Ian and Lorna Hampton on EREWHON : Living on the French Canals

 

 

• Erewhon 1999 Journal
• Erewhon 2000 Journal
• Erewhon 2001 Journal
• Erewhon 2002 Journal
• Erewhon 2003 Journal
• Erewhon 2004 Journal
• Erewhon 2005 Journal
• Erewhon 2006 Journal
• Erewhon 2007 Journal
• Lock Skills

2000 Journal

Saturday, 24 June 2000

It wasn’t too bad a trip. Ian checked in the hold baggage early in case of problems!   It included the 2 umbrellas, and a pre-cut orocco solid block for making a stern platform, ready to assemble in France, itself weighing 31.5 kg)  as well as 3 cases of personal baggage. (9kg overweight). We were being called when we arrived later for boarding - Ian had to go down to baggage and open a case full of metal bars for inspection! After having a packet of adhesive confiscated, we were cleared for take-off. He returned to the loading lounge, to find the hostess was diverting to the hold the pack and a case because they were too heavy.  Then we were delayed 1 1/2  hours in the plane before take-off at Auckland, causing a rushed change at LA.  We arrived on time at Heathrow. We must remember in future, to go straight to immigration and worry about the bus transfer to Gatwick at the bus stop. Every ½ hour on the ¼, a bus leaves for Gatwick and takes about an hour. A plate of chips and a cup of hot chocolate for lunch, and an attempt to ring Jo, and a success in getting Michael. He is planning to join us in week 5, Colmar to Strasbourg and perhaps again later.

It was quick flight to Lyon with only three packages missing! The two diverted cabin bags and the umbrellas will be forwarded by courier when they catch up. The hire car worked well and we arrived, tired and ready for bed at 10pm. Erewhon was great; not too many leaks and no mould but an awful lot of clothing we had left behind. We will be well catered for in T-shirts etc!

Sunday, 25 June

We both woke early – about 4 am!  We dozed and talked until 6.30 and got up for a cup of tea. The bread lady called about 8.00 and we had our first delicious baguette. They were as good as ever. We unpacked, planned our week, but were advised that the supermarkets were shut (in fact one was open, and from next week so will be another). However, we had tins etc from last year and got by. Ian pottered all day; the boat deck was covered in winter debris and needed scrubbing.  We spoke briefly to Ann and Alan Gawith from Masterton who had family visiting, and at 9 pm we agreed to go to bed. By the time Lorna arrived, Ian was asleep! Weather-wise it has been clear, though a bit cool in the wind.

Monday, 26 June

Off in the car to the supermarket for food and to Crown Blue for the three batteries we had ordered. Ian tried to find a car wrecker (caisse auto) but the Brazey en Plaine place was shut. Our language problem hadn’t helped us to recharge our prepay phone. The SIM card was OK.  We found a helpful TABAC which wasn’t to busy and they sold us the card as well as listened to the French instructions and entered the numbers.  So we now have ½ hour each full time and off-peak.  We felt much more accessible.

Our only problem on the boat was a leaking high-pressure water storage cylinder, which was not only wetting the cabin floor, but also filling the sump. A late afternoon trip to Dole was only successful in putting us in touch with a firm in Dijon! In the meantime Ian installed the new batteries – the old ones were stuffed. Even with the charger going flat out we couldn’t drive the water pump. . The first of the missing baggage arrived – the umbrella and the pack but several minutes of our expensive cell phone time have been used explaining that there was one more to come!

Tuesday, 27 June

We still had the car and needed to do all the jobs requiring its use. First to Dijon for the water tank, but on the way through Brazey en Plaine we saw the caisse auto is open. No negotiation on price (FF250, but the pick of the yard. So we ended up with an Alfa Romeo front seat in good condition for the captain’s chair.  The captain is happy!  Success also in Dijon and back to the boat to install the tank.  So we now have water again. We rang Lyon to find out about the third item – the green suitcase which contained this computer, so thus the delay in writing it. They didn’t realise we still were 1 short! Yes it will come quickly. Ian returned the car to Dole, 16 km away and biked home again – easier than his usual Tuesday evening run at Joggers!  Lorna took drinks with Alan and Ann.  We used the phone to check on the Pougnet’s plans.  Frank arrives now at Dole on Saturday.  Again early to bed for a zonked couple. But we were sleeping later in the morning.

Wednesday, 28 June

The days are getting warmer.  We were told that a week before they had gone to 40 degrees!  Ian biked to St Jean de Losne for a new muffler, while Lorna cleaned the ship to her standards.  We continued on sundry jobs.  The umbrellas were fitted using pairs of plumber’s pipe brackets to support them, and they look quite classy over the stern area.  The new seat was bolted to ply and screwed to the top of the chair fitting we had bought and made in NZ. [p------------;; (that was written by a prowling cat that has found its way in through a window!]  The seat looks great though Lorna says she won’t be raising it.  With its swivel and height adjustment, it is flexible and comfortable.

The marina is on a side of the Rhone ã Rhin canal for about 300 metres above and below the second lock from the Saone River. Boats are moored 4 wide with the occupied barges adjacent to the shore. We were outside a Dutch barge owned by an American couple, Bob and Janet Trainer from Norfolk, Virginia (He had come on ahead and she arrived on Friday just before we left). In front of us were an Aussie couple, Jocelyn and Tony from Melbourne. He was either popping over to England for 2 days business or walking around trying to get his cell phone to work! Outside them was Dankbaarheid owned by NZ’ers Bill and Sally Jaques and Warren & Louise Shave (who I once worked with) who were not aboard. Altogether living in the port were 3 American couples, 1 Aus, 3 Brits, 2 Kiwis as well as Roger and his mechanic Brian and wife Val. Several had wintered over and were planning to move on, but Allan and Ann will be a year before they leave. Their kitchen is installed, but all of the interior partitions, and fittings were still to be started. They seem happy in their task and aren’t rushing to complete. Rather, they enjoy their French home and job!

But still no suitcase. Another phone call to Lyon – yes the bag was arriving that night and would be sent immediately. We were concerned as we had to get to Dole on Saturday to meet Frank and didn’t know how we could get it forwarded.

Thursday, 29 June

Ian started the day pumping the bilge! With the leaking tank he got 10 5 litre barrels of dirty water, but not a lot of oil. Last year’s oil leak seems to be fixed. Then it was on his bike to St Jean de Losne to exchange our 8 paperbacks for 12 at a library run by a young minded, elderly woman who had cruised the canals herself for years and enjoyed meeting the people. H2O have lent her a corner of their shop; and it worked as he also bought a spare pump diaphragm!  He also bought some extra supplies as Ann and Alan were coming to dinner. Lorna was preparing the meal and then had a brain wave. She invited Jocelyn and Tony to bring their meal and share, and also Bob from next door to join us. It was an enjoyable evening.

Still no suitcase, but yes, it is here. Where should we send it to?!!  By now there was clearly a dispute over who paid the cost of the second delivery 200-km from Lyon!  Any way it will be there tomorrow.

Friday, 30 June

Yet another brilliant day. As the week has gone on the days have got warmer. Today was the last day of the bread-lady’s service. She had sold the business. Ian had enjoyed his French lessons from the banter at the van each morning. This morning we got a present of a calico bread sack. (2008 note: we were still using this bag to collect bread in 2007).  Water was taken aboard, diesel checked, the anchor fixed to its chain, bikes put aboard and the case awaited.  At 4pm we decided to get Brian to assist to move the boat out to the outside, ready for departure.  And the suitcase turned up!  Lots of waving and shouting and we were off.  The others continued their preparations for the evening’s barbecue celebrating the morrow’s departure of one of the over-wintering Americans for the canals.  We may see them in Chalon in September.

The boat ran well, the new seat a success and a phone call from Lois advised that Frank would get off the TGV at Dole at 2.25 the next day.  We spent a pleasant evening canal-side above the third lock, 7 km on our way near a town called Abergement-la-Ronce (apparently a company town for a large national chemical company) eating left-overs from the previous day’s dinner and opening a 5 litre cask of red wine. I started writing this entry and have finished in the morning. Now off for the bread for breakfast to begin the day.

Saturday, 1 July

We were disturbed in the morning by a cat that entered through a window and made itself at home [see the note on Wed 28th].  Then while I was writing the journal it caught a small rodent from a hole on the canal bank.  I found the bread in a nice, near new boulangerie, in a clean, well laid out town.  I was also fascinated by looking in the window of a second hand clothes shop to see about ten women "paddling" around a floor covered in clothes inspecting and selecting almost in a frenzy.

As discussed with the lock keeper last night we were off at 9.00 for a quiet 2 1/2 hour trip to Dole. Visitors are allowed one night free mooring at the end of a hire boat firm’s pontoon. The town is charming facing the river, and using it decoratively. It is capped with a huge basilica, the top of the tower a defensive viewpoint.

After a typical lunch we walked up the hill in the 36-degree heat to the railway station to meet Frank (my sister Lois’ son), drinking a glass of beer at a café as we waited. The narrow streets were full of clothing stalls, seeming to do very little business.  I commented that so long as they considered sitting in the shade, talking to passers-by and watching their stock to be a pleasant way of passing time it would be OK.

We talked to David (79) and Buff (71), a British couple who had progressed from yachting, now canalling on a somewhat larger ex-hire boat than ours, and which they had called Dreadnought!  Ian and Frank did some supermarket shopping, after which we decided to stay the night.  So we shifted to attach to the power (Lorna practising her reversing into a marina technique) and then found the power lead was still at St Symphorien.  Bugger!  So Ian on the bike replaced his Sunday run with an 18km each way cycle trip, only to find Brian was not home and the cable was locked away!  However Bob Trainer offered to run it over on Sunday morning on his way to church.  That night we had heavy thunder and some rain.  A lovely dinner of roast turkey!  It is sold here in a roll and is very economical.

Sunday, 2 July

The storm cleared up early in the morning and progressed to 40 degrees, with another tonight.  Yes, Bob turned up with the cable just as Ian was heading for bread.  At 9.30 we took off on a beautiful morning and after 2 ½ hours and 3 locks stopped for lunch and an hours work on jobs (fixing one of the new cleats to the port mid-ships) under the shade of some lovely plane trees.  The heat was OK when we were moving, (the humidity was only 26%) but when we stopped at 4.30 for the day we felt it.  Frank and Ian rode our cycles, looking for a bar to watch tonight’s final of the Euro soccer final, but everything was shut for Sunday.  So we are listening to an incomprehensible radio commentary with updates from Frank. It doesn’t look good with Italy a goal ahead.  Alsace Riesling, paté en crût with beans and lovely potatoes for dinner. We have had another thunderstorm tonight, but not much rain. We are moored on a municipal pontoon without electricity at Saint Vit.

Monday, 3 July

France may have won, but at St Vit the thunderstorms continued all night. In the morning it was raining lightly, but about 10am we attacked the first automatic lock. As the day progressed the weather cleared. We stopped for lunch very conveniently, though quite illegally in an écluse de garde (they are normally open, but closed at times of flood to protect the canals from damage). We had finished our lunch when another boat appeared and we were happy to start up and move on. The scenery was beautiful. Hills on each side, with overhanging trees on the canals, tidy villages and fertile crops.

