2007
17 July 2007 Tuesday Escommes to Pont d'Ouche Canal de Bourgogne
This part of the canal - from Pouilly on the summit to just before Dijon, is most attractive, through the Ouche Valley - steep sides, forested, valley floor mixed farming.
Passed
Vanderness, where, except for the B & B boat, the moorings were absolutely
empty. Never even seen them (the jetty) before, and wouldn't in the
afternoon - passed 2 hotel boats going up. Re-admired Chateauneuf, but
overcast hazy weather not helpful to photography. The zig-zag hedge
in the photo is the road up - remember getting taxi up, one year, with Sister
Ruth, but having to walk back down - not comfortable!
Strange routing of canal - Pont d'Ouche is the southernmost point on the canal, and is more or less level with St Jean de Losne, although the canal does a great sweep north again, and then south to get there. The significance, presumably, is following the cheapest route along the valleys.
There are a lot of locks on this canal (114 on the way up from Migennes, and 76 down to St Jean de Losnes. - I think). A number of systems are used to pass boats through, the most popular at this time of year being distributing scooter mounted L.K.s at rate of 1 per 2 locks,. He/she takes over boats - up to 2, but in my case me only (I suspect they liked me being on my own, as Albert only needs 1 lock gate, and is quite speedy and not much work to put through), on arrival at first lock, and personally escorts them through both and hands them on to next L.K.. This ensures that capacity of canals for boats is exactly halved, but there was no crowding, or queues, so system is fine. One great snag is Hotel boats, who are desperately slow, especially in the locks, and will never let anyone through in front of them. Great disadvantage of whole thing is that one is too busy, if on one's own, with technicalities of boating to get a good look at countryside, or take photos.
Dropping out of the chain is just not on - the system does not cater for non-conformists.
Pleasant surprise at Pont d'Ouche. Always been pontoons, but no facilities. Now there is a cafe - chez Bryoni, an English lady, - who cooked and brought me my supper, and took a bread order for to-morrow!
Parked for second half of the
afternoon under the trees canalside off the mooring proper, but there is a hotel
boat turn-around just back up stream, and 2 duly arrived, turned round, and left
their engines running, so left trees, went across to the pontoons, and plugged
in.
€5.00 for the mooring incl water and electricity. Most comfortable, and much recomended.
18 July 2007 Wednesday Pont d'Ouche to Gissey-sue-Ouche Canal de Bourgogne
Up be-times - thought of stuck all day behind a hotel boat most unattractive.
First lock ready and waiting. Water over gates, but only for a short distance. Wonder if they fill the pounds up properly to suit the hotel boats, but cannot really see them taking that amount of trouble - easier just to make sure all the ponds are full - there is plenty of water this year.
Mooring for lunch quite hairy - had to ram the bank to get Albert close enough in for me to get ashore and buy bread, but as there is no traffic on the canal between 1130 and 1300, just left the rear end dangling. All a bit undignified, and the Braunston aficianodos would be horrified, but one does have to be, moored up, buy, eat, unmoor and ready to re-take one's place in the chain, or miss out altogether until to-morrow!
Soon
ran out of deep pounds, and the scenic part of the valley, as the motor-way
joined us at Pont de Pany. Sad - we actually stay in the
valley to Dijon, but wouldn't know it with the dense building developement.
Past poor old Plombieres - it used to be a very nice quiet just out of the city mooring years ago, complete with a hire base. But the hire base closed, the pontoons were ripped up, and stacked, very untidily, on the jetty, where they - or rather their remains - still lay, and what was open land on the canal side is now 3 large blocks of flats. The Frenchman who has lived in the long narrow boat for years, and who bought l'Etoile - ex "Thornbird" from Wyre - for his daughters' bedroom, is still there , and seems to have been joined by the start of a sad huddle of elderly plastic boats.
Last L.K. a cumminicator - few and far between! Moor up in the P. de P. for €10.00 - very crowded, or moor up on the public quay, no facilities, except good bollards, lots of walkers, right opposite the marina and just babove the lock, and free.
Went for the free side, and moored up just just ahead of Liberte - English, beautifully fitted and presented peniche, with the last word in comfort and things that open and shut. Helped me moor up, then invited for drinks, overstayed welcome, and poor things were landed with me for supper. Most enjoyable evening - for me! Second time I have done that - must watch it.
20 July 2007 Friday Dijon to Longecourt Canal de Bourgogne
This is the last lap of the Canal de Bourgogne - heading in an absolute straight line from Dijon to St J de L, across the Aoane valley.
The land is as flat as could be - one can get confused at trains aparently running along the motor-way in the distance.
Run a bit dull, but quite fun - paired up with a Frenchman in a largeish cruiser, who came down the last few locks with me yesterday afternoon. Met again at the 4th lock out of Dijon.
All very strange - started as organised just after lunch, after quick trip in the morning to S.M. for gin, soup and lemonade, paired with green hire boat. Very strong wind, but everything under control. Second or third lock hysterical VNF employee - think individual ostensibly supervising L.K.s - issued forth from nondscript door way shouting and screaming at everyone. Wanted me to tie up then and there when lock already half empty. Think he must have been "drink taken". Immediately after hire boat tied up nowhere in particular to canalside, never to be seen again, and to keep poor little temporary L.K. out of any line of fire - he also had been screamed at, probably for not taking my rope in the first place, looped an indeterminate rope over a bollard and in due course found yesterday's French cruiser waiting at the next lock beyond that.
Was interested to see that at one
lock, where the L.K. suddenly shot off on his scooter leaving us both sitting in
a full lock, that the people in the French boat did not know where he had gone,
either - so it's not just the foreigners they don't communicate with, it is
everybody. Actually, in this case, when he re-appeared after a
tense 5 minutes, he produced his winch handle, which he had apparently left in
the long
grass at his last lock.
The start of this section is be-devilled by a motorway, and then a very busy D road, but both left the canal before we wanted to stop for the night. On the whole, not one of the most atractive and prettiest of sections.
Continued yesterday's smooth partnership to Longecourt, where he stopped above the lock, but I reckoned it was too shollow, went through, tied up to a silo jetty, and had a quiet and comfortable night.
21 July 2007 Saturday Canal de Bourgogne
Last 4 locks into St Jean de Losne.
Nice coming into, and through St J de L. A lot of out boating has been based here, and it was busier than ever.
Round to Crown Blue line, very busy with biggest change over day in year. Crept up to office, but crowds of customers, so returned to boat to gewt very jolly wave from Nicole - now the base manager - who was bringing a boat round for custom,ers.
Pleasant gossip, and met new chief mechanic.
Moored up next to "Immersion Francais" - very beautiful, and large - ex hire boat, French Canadians. Literally moored up next - tied fender to fender. Think these chaps are used to that sort of mooring - they have square sterns, so can pull themselves and tie safely stern on, but it frightens me stiff. Have done it - especially for winter moorings, but usually in the middle of a block of 3 or 4 of them.