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2006

BACK TO CALENDAR 2006


2.7 7 Aug to 13 Aug 2006


7 Aug, Monday Ravières to just above Tanlay, Canal de Bourgogne
Nice day - but resisted temptation to wander a little further along. Time to turn back and headed generally for Migennes.
First, cleaned bathroom, and varnished wood part of floor.
Set off about 1100, but caught up with a white cruiser - private, French owned - at first lock after lunch. Boat's name Aroma??
Hence was caught in classic situation - going downhill on Bourgogne is always slow (coming up hill is always quick) because of the still not understood custom on this canal of always emptying the lock chambers after use, and opening bottom gates. Going downhill one has to wait while bottom gates are closed and lock is filled before one even starts. i.e. all locks are automatically set against - even the electric/mechanical which are worked by lock keepers. This custom - followed even during water shortages - ensures that each passage of a lock - in either direction - consumes 2 locks full of water, unless canal is busy!
Point of joining up, lock keepers naturally are more enthusiastic passing 2 boats traveling in convoy, and it is not easy or popular just to stop and let front boat get away - they will usually phone ahead and stop him when one starts again - hence 2 sets of enemies to no gain.
Thus, was stuck, and entered unwittingly into routine of waiting while he did his knitting up, and self dropping rope over back bollard - our custom of not tying up in locks always begs the question, if sharing with a private boat, "what happens if throttle or gear cable breaks". Delayed at every lock while we fiddled with said knitting, and in my case, worried about the cill (sill?) across the back of each lock forward of the gates - waiting for front boat to clear.
Then it was 6.00 p.m. - long after stopping time.
Stopped firmly on bollard in St Vinemer that I used on the way up, and announced that this was it. Started tying up, and noticed that utter peace of last Friday was different. 4 or 5 hornet scooter bikes and a 4 wheel scooter across the canal eyeing me and talking very loudly amongst themselves and giggling foolishly. Further youngsters on bridge, also eyeing me speculatively. Stupid to stay, so went on another 2 kms to bollards just above next lock - actually last lock before Tanlay, and only 2 kms short. Better mooring than village - just enough depth of water to float us, nice open view, privacy, everything. Pair of pretty young L.K.s (female) came trotting back to ensure I didn't want to go through, and gossiped shyly!
Settled down, started to prepare obligatory G. and T.
Horrors - utter horrors.
Fridge was not working, and had completely defrosted.
Started complicated business of trying to find an electrical fault, then checked whether the wretched thing was, in fact, switched on. It was not - relief that it wasn't broken, but very cross that I must have fiddled with it while trying to puzzle out why boat does not appear to be charging it's batteries properly. Have no recollection of doing so - but there's nobody else could have done it.
Managed to spill contents of the trip tray - lots of water - on the floor. Herald of Free Enterprise syndrome. Still more drama with towels, etc.
Consumed warm and nasty g & t rather peevishly, as matter of principle, and set to to cook all frozen meat. 3 pans full! What a mess all round from the fat spitting.
Fitting end to a miscalculated day. Good thing I wasn't on moorings - clearly audible expressions of "distress" could have embarrassed other better organised boaters.


8 Aug, Tuesday, Just above Tanlay into Tanlay.
Still sitting placidly tied to my bollard - nice view, dead quiet, same pleasant girl looking after the lock.
Total peace until about 1100, time to go. No boats through, L.K. had filled lock for me, leaving 1 gate open t'other closed, so finally wandered through, and thence into Tanlay, in nice time to see all the overnight hire boats leaving, my friend the Frenchman who had got the last space last night (good thing I didn't come on) right by the noisy car park and more noisy cafe.
Waited for a bit, then able to move into other end well clear of Hotel Boat mooring - they get 25 metres on either side of a dirty great sign that says so. In Ancy that means the whole mooring, but here only about half.
In Ancy, had cleared up bathroom, after varnishing pedestal, etc, but while doing so dropped heavy oil filled radiator so that the sharp edge of the top hit my leg and ploughed down it. Very angry - me, that is, don't give a damn for the feelings of the dropped radiator - this is exactly the same type of accident that happened about 4 years ago with the engine cover dropping shut and catching my ankle. The wound took 3 or 4 months to heal, and since then have been very careful always to clamp the cover open with a pair of dedicated to that job vice grips (mole wrench in English?) Never thought I would be attacked by the radiator which, like all radiators, is clamped to the wall.
Fortunately, had surplus dressings from previous occasion, and although not a clue as to which one to use, slapped some bits on, bandaged it up, and went on being cross. Bloody sore, though.
Moorings duly filled up with yet more hire boaters - there is a chateau here they all visit - and became a bit noisy. Next door boat Italians (or Spanish?) all talking loudly all the time in high pitched voices.