Late in the afternoon we approached the citadel city of Besancon. The walls of the fortress tower over the cliffs from miles away. The river sweeps in a loop almost enclosing the city, which is a mixture of ancient and modern, and the capital of Franche-Compte region. We had a short walk around the town, bought a few groceries and ate an enjoyable salad dinner. Ian finished installing the voltmeters to monitor the two battery banks and with Frank’s help finally completed the fixing of the new port side cleat.  Starboard will have to wait a few days.

Tuesday, 4 July

We slept in until 8.30 when Ian went for bread. There was some disagreement about the plans for the day (to return downstream and pass through the tunnel under the city fort or use the hand operated lock (one of only two we know about which doesn’t have a lockkeeper) and go upstream immediately) but eventually we set out about 11.30 progressing up a sequence of canalised river sections alternating with man-made canals bypassing sections of the river. It gets more beautiful as we gain height. We travelled 36 km, rose up 11 locks (one of which was a double lock of 6.4 metres) and took 7 hours. We were ready to stop at 7 pm at Baume les Dames and enjoyed a meal of Toulouse saucisse, beans and taties and a bottle of Bourgogne (Burgundy) red. We have caught up with our schedule and will have more time to look around or just read. Now we have the voltmeters installed we will leave the fridge on tonight to check how it affects the battery level.

Wednesday, 5 July

A pleasant day. Ian was up at 7.30 and turned the fridge off!  It uses too much to leave it for long. We will have to get the gas system operating, and probably improve the ventilation from the fridge heat exchanger.  He then fitted the ammeter to check on the alternator.  It showed we only generated 30 amps, not the alternator’s specified 60.

Ian looked for a boulangerie but was directed to the supermarket for baguettes.  After breakfast it was back to the supermarkets on three of the bikes for a stock up. After the usual lunch we left Baume les Dames and cruised 4 hours up the system to Clerval where we are now moored on a free pontoon with electricity at the resident's expense, kept from starving with fried bread while we wait to go out for our first restaurant meal!

This is a picturesque area, with lots of forest on the surrounding hillsides, green valleys, and tall two storey box-like houses with orange tile roofs    

Thursday, 6 July

It was the best (or at least, the most memorable meal we have had in France. Lorna and Ian both had fish; she deep fried carp and he two fillets of sandre in a white sauce. Both were served on candle powered warmers in the pan in which they were cooked.

Anyway this morning we slept in a little, had our baguette breakfast and continued up the Doubs, with a stop in the afternoon at Isle sur le Doubs to fill up with diesel from the supermarket across the road from a canal mooring. We moored by the side of the canal 1 km after Columbier-Chatelot for an omelette followed by an apricot flan dinner.

Friday, 7 July

Frank and Ian were unsuccessful in finding baguettes for breakfast, so we made do with meusli. Two locks later we were guided to a boulangerie only a km away, and while passing a garage promoting tyre specials, Ian asked for a couple of small obsolete tyres. He got a couple for free (At home he might have kept one as a spare!) Now they have had drain holes drilled all around and one is on a rope and has already been used to keep the boat away from submerged rocks when we were moored for lunch.

We spent almost two hours investigating Montbéliard (including buying a birthday card for Nigel). As we left, driven by strong winds with rain for a few minutes we paused and talked with the Brits on Nordland who we had last seen and swapped books with at Vaureal on the Oise last year. They are planning a similar journey to us but a little slower. We kept changing our minds as to when to stop, but eventually stopped at this ‘Port de Bourgogne’. It seems like someone’s failed dream. Good moorings for commercial boats, but no industry except a scrap steel yard, a trailer park and a truck wrecker. We had yet another thunder-storm while mooring and eating our sausages, aubergines and potatoes, washed down with the usual vin du table (we finished our first 5 litre cask tonight but never fear, we have a spare).

Saturday, 8 July

Away at 9.30 and we arrived at the end of the top bief about 12 mid-day.  We joined an Austrian boat and were put down the first lock and told to eat our lunch before 1300 hrs!  Sometimes you get the feel of being on a production line, but it works well.  By 3pm we had come down 15 locks, travelled less than 5 km, and were both moored in a small town with the Irish sounding name of Dannemarie.  In spite of the wind, Lorna backed into the berth well, but with plenty of helpful advice!!  Frank and Ian topped up the groceries, taking some of the vegies from the boxes they were packing for the night. The Visa swipe wouldn’t work.  Next time I will tell them to put it all back on the shelf.  This time it was a small order so we paid cash.  Lorna and Ian picked cherries over a  fence as we went for a walk.  The forbidden fruit didn’t taste sweeter, as another week would have helped.

Sunday, 9 July

Up for baguettes and away at 8.30 with the Austrian couple and with Mulhouse in our sights. We parked in a lock for lunch for an hour and by 3.30 we had finished 25 locks and 25 km. But our companions for the day drifted off course as they left a their last lock under a bridge and their canopy caught on a hook and was dragged down.  They have only two weeks to go (down the Rhine, up the Maine and over a canal into the Danube) so will make do without it. We saved the port fee by mooring on the canal-side after the port.  After a walk around the closed town we came back to the boat and Ian worked on the bikes which needed adjusting while Lorna finished the last curtain and hung them. They look fabulous, bringing a touch of NZ to the décor.

We are now so far ahead of our plan, we have decided to stay here at least two nights, moored on the side of the canal. Frank and Ian will visit a car museum and maybe we will all visit a village of reconstructed old houses the next day.

Ian rang Jo and Mike, neither of whom were in and left a message for them to call back. We are looking forward to Michael’s visit next weekend.

I will save this to a floppy and see if I can send it tomorrow. If so, love to you all. We are very well. The stern extension and bike trailer are still in their wrappings, the electric wiper is taking a bit if fitting, and the starboard cleat isn’t fixed yet, but most of our jobs have gone well. And there is always another tomorrow!

Monday, 10 July

It was good to talk to Margaret and Gerald this morning and hear the news from NZ.

Ian spent the morning finally removing the old manual wiper system and fitting the electric one. After the sealer has had time to set we will fire it up and test it.

After lunch Frank and Ian went to the National Automobile Museum. 600 cars, mainly pre WWII and nearly all continental, except for a few Rolls, Daimlers and Bentleys. There were some big continental manufacturers we never hear about. The last section included some recent racing cars along with earlier models. A huge number of Bugati’s.

Michael rang at lunchtime and we discussed details of his joining us next week. He will call back when he finalises his plans. For any who don’t know our number in France is 0033 6 16 05 54 05.

Ian was successful in sending a copy of the first two weeks of this journal from a private firm training in internet use. No charge. But it wasn’t easy. Attaching from a: was impossible and they had to copy it somewhere first. It must be to protect from viruses.

Ian checked out the next lock for the telephone number to call and arrange for a lock keeper when we leave. But we will probably stay another day. It’s a comfortable and apparently quiet mooring and we have time now to rest or do jobs. At the lock, the excitement was a huge German launch, which nearly, but not quite fitted under the bridge as it entered. They will have to take extra ballast, but there are even lower bridges further on. I got the feeling that the lockkeeper didn’t consider this was his problem.

Well tea is on the table.

Tuesday, 11 July

I don’t know where the time went, but it is now Friday evening, and I am writing in hindsight.

The launch did pass us early, before we got up. We learnt later he had gone back a couple of km and loaded ballast at a boatyard. We were also disturbed by a large peniche loaded with logs passing us. In fact so disturbed we had to get up and replant the mooring pegs that had pulled out with swell. Ian finished fitting the electric wipers and installed the new silencer component. It didn’t seem to quieten the boat, but we later realised that it was quieter outside though the internal noise hadn’t changed a lot. A couple of Dutch barges have moored behind us – another couple of cheapskates!

Wednesday, 12 July

We were up at 8, bought and consumed our baguettes and travelled the 1-km to the first lock by 9 am. We filled up with water, heard the story of the launch’s ballast and headed on down a wide but level stretch of canal to Niffer and the Rhine. From Mulhouse for 23 km it was flat. The Rhine basin is wider than I had expected. It reminds me of the Canterbury Plains. We took the opportunity to try different speeds and record the times over a measured km. to get the relationships between revs of the engine and speed – quite important when you don’t have a speedometer!  We had left last years info in NZ.

We had some confusion after following directions for boats less than 26 metres, to find that that alternative lock was closed and having to return to the large one. We then had to let two large boats down (while we ate our lunch) and then follow another into the lock to go down with it. From then on we waited for and followed large boats at each lock on the Rhine.

The Rhine is canalised – called the Alsace Canal – but has a steady flow which we calculated at about 5-6 kph. We knew there was more traffic, but it was not anything to be concerned about. The only problem was the wash they created at the speed they moved at (about 12-15 kph). We bobbed around a bit. The waves were aggravated by wind against flow and probably disturbances on the bottom, but we were quite relaxed about navigating the river.  The locks were similar to those on the Rhone, but lower (about 15 metres). We used our VHF and terrible French to advise the eclusiers of our approach. It was probably helpful.

We left the canal/river at Neuf Brisach and entered the canal to Colmar through an electric lock. About an hour later we moored at a small port at Kunheim (FF20 for the night). As we prepared dinner a Team NZ jumper went past the window. It was worn by Mick Ashcroft from Kohimarama who with his wife Jill was cruising on their home built 34 metre boat Cape Sounion were also cruising Europe. They had shipped their boat to Brugge in Belgium, sailed through France to Mulhouse, up into Switzerland, and were returning from Colmar. After talking with us and arranging around Friday’s Bastille Day, they decided to return to Colmar with us the next morning. No baker in Kunheim, but an "8 à huit" store will sell us our baguettes tomorrow.

Thursday 13 July (Erika’s birthday)

It took about 2 ½ hours to get (through 23 km and 2 small locks) to Colmar where we moored on the side of the canal (about 500m from the port, to avoid the FF80 per night charge), opposite Sounion. After lunch and a rest it was on the bikes into town. And what a town! Hansel and Gretel houses and shops by the dozen. We had a quick look and went to the Tourist Office to plan our visit. A morning trip by bus along the Wine Trail was too expensive at FF399 each so we will take a normal bus to Eguisheim on Saturday. The Ashcrofts will come too. Meanwhile after a supermarket shop, we had tea and walked into town to watch a military parade. A cultural concert (which we bypassed by drinking mulled wine in a café) and a tremendous fireworks display for the 14^th of July, Bastille Day. Home about 12 30 am – late for us!

Friday, 14 July

Up late, Ian baked a chocolate cake and Jill brought sweet and sour pork a salad and a couple of red wines to share with us for mid-day dinner. Still cold and rain about but Frank says ‘this is the Alsace’. Not much was done for the rest of the day, except a few Tom Thumbs (Tom Pouces) let off the back of the boat.

