The Val de Saone (10 - 22 May)

So on Friday we motor down 11 kms and 11 locks down to Fragnes, where we have water, electricity and a clothes drier. 

We don’t stop at Rully as we had originally planned as the moorings earlier in the week were full, and they do look limited, but the town and its wine vintage look quite interesting.

Rully from the Canal 

Approaching Fragnes a beautiful little chapel tells us we are on the point of arrival.

The isolated chapel as you approach Fragnes

Everyone is there!! We moor at a slight angle between the Ariana and the Renaissance, and as well as Celine who runs the port Margaret (we finally exchange names) who is our Belgian friend from the barge at Genelard, Montceau and Montchanin, come to help us moor.  Margaret (definitely not Marguerite!) says she and Alain in the Duck Story will be off soon, and so we can have their place.  They have to get to St Jean de Losne for some works, however strong the river.  It is off Orange alert and the Duck (for short) has a good engine and keel.  So we move into an excellent mooring during the afternoon.

As well as Margaret and Alain who have been good companions as we have descended the canal, Celine is amazingly helpful.  We were washing clothes on the way down, knowing that we could dry at Fragnes.  But the first wash sticks and the machine won’t pump out the water.  It is absolutely full of water which would spill everywhere, but in any event we can’t open the door.  But it does spill from the pump outlet.

Water, Water, Everywhere

We try everything.  Scour the instruction manual, and when we are both totally foxed we give up at 4pm and ask Celine can we use her washing machine and drier for the second load, but more importantly does she know where we can find a washing machine repair man.  She makes three phone calls for us and locates Mr Primey who will come today if he can, but it may have to be Monday morning. 

Porte Verte at Fragnes

In fact he arrives before 5pm. He finds ingenious ways to empty the water.  He is sure it is the pump.  Our hearts sink.  Then as he finishes emptying the water he says “wait, there’s something in here” and after fiddling for 5 minutes produces the tiniest piece of grit – the sort used on the tow path surfaces.  “I think it will work now” he says, and it does.  He was prompt and efficient but call-out charges in France are what they are in England.  This was a very expensive piece of grit.   But at least problem solved.  When we tell Celine later she is amazed how quickly he came.

Having had an anguished afternoon we decide to eat out that evening in the excellent Fleur du Sel on the waterfront (just 10 metres from the boat) and have an excellent meal.

Sweating over When to Take the River (Saone)

Saturday and Sunday are “reflection and discussion” days.  All the boats in port (ourselves, the Carpe Diem, Ariana, Renaissance, Naxa, Windbuil and others) want to descend to the Saone and go upstream, but though the flood is receding the water is still very high, and it is flowing very fast.  Going upstream will be a slow and slightly hazardous business. So we are all talking to each other, looking at our favourite meteo / weather stations, talking to Celine who reports on how the flow and water levels are at Verdun (sur-le-Doubs) where the quay is still under water, and become avid web readers of Vigi-Crues, a French website which tells the height of water at all key places and also the “debits” or flow of water in m³ per second.  At Chalon this has come down from 1500 midweek to just under 800 by Saturday.  But the normal level is 500 or less.

We ourselves consider our options.  Our plan before we left England was to start the trip up the Saone on Tuesday.  This still remains an option.  Option 2 is to delay to next weekend, but then we will under pressure preparing for the return to the UK, but it is just about feasible.  Option 3 is just to leave the boat here until we return in June.  Celine, ever helpful, says yes we can do that if necessary.

By Sunday the water height and flow are going down well, though Verdun quay is still under water and the outflow into the Saone is very strong.  We decide that if we can go on Tuesday we will bypass Verdun and go straight to Seurre.  Sunday evening the two Terries on the Renaissance decide they will go upstream on the Monday and go down to the hypermarket mooring at Chalon to take the deep lock into the river first thing. 

On Monday morning the Ariana and the Carpe Diem decide they will go.  With various other movements there are only a few of us left by Monday afternoon.  The weather is glum and not inspiring.  Glyn certainly has his anxieties about the weather on Tuesday though the forecast is good.  So we stick to Plan A. On Monday afternoon we arrange moorings at Seurre for Tuesday evening, and book with the deep lock at Chalon that we will go down at 0900.

Moored now almost alone at Fragnes (but the restaurant is not too far)

Sunshine on the Saone

Tuesday morning is bright and sunny, and so off we go at 0830.  At the lock someone has gone before us 

(we think this is the Naxa and this seems confirmed later on).  We are out of the lock at 0920 and on the river. 

If there is a God he is smiling at us today as he did those four days at Genelard.  It is a little cloudy and fresh but bright and the river is calm.  And the more we progress the brighter the day becomes.  There are plenty of logs and other flotsam coming down the river, but all easily spottable and avoidable.

Blue Skies on the Saone 

We pass Verdun before 1230.  A boat is coming out of the Doubs but we hold well to the right (port side) bank.  We can feel the stream from the Doubs a little, and the outcoming boat certainly has some extra speed, but it is not too bad.    By 1330 we have reached the lock at Ecuelles.  The VHF is clear and lock keeper responds clearly, we will have to wait a little for a downstream boat, but other than that we are swiftly through.  Coming out of Ecuelles is a dream ,as we remember the nightmare of last year in wind and lashing rain.

