2007

BACK TO CALENDAR 2007

5 August 2007          Sunday            St Saveur     Canal Marnee a la Saône

Somewhere in the last frenetic 2 weeks I have lost a day.

Basically, the diary says that after turning back we arrived at the shady bridge by St Saveur on 4th Aug from Villeneuve Silo and slept there that night.

Then it says we left on 6th Aug, but am damn sure we did not spend 2 nights there!  It was only a canalside mooring to revetts - nothing there at all, except all day shade - not even a good view.

 

The picture is of an incomprehensible situation.    Appears to be a yacht - still with it's mast and rigging lying as they always do on the canals, thoroughly mashed as to hull, just lying in the bush, overgrown with Ivy, canalside!

6 August 2007          Monday          St Saveur to Pontailler   Canal Marne a la Saône and River Saône

Gentle and short day, reasonable weather - it didn't rain.

Greeted at River Lock - Heuilley Lock, as a "regular".   4th time through in a fortnight.

Sometime about now lost Navicarte page of this section.  Think the wind - lot of wind now-a-days, and one gets so used to it forget to take precautions - did a cunning whirly wind effect, and removed several pages.   Found the rest flapping under the folded down bimini.    2 winters ago, as all our Navicartes had fallen, or were, falling to pieces - the sun seems to effect the binding glue when the books are used in the open - we cut them all up, and put individual pages into transparent envelopes, and filed them in loose leaf binders.   Not a success.   The envelopes are always jamming on the binder loops, and tearing.   If they get out of order they are murder to sort, and all unwittingly one keeps writing notes on the pages, only to loose the notes because one did, in fact, write on the transparent envelope, and finally, the pages come out at the slightest provocation.   

The long pontoons by the entrance at Pontailer P de P were full, but managed a little bit at the outside end, enough for stern line and a spring, and moored the bows to a large stone.   A touch messy - but at this time of year, with 50 odd feet one has to take what one can get at commercial moorings.

Persuaded a mechanic to come and look and listen to drive plate.  Seems to have improved since turning back, and taking things a little more gently.

He  reckoned there was nothing wrong - but I don't think he was or is qualified - used to be base manager at CBL at Decize  ???  Anyway, will soldier on as is for now, but taking it a lot easier.

7 August 2007          Tuesday             Pontailler to St Jean de Losne        River Saône

Slid out of Pontailler at 0745, after usual bread dash in early morning, reckoning on a long day on the river, with a bit of engine nursing, finishing with probably vying with hire boats for a bush mooring.

 

Recent rain has swelled river a bit, so a reasonable fresh whipped us all the way down to St Jean de Losne - arriving mid-afternoon.   40 kms. give or take!    A bit strange - stopping in middle of river to organise a bit of personal admin, some lunch, coffee and so on, to find us still making reasonable speed lying diametrically across the river.

 

Into "usual" moorings, and drew breath.  

     

 

8 August 2007          Wednesday          In St Jean de Losne.     River Saône

Usual shopping. personal admin, and oil change.

As over the last few days - frequent heavy showers, with intervals of bright warm sunshine.

 

 

9 August 2007          Thursday     St Jean de Losne to Seurre     River Saône 

Pulled out in overcast, cold, dull, windy weather.   Fortunately, although it was not actually raining when we left, had battened down, and was fully dressed, for rain, complete with slacks under rain trousers, and a jersey over summer shirt under rain jacket.

As soon as settled on river, with no chance of turning back, rain, followed by more rain, and then still more, backed by wind

Although there was really too much going on to fiddle about, got so cold eventually had to stop in the middle of the river, let the boat drift,  and put on more clothes - tee shirt, warm winter shirt, etc, on out, finishing with English so-called waterproof windproof jacket.  The jacket is so old, now, it is very little proof, but better than the cold clammy plastic rain jacket.  

 

Remembered to don life jacket before Seurre Lock - last year he kept me outside with the gates open on a red and green light until I tumbled to the fact that they mean what they say on the notices at the lock entrances!   What a relief to have something to do other than steer into the grey murk.

 

Into Seurre early tea time.   Had to stop here as next stopping point out of reach.   Anyway, it was getting boring with the cold wet grey weather.   Hairy moor up - variable current under moorings (slow whirl pool?), and sods law had it that it was going down stream when we arrived.   Managed longest rope throw ever - no tangles - to German yacht, who connected me to France.

 

Settled down,  hung all wet out clothes in shower,  and emptied drip catching bucket.   Later on found electricity, and set little fan heater going.   Drips are from plastic window we installed into hatch space.   Used to close hatch in rain, but makes boat very dark.

 

Still later, whilst sitting at computer, boat was invaded by woman with loud, high pitched voice collecting mooring fees.   Little startled at her uninvited entrance into the boat - extremely casual - normally they knock, and wait outside under the tarpaulin until invited within - wish I had been on the loo or taking a shower at the time.

 

Rained all night - or certainly during those parts I was awake for.

 

 

10 August 2007          Friday    Seurre to Fragny     River Saône and Canal du Centre

Still raining!