9 Aug, Wednesday In Tanlay
Did nothing!! Yesterday was a long day

10 Aug, Thursday, in Tanlay
Didn't do a great deal more, except wander round the town and area (on bike) in the only sun we seem to have had for ever.

11 Aug, Friday, Tanlay to Cheney.
Seriously pushed off first thing - joined slightly frightened new owner of Rive France type boat in first locking of day, about 0930.
Still dismal and grey with frequent maddening showers. Strong wind all day. Heavy enough to require waterproof jacket and trousers, clearing cockpit and pulling cover back over, but by the time precautions taken, rain has stopped.
Through Tonnerre about 11.00, stopped off to run down to le Klerk for some fresh meat, and bits. Getting mighty tired of cold fried pork chops and fillets.
Watched - nervously - while hotel boat did U turn - I estimate he had 6" - inches - spare behind him with bows against opposite jetty.
Had lunch, cleared up, and set off.
Heavy shower while negotiating first lock - just at end of moorings, opposite le Klerk.

Ultimate horrors again - second time this week, but much greater.

No Bromton in place in cockpit, where raingear normally kept.
Asked L.K. to hold proceedings - bemused hire boat in lock as well, but not consulted - walked/ran back to look on quay side. Knew it wasn't there as would have tripped over it when unmooring, but had to go and see. Not there of course. Hurried back to boat, went down lock, quick U turn, and back up, and re-moored in exactly the same spot as before, with the same fight with the offshore wind, and no bollards or rings.
Assumed bike stolen while I was lunching, or when distracted watching hotel boat turning, so asked around and searched behind hedges in local area in case dumped after spontaneous theft. Nothing.
Rang police - for subsequent insurance claim - got Gendarmes who put me onto Municipal Police. Then chef arrived from hotel boat. He had heard a noise, and seen something small and black sinking behind Albert. Had assumed it was a thrown out flower pot. Poked with boat hook, and there was one Bromton having involuntary bath about 6 feet down. Utter Happiness and relief.
Pulled it up - let it drain - squirted wd 40 into everything, no apparent harm, good as new. However, first time seen a partially unfolded folding bike on the end of a boat hook streaming water demonstrating hurt feelings.
Happiness re-instituted in big way.
Think I had parked it, rather than putting it away, because folding lock mechanism was playing up so that front wheel flapped when lifting and carrying bike, so had left it out while getting screw driver. Then I got distracted, forgot it, and it fell/got blown into the water.

Revising opinion on this end of Burgundy expressed last week. In poor weather it can be bleak, with huge fields - now a dirty straw colour as the stubble is scratched at for new plantings - but it is still good to look at with it's own mix of wooded hills and tops, mixed farming, and agribusiness. The little villages/towns are fun, too, red roofs half hidden by trees and bush, and utterly deserted during the day at the times we go past.
Moored up nowhere in particular, under someone's walled off orchard. Very nice and quiet.