We reach Seurre by 1530.  Not bad for 52 kilometres with an hour for two locks and against the flow of water, though we estimate this is now down to below 2 kms/hr.  And now the sun is very strong.  It’s warm like real summer.  We need our sun not our rain hats. Finally, has summer arrived?  This was a working trip, and it was a pity that we could not take it more slowly, but so much easier than last year’s trip. It has become a beautiful day.

Grand Theft at Seurre

The quay at Seurre has a mooring taped off.  A boater already moored asks if we have booked, and when we say yes he says “well that’s for you”.  We moor up easily and then take the girls for a good long walk.  Poor things have been cooped up since 0830.

When we get back to the boat after a relaxing hour the lady from the Capitainerie comes across.  That mooring is not for you! But we agreed with your colleagues yesterday and he reserved a mooring against the quay for 18 metres.  Well I need it for a 26 metre boat.  You’ll have to go on the pontoons.  But the pontoons are only 11 metres.  Yes, but they can take 17 metres.  But we are over 18.  So! It will take 18 then.  You have to go there.

We tell her we are not amused, having pre-booked, but we seem to have little option.  We manage to fasten to the pontoon using the extra bollards and midships cleat we have added to the boat, but the bow is still sticking out into the stream of the river with no attachment.  It will do for one night.

But when she comes over she says assertively if not aggressively, you see you are well fastened.  Of course we are well fastened, we say, but no thanks to you or the mooring.

Right she says, for 18 metres that is €22.  Hang on, we say.  We don’t have 18 metres, we only have 11, and we are not taking any water or electricity, and we are off at 0830 in the morning.  It’s still 18 metres, she says.  Come on, we say with a chuckle, that’s not fair.  That’s the rules she says.  This lady does not give an inch, and certainly not a smile or any sign of humour.  Will we have to speak to the mayor, we jest.  The mayor doesn’t have any say, she says.  Oh! Isn’t it a municipal port?  Yes, but it’s not run by the Town any more.  You can’t complain to the Mayor.  Even humour doesn’t work.

Eighteen into Eleven Won’t Go (Moored at Seurre)

We pay up but think not too much of this.  We really feel we’ve been shafted.  And when we compare this with how Celine helped at Fragnes this is from the sublime to the ridiculous.

It’s Those Skies Again

Any way, life’s too short, so we have a walk around the town, which is quite interesting, with quite varied architecture.  Then we get on with our evening chores. 

Different Architectures at Seurre

We are happily sitting down to supper when suddenly at the stroke of 8 there is a pitter patter.  It’s raining!  And within seconds it’s pouring, and then the thunder and lightning.  We batten the hatches.  We are tucked up and warm.  It softens after 15 minutes and then softens again to intermittent drizzle.  But it rains all night.

We are off as promised at 0830 and raise the lock on the VHF.  He wants us to wait 20 minutes but then we are on our way.  The “derivation” (cut) of canal from Seurre to Pagny is 5 miles, the first mile like a corrugated bath tub, and not too much better after that, where the only distraction is the four bridges which come roughly at mile intervals.  The sky is grey but lightening a little.  We do the 5 mile cut in an hour, and the same distance again almost to St Jean de Losne under the same skies.  Not a boat to be seen.

The Derivation Seurre-Pagny – Efficient but Not Decorative

As we approach under the St Usage we see our first other boat and we wave merrily.  But the sky suddenly blackens, and behind equally suddenly a Le Boat cruising as only Le Boat’s can (either they don’t have or don’t know there is any position for the throttle besides full on).  He passes as the skies begin to open again.  He’s not heavy but his wash is significant.  We start to cross behind him to the canal (de Bourgogne) entrance, when now there is a big boat coming downstream from the Town quay.  Are we far enough ahead not to need to change course?  We maintain speed and direction.  He can see us clearly even in the rain and we should make the canal entrance before we are close, which turns out to be easily true.  But we pass not too far apart.  It’s the Amaryllis hotel boat again, again!!  We wave heartily to them and they wave back, as they head downstream for Seurre and Chalon, and we head off the river.

At the canal entrance there is no sign of the Le Boat as he has heltered into the marina, but his wash is chopping in all directions.  We laugh, after full speed ahead there can only be full speed reverse engines!!!  

We saunter in the canal lock, beep the horn gently, and within 10 minutes are up on the canal.

We’ll moor here the night and then complete our journey to Auxonne tomorrow.

The rain continues and although it is not very hard it continues off and on all afternoon, evening and night.  We walk the dogs, do some shopping, wander down to the quay, chat to Lorna on the Ariana, and then hunker down for the night.

In This Weather We Only Want to Stay in Front of the Fire

New Waters

It’s wet next morning, but beginning to clear a little.  We head for the lock for 0915 but too upcoming boats require us to wait a little.  The front boat seems to be swaying in the lock, and then touches the lock gates.  No real damage but the lock keeper is concerned.  Finally, both boats come through, the first heads straight for the docks, while the second is the Ariana headed for Dijon.  We wave our “bons voyages”.  After the lock we stop to pick up fuel as we think best to have a full tank before we leave the boat.

By 1015 we are on our way.  We have 15 kms to the next lock.  We don’t know this stretch of water.  There is not a lot on this stretch, but after 5kms or so we pass the village of St Symphorien in the distance, and then the entrance to the Canal du Rhone au Rhin, which takes you to Mulhouse and then the Rhine.  It is quite pleasant from there up to the little village of Mailly, but thereafter, although the scenery is fulsome it is rather long boring sweep up to the Auxonne lock.   