Absolutely no point in sitting on moorings in the streaming rain waiting for something to happen - apart from anything else all the recent rain must be coming down the river, and the longer I wait, the higher the possibility of flood!

Pushed off about 0900, aiming for Gergy.

Obvious that river is flooding - trees and fences on river side standing in water, big red marker posts and maker buoys have quite nifty bow waves, and Albert seemed to be going quite fast over the ground.

Felt a bit lonely - Albert is not that big, and the Saône is quite big and wide here-abouts.   

However, was kept busy avoiding all the rubbish coming down on the flood - everything from patches of floating weeds to quite large logs and trees - the logs largely submerged and quite difficult to see.

Rain ceased mid morning, but no concessions - didn't trust it.

 

Like yesterday I was mapless, as the wind and rain made mapreading impossible, and the books and maps had perforce to stay in the cabin. I had made myself a sort of crib, giving places and estimated times, but it went for a loop at first reading as my hat dripped on it and dissolved it, so the constant thought was where are we, and how fast are we going.

 

Stopped for lunch on the pontoon at Gergy  -  this gave a good indication of speed - I know the pontoon - and the village for that matter - quite well, as this was usually one of our stops, and I shouldn't have been here before tea time!.   Enormous scrubby notice on the steps saying "amarrage payant".   No idea why one must pay, or what for - the pontoon is tatty and missing a lot of it's mooring rings,  and the electricity and water have never worked.  There is a cafe/restaurant and camp site at the top of the steps which has never before been open or used over the last 8 years we have been stopping here - perhaps they make enough money being open July and August to see them through the year.

 

Pushed off after lunch after assisting a hire boat towing another hire boat from a different firm that had broken down to moor up.    The broken down boat had apparently been tied to a tree since yesterday, and couldn't get their firm to come out.   Should have contacted the Sapeurs and Pompiers and abandoned the thing - 2 small children on board.

 

No longer mapless - books on stool under tarpaulin, but get-at-able - last 18 kms to entrance to Canal du Centre a joy - things just starting to dry out.

 

Through first lock and into canal - 10 m rise, with floating bollards.   Tied to left side, thought water came up on right.   It don't it comes up on the left, and swept me across.   Not dramatic, but untidy.

Up canal - thoroughly enjoying changed situation weather-  and waterway-wise.

 

As suspected, Fragny mooring - which used to be a nice unsophisticated halte nautique with facilities - now "developed" and full of notices, and large ship type boats.

Pulled well back, found a length of revetts, and moored up on my own.   Unfortunately hadn't noticed before starting mooring that what I thought was grass edges was in fact weeds growing in clay, so feet got covered in clay type mud, which had to be removed before entering boat - just what I needed after last 2 days.

 

Jolly L.K. drove past in usual car with 2 flashing lights to enquire re to-morrows intentions, etc.   Afraid told him between 0830 and 1130 start time - or possibly not at all, depending!    Quite happy - I recognised him, and think he recognised me.

 

Pleasant, peaceful and relieved night.

 

 

 

11 August 2007          Saturday       Fragny to Chagny    Canal de Centre.

Breakfast on very ordinary bread bought at Seurre before leaving yesterday.   Stale!   I believe there is now a boulangerie in Fragny, now, but didn't look.

Pushed off about 0930, through the moorings which seemed to be full of boats untying, or wandering around, straight round bend to find nice green light, and straight into lock behind huge German ship type boat!

No one seemed to mind - but would have been bloody angry if anyone had done that to me!  

Probably favourite bit of canal in France from here up to Chagny - super in the spring, but not quite the same now in early autumn, but still great.

Enjoyed it enormously, especially after the ship thing in front broke down after 2 locks, and I had the next 3 to myself.      Then held up by opposing traffic, so caught by English steel cruiser last seen in Pontailler who went straight into lock front.   Perfectly comfortable for rest of climb but missed usual photo session in 2nd top lock - too busy!   Previously always taken picture of Albert in lock, with a flowering tree in foreground.

Chagny at late lunch time, and totally full although Saturday, when all good hire boats should be in their base being handed/taken over.  

Went through, across railway line, and found VNF mud barge chained up to bank.   Ideal mooring jetty!   However, strong off shore  wind kept blowing Albert off it before I could get through the cabin and tie the front.    Finished up by deliberately lying right across the canal, bows to the wind, tieing bows onto barge bollard in comfort, then engineing boat round against the mooring rope and wind until lying comfortably alongside, and tieing up the back end.   This, of course, was the moment when I fumbled and dropped the whole of the long rope (except for the end which was looped onto the boat) in a heap into the water.   Sad end to a reasonably successful odds-against moor up!

Into Chagny to see what was what.   Am convinced that the roads the dug up last year are still being dug up.   Reasonably chaotic traffic wise - apart from more crazy one way streets.

 

Bought supplies, then back to boat.   Looked at moorings in Chagny basin that had become vacant, but couldn't be bothered to move!

 

Comfortable and quiet (except for trains - mooring overlooked station) afternoon, evening, and night.