Saturday, 15 July

What a lovely day. With the Ashcrofts, we walked across Colmar, via Little Venice (outstandingly picturesque) and Rue des Poissonerres to the railway station to catch a bus to  Eguisheim. This is a town built within a moat, the outside ring of houses forming the protective wall. It was extraordinary. Hansel and Gretel style houses. Geraniums on every railing. And wine sampling at every second building! We had lunch with a local wine and walked around all the ramparts.

But by the time we had walked back through Colmar to the boat we were a weary lot. We were early to bed, but awakened by huge explosions which turned out to be, not an insurrection or fire, but yet another Bastille Day celebration about 10 km to the East, almost as extravagant as Colmar’s show.

Sunday, 16 July

First the bread and Équipe to see the rugby result. What a game it must have been to watch! It’s our greatest disappointment from coming over here. The day was spent on housekeeping; Lorna cleaning the boat and Ian and Frank starting on sorting out the box of blocks. Then about 4.30, over to Cape Sounion for drinks etc.

Monday, 17 July

We waited for Michael to travel by train to Strasbourg and ride his bike to the boat. Frank and Ian assembled more of the box of blocks. Lorna polished more of the boat and shopped at the supermarket. She came back to discuss a four-place dinner set at FF64.5 (about $20) in a Provincal colour scheme. So we bought 2 sets and are thrilled with the deal. They look great on our Provincal table cloth. A relaxing day. A call from Michael said the train was late. He left Strasbourg about 6pm, but found few drinks stops. By the time he got to Colmar he was exhausted after nearly 80 km. A series of cell phone calls located him and us and got him to the boat about 11pm.

Tuesday, 18 July; Mike’s birthday

A beautiful day. The sun has returned. It looks good for a week.

After breakfast Frank and Ian took Mike for a ride around the highlights of Colmar and at 11.00 we left for Neuf Brisach. We stopped at our mooring of last Wednesday at Kunheim for lunch and topped up the water supply. Then it was on to the Rhine lock – but not through it. We moored on a bank beside it and Frank, Mike and Ian biked into Neuf Brisach to check it out. It is another Vauban design and construction, built is 9 years from 1698. Huge resources must have been needed, but I guess it all provided jobs! It was never over-run. Now a normal village, it has a symmetrical rectangular street layout and immense outer walls.

Lorna prepare a lovely birthday dinner and Ian, a chocolate cake and we investigated a Bourgogne Aligote and the two Pinot Gris we had bought in Eguisheim last Saturday. A great evening with some impromptu singing by Ian!

Wednesday, 19 July

Meusli for breakfast and on to the Rhine. Showering was exhilarating with the boat rocking in the wake from passing boats and also the 6-km current against the wind. We went down two large locks and left the Rhine on to the small Rhone à Rhine (though not without a little difficulty crossing out of the strong current into a narrow entrance). We lunched on lasagne and stopped at Crown Blue Line’s base at Boofzheim hoping for faxes. They were closed so after a cycle trip to the SuperU, we plugged in to the electricity and hope they open in the morning. We will at least have a night on mains electricity to get the batteries back to normal and the fridge a bit colder.

We had snails for tea tonight with another Alsace Pinot Gris. We are becoming partial to it. The snails were not too exciting. We liked the strong garlic butter, but the meat was flavourless.

Thursday, 20 July

Frank and Ian worked on completing the assembly of the bike platform. It is now strapped to the side of the boat awaiting a belt sander. We were waiting for the Crown Blue office to open as we were advised by a telephone contact. At 2.45 pm we rang again to be told that the worker who had been coming down was sick and wouldn’t come. Frank’s lack of confidence in French reliability was justified this time. They had a fax for us, which we would get next week at Hesse from where they ran Boofzheim.

Strasbourg here we come. It was about 7 pm as we came down the last lock after an uneventful 27 km and 9 locks. Lorna and Ian had been discussing whether to follow Hugh McKnight’s experience of travelling through Vauban’s Barrage into the city centre, which is not recommended on our chart book. At this stage Lorna was in favour and Ian wanted to wait and see. Then we saw the barrage. It wasn’t a weir as we had expected, but a military barrage, blocking the Ill River against invasion of the town. It was massive, with a number of arches for the water flow and two larger square topped one’s for boat access, with the bottoms of the old wooden doors just visible ready to close against the threat! But was the door big enough for Erewhon. We had taken our bikes off the roof, and lowered the pennants to get our headroom down to 2.5 metres. We got cold feet and decided to moor 200m above the barrage by the modern art gallery, and check the dimensions the next day.

Michael and Frank took a quick walk while Ian and Lorna prepared dinner and padlocked the anchor chain around a set of steps in case some idiot decided to free the boat see it would go through the barrage! After dinner, quel surprise. A magnificent water fountain display from the top of the huge structure. We sat back in the stern well, drinking our wine as this half-hour water, light and music show was presented to us as a rear view (we were missing a projected show on the inner wall). W retired well satisfied with our mooring.

Friday, 21 July

There had been quite a bit of movement on the path by the boat overnight and we didn’t sleep as well as we would have liked, but no real problem. About 10 am we saw a launch coming down river and Frank called first, "Cape Sunion". Jill and Mick had done their homework and decided to leave town through the front door. Their info was that the minimum headroom was 3 metres and width okay for a peniche. They had also been told that the process was to wait for a sightseeing barge to pass through a swing bridge, when the lock keeper would ask you to proceed. If the lock were still open you would continue into it and go down as it prepared for the next cruiser. Otherwise you wait and progress after the next cruiser. Then they were off to Germany and we saw them successfully negotiate the barrage with no problem though not a lot of spare headroom. Great, we can do it!

The morning was spent with Frank’s packing for a 12.20 train home (a wedding the next day and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the next!) Then a walk around Petit France, the old quarter of Strasbourg. It was mostly built in the 15^th and 16^th century with a lot of timber framed Germanic styled houses as well as the usual limestone buildings. Full of cafes with tables outside under trees. We found the swing bridge and lock. There were no real mooring places; just paces to hold on to while waiting. The sightseeing business probably wants to discourage boats like ours.

Later, in the evening we walked to the cathedral and had a meal of pig’s trotters and sauerkraut which Michael very nicely shouted. Then we watched the son et lumière on the magnificent cathedral façade. Very spectacular, but tomorrow night we will watch the barrage display again.

Saturday, 22 July

Tony arrived as arranged at 10.00 and Michael rang London to find out the All Black v South Africa score. It was afternoon before he got the answer; 25-12 to the blacks. We will buy Équipe tomorrow to read about it. We spent time looking for a shop selling our cell phone card. We don’t buy them in advance, as we want their help in putting the info in – our French is not good enough to follow the instructions well. We eventually had success and have another hour of time and two months of use. We will have to do this once more before we leave France. Then we investigated the inside of the Cathedral. Spectacular, but it’s the outside that is this church’s strong point. Inside was an astronomical clock with figurines performing the passing of time.

Ian stayed with Tony on the boat to get some photos while Lorna and Michael watched the water and light show from the proper side.    

 Sunday, 23 July

By this morning it was Ian who was confident about the barrage and Lorna who was reluctant! In the end we set off through the exciting trip. About 40 cm of clearance and no trouble with width in the barrage. We circled the pond inside and then took the canal outlet (there are two millstreams on the right and the river on the left with another lock for sightseeing barges). As we approached the swing bridge a sightseeing barge appeared above and then the lockkeeper on the bridge as he opened it. "Wait until after the barge and then come through" in French which we had a little difficulty interpreting. But we did OK; the barge came through, we went through and into the still open lock about 100 metres on. With a large audience we went down, surrounded by about a dozen canoes. Then out, on to the river, under a bridge, and to the right past another barge. There were a number of low bridges, one of which was even lower that the barrage with only about 30 cm of clearance. So I would hesitate to recommend more that 2.8 metres.

Gradually the river widened, the other branch joined the river and as we passed the huge EU buildings on the edge of the city, we turned left into the Marne à Rhin Canal and were in relax mode again. Traffic was comparatively high on the canal with a lot of hire boats.

We stopped for lunch and stayed the night in the side of the canal near Bromith, 20 odd km from Strasbourg. The forest on the side of the canal was being tidied up after the damage caused by the winter gale in the North of France. Large trees were down; smaller crowns were broken off. But the logs are harvested, firewood drying and the forest regenerating.

Monday, 24 July

Ian and Tony biked into town and got baguettes sausages for tea and 4 bottles of white Vin de table wine for F44 ($13 the 4) and some exercise. After breakfast it was 3 hours to Waltenheim sur Zorn where we moored for lunch and the night. While Lorna and Tony investigated the town and read, Ian started on connecting the gas to the fridge. He tidied the wiring of the existing 12 volt and 230 volt systems and worked out how and where to cut in the gas.

After a couple of bottles of the vin de table and sausages and veggies and pêche à la Frank we all read till bedtime.

Tuesday, 25 July

A quiet night and a pleasant surprise as a bread van hooted its call. Baguettes instead of meusli! So a 9.30 start. This series of locks is computer controlled. A sensor at the exit of a lock informs the computer to prepare the next lock. As we had started in the middle of a series, the computer wasn’t expecting us. But by using a telephone on the wall of the old lock-keepers hut we advised the controller and we were away, with the gates opening as we arrived at each lock. For a couple of hours we cruised with an Israeli group whose skills were not great! Eventually they took too long to leave a lock and were shut in by the automatically closing lock and had to do another down and up circuit!

We arrived here in Saverne about 4 and were lucky a hire boat decided to leave (possibly for a free mooring) and leave us a space. There are dozen’s of hire boats here. All of the companies have bases in the region. The mooring fee here was F50 + F1 each person.

We shopped and stocked up. Ian was able to get some replacement fuses (By trial and error I now know what most of the fuse bank protects).

We used a call box to call Margaret and Gerald using our YABBA number last night. As we had suspected they had had trouble calling us when we were in the heart of Strasbourg. After a lot of tries we eventually got through to her and asked her to get YABBA to try again. Eventually she got through but only using the normal International system. So tomorrow I will email YABBA and try and get an improvement. Tony has found a cheap internet access.

Wednesday, 26 July

The email worked well I think. Over an hour at no charge. It was good to know the last ones went through and I think these ones did too. But I couldn’t check our bank account. The weather wasn’t great but Tony and Lorna went walking and Ian finished installing the gas connection for the refrigerator. Now we are fully independent of the shore, but we will be interested to see how it effects the gas use. During the day we will still run on the battery while the charger is operating. Even this seems more effective since tidying the wiring.

We crossed the canal and moored free on the opposite bank of the canal.

We had a call from Doug today. He is in Dijon and will join us tomorrow night at Lutzenbourg. As he has a car we have decided not to get next week’s food, but accept his offer and use his car to get to a bigger, cheaper supermarket tomorrow.

Thursday, 27 July

After breakfast we left Saverne via a 5.5-m lock and went the 9-km and 4 locks though a lovely gorge to Lutzenbourg. The weather was mixed and deteriorated as the day wore on. It took 3 hours from 10 am. Late in the day Ian and Tony climbed up to investigate a ruined chateau overlooking the canal. We got come good photos as the sun came out. Doug arrived about 7.30 pm from Dijon via Strasbourg (only 35 minutes compared with our five days!). More wine, a couple of tins of cassoulet, a lot of talk and then to bed.