St Symphorien Tower in the Distance

The Canal du Rhone au Rhin (Destination Mulhouse and the Rhein)

The lock comes upon us more quickly than we thought.  This is a moderately new challenge for us – an unmanned lock on a river.  The “perche” to open the lock is easy to see, but the instructions as to what to do with it less so.  After pulling it to no effect we manoeuvre around to learn we have to twist it.  Linda has to climb the ladder out of the lock as there is no other way to attach our ropes, but it all goes well.

The cut into Auxonne is beautiful and peaceful.  At the other end the weir is very visible beside the channel, but the separation is sound.  But you would not want to get caught near that weir.

The Weir and Canal Channel at Auxonne

And we arrive at Auxonne port, for now the end of our river journey, until we go further upstream in June.

Auxonne, Napoleonic Inspiration and Capital of the Val de Saone

We are welcomed by Roy and Carol who are the harbour masters.  This is quite a big marina but fully exposed to the river.  But it seems well-designed and well managed.  All the moorings are on pontoons, which are not always the best for us, but Roy gas sussed it so that we get a good position.

 The “Port Royal” at Auxonne – All Pontoons but Well Managed

The river is still quite wide here, and it makes you appreciate what a significant waterway the Saone is.  It is an excellent view, but can be grey and threatening if the weather turns against you.  Otherwise it is no more 

trouble than a mill pond.

The River Saone from Auxonne Port

We have a good look around the town.  It is the headquarters of the Army Logistics Regiment, fascinatingly called the “Regiment du Train”.  Napoleon was trained here, as are many new recruits to the French army where they receive their first basic training.  That it is a garrison town is unmistakable – more uniforms than in Colchester.

It is proud of its Napoleonic heritage and the main square is called Place Bonaparte with a tall statue of the imposing man. 

The Statue in Place Bonaparte – Can You See the Wreathed “N”?

The iron works in the band stand outside the Mairie are also famous, but we have forgotten whose they were!   The dove cote nearby is also impressive, but one pigeon thinks he should the main window not the pigeon hole.

An Impressive Band Stand of Pedigree 

And a Pigeon Who Thinks (S)He should be Emperor

The Port “Royal” itself sits right underneath the main barracks buildings.  Surely you must feel safe here, at least landwards.  There is only the river to worry about.

The Port Under Surveillance of the Logistics Regiment

So here we rest until we get back from GB in June.  On Friday Glyn goes to get the car from Migennes, a not too difficult journey by train via Dijon.  Though at Migennes the river Yonne has only just been opened to pleasure craft and is still flowing very strongly at 4 kms plus.  It reminds you that the rains and high waters are still around.

Indeed it is still raining at Auxonne, though not too strongly on Friday and Saturday.  Saturday for us is a tidying day, and Sunday a washing day.  Thank God we have a launderette to dry clothes as Sunday afternoon the skies start to open again.

Monday we take a day out to drive up to Langres (our next destination in June) and “recce” the Canal de Marne a Saone (now haughtily renamed Champagne-Bourgogne).  It rains solidly all day.  The canal is closed until 27 May and it is odd to see so many sections of a canal -in the rain - without water.  Langres looks a fascinating town, but more of that next time.  Moorings and locks will present their issues, so we are glad we have taken a little peak before we go.

So Tuesday is our last day.  It has rained all day yesterday and all night.  Some of the tributaries to the Saone have now doubled their width and height.  Is the river going to flood again?  It rains most the morning, though increasingly lightly, and is little more than “Welsh mist” by the afternoon.

For us the obligatory visit to the Vet is the first thing so that the girls will be allowed back into England.  Although it is still raining the Vet goes extremely well (it can often be a trial) so makes a good start.  Then swabbing out and trying to clean thoroughly in the rain.  And finally the packing up, hoping you don’t forget something vital.  Tomorrow we head for the channel.

As we leave we see that the Saone has risen and as boats come down she is now flowing quite fast.  By evening when we check Vigi-Crues from Normandy she has gone on yellow warning.  Some time surely this rain will stop. 

Storms and Floods – Descent to the Saone (29 April -10 May)

Monday morning we loaf around Montchanin and walk the dogs. Our Belgian friends go off first at 0900 as they want / need to get to St Jean-de-Losne (descend the canal and up the Saone).  Carpe Diem goes later in the morning, but like us, they are only going down to St Julien.  We all hope there’s enough mooring there. We set off at 1400.  Linda checks whether the lock has been reset but an eclusier arrives to do it for us.

Checking Whether the Lock will be Reset

Respite at St Julien

The weather is fine.  A little overcast with spots of rain but quite pleasant.  Going downhill is much easier as we are at the top of the lock when we need to attach ropes.  But the first two locks are moderately deep (5.13m) so lock keepers see us through.  The rest is easy and when we get to St Julien the sun is almost shining, and just the Carpe Diem there.

 

A little later the Tiara arrives.  She is a sea-going boat and with limited depth in the mooring we all help her moor carefully.  Ron and Robin are from Queensland with their daughter and six month old grandchild.  Might as well start them young.  They clearly know Doug and Susan well and we talk about canal and river conditions.  They were on the Saone at Chalons but the river was roaring past and almost up to the quay, so they decided to head for the canal for safety.  Having wintered at St Jean-de-Losne they are heading to meet friends (and son-in-law) at Roanne.

