2008
BACK
TO CALENDAR 2008
1.9 18 May
to 25 May 2008
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- Last fiddled with 03 January 2009 and should be on axmw44.
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- 18 May 2008
Sunday Bailly
to Mailly la Ville Canal du
Nivernais
- Took off for Mailly
- no facilities at Bailly, and going to need water sometime, even though I
seem to be able to survive without electricity while stationary with occasional running of the
engine for 45 minutes to an hour. (while moving
the boat engine supplies more than enough)
- Also - whilst Bailly
nice enough, it is a bit gloomy and uneventful.
Much excitement at
first lock - whilst awaiting placidly the arrival of L.K.- a red squirrel appeared on left of lock,
casually ran around the fixtures and fittings, crossed by the top gates, and
wandered off into the bush on the right. Good looking animal -
strong deep red colour - not faded like the I. of W. tribe.
Couldn't manage photo - reckoned too close, and would have been scared off
anyway by hands flapping around getting camera from bag and ready.- Country side is
appreciably more advanced than last week, with grass and nettles thick and
high, grasses and field corn in head. Still very nice to look at -
real rural Nivernais.
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19 May 2008
Monday
In Mailly la
Ville
Canal du Nivernais
20
May 2008
Tuesday In
Mailly la
Ville
Canal du Nivernais
21
May 2008
Wednesday In Mailly la
Ville
Canal du Nivernais
All 3 days spent on these rather charming - and fairly busy -
pontoon moorings
waiting and hoping for something positive from Herbie Parfitt re my sad and
tired universal joint in Albert's prop shaft. Regrettably,
reasonable negativeness all round - spares not available from Aquadrive
"agents" in France, no interest in trying to import them, and
massive dis-interest in carrying out the repair recommended and described in
minute detail by English agents, which involved only 4 hours work, and no
spares at all!
Meantime, Albert is currently mobile.
tched on - 5 amp break switches only - but more than adequate to
improve life! Suspect this action resulted from the arrival of
a
hotel boat that had it's own outlet in the wall below the lower pontoon.
(This picture is NOT the hotel boat)
- 22
May 2008
Thursday Mailly to Chatel
Sensoir
Canal du Nivernais
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- Decided there was absolutely no point
havering around here - no-body is going to do anything, better attempt to
get to "home base" at Decize, and extract damaged part, and take
it - to-gether with damaged knee (mine) to UK next month.
- Real fear - will we make it, or will
Albert get terminally ill on the way, and lay down his/her spirit?
- Nice run, good weather, and canal really busy, now.
- Neatly into same mooring at Chatel Sensoir as last time - had to roust out
Jean, Frenchman who has owned N.B. Otter fro some years and spends his
summers sitting on the same mooring every year to help get Albert in behind
a half moored hire boat.
- Got a rocket from management - they did not like my neat line of
drying clothes, with all articles hung military style side by side according
to type. "Clients might not like
it"! Sure clients liked even less local staff members
children ragging up and down the pontoons from 9.00 p.m.
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- 23
May 2008
Friday Chatel
Sensoir to Chevroches
Canal du Nivernais
- Lovely morning - so tried to be really clever and get away in front of
the hotel boat that has been seizing up traffic on the canal for the last
3 days - the same one as came to Mailly la Ville.
- Went screaming in to get bread at some unholy hour of the morning only
to find, on return to the boat, it had already left..
- Hung around at 1st lock in the hope that no one else would come - but
not a chance. Re-joined by pretty little English cruiser that accompanied
us for a lot of yesterday. However, they stopped a couple of
locks on - suspect they had embarked on "must have a car close"
project, and either had to wait for it, or go back and fetch it.
- Almost at once met up with gaggle of hire boats just getting up and
littering canal, so that was that.
- Stopped for lunch at Coulanges. Have said several times -
not a good mooring, although large and neat, as water is much too shallow
and full of rocks. We always stopped at Pousseaux next door
and 1 lift bridge away instead.
Whether lucky this time or just that the water is very high in the
canal, had no problems in mooring - although we kicked up clouds of fine mud. Navicarte marks usual facilities, but couldn't see
them. There is, however, a small S.M. just down the
road.- Probably a lot quieter than Pousseaux - don't appear to be close by housing
estates.
- Pushed off smartly after lunch worried that hire boat partner appeared
to have settled to sleep - needed him to help me through lift bridge round
the corner. Never saw him again, but unbelievable luck - boat
full of brawny people came from opposite direction at exactly the right
moment. Regrettably, have no photos of these things (the
bridges) - far too busy and stressed out!
- Into Clammercy - water and quick S.M. - harbour seemed to be largely
occupied by large flashy private boats - English.
- On to Chevroches - always a favourite mooring with us. This
is where the forest has a great sweep through it of cultivated arable land
where eons ago the river used to run.
- Interesting and spectacular when they have a crop of oilseed rape in
flower.
- Slightly perturbed by the winding up of a bugle band just down opposite
the moorings - dreadful noise. Appeared to be a formal practice, because they stopped completely after a couple of hours.
- Quiet and almost solitary night (1 hire boat!).
24 May 2008
Saturday Chevroches
to Monceaux le Comte
Canal du Nivernais
- Another nice morning - but a bit hot and muggy.
- Soon palled up with willing hire boat that saw me through all the
bridges without my doing a hand's turn, except trying to look competent and
experienced - in reality probably looked old and feeble.
- Didn't feel guilty - no
extra work for the hire boat crew at all, but a massive relief for me.
- Discussed with several boaters the state of the moorings at the lift
bridges, and 1 and all agree that they are dangerous! So it
is not just me, moaning.
- Target was Chitry, but about 4 p.m. an almighty rainstorm hit us, and
luck would have it we were right opposite Monceaux le Comte so quick
hand-brake turn in and hurried tie up to get out of the rain.
- When rain cleared - i.e. reduced to
drizzle - clearly appropriate to stay for the night.
- Indication of how busy the canal is at the moment - no-one ever moors at
Monceaux le Comte (except us) - shallow, no electricity, inclined to be
bad with nettles and long grass, and really only an elongated bite out of
the canal side - but by the
end of the evening there were 6 boats moored there!
- Rained all night.
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- Pictures
Click on picture for full size.
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- Top right.
River Yonne at Mailly la Ville .
- Top
right. No comment - it happens to all of us.
- Middle
left No idea what this is, but they were good
fun and gave me a very
cheerful wave.
- Middle/bottom
right. Lower Nivernais country
Much excitement at
first lock - whilst awaiting placidly the arrival of L.K.- a red squirrel appeared on left of lock,
casually ran around the fixtures and fittings, crossed by the top gates, and
wandered off into the bush on the right. Good looking animal -
strong deep red colour - not faded like the I. of W. tribe.
Couldn't manage photo - reckoned too close, and would have been scared off
anyway by hands flapping around getting camera from bag and ready.
tched on - 5 amp break switches only - but more than adequate to
improve life! Suspect this action resulted from the arrival of
a
hotel boat that had it's own outlet in the wall below the lower pontoon.
(This picture is NOT the hotel boat)
Whether lucky this time or just that the water is very high in the
canal, had no problems in mooring - although we kicked up clouds of fine mud. Navicarte marks usual facilities, but couldn't see
them. There is, however, a small S.M. just down the
road.