Friday, 28 July

Another mixed day as far as the weather was concerned. We used Doug’s car to sightsee first with magnificent views from Haut Barr, an old monastery/castle of the Alsace plain. The plain is huge. Behind us the Marne au Rhin Canal snaked its way into the Vosges range on its way to Loraine and Nancy. Then on to a Match supermarket for a F950 shop for groceries, wine and beer. Home for lunch. Doug parked his car by the hire-boat firm, a couple of photos as we passed though one of the most photographed canal views of the lock  in the heart of the town, and it was off to the Arzviller Inclined Plane boat lift.

It is like a large steel bath and rises up about a 45-degree slope, counterbalanced by two large concrete blocks and supported by about 20 heavy steel ropes. Two or three boats enter from the canal at one end; moor lightly as usual and the crews can  stay aboard or wander on the small platform. It takes about 6 minutes to seal the ends of the steel lock and the canal, raise (or lower) it and unseal the ends, so the boats can motor out the other end. It is all watched by crowds of tourists, some of whom pay F45 for a round trip in a sightseeing boat. It seems difficult to justify it just as a lift, but with all the tourism it may be  justified; especially as a demonstration of French pride!         

Then we navigated through two tunnels (2300m and 475 m) before mooring at a quiet spot near Niderviller for the night. A beer, roast chicken and potatoes grilled with cheese and a very pleasant Beaujolais finished a lovely day.

Saturday, 29 July

Yet another mixed bag of weather with cold rain and clear sunshine. Everyone is talking of it. The lady in the boulangerie asked me to send a postcard from NZ as she collects stamps. She is Nicole Bayard, 20 Rue de Gambetta, 57400 SARREBOURG, FRANCE. (Who was Gambetta? There are streets all through France named after him.) (Later. Now I know. He was the leader of France after the 1870 Prussian War who helped France recover her pride)

No locks today. We have only gone 18 km along a 33 km top bief (the top stretch of water of a canal climbing over a hill), But we stopped in Hesse and got a fax full of news from Marjorie, and had four 10 mm holes drilled in some steel for fixing under the deck to fasten the new starboard cleat and complete that job. We were also able to watch a boat similar to, though longer than ours lifted out of the water. (Its hirer had backed into something solid and bent the rudder.) There was only a thin film of slime, and no other growth, except for a little more green at the water line. The mechanic spoke English and said that is was unnecessary to lift a boat on the canals to clean it. Five years or more was OK.

Then we heard a large barge approaching and Ian called out as he saw an Aus flag on the mast. It was Zee Otter, a steel Dutch barge, about 30m long and in lovely condition. Stephen Lavis and Faye Hambour (with Pia) had purchased it from an American and were sailing it for a year from last December. They were also complaining of the weather. It was salubrious inside, two bedrooms and a large lounge. Just like a home.

Then it was a quiet hour along the top of Lorraine to stop for the night near Gondrexange (if you don’t like that try Xouaxange, about 6 km back). This is the first part of Lorraine, which wasn’t German before WW1. It is surrounded by lakes providing summer holiday water activities as well as a reservoir for the canal system both ways. We have time up our sleeves so won’t go too far each day.

Sunday, July 30

A restful day. It dawned cloudy, but cleared as it progressed. We only travelled about 3 hours including a 16 metre deep lock complete with floating bollards, which dropped us off the top bief, and moored at Bataville. This is the home of Bata shoes, with factory houses, shops and all. It reminded us of NZ forestry towns. But the mooring was quiet and peaceful and we shared it with only one boat whose children performed a concert on their top deck in the evening.

Monday, July 31

Another quiet day with brilliant sun; summer is here at last? We have moved on another 20 km and 5 locks to Lagarde where we filled with water and sat in the sun. It appears to have been involved in first world war battles with both French and German cemeteries. We have just moved down the canal to avoid the mooring fee and are waiting for another of Lorna’s lovely meals while we have our pre-dinner drink of cask wine. However we have found our water is tainted with high chlorine content from the Lagarde supply.

Tuesday, August 1

What a beautiful day. Summer is really here. It was over 40 outside but with a low humidity. We stopped under a tree for lunch at a stop near Paroy and lazed and read for three hours before continuing to a halt at Einville (next to Deuxville) au Jard. Note the mixture of German and French influences. Ian, Doug and Tony biked 9 km to Lunéville to see a chateau and garden modelled loosely on Versaille. There was also a church that internally was finished in modern paints and looked very cheerful. We sat outside for dinner and wandered along to a bar for a drink. While we were drinking an aperitif, a thump turned out to be a collision between a gendarmerie van and a tiny brand new two seater car leaving the agent. The young guy was so distressed, more at the horror of it than the moderate damage caused.

But overnight it all changed. Les ourage struck. Continuous thunderstorms for about 6 hours. That will halt the harvest that was in full swing yesterday and today.

Wednesday, August 2

Just a short run today to a small town called Crévic. It was a rest day, washing done and dried ready for Nancy and a lot of reading, with bridge in the evening.

Thursday, August 3,

After a sleep in, we left at 11.30 for Nancy. It’s a big town with work going on all around. We stopped at the supermarket Auchun as we entered town. It is right beside the canal and we stocked up on food as well as bought a few new duvet covers etc. Lorna found a salad spinner and Ian found we could get a satellite receiver and 15 inch TV for only $500. But the rugby is on Canal+ now and we are too mean to pay the sub.

We moored at the Nancy port (FF47 per night), had a short walk around town to get our bearings and after dinner, more bridge.

Friday, August 4

Ian and Lorna both went to a cyber café to read messages. Some are really informative about NZ happenings. Ian resent the journal to those who didn’t get them last time. Tolly and Jasmin, our Aussy contacts are now on the Marne, with some useful tips. The chief scenic event in Nancy is Stanislas Square, built by an ex-king of Poland who became a successful duke in Northern France. The old town is medieval and also impressive. Lorna and Ian looked at the Art Gallery, which was strong on religious painting and Lorraine art, and in the evening we all had a final dinner at a restaurant just off the square in the old town –La Boucherie, with mixed success.

Saturday, August 5

Doug and Tony left, Lorna and Ian took a load to the Laundromat, and after lunch, took our ‘mobile clothesline’ back to the supermarket to re-supply and fill with diesel. A quick check shows that whereas last year, we got 2 km to the litre, this year, travelling slower and down the Rhine rather than up the Rhone, we are now getting 2.5 km to the litre. We spent the night near the port on the side of the canal.

Sunday and Monday, August 6 and 7

We then headed for Toul, but Ian spotted an ideal spot to fix the stern platform next to a VNF base. A working area only 20-cm above the water level. So we stayed there two nights and the boat now has a successful bicycle platform. It was a quiet mooring and free. Lorna started on a sketch; her first since arriving. This mooring was free and close to the old town.

Tuesday, 8 August

Again we set out for Toul. There is another free anchorage in Northern Nancy with supermarket and Hardware supplies close by. We also had a phone call from Marjorie and Bill and caught up on NZ news though we must have been behind a hill as reception wasn’t perfect. We were into larger locks as we first went down into the Moselle and later turned up the river. After two locks we pulled into a lay-by upstream from Liverdun and stayed the night. It was a lovely setting and we met Mary and Allan on Nordland again (the couple we met on the Oise last year and swapped books with. We shared our dinner and talked to nearly midnight.

Wednesday, 9 August

Up at 8 and off for baguettes but it was 11 before we got away. We had a good run up the Moselle in lovely sun past the Marne to Rhine entrance and up a lock to arrive across the road from a supermarket to stock up. It was 3pm before we had lunch and headed back down the last lock to re-enter the Rhine to Marne canal. Then it was sixteen locks up to the Foug tunnel at 7 pm. The first 4 locks were harder because we had to share them with an inexperienced hire boat crew and we decided to stop, and restart after our companion had gone ahead. But they must have had the same idea, stopped and so we continued alone. We stopped here at a tiny, crowded halt by a small town called Pagny sur Meuse and had a pre-prepared lasagne for tea. Lorna was off to bed an hour ago and Ian is ready to follow now.

Thursday, 10 August

We emerged at 9am to find all the boats had gone. Well, the last one was away within 5 minutes. We lazed around, breakfasted, washed the port side of the boat and also the clothes. By 1.30 there were four more boats moored, ready for an early start down the Toul staircase and after lunch we headed north and west on to the Marne a Rhin again, passing several large limestone and cement quarries as we went. 12 km of no locks found us moored in the quiet town of Void-Vacon. Either way it had seen its best! We parked by the VNF and a huge grain silo and watched two commercial and 2 pleasure boats descend into the halt. Great, the locks should be set ready for us to go up in the morning.

Friday, 11 August

A misty start to the day turned clear by 10, by which time we were half way up the series of automatic locks to the summit at Mauberge Tunnel. Allan and Mary had heard of problems at this tunnel as the rules had changed, and until we saw boats coming down yesterday we had thought we might have to make a by-pass.

However it was no problem. Our info (in French of course) indicated that the electric, chain haul boat was no longer operating and that so long as we had no more than 6 passengers, no smoking and no naked lights we could progress ourselves. Our arrival at the tunnel was advised by an infra-red sensor, and 10 minutes later a couple from a VNF van appeared, turned on the lights and authorised us to enter against the red light! 35 minutes later and we were through the 4.8-km (5 metre wide) tunnel. We continued another 2 km, down a lock (Demange aux Eaux) and are now moored in 38-degree heat. Lorna isn’t excited about cooking the chicken legs for dinner tonight.

Saturday, 12 August

A nine o’clock start with automatic locks at lock 13 then we were held for Isis (Christiane and Jean-Pierre form Liege, Belgium) to join us for the next series of manual locks. It was 21 locks in 21 km today, and we were please to finish under a tree across the canal from the port (F50 the night) at about 3 pm at a pretty little town with an Intermarché where we stocked up on food. We can’t store a lot of meat, as the fridge is only cool, not cold.   

 Sunday, 13 August

Isis and we set off about 9 again for another day of 15 manual locks in 16 km and stopped about 2.30 pm at Bar le Duc. This was a duchy with its own duke, and features Sunday concerts in the park – Bob Marley style this week so Ian didn’t stay long. On this hot evening watching the dog’s chase sticks thrown in the water was as much effort as we could muster. The activities of a Danish boat behind puzzled us so we had to investigate. He was in the water, reaching under his bow clearing the plastic that had jammed the bow thruster, a job that was successful after an hour or so. It had got jammed in the Arsenal Marina in Paris.

Monday, 14 August

There was a little cloud today and the temperature only rose to 36 degrees. With lots of water we dropped 25 locks in 28 km. We had some confusion at the beginning of the day as a Dutch barge claimed first right to the eclusier as they were at the lock first. But the eclusier had been booked for Erewhon and Isis. For several locks the eclusier (first a young man and then a young woman as they switched at an upcoming boat) while frantic telephone calls to VNF elicited no help. Eventually another student was found and we all continued, though with some ill feeling towards the Dutch skipper who hadn’t booked his time properly and fouled up the system; as well as to the VNF management for not putting him in his place or informing us.