The evening is very pleasant and we stroll the dogs through the village and beyond.

Tuesday and we and the Tiara are off first thing at 0900 in different directions.  The Carpe Diem is waiting at St Julien for the Ariana.

Fresh Countryside at St Julien

The weather is overcast a little but still not too bad.  We descend seven locks to St Berain which has a little quay out in the countryside.  We had thought to moor here the night but it is quite exposed and the weather (or rain) seems to be closing in on us again.  The lock keeper passes by as he goes to lunch and he thinks St Leger (two more locks – and where he lives) would be a better bet.  We can get water and maybe power there, so we agree we’ll go down at 1400.  The rain is spitting but not too bad.

The Calm Before the Storm

Mooring at St Leger is trickier than we thought.  The Locaboat base looks closed and is not encouraging to passing boaters (though maybe we should have tried harder to get in there).  The bank further along has water and power and we try to moor up next to the Orion with a lovely French couple from just south of Chalon.  They have escaped the river which they say is raging.  This mooring is primarily for hotel boats, but the Mairie has said we can stay there till Thursday.  The bank is broken here however, and unless we moor more than a metre out we are going to be unstable.  We assess our options.  In the end we fill up with water and then cross the canal where there are bollards and a good shuttered bank, though no power.

It’s a reasonable afternoon and we mooch around the town, and get some supplies from the local supermarket. 

Mairie, Church and Fascinating Steeple at St Leger-sure-Dheune

We take the girls for an early late night walk getting back before 2200.  The weather is closing in.  We have had hardly shut up the boat and made a cup of tea and coffee when we hear the rain start.  And it rains all night.

The Wednesday morning is a little better but fresh and cloudy.  It is May 1^st – not only a national holiday in France but one of only three when all the locks are closed.  So we can’t move today but we have in any event said we will stay until Friday.  There is big “Foire des Puces” in the town so we stroll around that with the dogs who behave well except for add growls at other canines.   It is pleasant morning, but the outdoor part of the fair is full of puddles.

The Eye of the Storm

We get back just after 1200 for a French time lunch.  Suddenly at 1230 the sky goes black and by 1245 we have thunder and lightning right above us with torrential rain.  The girls head for their hidey-holes in the cabin, and need lots of comfort.  Both of them hate thunder, and lightning only makes it worse.  May 1^st and an afternoon only fit for hunkering down.  Thank God for Kindles (if only Amazon would pay its taxes properly)!

The weather clears up a little in the evening, but then with nightfall the rain comes again.

Thursday is a little better.  But we go and buy a new mop and try to clean up the roof a bit and the back deck which have suffered from all the rain.  We also take time to have a longer look around this very pleasant small town (if only the weather was good).  The Carpe Diem and the Ariana arrive in the early afternoon and moor further up on the opposite bank.  Later the Renaissance goes through but she is carrying on a few more locks.   The Kiwis on the Ariana (never did get their names) alert us that the Saone is in flood. A little bit of rain that night but not as bad as Tuesday and Wednesday.

So Friday we set off downstream again.  A charming lady eclusier (immaculately dressed for the weather) helps us with all the locks, as she hides from the steady if not pouring rain.   She says that the quay at Chalon is now under water.  Clearly the Saone is presenting some challenges. She thinks we could not go on it in present conditions, but it should be alright in a week or so.

We think about mooring at Cheilly-les-Maranges, but the weather is overcast and threatening, and the good little mooring is very exposed to both roads and the weather.  A Czech family on a Locaboat moor up alongside us for lunch and we help them moor.  They don’t speak French but they congratulate us on how good our English is.  They say there is only one boat moored downstream at Santenay.

The Hillsides Looking Over to Beaune from Cheilly-les-Maranges

The Peace and Beauty of Vineyard Country

We move on just the few kilometres to moor for the night at Santenay just inside the Cote d’Or, a small wine village.  The weather actually seems to be perking up.  It is a beautiful mooring though there is no water or power here.  We are fine for water, but will have to run the engine to keep our power supply up.  The solar panel will not be enough. 

Arriving in Wine Country

We walk down to the village with the dogs.  It is very pleasant with many opportunities for “disgusting in the caves”, but we are merely on a recce though we get some bread. 

We cross the bridge over the River Dheune to get to the village, but this is like Malmesbury last November – though luckily no houses visibly under water.  The Dheune has burst its banks and for such a small river is amazingly fast and wide.  If it is like this, we can only imagine what the Saone is like.

The Dheune Breaks Its Banks and almost reaches the Vineyards

Peculiarly we could not get a TV signal at St Leger but the Internet was good.  Here (only 6 miles / 9 kms away) it is fascinating that the TV works well but our Internet signal is not strong enough for anything.  We have received an email from VNF saying where we can check the flood situation on the Saone, but then the weak signal gives out and we can do no more to check it. The TV now tells us that 11 departments in the east of France (including the Yonne, Cote d’Or and the Haute Marne) are on orange alerts for flooding. 

