canal - but ................

Once again - pleasant run.   (The number of times I say that will indicate that am enjoying this trip - but a lot of things have had to be learned or re-learned), lots of potential shady bush moorings, but views largely blocked.

We stayed at the Chateau Landon mooring several times in the past, and I meant to cycle up to the town for a nostalgic visit.   However, as we approached the moorings with some 300 yards to go it appeared as if there was a feeding frenzy on the remaining shady moorings - there was already one boat there - with a gaggle of white plastic bricks coming round the corner from the lock opposite me.

They got there first, knitted France to themselves in the usual way, while I turned and crept in and tied up to the bank and trees.  Then quite suddenly - and can't think why, it was very hot and muggy - the hire boat that was there when we all arrived and was in the best position upsticked and left, and I moved Albert in very quickly.

However, a lot of time had been used up, and it was, as I say, very hot, so left the Chateau Landon visit out, and did an oil and oil filter change instead.

 

13 July, Thursday Chateau Landon to Moret sur Landon, Canal du Loing

One of those ridiculous miscalculations.   Was convinced yesterday was Tuesday, and thus the public holiday for Bastille Day on the 14th, when the waterways shut disown, should have been the day after to-morrow, giving me 2 days to get to Moret and settle in for the holiday week-end.

It wasn't, of course, and if I wasn't going to be trapped nowhere in particular, for 2 days without bread or comfort, I would have to move fast.

Was waiting at the lock at 0900 when he opened - he was expecting me with only 1 gate open and we recognized each other from the past - very nice, there are so few left (or is it just that I am getting, or have got, old myself?)

Bit of a rush, and long day through not over inspiring canal and scenery.   Stopped very briefly on the dreadful public moorings in Nemours breasted up to 2 other boats in strong wind while nipped ashore to buy bread.   Fortunately, the owners weren't there, as the wind, at one time, had Albert at right angles to desired position, and panic wasn't far away.

Made Moret at about 1600, to find, of course, moorings full, and owners of boats that could have been breasted up to carefully not catching eyes (all Brits, on ridiculously large boats, and all pretty standoffish).   Seen a lot of very large - ridiculously large British boats this year.  They must be hell on the canals - hope so.  I suppose they come blasting over the Channel from Suffolk, Essex or the South Coast and West Country ports "just for a long week-end".   They tower above us normal mortals, sitting up there on top of their plastic towers watching our every move and talking in loud voices over us.

Eventually breasted up to a Scandahoovian owned boat - far too high, indeed dangerously so - but absolutely no alternative.   In full all day sun, and horrifically hot in the boat.

However, did have electricity, so ran the little fan that has survived from the Pateni workshop days for 24 hours a day.

14 July Friday in Moret sur Loing

Survived the holiday sitting on the bank in what little shade there was and assuring myself that I was doing the whole thing "for fun".

.

15 July, Saturday in Moret sur Loin

Some easing of moorings pressure, as a couple of boats moved on.

Managed to get a mooring against the jetty - I think I was lucky to have survived the breasting up episode without a fall - but still only half the boat got any shade, and by late afternoon - hottest time - was in full sun again.

However, not to be daunted, bought an electric fan in town to supplement the one we've carried squashed into cupboards for the last 7 years (try packing a fan sensibly in the smallest possible space - they are incredibly awkward things to put away)

Also covered myself in self donated glory by changing the engine fuel filter.   Should be done 2 or 3 times a season (I think) but I am pretty sure it was last done early in 2004 - awkward job with no room to work in, but invented new and easier method.   Felt very good about doing that, especially after putting the ocean filter into the line at Montchanin in the spring.

It has to be asked - obviously we weren't comfortable or happy in Moret, so why stay?   The answer is that I needed to fill the diesel fuel tank, and short of finding a super market and lugging jerricans by hand, I would have to go to the bunker ship across the river at St Mammes, and the did not open till 0830 Monday.   Simple.

 

16 July Sunday in Moret sur Loin

Changed moorings once again into a bit more shade - it really is very hot at the moment!

Just did nothing except drink - soft drinks!