In the end we stopped the night at Pargny sur Saulx, a nice halt with power and water free, which accounts for the lack of space at the inn! We pulled into the rushes and ran a line to Isis who ran one to the boat in front. The poor ratepayers! Some of the boats stayed for a week! The local éclusier was upset.

Tuesday, 15 August

We were due to leave at 10 am with Isis and at 9:45 Ian glanced up at the lock behind us, to see a large barge descending. He alerted Jean-Pierre and we pulled up our moorings, cut power and took off for the next lock à tout vitesse, hoping our éclusier would be waiting. All was well and we got a good start for the 4-hour trip (19 km and 7 locks) to Vitry le Francois.

Vitry le Francois is a shallow port, free with electricity and water and pontoon moorings. We walked the town but it was closed for Assumption Day holiday. Michael rang and confirmed his plan to come to Epinal on 19 Aug, but only to Tuesday 22.

We had drinks etc with J-P and Christianne from Isis. A pleasant evening. Lorna’s great niece Alison and Adam rang this evening – they will get a train to Chalon sur Marne to meet us on Thursday. Great news.

Wednesday, 16 August

Ian spent a couple of hours searching for 32 mm alkathene type pipe to fix to the new rear tray for protection. He was eventually successful. We pumped the tainted water all out and refilled with Vitry water. We also topped up the spare water bottles in case – just as well as the tank water is still tainted!

At Vitry we met Jim and Ann Beaton. An English couple who had lived in NZ (Auckland) for 30 or so years, and now lived on Vrijheid a moderate sized Dutch barge. We also stopped about 3 km from Vitry to talk for half an hour with Jeff and Lorna Steer (96 Hare St, Albany West Australia on their ex hire boat SovkaNord named after their Aussie yacht Sovka. This is their first year and they love it.

About 1.30 we left Vitry for Chalon. The locks are automatically operated by twisting a stick hanging from a wire over the canal. But as a result of our talking, we got caught behind a second peniche which we were unable to pass with enough time to clear the next lock before he arrived.  So we ended one lock short of Chalon at 7.30pm when the canal shut.

After a beer with a sympathetic local who wanted to know about our engines etc, and who, with his smelly socks was slow in taking the hint we wanted to get our dinner. We slept with the mozzie net.

Thursday, 17 August

Panic. The phone went. We were in bed under the mozzie net and the phone was in the saloon on the charger.  But Lorna made it before to message woman.  Alison and Adam would be in Chalon at 12.15. It took 45 minutes to get to Chalon and moor at a lovely spot just above the lock.  We tidied up and walked to the station to meet them.  Chalon is lovely with an 11^th century church with lovely 16^th century stained glass.

We left Chalon about 4pm and cruised steadily with the string of peniches and stopped for the night at the junction at Condé. Again we had a problem with the mozzies – should we shut the windows and get heated in the 30 degree temperature or get bitten. We eventually opened them and after dark they weren’t so bad.

Friday, 18 August

We moved along the canal to the quay at Condé and all walked around the lovely old village with its 11^th century church to buy bread from a van which called on the town a 9.00 whilst the boulangerie is on annual holidays.

Then on, into Champagne country (growing on the limestone hills) and its towns with local vintners, down the last lock of the Marne canal into the river and back 4 km to Epinal. We moored on the canal side below the bridge, rather than pay $40 per night at the Yacht Club. After lunch we took the little train trip to get a feel of the town and had a tasting at the Information centre of a glass each from two caves, one of which gave a good discussion on the wines. However their wine wasn’t available at the supermarket, so that evening we celebrated our visit to Champagne and Alison and Adam’s last night with a bottle from the other one. Not too expensive at F96 ($32) and a brut Nicholas Feuillatte co-operative vintage we all congratulated ourselves on our choice. It is 20% chardonnay, and 40% each pinot noir and pinot meunier.

What a thunderstorm tonight. One during our dinner and again after we had gone to bed. So we didn’t sit and watch.

Saturday, 19 August

We biked along to see what we had missed by mooring where we were, and also looked into a brocante for a small washer or dryer, without success. Then after lunch Ian met Michael who had spent Friday working in Paris and is staying until Tuesday. They both did a short cycle tour of the town while the others packed to catch a 4.36pm train to Paris and bus to London and Manchester. Then Lorna, Ian and Michael did the Castellane Company tour and sampling. We bought some wine that we again enjoyed for dinner. However before dinner we moved down river half an hour to Cumières, a Champagne village with a free pontoon and electricity. Just before bed we all sat at the back of the boat and watched the approach of a thunderstorm. The lightening streaks both horizontal and vertical and the sheet flashes reflecting on the water, held us engrossed for quarter of an hour until the rain drove us in. We still don’t know the score for SA V All Blacks played the afternoon!

Sunday, 20 August

We slept in until after nine and after a poor baguette for breakfast we set of for Chateau Thierry in light drizzle that cleared in the after noon. The locks are larger and manual, the traffic minimal. At one of the locks we had some trouble holding the tail against the current as we waited and ended up looking as if we were trying to enter sideways. Most unprofessional and we discussed ways of avoiding the problem – fixing the ropes to the stern, rather than mid-ships, in similar conditions. It was a 5-hour day and we had some problems finding a good mooring. In the end we ignored a no parking sign beside a low bank.

Doug (who had been with us to Nancy) rang and we invited him over for dinner. It was a 50 km trip through a very heavy thunderstorm, but we enjoyed the evening and Michael especially enjoyed hearing of computer systems of the 70’s. The storm raged about two hours with heavy rain, but little wind.

Monday, 21 August

We had a long day ahead to get to Meaux where Michael will catch the train tomorrow. The river was a little swollen, and also we had fog for the first hour so the pilot had to keep her head above the windshield. The day cleared as we progressed. We became aware that this was both a First and Second World War battle field with memorials in many towns of battle losses. The Marne had been the front line for 4 years in WW1 and in WW2 the Americans had progressed against strong opposition.

We arrived in Meaux about 5.30 pm with a clear sky after travelling 85 km and half a dozen locks in 8 hours. The current had assisted our speed and fuel economy. We made a quick inspection of Meaux and Michael took us to dinner at a Maitre Kanter Restaurant (an Alsace brewery chain). It was a pleasant environment to eat in, and we all enjoyed the meal.

Tuesday, 22 August

We got talking to our fellow travellers at the mooring. It is a new port, with floating pontoons projecting out into the river, and was difficult to berth slowly at, especially with the water running high. But it had water and electricity and was free. First two Brits on Sparks who had lived in NZ for 5-7 years, the Gerhardt and Melisse Kuhlmann on Skua

who had lived at Russell and Maungatawhere for 9 & 7 years. Then today, Val and Roland O’Driscoll from Auckland arrived on Déese, their Dutch launch.. Drinks in the evening were interesting.

Michael caught a train to Paris and London and we did a double wash at the laundrette.

Wednesday, 23 August

The summer has definitely returned, and today we 6 hours down the canals and river to Joinville. We got a couple of 20 litre oil drums for carrying diesel from the first lock, and Ian used them a few km later to get 60 litres from a canal side Total service station, though the price was a bit dearer than supermarket ranges. We looked for the free mooring that Jean Pierre had recommended, but in the end fastened to a fishing walkway in behind Skua opposite the Port de Joinville, which seemed to be full. Later we did see Isis moored in the lee of Ile Fanac. So another late night as we solved the problems of the world.

Thursday, 24 August

A beautiful day. We spent the morning washing clothes, cleaning the boat ready for guests in the weekend and tidying the mooring. As we were leaving the boat Ian used the anchor chain and a padlock to secure the boat. We also had a complaint from a fisherman that we shouldn’t be moored to the timber walkway – it was for them! But there was no no-parking notice. Then it was on to an RER and train to Lois and Philippe’s at Marly le Roi. With a little confusion about our tickets, it took over 3 hours. But here we are and ready to send out the latest of the journal.

Friday, 25 August

We slept well in beds for the night! After more talk with Lois and Erika, and final planning for dinner on board Erewhon on Saturday evening, we caught the trains back to Joinville, where we received phone calls from our tenant and our next guests to discuss their arrival. Then a shout of disgust from a couple of fishermen arriving to fish and brandishing their permits. We decided it was time to move a little closer to Paris Arsenal. So here we are tonight above St Maurice Lock, on a pontoon halte de plaisance only 6-km and 1 lock away. We also finished another couple of tasks. The rear platform now has a protection of 30 mm plastic water pipe. And it has been sanded and varnished, so it looks finished at last. And Lorna worked away at removing grubby hand marks. We were ready for our dinner when the sun set at 8.30! It’s getting earlier.

Saturday, 25 August

After a search by bicycle for bread, lettuce and tomatoes and breakfast we set out for Paris Arsenal. We locked up into the marina about 11.30 and were given a mooring alongside a French launch. The owner was only around during the day. This was the first time we had had to moor alongside a boat and we don’t have the nice large fenders that others do, but our neighbour was well supplied. Also in port was a fleet of British boats, touring with Motor Boat World cruising club. So it was full. Stewart and Allison arrived with their reli’s a short time later and after lunch we took a tube to La Defence to look at the architecture as well as buy supplies from Auchun, the huge supermarket (35 checkouts on each of two floors) there. We were joined by Lois, Philippe, Erika, Dominique, Frank and Paula for a roast chicken meal on board in the evening.

Sunday, 26 August

Sightseeing. Stewart and Allison to the Louvre and Ian & Lorna to a huge antique market just outside Porte Cligancourt.. Some were covered by a huge warehouses and others on tiny footpaths. We bought nothing but a few souvenirs for Christmas presents.

Monday, 27 August

After some organisational matters, paying the bill at Arsenal (FF328 for 2 days) we locked out about 11.30, had a brief look at Notre Dame and headed upstream. With the current against us we were only making about 8 kph even with higher revs. And the large locks are quite slow and average about half an hour each. We arrived at one that was made ready, but we weren’t allowed in immediately. We looked astern to see a peniche arriving, then a hotel barge and finally a doubled up peniche. We have least priority and thought we may not have room. But there was plenty for us at the back. Another peniche could have got in!

We had lunch on the move and after 30 km and three locks we stopped for the night along with a couple of Dutch boats on the end of the waiting mooring for the last (Evry) lock. By the time the sun went down we also had a pair of peniches behind us (they had arrived lashed side to side and at the mooring were shifted to end to end lashing) and four others above us. They may disturb us somewhat in the morning, but it is good to have the company.

Tuesday, 29 August

A bit of trouble finding bread this morning. Ian had planned on an épisserie (grocers) but it was Tuesday so it was closed. But the bar next door redirected him to a baker’s. We left at 10 am and had lunch in a lovely setting amongst upmarket houses (Parisian well-off owners) in the sun and rested awhile. Then on to Melun, where last year we had had to shift from next to the prison! More experienced this year we anchored a little further downstream, including the anchor chain through a ring for security with no other boats immediately around. After a walk around the town centre we had dinner at the same restaurant we had enjoyed last year, in the central place. We like Melun – 100,000 residents, but a human scale.