At 7pm (1900) a hotel boat – the Amarayllis – arrives, passes us very slowly and then is clearly mooring up behind us.  We get out to check the wash, and take his ropes to help him moor.  He should have got to St Leger this evening but couldn’t make it.  A mixed English / French crew but the skipper is English.  May Day held him up at St Jean-de-Losne, and then the Saone was “tricky”, he says.  We recognise British understatement - and he is 10 times our size.  Later he says that the waters coming in after the Ecuelles lock and from the Doubs at Verdun (sur-le-Doubs) are quite furious and were very hard to navigate.  He also tells us that the Canal de Bourgogne has been closed because of flooding from the river Ouche, and parts of Dijon have been flooded. 

The Amaryllis moors Behind

We start thinking about our options if we can’t get up the Saone to Auxonne.  The other query in our minds is whether we can moor at Fragnes just outside Chalon (first stop on the canal when you come off the river) which is now probably packed with boats.  But we have a week or so.

Saturday and the weather is fine, and gets better as the day goes on.  The girls love it here.  Very pleasant walks even if punctuated with many bicycles.  We cycle down to the village.  Now part of the road is closed due to flooding, but it is only minor.  We amble through the town, buy a few bottles of wine, and have a beer in the village square on a glorious afternoon.

After walking the dogs the TV shows pictures of Dijon under water but the orange alert is now down to only three departments: alas they are still the Yonne, Cote d’Or and the Haute Marne.

But here it’s beautiful, and we can relax out of email and internet contact until Monday, and then worry about things then.  In the evening we get a nice telephone call from Lauren.  The weather seems a bit better in England, and she, Jake and Alfie are all well and enjoyed their holiday.

So Sunday we stay put.  A lazy day enjoying the sunshine, washing the roof (which has got covered with fallen rotting foliage), other chores, walking the dogs, and reading.  Finally it begins to feel like retirement. We have a problem as now even the phone signal seems to have gone weak.  Fog on the canal! The world is cut off! That’s retirement for you.

The waters on the Dheune are receding now.  Hopefully in a few days we will back to normal.  Certainly below us the flooding has gone down a lot.  Lots of people are out cycling, walking, fishing. It is a glorious day.

The Waters of the Dheune Start to Recede

It clouds over for the night, which will at least keep the temperature up.  Monday morning is also slightly cloudy, but also less cool than yesterday.  Even at 0700 we can walk the dogs with just a light second layer of clothes.

Full Stop at Chagny

We do the 5 kms down to Chagny, the northernmost point of the Canal du Centre, just south of Beaune.  This takes less than an hour.  We will moor up and go and explore with other boaters and with the VNF sub-station what lies ahead of us.  But we first we walk the dogs and bump into a French colleague on the Naxa.  He confirms (or at least tells us) we are well and truly “bouché’d” here.  “Everything is jammed up ahead, you can’t get down to the Saone, and now the canal is closed at Montchanin down to Blanzy, so you can’t go upstream either”.  He produces the local weekly “Journal” and this confirms that the water pressure from the floods at the summit forced a bank to burst, and the water just seeped out.  This happened on Sunday and 15 kms of the canal are shut.  It turns out that 5 boats were in the pound when the water seeped out.  Now that we do not fancy!!

We do some shopping, have showers and lunch, and then go over to the VNF sub-station. “What are the chances of getting down onto the Saone?” we ask.  This only produces mirth.  The water is very high, they say.  Not likely this week.  Ah. Well.  By the weekend it might be better.  Ask us after the holidays (we remember that France has two national holidays this week – Wednesday and Thursday to commemorate VE Day and celebrate Ascension Day) or talk to the lock keeper at Crissey (the deep lock into the Saone) whose number they kindly give us.   

It might be alright by the weekend or next week they say.  That’s OK for us as we planned it for next week anyway.  There’s no point going onward they say.  All the moorings further down the canal are all already overcrowded.  There might be a couple of spaces for small boats, but not long ones like yours!  Uh-hu! So we are staying here awhile.

We amble on over to the Ariana which is already moored.  We finally exchange names.  Adie is doing some catching up painting – might as well, he says, it’s needed and can’t do much else.  He confirms too that we are stuck, unless we want to go back upstream, which he might do, but then, only so far.  Se we settle down, walk the dogs between showers (the rain is back but not too bad), chores and read.  And start thinking about some plans for the week.

Two Into One Won’t Go

We are just sitting down for supper at 8pm (2000) when a very large industrial barge (the Liberty) passes gently by into the arch and small aqueduct behind us.  Even though he is very careful and slow we feel his tow.  Then he seems to stop in the passage on the aqueduct.  Five minutes later there is lots of shouting.  The Liberty has indeed moored in the channel, and no-one can get passed.  We guess he assumed that no-one was now moving on the canal this time of night.  But the hotel boat the Amaryllis has just arrived and coming downstream, and wants to get to its mooring on the other side. 

Mexican Stand Off at Chagny

Slowly the Liberty backs out again coming as close to us as is possible, then slips sideways and the Amaryllis comes in between, before the Liberty slides forward again. Poor chap, he has a load of timber to get to Nevers, but he will be stuck this side of Montceau at least until 15 May, and many think a lot longer.  We banter with the skipper of the Amaryllis.  “We told you cause trouble.” But he is only half amused.

The Liberty Backs Off 

And the Amaryllis comes through 

Tuesday is a quiet day.  We explore the town which is quite delightful with good shops.  A local lady takes time to show us all the places we are looking for, and the Tourist Office is also extremely helpful about dog walks.  We bump into Betty from the Pandora who also can tell us about things like launderettes if we need to dry clothes.