12 Aug, Saturday, Cheney to last lock 2 kms out of St Flo.
Good peaceful comfortable night against the bank under the enclosed orchard garden wall.
Weather worsened, but too bad. Set off mid morning with knowledge that a bread crisis was imminent - there was none for lunch!
In fact, could easily, before starting off, have gone between properties above overnight mooring along road and into Tronchoy, but didn't realise that, so went along to the bridge with boat, and then found absolutely nowhere to moor safely - far to shallow, and/or rough. Remember for future --
Went on and got to Flogny. Rather a strange place - all one sees from the canal is a large factory complex with pipes steaming, sheds, parked cars and businesses. Just beyond it after a bridge, on the opposite side is a mooring jetty - concrete without protecting wood strips. We got caught here sometime back on change-over day, rather late in the evening and tied up to the steel revetments right opposite the factory entrance, to the interest of the knocking-off labour force. The jetty then was full, everywhere else was too shallow to get in.
However, this time jetty was empty, so a bit nervous of concrete, moored up and trotted up to village. Nice, all services, including hole-in-the-wall, and well hidden from canal and the factories by woodland trees.
Just got back in time with supplies when heavens opened once again.
Moved on, weather steadily worsening - kept thinking, as shoes filled with cold water from trousers, glasses unseethroughable , getting colder and colder - "we are doing this for fun"???????
Had decided on overnight target as the 2 bollards just above last lock before St Flo - no good going to St Flo on change over day - harbour is fiendish to maneuver in in a wind, and hire boat jetties, of course, full of hire boats coming and going.
Duly found bollards, and in teeth of howling wind and rain - straight off side of canal and said bollards - fought boat into side, and was just about to "step" off but found already drifted too far out for safety, and even if I did get ashore I would probably not be strong enough to hold boat against wind while making fast. Ably assisted by German hire boat coming precipitately out of lock without looking where he was going, trying to study my kitchen through my side hatch while also drifting sideways, but at a different speed to me, and exactly in the area where I needed to put my stern to straighten up. Daft ...........
Suggested that he left, then spent half an hour backing and filling, and eventually got into up wind side just as L.K. started filling his lock. Most useful and well timed - water level dropped, boat stayed still on mud, and we got properly tied up in reasonably organised manner. Chains through steel bank revetts - no ways would pins have held, and single bollard (other one was peniche distance away - 50 metres - away) inadequate to hold boat straight except for a short time in calm.
Half an hour later - breath having been caught, and wet clothes hung in shower - wind dropped to dead calm. Then a rash of green hire boats arrived, and what had been Albert's private personal mooring became virtually a green plastic boat filled Rive France depot. Stopped counting at 5.
Spent evening on computer sending and receiving e-mails - first time for about 10 days had decent communications over mobile phone.

13 Aug, Sunday, Just above St Florentine to Brienon sur Armançon
Remember - years ago - cursing a hire boat full of Japanese at the top of the long flight down the Worcs Canal (can't remember name of flight, but very well know) for destroying the idyll by running their engine early on a beautiful Sunday English summer morning. They were heating the water for their showers with the engine. Subsequently saw them pulling their boat through the locks by hand - they were so frightened.
Point of this - although surrounded by hire bats on this particular Sunday morning on the Burgundy Canal, I also ran my engine. I had done relatively little motoring during yesterday - what with bikes going swimming, self running out of bread, etc etc that batteries were only half charged when I stopped. Electricity has not been a problem this year - even in the hottest weather with the fridge on full and running almost 24 hours a day, and a fan running all evening and half the night, but I have obviously got blasé and was not watching it, and didn't consider the result of computing for 3 to 4 hours last night, with most of the boat lights blazing. For the first time for years the fridge cut out in the early morning (it cuts out at 3 quarters empty batteries automatically). Very poor management on my part. Lit up engine, and rectified matters at about 0730, but felt vaguely sorry for any of the hirers whose early Sunday morning was derangé-ed - but doubt, in fact, that they would have heard, and anyway it wasn't a beautiful sunny Sunday - it was raining..
Day's trip - interspersed with rain showers, took us through the more heavily wooded and duller section of the canal, and got into Brienon comfortably at lunch time, after watching companion hire boat being blown sideways into and out of most locks. Those big boats must be pigs at the best of times, but one has to feel sorry for the hirers sometimes - the boats are very big, very high, don't hold their course nicely in the water, and they themselves get virtually no instruction or assistance.
Moored up to exactly same spot in Brienon as before, and coupled electricity, but batteries, in fact, fully charged by now!