Wednesday, 30 August

The chain was unnecessary, but the traffic had been busy all night, disturbing some but not all of us. Another nice day with some cloud. Lorna and Ian rode to the supermarket for wine etc, and Allison and Stewart wandered the town. After lunch we cruised for 2 ½ hours up one lock and 16 km to Samoir sur Seine. While Stewart and Allison looked at the town, Lorna rested and Ian assembled the bike trailer he had prefabricated in NZ. Three oil cans fit it well, and we will try it out on Fri or Sat at Moret. The mooring gets some protection behind an island, but two meeting barges rushing to get their last lock did shake us a bit. We were grateful for the two tyres we had acquired last month, as we are alongside a sloping wall.

Thursday, 31 August

A gentle day. After breakfast we motored to the other side of the river to Héricy (the local hairdresser was called Hair-ici) and after a short walk, sunned ourselves and read and filled a plastic container with soil for the herbs. About 2 pm we headed upstream to Champagne Lock where we moored above the entrance to a little used smaller lock. The town had a hard rubbish collection and we selected some timber and rejected some bicycle parts. It was a lovely evening as we ate our usual good catering watching the action of late evening commercial craft passing through.

Friday, 1 September

We left about 10 am and had lunch in the lock at Moret before mooring above the lock. After supermarket shopping with the bike trailer for return carriage, Stewart and Allison had a short investigation of Moret, which confirmed it was a beautiful town. Ian transported two loads of 68 litres of diesel in the new trailer which was a great success except that it vibrated itself to pieces (the gutter bolts came undone) and an attack of speed wobbles when empty had a similar effect to a snaking trailer! However a minor problem arose when Ian dropped the diesel cap into the tide (2 metres deep and with a soft muddy bottom as we found out later). Ian now admits to being over 60!  Diving was hard work and unsuccessful, so sticky tape was put in place for the meantime. In hindsight we should have used the boat hook as a means of getting and staying down.

Saturday, 2 September

Ian found a galvanised plug for the diesel after some cycling around the district. Stewart and Allison inspected the town and Lorna checked out the evenings ‘son et lumière’. In the afternoon Helen who we had met last year brought her daughter around and we took a short boat trip down the lock to St Mammes and filled with water, returning to the same mooring for the night. After washing up Lorna, Allison and Stewart went off to see the show.

Sunday, 3 September

Lorna spent 2 hours to get our laundry done, as the machine issuing jetons for putting in the machines was empty. However we got away after lunch as the lock reopened at 1.00. Roland and Val O’Driscall cycled by as we were locking down and we had a catch-up from Meaux. Straight past St Mammes and Montereaux and we moored at a nice place (Misy sur Yonne) for the night. We are making a habit of fastening the anchor chain whilst on the rivers, just in case a loony idiot thinks its fun to let us loose. It works well and is easy to do.

We arrived just as a craft and dog show was finishing. We did have time to look around, but bought nothing. The dogs did all sorts of tests and some pulled lovely little carts.

Monday, 4 September

A lovely clear start to the morning, but cloud appeared as the day progressed, and the wind was cool, even if the temperature was in the mid 20’s. It was 3 km each way for baguettes but a lovely bike ride to start the day.

A late breakfast meant a 10.30 start, lunch at Courbon sur Yonne, a walk and ice cream at Pont sur Yonne (which had its beautiful stone arched bridge replaced in the 1950’s with a more modern structure to make it easier for larger boats to navigate).

The locks on the Yonne have sloping walls and we appreciated having the tyres, which hang below the water-line to protect the boat. But generally we had no problems. In three locks they assisted the pleasure boats by installing floating pontoons in a corner.

Now we are moored on the town riverfront in the lovely town of Sens and tomorrow we will look at some more of the sights.

Tuesday, 5 September

Stewart and Allison visited the Cathedral’s magnificent museum where in addition to the usual exhibits, which had us looking up Thomas Beckett in the encyclopaedia, they were fascinated by an exhibition of painted potatoes (it was 10 years old, but still got their interest). Lorna and Ian filled the larder at Intermarché and had a quick walk around the town to reinforce their memory of the town. Then after 2pm we headed for Villeneuve sur Yonne where we moored on the riverside, 100 metres downstream from the bridge, where we found a post with free electricity available. This is a smaller town, but its historic main street and a fascinating presentation of the 800 year old church by two elderly male enthusiasts who even offered the loan of binoculars to view the details of wood carvings of the first king and queen who looked down on the congregations from the highest ridge. We also inspected a presentation of uniforms etc of the gendarmerie in the old gate to Joigny. A bit of luck! It was unlikely that Ian’s bicycle front tyre would have lasted the week. The tube was exposed in several splits, and he was able to buy a new one after trying both NZ and a number of French shops.

Wednesday, 6 September

We slept in this morning and left about 10.30. The weather was cooler with a few skiffs of showers. But we had lunch ashore on a nice picnic spot near Cézy before continuing up the locks to Joigny. In this town it is easy to picture life hundreds of years ago. The narrow streets (many only a few feet wide) which wind up the hill are enclosed by 400 year old half-timbered buildings. At the top of the hill is a lovely old church which was built three times and is adjacent to an old chateau which has had FF20 million spent on it over the last decade, and we reckon will take at least as much to complete its renovation. At present you can wander through it free and look at an exhibition of its history as well as that of the town. The light drizzle did little to dampen our enthusiasm for this stop. And a lovely steak and kidney stew with a reasonable Bordeaux was a nice finish to the day. The gentle breeze down the river is rocking the boat a little just to remind us where we live.

Thursday, September 07, 2000

We left Joigny about 10.30 after good intentions of an early start. Joigny was magic. We had a quiet trip up the Yonne with an hour and a half’s break for lunch at Laroche-Migenne with Joe Parfitt and Margaret Todd who had repaired our boat last year. We stopped the night on a millpond at Gurgy and had some wine and Pastis while we watched the largish fish swimming under the boat and fed the swans. We had a mediocre dinner at a local restaurant before retiring with a bit more wine inside that assisted sleep, even though the mooring was so quiet.

Friday, September 8, 2000

A beautiful day. It started clear and cool and ended with lovely mild temperatures. We are now in Auxerre, an old city with three huge churches dominating the skyline. I have never seen so many half-timbered houses! It’s a lovely town. We have been worried for 3 days since we heard that drivers and farmers were boycotting refineries and diesel supplies are drying up. But at considerable cost (FF6.99 when last week I paid FF5.55 per litre) we now have a full tank; enough for 4 weeks of more. Alison and Stewart had their last dinner and leave tomorrow when Ann and Neil arrive. We heard from Neil last night and they were worried that they might get caught up in the farmer’s action at the chunnel exit, but we think they will be here.

Saturday, 9 September

The weather is beautiful – the best since we have arrived. Auxerre is a lovely town with three large churches including the cathedral, which dominates the view from the river. Stewart and Allison left in a taxi for the station and Ann and Neil walked from their hotel for lunch. Lorna sat watching the washing at a Laundromat for an hour or more and we did the big shop for the week at Leclerc's.

About 3.30 we started on the Nivernais canal as it’s called from Auxerre. From the start it has been beautiful. From time to time the river is the canal, then we leave it through a lock, meet it again above a weir and so on. The river sections are almost small lakes from time to time. After passing a water skiing regatta, a model aircraft regatta and a model car-racing track we moored for the night on a pontoon in the town of Vaux. We were awakened about 10.30pm with yet another fireworks display!

Sunday, 10 September

The glorious weather continues. We stopped at a halt at Bailly and bought a bottle of sauvignon at a caveau. 4 hectares underground. We also unfortunately filled with water, but it has a high chlorine content so we are back to drinking water from bottles, which we refill as we go. We got to Vermenton about 3.45 and sat in the sun watching other boats look for moorings. We helped a hire boat with 8 Nzers find a mooring and set up two fishing rods. Neil tried one just before dinner and darkness and within a couple of minutes had a catch – a 10-inch fish that of course we threw back! Not enough for a meal for 4.

During the day Neil had problems with an eye which nurse Lorna recommended be looked at Auxerre hospital. Tomorrow Ian and Neil will take the morning train – Ian will collect mail from Poste Restante.

Monday, 11 September

After a misty start, the sun shone all day. Neil’s eye required laser treatment around a hole in his retina to prevent its total detachment. We returned to Vermenton about 3.00pm and left shortly after for a 3-hour passage to Mailly le Ville, assisting the lock keepers in the hot evening. We had a run of locks against us, as a pair of boats was ahead of us. We could get bread in the morning! Neil fixed up a second line, but our fishing tonight was unsuccessful.

Tuesday, 12 September

Early this morning (well about 9 am) a hot air balloon came over the hill, down almost to the water, then drifted away to the nor’ west where the passengers were landed to return to the hotel boat moored just upstream from us.

An hour after leaving Mailly le Ville we stopped at Mailly le Chateau and climbed up the cliff on a steep path for a marvellous view over the Yonne valley and a walk through the village which was shut for lunch (except for the 900 year old church). Then it was 3 hours on to Coulanges sur Yonne where the mooring looked as though its developer had gone broke. But it was free, with good quality water, so we pumped the tank dry of the chlorine flavoured stuff we had filled with at Bailly. About an hour before C-s-Y we passed a magnificent chateau and farm sheds called Chatel-Censoir.

We had a moderate thunderstorm, with rain forecast for tomorrow.

Wednesday, 13 September

Just a three-hour journey today and the locks were mostly in our favour. There was no éclusier at one and we had to do our own work. Clamency is lovely. Not very big, a number of rivers, locks and streams, and dozens of half timbered houses. Unfortunately we had locked our cell phone by entering the wrong pin three times – a stupid mistake by both of us! We were expecting Frank and Jan to ring so I spent three hours trying to get SFR to unlock it, eventually after using a full FF96 Telecom card we had it going again.

We enjoyed a lovely evening dining at one of the town’s many restaurants. With only 11 customers, a waitress, receptionist and a chef to pay, if not a scullery assistant it is easy to see why dining out is not as cheap as it was. However, the meal was excellent.

Thursday, 14 September

Ian checked the cellular secretary and got several messages from Frank and Jan, but couldn’t get a reply to his call to the given number. But at least we know when they will arrive, even if they don’t know whether we will be waiting.

It really is a lovely canal. Today we left Clemency, had lunch at Villiers and are now opposite the Crown Blue line base at Tannay. We have passed two bridges that have had to be lifted and negotiated a double lock lifting us 4.5 metres.

Friday, 15 September

The locks are slowly getting closer, and a few more bridges as well. We travelled in convoy with a couple of other boats; both with English crews and arrived at Chitry les Mines about 2 pm. The weather was OK but cooler. We organised a taxi for Ann and Neil to get to the train at Clemency and Ian checked out Corbigny to find an ATAC supermarket and the bus terminal to meet Frank and Jan tomorrow. The port is operated by Ted Johnson, who wholesales Leyland engine parts and other chandlery as well as contracting to Rive de France. We arranged for the delivery of baguettes tomorrow and finished off the wine with a lovely turkey pieces meal.