We walk the dogs and work on some minor repairs.  Then we telephone Celine the “Capitaine” at Fragnes which is downstream before the Saone, and ask what chance of a mooring with her.  Possibly on Friday she says, because tomorrow I‘ve got the Carpe Diem and Ariana arriving. So we will ring again Thursday evening.  We cycle around to the CD and Ariana, and ask what time they are leaving in the morning. How do you know we’re leaving? They ask.  We have ways, we say, before unveiling our sources.  But we need to pick up water tomorrow and if you’re moving we’ll take up your mooring.  The banter continues, but essentially they’ll be off fairly early.

We Really are Lazing Now.

Wednesday morning after an early walk with the dogs we sidle the boat over the water point at 9am and fill up with water.  We are too long to moor at the water point so hover diagonally, while Jo, an anglicized Dutchman now from Wimbledon who is on the moored on the Marinus just along the way, helps us complete the job as quickly as possible.  He is really very good.

We then sidle over to the empty moorings from the Ariana /CD and moor alongside the Matilda.  Topsy decides to roll in something so gets a shampoo-ing she doesn’t think she deserves.  But it also cools her coat down.

The Matilda is a big beautiful 1907 Dutch barge lovingly looked after by Peter and Margaret from Perth WA, with a very original Aussie name for the boat. Again we pick lots of useful information, including a possible “made to measure” boat cover maker at St Jean de Losne.  Throughout the day we keep interrupting their painting work, but they are very patient and helpful.  It’s a holiday here so we’ll relax.  We think about some painting but there may be a few showers this afternoon. So we take the dogs for a walk, chat to Betty and do some blogging. 

On Thursday we do actually do some painting, just an hour or so, and the weather holds.  In fact it is quite warm, even if sultry, later, and for the afternoon we insist that the dogs have a proper walk and go off for a couple of hours into the hills and woods overlooking the valley and the vineyards on the other side. The wild flowers are beautiful and this hillside is so peaceful.

A Euro for Anyone who can name all Four Flowers (50c for Botanists)

To the other side of the valley we could see all the villages and towns on this panorama slab, alas if only the pine forestation had not grown so tall – Chassagne- and Pouligny-Montrachet, Meursault, and in the distance Beaune. We could pick them all out, but not in one vista.

The view to the hillsides of Cote d’Or (if only we could see it all in one swoop)

Later we confirm that the Porte Verte beautiful little mooring / port at Fragnes on the outskirts of Chalon-sur-Saone can take us for the weekend. So tomorrow we will reach the Val de Saone.

From the Loire through Sun and Rain to Le Creusot (19 -29 April)

Friday 19 April we finally leave Digoin with a full tank of diesel and have three locks and 12 kms to Paray-le-Monial. We should be there in three hours but now we have automatic locks and no lock keeper. You might think this would be quicker but we are going upstream (and uphill) and we will have to get ashore before the locks as we are too low within them to get to the quayside.

Luckily the local lock keeper helps us through the first lock.  We say “au revoir” but he says “tout de suite” after just explaining there are no more lock-keepers. We are uncertain at the next lock whether he will be there so we get Linda ashore before we go in, but just as we are in the lock he arrives. I said “tout de suite” he says, and he also sees us through the next two locks.

We arrive at Paray-le-Monial on a lovely evening; we ought to go and look around the town famous for its ancient monastery but are more relaxed alongside a beautifully large park which was once part of the monastery grounds. As Paul and Sue told us at Digoin Claude is moored there in his beautiful Tjalk the Windbuil but he is occupied with various phone calls though waves a cheery hello. The girls have a great walk and run in the park.

A British sail boat the Mistral arrives and we advise them to miss the first set of electric points as they do not work.  Steve and Mary moor up in front of us and we get ropes tied and cables plugged in.  This is a very nice spot. The book says it has an 11 euro charge but no sign of anyone to pay. We advise Steve and Mary that we will be off at 9am in the morning, and as their ropes and cables are intertwined with ours on the bollard we will have to disturb before we go.  No problem, they. They will be off shortly after us.

Sunset at Paray-le-Monial

Saturday morning and at 8am and we are just back with the dogs and getting breakfast when a bang on the roof sets Topsy waking up the whole neighbourhood. It is a local official and there is indeed a charge, and gone up from last year. After us he also rattles Steve and Mary into life.

Steve says he’ll get off with us and we can share locks; he is only 12 metres long so there is plenty of room. He’ll go first as he is higher and he doesn’t want us backing into him. As if!

We cover the next 7 locks and 21 kms in under four hours, even with a major hold up. Steve and Mary take our ropes at every lock. Steve has been working in Paris and has got a new job in Nice. Primarily he just wants to get to the Med, so his target is to just get the Saone in two days, and then down the Saone and Rhone.

Thank God for a Pilot

Quarter of an hour from the first lock and suddenly there are frantic signals from Mary at the back of the boat and signs that engines have been thrown fully astern.  There is trouble under the bridge, shouts Mary as get nearer, can you go astern; a telephone wire (as it turns out but could have been any power line) has snapped from the bridge overhead and presents a complete obstacle to cruising.

We both moor up; Steve’s a pilot Mary explains – he watches out for everything.  We are lucky he saw it. She also explains she is a complete novice just coming along with Steve for the  fun and experience, while for him it is a great help having at least some crew.

