- Dull, overcast cool weather.
- Little bit of fresh food shopping - everywhere is closed on Mondays
(yesterday) these days in France, because everywhere is open on Sundays.
- Off mid-morning.
- Rained - wore mackintosh suit - both halves,
and, at one stage, a sweat shirt - really cooled off. Cleared up p.m.,
but then strong wind.
Settling down to "local" locks
routine. Always say "we never tie Albert in
locks". This is true except on the Bourgogne as of now.- New - to us - routine, and new even on the
Bourgogne. L.K. comes and stands by bows of boat and takes
rope. I specify which bollard, L.K. puts rope over, gives me
back end, and disappears to do own thing. I tighten as hard as I can,
then drive boat into rope. Boat stays beautifully steady and straight
all the way up - unless I go to sleep.
- On
our first visit to the Bourgogne, on our way into a lock, there was a mad
scramble, as I jumped and caught the ladder which was mounted on the backs
of the gates themselves.
Then Herself, having halted the boat, handed or threw up a rope, and I stood on the
lock side, did rope things, and saw them up. Later on, of course, we just stayed
floating free. This new scheme seems the best, safest, and easiest method
so far -
but only the Bourgogne L.K.s take ropes and put them as
directed. If other canals did the same, would probably tie up in them
all.
- Lunch was a comedy. L.K.s stop for
lunch 1200 mi-day as throughout the system - except the Yonne where bottom
end they don't stop, and top end is 1230. Found 2 splendid
bollards to tie up to - but as is usual on Burgundy canal the sides are
shallow so couldn't get boat close enough to jump ashore. Threw
first rope. Dead hit. Threw second rope - 10 throws
later, rope disgustingly soggy, that end of boat wet with filthy canal water
(when it dries off leaves a dreadful stain), self in bad temper, finally
made it with a despairing twitch. Lock opened 10 minutes later!
- Countryside flat Armançon Valley, and typically
late summer burnt, bleak and desolate. Cereals are off,
and stubble is being ploughed. Most grass, whether natural or lawns,
are burnt brown. Sad.
- Fetched up at Saint Florentin early afterno
on,
and stopped over. Begged a mooring at Rive France hire
boat jetty (most of their boats were out). Very pleasant and
jolly girl - won my heart by admiring Albert. Took a cycle ride round Saint Flo.
The Cathedral was locked, but it's a nice town - all uphill. The
gardens at the bottom we admired so much before, were as everywhere, burnt
and brown.
- Discovered the bulb on flashing yellow light on
top of the boat was broken. Took another cycle ride around town
- €6.00 for a replacement. She wanted me to buy 2!
-
- 2 Aug, Wednesday Saint Florentin
to Tonnerre, C. de Bourgogne
- Off betimes - keen to get on, and also have
suspicion that 12v charging is not as it should be, so wanted a full day
engine charging, as opposed to mains converted.
- Weather overcast, and distinctly cool, with
strong wind from behind.
Canal looks well - unlike elsewhere the grass and weeds are cut right to the edge of the
bank, or revetments, much neater, and very much more convenient for
Albert who does not get weeds, nettles and grass through his/her windows when
stopping canalside.- Bit off a bit much - made it to Tonnere - only
21 kms and 10 locks, but having admired the locking system yesterday, the
flip side showed up strongly, especially in the strong and increasing
following wind. A lot more is required of the loan boater than
standing quietly managing tiller and throttle, in terms of dashing through
the boat and throwing and recovering ropes at each lock. Needs
thinking about!
- Same problem as yesterday at lunch - but was
able to get one end or other close enough to jump ashore and back
again. Used chains, this time - no line heaving!
- Finally - feeling a bit pooped - made complete
cock of mooring at Tonnere, by trying to moor facing down wind.
Cock-up assisted by strong offshore wind, and idiot Dutchman from moored
boat, who took rope very unwillingly, tied it in a hen's breakfast type
tangle to the wrong ring, and walked off announcing that mooring there was
not allowed anyway as there were not enough rings! Think he is a
permanent moorer on these free moorings for the summer, and didn't want
anyone walking over his TV aerial lead, or knocking his satellite receiver -
parked on the bank - over.
-
- 3 Aug, Thursday, Tonnerre, C. de
Bourgogne
- Dull, cool, overcast, rain
showers.
- A good day not to go boating - so didn't.
- Found a le Clerk just beside lock at
entry to basin. Went 3 times to get things forgotten - even
bought bread there - couldn't find
a proper boulanger.
-
- 4 Aug, Friday, Tonnerre to St Vinnemer.
- Pushed of - after yet another visit to le
Clerk - just to get fresh bread, this time - into another dull, cool,
showery day.
- Countryside still a bit dull - flat, heavily wooded, and
very end of summer. But - overcast weather and rain threat can
make the most beautiful countryside dreary!
- Intention was to do a short day, and moor at Tanlay for the
night - a pleasant little port with a short concrete jetty.
However, Tanlay is one of the P de P.s on this section that have given
themselves over to hotel boats. Passed one (a hotel boat) going back to-wards
Tonnerre away from Tanlay just before the Port, so pulled in. However, very
pleasant Perthshire lad from it who had stayed behind to "clear
up" warned me that another one was heading down, and he would need the
mooring.