Saturday, 16 September

We were up at 7.30 to get ready for Ann and Neil’s departure at 9.15, then spent the day washing, boat cleaning etc until about 2.30 when we biked up the 3 km gentle hill to Corbigny to do a supermarket shop and meet Frank and Jan. Jan and Lorna brought the food back in a taxi – only FF30 for the3 km – and Ian and Frank freewheeled the bike back down he hill. There was lots of talking and sampling of the 5-litre chateau cardboard from Bordeaux (which was FF96 in comparison with FF32 for a cube of Vin d 'Aude, but tasted like bottled Bordeaux).

Ian also went off with Ted Johnson and bought a new polyester braided rope for working the locks and received a ½ inch tap fitting to add to his collection to use to fill the water tank, and a Leyland engine parts manual and workshop manual at the best possible price!

Sunday, 17 September,

Off with a new crew! After the fog lifted it was a lovely day and we cruised through 11 locks to Sardy les Epiry, notable for its tabac as a source of bread as well as the usual bar, stamps and ice cream.

Monday, 18 September

Sardy is also the start of a flight of 16 locks in 3 km. It was a beautiful day, and beautiful setting and with travelling lock keepers who rotated their duties and a pleasant 1.5 hour lunch break half way up we reached the top about 3 pm after a 3 hour trip. Then another half-hour took us along the top bief, through three tunnels and past a large recreational lake to Baye, where we planned to stop the night. But on finding the baker was three locks down, we began our descent and tonight we have stuck our picks in, on the side of a canal, looking back on a beautiful lock garden 300 metres from Bazolles. But the canal has no fish!

Tuesday, 19 September

The weather started fine, but in the afternoon deteriorated to rain in the evening, by which time we were successfully moored, shopped and relaxing in the cabin.

All of us walked to town to get the bread, as we wanted to phone NZ. We enjoyed the news from Marjorie and Bill with a bonus of talking to Karen and wee Sarah. As our weather gets cooler, NZ is improving.

We started with a triple lock and then a double lock to drop us twelve metres, after which we had a lock about every 2 km. It is still green and beautiful, though more open country, with regular meetings of hire boats and the occasional private boat or barge. The locks are open April to November 8 – 12 am and 1 to 7 pm. We ate our lunch in glorious sunshine wile waiting for the lock to open after lunch, but our evening drinks including a FF9.80 (NZ$5.40 for 1.5 litres) trial which wasn’t too bad were taken in the rain. We were joined by K(C?)atherine and Hugh a couple of business training material publishers from Cambridge and off a hire boat. Lorna’s roast chicken followed by beautifully ripe pears and coffee laced with Baileys were scrumptious.

Wednesday, 20 September

It was a cooler day today. When the sun shone it warmed, but the breeze was cool. The day was much as yesterday, though we enjoyed a walk through this deserted town (Pannecot), which has a number of newer houses for the view over huge areas of France opening ahead of us as we approach the Loire valley. A little more rain this evening, but we would have liked to have shown Frank and Jan a good thunderstorm!

Thursday, 21 September, 2000

We left Pannecot on a lovely clear morning, after a Meusli and toast meal. We stopped in Cercy la Tour for lunch (and planned to say the night). We enjoyed a walk around town, sent off some emails and decided that we wanted to be closer to Decize to go to tomorrow’s market. So tonight we moored, along with about eight other boats, at Champvert, whose only claim to fame is a boulangerie and a twisted church tower!

Friday, 22 September

The entry into Decize is via a stretch of the Loire River. Today as we approached the jetty we saw a stranded Crown Blue Line boat and tried unsuccessfully, to pull it off the sandbank. When a boat from their base arrived we joined the crowd watching their embarrassment and eventually freedom.

We bought veggies at the market, but little else. During the afternoon Ian and Frank reduced the height of the bike trailer so it would fit under the lazarette (there’s a new name for you – it’s the hatch at the rear of the boat). They also fitted the second amidships cleat with screws. If it pulls out, it will have to be done properly with bolts and plates!

Then we went back up the Nivernais one lock to go to the railway station to organise Frank and Jan’s next section of their holiday, to Switzerland, and then to the supermarket for food. We ran out of time to fill with diesel, so returned to the Decize mooring.

We looked all through town (well centre ville) for a restaurant and in the end settled for a pleasant Italian restaurant with meals cooked with a French flavour.

Saturday, 23 September

A relaxing day. Frank and Jan tidied up their arrangements and we pottered around. We found several French restaurants on the other side of the river, but too late.

Sunday, 24 September

Our slumber was somewhat disturbed by the beat from a nearby bar until 1.00am, but it was all good tempered. We left the mooring at 9.30, were held up a few minutes at the first lock as there was a referendum on extending the President’s term, so work didn’t start till 10am. Then we tried to fill with diesel but for the same reason there was no cashier at the supermarket pump. However with three weeks fuel we gave up and cruised on a lovely day to Beaulon, where we moored with free water and electricity for the night.

Monday, 25 September

It’s Lundi (Monday) so the baker was shut. So was the one in Dampiere (as were the two supermarkets) where we stopped for lunch, but fortunately a bar owner sold us a lump of bread. The town was on a canal spur and we went the extra distance on the recommendation of our guide, but also to get bread. Disappointment on both counts. We called into a recommended abbey, but apart from buying some jam and honey, we saw little, except the realisation as to its large area. We continued on yet another beautiful autumn day to Pierrefitte where we inspected a lovely old town (post 16^th C) with a huge number of large trucks (camions) passing through its narrow main street. Yes the shops are open and tomorrow too.

Tonight we all had a FF70 (plus FF10 for a better sweet) meal at a Restaurant de Port, along with a couple of bottles of red. Most enjoyable – a meatball in a good sauce can be delicious.

Tuesday, September 26

This town’s baker is closed Wednesdays, so should have been open. However on arrival, it was shut for conges (annual leave). However, the bar/grocer’s shop next door was operating a temporary depot de pain. It was a short day’s travel to Digoin (pronounced with a hard g). Approaching the town the canal crossed the Loire on a 283 metre x 11m wide aqueduct built in 1834-7. When the German’s took Alsace-Lorraine in 1870 after the Prussian War, the owners of the potteries in Sarrequemines established the Sarrequemines Pottery in Digoin where they still make fine porcelain and pottery as well as toilet pans etc. We were escorted around a museum of Roman to modern pottery in an old three-storey house, which we also found interesting. Then, walking back to the boat carrying a few groceries we called into yet another electrical shop and asked for a small spin drier. For once we got a yes and are now the proud owners of our first item of electric powered whitewear. It only uses 300w so will run on the inverter.

The aqueduct was beautiful for an after dark stroll, but during the night we had a brief thunderstorm which we had seen from the viaduct earlier.

Wednesday, September 27, 2000

Digoin to Parey le Monial was a quick trip and we stopped for lunch opposite an Intermarché waiting for it to open so we could fill up with expensive diesel. We also saw a wind-out veranda shelter, which would suit the boat, but it was too big. But they are out there! Then on to the port, where we were asked for payment, so decided to only stay temporarily! But the town’s Basilica was an amazing building. The town’s tourism is dominated by St Margarite-Marie’s visions and these are also recognised in the Basilica as well as the church. Tonight we are moored within cycling distance for bread in the morning, but on a quiet reach of the canal, away from the busy road.

Thursday, 28 September, 2000

We left our mooring as planned at 9.30am but were held for a few minutes for a Swedish boat to enter behind us. About two locks later we found a hire boat waiting for us and all three of us locked together for the rest of the day. We heard later that there was such a water shortage on this canal that it was to close on 9 Oct until or unless rain fell sufficiently to maintain its levels. So there is a higher pressure than normal to conserve water by sharing locks. Although cloudy, it was a warm day and ended with steady rain in the evening. We travelled all the way to Montceau Les Mines (8 hours) to give us a clear day before Frank and Jan go on Saturday. We got high on Joe Fingers Webster and a few glasses of cheap red. A great evening.

Friday, 29 September, 00

Thank goodness we came all the way yesterday. Locking in rain isn’t a lot of fun! But we have organised our winter mooring. The annual charge here is FF1179 (calendar year) plus FF190 each for Nov & Dec. Last year’s was over FF4000 and at the only one in the south with vacancies it is FF2591 plus 3 months at FF880. We will book earlier next year. So assuming we can re-enter the canal in October we will moor here.

We lazed about today, topped up at the Leclerc Hypermarket and inspected some potential shops. It has drizzled all day so that should help the water level. And we aren’t complaining. We haven’t seen much rain since Champagne 6 weeks ago.

So its champagne and roast chicken tonight as a farewell for Frank and Jan on the 7.15 am train tomorrow.

Saturday, 30 September, 00

It was up at 6, breakfast and the 7.15 train for Frank and Jan. Then bread from the market, and at 8.30 we headed for our first lock with a Swedish yacht, which locked all day with us. They waited while we filled our diesel containers with 75 litres at a canal-side Leclerc supermarket. We struggled a bit at the second and third locks as we adjusted to the second boat having to enter against a red light and the lack of bollards. This is a common problem as the locks were originally designed for peniches, which filled the lock. But now-a-days there are often two and sometimes three pleasure boats in a lock, and the front boat is tossed around by the current when the water is rushing in with a rising lock. After 6 locks we reached the top pound, where we stopped for lunch before attacking a string of close locks. As usual, going down was easy, except for a mistake by us compounded by a design fault. It is good practice not to fasten the bollard rope back around the boat cleat, but rather to hold it in the hand to pull it in or play it out as required. However with some deep locks they have floating bollards that fall with the water and it is a common practice to lightly fasten to the cleat in this circumstance. In this case, the bollard stopped lowering 40 cm before the boat stopped falling and Ian didn’t notice this immediately, by which time the rope had jammed. Yells for a knife to cut the rope before it pulled our recently installed cleat out with considerable damage for the deck! Fortunately the rope snapped under the strain and the boat fell 30 cm with no damage except to the rope, which is now a metre shorter.

We stopped after 9 hours locking through 27 locks for the day, well ready for dinner and bed. But we love the small port here at St Léger sur Dheune and at FF7 a day it is only slightly dearer than Monceau les Mines, but feels much more secure. It has some long-term tenants including Valerie and Gwyneth, two retired teachers from Melbourne who own Dependencie a small Dutch Barge and who were very helpful with advice.

Sunday, 1 October, 00

We stayed a second night after cycling around the town and drinks on board Riverdance with its Texan owners, Ferdi and Judy Trebar and also Oregon owners of another Dutch Barge, Robert and Anna Jamieson who we first met at St Symphorien and have seen several times since Decise. Joanne rang this evening. She will be 38 tomorrow, but will be out in the evening teaching one of her evening classes.