We telephone VNF to advise of the problem while Steve launches his tender from the back of the boat and rows to where the cable is. It is Saturday morning after all and the VNF office did not know when someone could get to us. He inspects the cable and then gets to the other bank.  Then he says it is only telephone cable and it is insulated. “I’ll try to pull it out.” This is not as easy as it sounds, it is quite a length, but after 10 minutes or so he has got it to the bank and out of the water. 

As he is rowing back a VNF man arrives and we explain what has happened and the current situation.  VNF arrived in 20 minutes and Steve is very impressed with this, though had he not got the cable out himself no doubt we would have to wait for someone else with more gear.  You can go on, shouts the VNF man from the other bank, and I’ll sort this out now.

And so we do, with no stop for lunch and before 1pm we are at Genelard where we plan to stop a few days; as we chat at locks we explain that we intend to repaint our roof to reflect not absorb the heat; good luck says Steve, you’ve got until Thursday and then the weather will change; his meteo seems the same as ours. Spring is only here for one week, but hopefully we can use it.

Safe and Sound at Genelard

We wave them on as we moor at Genelard while they aim to make the summit before the end of the day (it’s only 30 kms and 16 locks further, and though they have speeded us up, they’ll go even faster without us).  Just watch for the Mistral on the Rhone.

It’s been grey and dull most of the morning but now the day is getting very cheerful.  There is only one other boat at Genelard – the Carpe Diem - which we have seen before, but it looks like there is no-one on it.

We walk the dogs, look around the town and start planning our roof re-painting: Sunday to clear and clean; Monday to sand; Tuesday undercoat; Wednesday first coat; Thursday top coat and anti-slip; if the weather holds we should just do it in time.

A Canalous boat arrives in the evening.  There are no spare points (to plug in for electricity) but we explain we have a “splitter” which doesn’t translate into French (Ha! a Multi-prise, he cheers up when we produce it) so that they get power too.  They are on a working holiday taking the boat down to Beziers!  Did we hear right? A long way to take a hire boat. And they are certainly off first lock in the morning, as we begin our chores.

So Sunday morning, bright and sunny, is clearing off the roof.  We take the splitter out.  It does seem there is someone the Carpe Diem but we haven’t seen them yet.  They have a motor bike and must have been out yesterday.

Cultural and Linguistic Differences

Late morning a camper van arrives.  He looks at the electrical points, pulls out the Carpe Diem cable and then puts his own splitter in, reconnecting both.  Luckily it wasn’t us he disconnected but we think it’s pretty bad to disconnect anyone, even for a few minutes, without checking first. Something could be on in the boat where even a temporary suspension of power can disrupt it.

A few hours later we are cleaning out the gutters on the roof and hear some sharp voices.  The guy from the Carpe Diem has arrived and is pretty annoyed that he was disconnected.  He bends down to check his connection when the man from the camper van grabs him and looks as if he is going to hit him; his arm is grabbed and pushed away.  “What’s the problem” we shout as we jump down and go over.  An incomprehensible argument is going on in French and English, but without need for us both guys begin to cool down.  “What’s he angry about” says the Frenchman. “Nobody threatens to hit me” says the American.  But OK, although both are very angry they are now looking for a solution!

 

Doug, from the Carpe Diem, says there are plenty of points for camper vans on the other side of the canal, this side is for boats. But the camper van does not want to go there.  Still quite angry Doug produces another connector, and allows the camper van to take over his electrical point.  “He should have asked before disconnecting me”, he says, and we cannot argue with that.  And we explain to our French colleague that if we can all calm down we can find a solution, which Doug does.

Monday morning and the camper van turns on engines and is gone at 6am in the dark.  This is a sad story. He probably feels aggrieved, but if only he’d talked first the whole thing could have been avoided.

For us today is “sanding” day.  The weather is fine and getting warmer. We explore the town and walk the dogs, and that takes the whole day.

Painting at Genelard

Monday is “undercoat” day.  But now it is getting very warm.  By midday it is 25ºC but on top of a metal roof it is scorching.  We take a French lunch. At 2.30pm we go to check the roof.  Fascinating (but proving we were right about changing colour) what has been painted over is just warm, but where it is still green it is almost untouchable. We postpone finishing the undercoat until 4pm.  We need a little more paint and some thinner, and discover a really excellent hardware store (fit for a very big town) right on the middle of the village.

Tuesday is first coat and now the weather is getting very hot.  25+ again, but with the change of colour the roof is cooler.  For the last few days there have only been us and Doug and Susan on the Carpe Diem so we can just progress with our work slowly.  A few camper vans, and the VNF personnel drive back and forth to their depot, but they are always cheery and are not fussed about Topsy sitting alongside the quay.  A dog in a neighbouring house, which is locked up in a pen all the time, makes a lot more noise than her.

Wednesday is the second coat mixed in with non-slip additive.  Mixing it in is slow but it works.  It is now getting very hot in the middle of the day irrespective of the roof.  We have to leave finishing to the evening.  Even though we can see where we will need to improve the finish, and do some touching-up it is not bad job overall, and we are quite pleased.