- Didn't see any point in hanging about to indulge in arguements - we've
been there, several times in the past - so took Albert all round the port
in a series of figure of eights, looking for suitable spots to tie up, to
the bemusement and amusement of a large cycling
club propping their bikes up on the bank. We once moored on the bank
opposite, I seem to remember when presented with a similar problem some
years ago - but everything was either too shallow, or dirty this time
round.!
- Eventually pushed off - not much point in
mooring uncomfortably in a P. de P. under virtual bush conditions, if one
can get decent private and quiet bush moorings in the countryside!
- In fact, tried little village - Vinnemer -that had a
couple of bollards, and - a rarity on this canal - deep water close to the
side. Hence, easy and painless mooring up.
- Mooring was fine, but didn't know little
Claud-Etienne had got a nice new hornet voiced scooter for his birthday a
couple of days ago!
- He actually kept to the village proper -
neither he nor anyone else came near the boat, and a totally quiet night
followed.
-
-
- 5 Aug, Saturday, St Vinnemer to
Ancy-le-Francc
Another Hotel Boat port, and regrettably the
Tourist Info Office was unable to say whether any were due.
However, had seen both further back going the other way, so reckoned we
had good chance.
- Moored up with 2 seagoing
catamarans. Didn't realise how big they are - would hate to
navigate them along these canals.
- Weather very squally and showery - started
off in low misty drizzle.
- Trouble with these conditions is that one
gets hassled - driving with the cockpit cover half closed, rainsuit on,
brolley up, etc etc, then it clears, so naturally it is open up,
rainsuit off, brolley away. All done on the move, so the boat
describes a series of frantic S bends along a nice straight piece of canal
- shearing away from each side at the last moment. One time we
didn't shear, and got very thoroughly stuck on a mud bank, but the mud did save
us from a nasty bang into the side!
- However, the general hasslement leads to less
care than is necessary when doing boating things, and so on, and
eventually lost one of original mooring ropes made up on day 1 of Albert,
in England. Tried to pop the loop over a high bollard whilst
awaiting a tardy lock keeper. Missed bollard, and rope and
boat hook gadget went in water. Other end of rope wasn't
secured - inevitable! Most ropes - unless you get special
floaters - sink. It sank. Spent some time trying
to rescue it, but lock - although empty, was deep, and could only
just touch bottom with very extended boat hook gadget.
- Tigre d'Or came into Ancy looking for
moorings. Huge boat - almost peniche size - that we first saw
up here 4 years ago.
Beautiful boat type yacht (yacht in the
Monaco boat type sence), teak decks, shiny sides, no fenders, scooters,
blow up dinghy, crew of 2, everything that opens and shuts.
Owned and occupied by 1 man - apart from young crew of 2 - employed, we
believe. Appears to perambulate on the Bourgogne - and this
side of the tunnel - only. Much mystery as to why, who, and
where..
-
- 6 Aug, Sunday, Ancy-le-Franc to
Ravieres.
- Short day - weather fine and had decided to
set Ravieres - 10 kms - as target for this trip.
- Simple relaxed boating, in fine
weather.
- Passed the line of abandoned quaries, stone
workings, and rather attractive cut stone built aqueducts, etc. lining
quite a long bit of this section.
- In between surprising how atractive
countryside - previously reported as dull and bleak - looks in the
sunshine
Ravieres is a stone workers town, and the
central theme in it's P de P is an enormous stone block with a chain winch
affair for moving it. Took a photo some years ago of Herself seemingly pulling the chain and the enormous
block, having supremé'd the winch.
- The P.de P of Ravieres now has electricity,
and although shallow, is really very nice, and while we were there, dead
quiet. However, like Ancy, Tonnerres, and Tanlay, there are
not enough rings!
Settling down to "local" locks
routine. Always say "we never tie Albert in
locks". This is true except on the Bourgogne as of now.
on,
and stopped over. Begged a mooring at Rive France hire
boat jetty (most of their boats were out). Very pleasant and
jolly girl - won my heart by admiring Albert. Took a cycle ride round Saint Flo.
The Cathedral was locked, but it's a nice town - all uphill. The
gardens at the bottom we admired so much before, were as everywhere, burnt
and brown.
Canal looks well - unlike elsewhere the grass and weeds are cut right to the edge of the
bank, or revetments, much neater, and very much more convenient for
Albert who does not get weeds, nettles and grass through his/her windows when
stopping canalside.
a proper boulanger.
Another Hotel Boat port, and regrettably the
Tourist Info Office was unable to say whether any were due.
However, had seen both further back going the other way, so reckoned we
had good chance.
Beautiful boat type yacht (yacht in the
Monaco boat type sence), teak decks, shiny sides, no fenders, scooters,
blow up dinghy, crew of 2, everything that opens and shuts.
Owned and occupied by 1 man - apart from young crew of 2 - employed, we
believe. Appears to perambulate on the Bourgogne - and this
side of the tunnel - only. Much mystery as to why, who, and
where..
Ravieres is a stone workers town, and the
central theme in it's P de P is an enormous stone block with a chain winch
affair for moving it. Took a photo some years ago of Herself seemingly pulling the chain and the enormous
block, having supremé'd the winch.