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2008

BACK TO CALENDAR 2008


1.8 11 May to 17 May 2008

Last fiddled with 03 January 2009 and should be on axmw44.

To the Map on the Contents Page Just click on the words.

11 May 2008 Sunday In Mailly la Ville
Somehow never got away, so took "day off".


12 May 2008 Monday Mailly la Ville to Bailly.
Still lovely weather, and canal countryside satisfactorily green and pleasant.
Plenty of boats about now - feel a bit sweaty at knocking off time as to whether will get a decent mooring - always seem to!
Got desperately muddled with a bit of incompetent map reading and current position at Pregilbert. The railway line ("ligne touristique" - i.e. quiet branch line which runs those super little bullet like single coach trains in place of the old "clatter-bangs" 7 or 8 times a day) takes a reasonably straight line, whereas the canal wanders every which where as dictated by the river and the slope of the land. Hence, railway continually crossing and re-crossing. Hence, in turn, plenty of bridges, some of which are large and important looking stone arched structures that cross both the canal and river in a series of arches. Most are perfectly normal, but the one at St Aignan is only just below canal tee junction to Vermonton. Read the map that this, the Vermonton one, was where one of the others is, got in a panic that I was charging unwittingly to Vermonton, could not turn - canal too narrow, continued looking for a wide bit, but eventually reversed some 300 metres back to the bridge to find the "proper" canal. It wasn't there - I was on it, so encouraged by another boater, went on, and it all sorted itself out, when the "proper" bridges and barrage appeared.
This appeared to be a black Monday - dropped my 4 lb clunk hammer into the side of the canal at lunch time when doing a "mooring bracket onto steel sheet piles" quick tie up. Very precious hammer - apart from the fact that it came with "Ratty" our 45ft Liverpool Cruiser, in place of normal wood handle, had a piece of steel piping welded in.
Couldn't fish it out with big magnet - steel boat against steel piling precluded any usefulness, so was reduced to going in for it in person.
Removed shoes and socks and lowered self - extreme loss of dignity, although retained clothes except shoes and socks. Eventually found it with toes, but not strong enough between toes to lift it up. Reduced to arms length. Arm just long enough by putting head (on it's side) half in the water, and grabbed.
After recovery, straight away into shower, hot soapy shower, and left clothes (yes I had removed my Wallet) there-in.
Was it worth it??? Yes - if only for the private laughs, and it was a lovely sunny day, with sheets of buttercups watching us, and some attaching themselves to me. The photo is unposed - if I was going to do this sort of thing on purpose at least I would have cut my toe nails.
On down to Bailly below the "caves" - cellars. Normally empty riverside moorings very unusually full with large Luxmotor - live ons - and rows of hire boats. After I had squeezed in with much re-mooring all round, the hire boats all shot off - elongated lunch?? Eventually just the Luxmotor and Albert left.
These moorings always had little cabinets with electricity points that never worked, and water points that did. Now the water does not work either, and the little cabinets are terminally vandalised. However, still a very useful and reasonably quiet mooring.


13 and 14 May 2008 Tuesday and Wednesday Bailly to Auxerre, and in Auxerre.
Rained in night, but pleasant run down in cool but dry weather.
Spent a while trying to get into side above Auxerre lock, to very nice grassy area - large - with lots of rings and shade trees, and reportedly a S.M. within 200 yards. Couldn't get in, couldn't see S.M. so gave up, went through lock, and down into the Auxerre, onto the town free moorings on the left side facing downstream. Moorings full, but a couple of hire boats shifted sufficiently for me. Quite exciting negotiating on these occasions up in the bows, while boat - with no one driving - does its own independent walk-about down current.
Object in Auxerre, apart from S.M. shopping, was to see Herbie Parfitt concerning play and noise emanating from universal joint in shaft taking power from engine to propeller.
Some gloom - things were certainly not right, so while Herbie tried Ted Johnson for spares, I rang original suppliers (supplied 11 years age) in England.
Absolutely no joy from Ted Johnson - every indication of refusal of interest, but English firm helpful with lots of advice, and information that situation not as serious as thought, but repairs must be done, sometime.
Be that as it may, did not fancy charging off down River Yonne with doubtful drive capabilities, so will await Herbie's efforts to get the required spares.
Meantime various people attached to the various trip boat organisations on this side of the river seemed to take pleasure in keeping this stretch of mooring free of boats leaving space "for the Hotel Boats that are just due to arrive". Big notice board on side showing times of arrivals and departures, but "this is not accurate, not all the boats are listed there!". Spent 2 nights, did massive S.M. shop - small items - rucksack and 2 Coles bags all on Brompton - and took off up canal again with intention of staying over the w/e at Bailly or Mailly la Ville, preferably the latter as Herbie .P. lives there, and close for information and/or spares.
Costed staying on convenient and well found moorings opposite - Aquarelle - €22.50 per night for Albert - incl water and electricity!
Left! In leaving had another good look at mooring in park near sports stadium. Good, if boat has not got square sides, like Albert, and the supermarket is there - saw it just opposite lock. Might be worth trying with a gang plank sometime, but of course no facilities


15 May 2008 Thursday Auxerre to Bailly

Awoke to rain.
Continuous rain until mid-day.
Gentle and pleasurable run up to Bailly in spite of rain.
H.P. trying French Aqua drive agents for spares, but told me they said they were far too busy to help him before Monday - don't worry them! This is the outfit that the English agents said were "in-active".
Decided to wait at Bailly or Mailly la Ville - to give them every chance to come up with the goods.
Boat going fine, but still not keen on big River Yonne with possibility that suddenle the propellor won't go round any more.


16 May 2008 Friday Bailly
Odd jobs and waiting for information on spares.
None forthcoming.


17 May 2008 Saturday at Bailly
Juliet kindly took me shopping in her car to the S.M. up the road in Vincelottes - got all horrid bulky things that are so difficult to a bicycle born boater like loo paper, tonic, and milk!
2 big shops this week - hopefully replacing stores laid in at the end of last season, and March this year, and not replaced on an "as you go" basis. Certainly it was not difficult finding cupboard space.
Wanted to go out to lunch, but no appropriate establishment in Vincelotte, and only place open in Vincelles very upmarket Logis de France with rows of chimneys on it's headed paper.