Roof painted – from green to ivory

Now quite a few boats arrive.  Two families of Belgians, one in a barge and one in a cruiser.  But the cruiser seems to be having serious engine problems.  And then the Ariana with a couple of Kiwis, who moor alongside us. And both the Belgians and the Ariana have dogs, as do several camper vans.  So Wednesday night is dog heaven or dog hell, depending upon your point of view.

So all done (well almost) on Thursday morning we are on our travels again. The Belgians go first together, then the Carpe Diem, then us on our own.  The CD and the Morverc’h are too long to fit into a lock together. 

We go through some lovely country side – this is the real Charolais (Charolles is only a few miles away) - but the weather is definitely changing. 

Even in Charolais country the cows are lying down

Trouble at Montceau

We get to the edge of Montceau-les-Mines and have decided we will try to moor for the night at “Bon Amarrage” at St Vallier.  As we arrive there both Belgian boats are the quay, but moored out at diagonals.  The cruiser tells us his engine again.  The lady says it’s “kaput” and shows resignation.  The Belgian barge in front warns us that it is very shallow on this quay. 

We were warned.  We can’t get in, and when we try to get off our midships is caught in mud.  With poles and engine and bow thruster and Belgian assistance we finally get away.  We moor across the way a couple of hundred metres upstream where this is shuttering.  It’s OK for lunch but we decide we will gone to Blanzy for the night, telephoning ahead to VNF for passage through the lift bridges and locks in Montceau.

Meanwhile the Belgian cruiser has managed to get going but we look behind and see our Belgians friends in the barge having the same trouble getting off the quay as we had.  We think about going back to help, though not knowing what we could do.  But just then she gets her stern off following the bow into midstream.

Another few hundred yards and we see the Belgian cruiser moored up at some very nice moorings.  We curse our French.  The very helpful lock-keeper had said there were good moorings at St Vallier “devant la Tour”.  We can hear that clearly now but we he spoke we heard “en avant de”.  “In front of” and “before”.  Big difference in English.  But we are committed now, and though the moorings are good they are very close to a busy road, so not so easy for the dogs.

Bridges to left your spirits

So we pass the bridges and port Montceau and arrive at Blanzy.

The Port at Montceau – But only Pontoons too short for us

We arrive at Blanzy.  Two boats already in.  Will there be room for us?  It’s tight.  Hah-ha.  It’s the Renaissance from last year (the Two Terries) and ahead of them the Carpe Diem.  We can just squeeze in behind the Renaissance.

We moor up and plug in and Terry comes for a cup of tea.  The weather is getting worse and they are staying put until Tuesday.  There is power and water here.  We take the dogs up the Macon Road and along the “Allee Cavalliere” and through the park and a farm.  They have a good walk but it’s really beginning to rain steadily now.  So we hunker down for the night, except for a last thing walk with the girls.

Rain, rain, rain

We had planned to cycle back to Montceau for the Saturday morning market, but Terry had warned it would be rained off.  It had rained all night, and was still raining, sometimes pouring, through the morning.  Other than walks with the dogs, with their coats on against the driving rain, we don’t go.  The rain was just shocking. Affreux.  We kept the fire going well, read and watched videos.  You just did not want to go out in this.

We had told the lock-keeper we would move on Sunday.  The Two Terries were dubious.  The weather won’t change until Tuesday.  But Sunday we get up and ready to go.  Doug and Susan on the Carpe Diem were going too and we agreed they would go first, as we would have to put Linda ashore at each lock which would slow us down.

We were both held up and a lock keeper had to come to operate the lock.  After that it was fine until although at the fifth of seven locks for that day a lock keeper again  turned up to make sure the lock worked OK.  There were some beautiful views while we waited.

A Better day Today – the Cows are Standing Up

And Even the Wild Trees are Trying to Blossom

We arrived at the seventh lock at about 1220 (on the Centre you can carry on through lunch time as long as you operate the locks yourself) but Doug and Susan were still in the lock with gates open.  When we got to them they explained that the gates would not close so that the lock could fill.  They had telephoned VNF at 1155 but weren’t expecting anyone before 1300.  By now it was approaching that time

.

Doug and Susan (Carpe Diem) Stuck in a Lock while Topsy Looks On

Finally at the Summit

And indeed the very reliable lock keeper turns up and gets the lock working again.  We are moored up by 1330, and have reached the summit at Montchanin.

We want to look at Montchanin which we haven’t seen before.  It’s a nice enough town, but really a satellite of Le Creusot, and not as exciting as we had hoped, but perfectly serviceable. 

The Centre of Montchanin – Roads Lead to Chalons and Le Creusot

But this is the summit and the lakes that feed water to the canal.  They provide great walks for the dogs, though on Sunday there is, as the French say, “du monde”, the world and her family.

The Belgian barge arrives and we are three for the night.  Topsy is relaxed with these three boats now but still prefers to guard the bank.

Moored at Montchanin with Guard in Attendance

Early morning walks with the dogs.  The lakes are quiet and beautiful now, though when they say “sentier inondé” they mean it, as Glyn discovered all too late, returning with very wet feet.  But the water fowl are enjoying their peace.

A Single Coot on the Lake – though the mate is not too far away

Of Mallards there are a few more

So we take it all in, and prepare for the descent to the Saone.  

Who was to know that a week later this whole section of the canal for 15 kms would be emptied of water as a bank burst under the force of the flood water, and all the water seeped out leaving boats stranded?  See “Storms and Floods” in next posting.