Monday, 2 October, 00

Happy birthday Jo. We were the last to leave St Léger today after a walk around the material suppliers and a talk to Valerie and Gwynneth. Then after a quick lunch we headed up four more locks in 1-½ hours to a small halt with no facilities except bollards and walked through the town of Santenay. After inspecting the exterior of a chateau, built in stages since the 9^th century, we sampled some wine at a local distribution merchant and bought 6 each of Bourgogne Aligote and Pinot Noir for next season!

We are starting to run down our stocks and tonight had one of our emergency dishes; a lasagne sealed ready to heat and eat.

Tuesday, 3 October, 2000

Its getting colder and we go to bed earlier and read; then sleep in, in the morning until the sun is up, after 8.30 or 9 am. This morning after our baguette breakfast, as it was a clear morning we did two loads of washing in our hand machine, spinning it dry after each wash and rinse in the new spin-dryer, running off the battery power and inverter. It was easier, quicker and made a much better job than the old hand wringing. And at the end the battery had hardly changed its voltage.

We left Santenay after lunch as it was clouding over and about an hour later moored in Chauny port. Ian took to his bike and explored the town; a railway junction, manufacturing centre, surrounding a charming older city centre. By evening, there were about 10 boats moored in the port. Tomorrow we plan to go by train to nearby Beaune. 

Wednesday, October 04, 2000

We enjoyed Beaune, but before going did another two loads of washing. We claimed our 60+ discount of 25% for the rail ticket and travelled on the 2 carriage TER unit for 12 minutes. The old town was about 1 km from the station. The old Cathedral was magnificent, especially the old Flemish tapestry telling a story of Mary’s life. Then we went through the Hotel de Dieu, the 15^th century hospital built to care for the sick and wounded near the end of the 100 years war against the French and the English. It was interesting to read of the impact on the whole of Bourgogne that such a construction had. Its construction created jobs, income and wealth for the whole region. It was a magnificent construction. Beautifully built, and furnished royally for ordinary people who were sick and wounded. And the Dijon tiled roof was spectacular.

Beaune’s other feature is its position as the centre of Burgundy wines. All around town were cellars and dégustion offers (though usually for a fee). And amid it all was a small cellar offering wines from the South Pacific (all NZ!). Not a lot of well known vineyards, but especially including sauvignon blancs and chardonays.

Thursday, October 5, 2000

Today we moved on beneath an overcast sky to just above the last 11-metre lock before the Saone. There was a quiet, secure mooring so we stayed over night. The canal falls steadily as it crosses the Saone plain to the river. A bit of an awakening was to see the price of diesel at Leclerc’s about 2 km before the lock. At FF5.59 it was 50c cheaper than Chauny and 70c than at Paray la Monial where we last topped up! With changing prices it is difficult to distinguish between regional changes and the changing national price level.

Friday, October 6, 2000

We decided to go on to Chalon in the afternoon and were advised a boat would be coming down about 3pm who would share the lock with us. So after lunch with a gentle sun Ian painted the cabin roof. He will have to get more paint to finish the walkway along the side of the boat and repaint the cockpit floor. A smooth trip down the lock and 1 km to the river, which was flowing gently across its 200 – 300 metre width. We were looking for a free mooring we had been told of. The city wall looked most unappealing, we turned into a secondary stream on the far bank and tied up at the port to find out what we could. Mooring in the port is FF108 the first night and thereafter FF78 the night. But on prompting we were directed to a pontoon just upstream from the port, which had no water or electricity, but was free! We checked out that we can change our Avis booking for pickup from Nimes to Chalon (or any other depot we choose) so long as we give sufficient notice. It was a cool evening, so after dinner we retired early to read!

Saturday, 7 October, 00

It was cold this morning but a clear day dawned, so we stayed in bed till 8.30 and started the engine for hot water for showers. Later Ian searched the town for availability of Melomine for shelves and unsuccessfully for more paint. Ray and Ann arrived from Avignon about 3pm and we used their rental car to do a shop at Carrefoire supermarket. The cabin is much warmer with 4 in it.

It was as well we hadn’t moored on the river as by now the 200 metre long Mistral was moored on that bank!

After thinking of a month of cool mornings in Burgundy, Ian rang Crown Blue in St Gilles to ask Vaughan for assistance in finding a southern mooring. He has suggested Lattes, near Montpellier and we have rung and requested a place and a price. We haven’t had a reply yet so will probably have to wait until Monday. But we have hope.

Sunday, 8 October, 00

A crisp clear morning which didn’t encourage early rising. But there were three fishermen on the jetty when we emerged. We had a walk through the produce market, which was strung through a number of streets and bought a few extras for the pantry. Then after lunch we set out for Tournus with a slight 0.7 – 1.3 km current in our favour. We moored at 5pm and apart from a short exploration by Ian, everyone was happy to read.

Monday, 9 October, 00

Like all of the other towns on the Saone we had steamed passed this town last year. It has a free mooring for two days with electricity and water. The main tourist feature is the Abbey, about 1000 years old, in good condition though under repair at the moment and fully open to the public as there are no monks now. The old town itself was nice too and we found an internet connection for sending and reading email.

When we came back to the boat we saw a 12m yacht, Wild Bird with an NZ flag at the pontoon. We spent a couple of hours chatting with Colin, Marion, Wendy and Rita Lowe from Whangarei and Tauranga who are happily cruising the world, having left NZ 3 years ago. They spent last winter in Ipswich, Essex, both working as teachers.

Tuesday, 10 October, 00

We had strong winds last night and the day has been cooler though fine enough to do a load of washing. We left Tournus about 10 am and cruised to Macon which was disappointing. We moored on a free pontoon with room for two or three boats (no water or electricity). The old town has the usual pedestrian shopping, a not so old church and a pair of towers of an old church. As the centre of Cote du Maconaise region of Bourgogne it has a few distributors and an excellent information centre.

While in there we got a call from Philippe at Locaboat who manages Port Ariane, 34 970 Lattes, near Montpellier. (Ph 04 67 20 24 12). We have booked a mooring at F1870 for 1 Nov to 31 Mar and F962/ month after that; we may negotiate an annual tariff instead on arrival. So now we can head south, as was our original plan, with comfort.

Wednesday, 11 October, 00

It blew a gale last night and we were tossed about a bit. This morning there is a sharp wind with drizzle. Hurry on the south! We left Macon about 10 am, not sure where to stay tonight.

We stopped for lunch at a wall by the town of St Romain des Iles and later for an hour to talk to Sam (from Ashburton) and Sarah (from Wellington) on their yacht which they had bought in Turkey from an English owner and were taking back to London. They will sell it before returning to NZ at the end of the year.

We had planned to moor against a wall shown on the chart on the left bank at Villefranche sur Saone but it didn’t have its promised 1m depth and we touched mud so withdrew before getting stuck. It was near dark so we tied up to three empty barges a km further downstream, across the river from a gravel sorting yard and enjoyed a comfortable night.

Thursday, 12 October, 00

No bread so we decided to make do with tea and go on to Trévoux for breakfast. We had stopped last year and liked it, though the mooring is strictly for passenger boats (none of which were due today). Ian got bread and we ate breakfast but no one else was interested in exploring this old town which had once been the capital of Dombes, an independent principality with a house of parliament.

So on to Lyon. The weather was light drizzle and getting heavier. We explored the section of the town between the Rhone and the Saone. Ray and Ann had decided to hire their car a day earlier to visit some vineyards, so we went out, on foot under umbrellas to a restaurant, which wasn’t easy to find. The rain continues and we wonder about its effect on the Rhone.

Friday, 13 October, 00

Ann went to the Museum of Textiles (Lyon was the European centre of silk manufacture and processing) and after lunch they headed off to get their car and drive north. We watched the rain and a yacht arrive in from the Rhone with two drowned crew! I must talk to them tomorrow before we go. Ian went on bike to check out the potential for mooring close to a supermarket close to the river above the first lock, for fuel and food. No luck. It’s a bit cold tonight so we will go to bed early and read!

Saturday, 14 October, 00

Still drizzling this morning, though better. After a talk to the German couple who had come in yesterday and had struggled against 10 kph currents, but who reckoned going down was quite safe and a free ride. We set off at 10.30, filled with diesel at the BP outlet, which is a barge moored about 2 km up the Saone, and called up Pierre Benite lock keeper.

The lock was ready almost as we arrived, no one left it and we had it to ourselves. No problem. But when we came out 12 metres lower (the gauge was reading 153.5, whatever that meant) we found the river fast, lively and full of driftwood. We picked our way through, set our boat speed at 8.5 km and timed ourselves at about 13-14 kph, with 17kph over the section under the Givors bridges. We had no interest in mooring at Vienne on the riverside halte, and continued through Vaugris Lock to les Roches de Condieu where we left the river into the port, which is back up a by-passed section of the river.

It was interesting to note that the full lock at Vaugris was at least 40 cm lower than usual (as shown by the green slime water mark), so the barrages (dams) must have been set lower to speed the water flow and keep the water level down.

We were the first moving boat they had seen today, but a yacht arrived a couple of hours later having come all the way from Macon in 1 day. We also saw a couple of commercial boats ploughing upstream and another couple going down.

So we are calmly moored, with our stern windows facing the river, and Lorna says we will stay at least two nights! But it is nice having the boat to ourselves; we worked it out that since we have come we have had visitors over 13 weeks out of 17 so far. We enjoy the company of our visitors, but next year will keep more time to ourselves.

Sunday, 15 October, 00

We are still here. The river is still fast, but has much less debris. It has been a drizzly afternoon, but we have the heater on low, and have read a lot. Ian did clear a couple of blocked drains from the rear cockpit this morning and hose off the Lyon clay that was everywhere. We enjoyed a call from Lois this afternoon. A real lazy day.

Monday, October 16, 2000

The river was still racing, but clearer of debris, so we made the most of a favourable current and set off to Tournon. It was a fast trip, the water running at about 5 kph and we added a steady 8.5 kph so we reached this lovely town about 2 pm. It wasn’t too difficult to swing off the current back into a small sheltered harbour in which were two English boats and a small barge leaving room for us and one more. We plugged in the electricity cable and walked around the medieval village. There was a huge old castle. Chateau in French can mean palace, castle, fort or large mansion. On the Rhone it is usually a defensive castle! We also stocked up at a supermarket. After tea we were disturbed by a thump on the roof followed by an invitation to drinks on Tournasol a British built riverboat with Liz and Michael who also invited Joan and Roger from Chantel a Dutch built launch. A pleasant end to the day.

Tuesday, October 17, 2000

A lovely day, and after a sleep in and breakfast at about 9.30 we pushed out for Viviers, an estimated 11 hours at normal travelling speed. But with the current helping us we expected to be quicker and skip a night at Le Pousin that had little else to attract us except a free mooring on a wall on the side of the river. We washed our clothes and towels as we travelled, and looked like a Chinese laundry as we came down 4 large locks. These are easier to handle than on canals, though we had to wait a couple of times, once for an hour.

Our only hitch for the day was finding a mooring at Viviers. It is being redeveloped and places to tie up are scarce. For a while we considered slogging back to the last lock against the current, but eventually at 6pm accepted a kind offer of a mooring against the side of a barge. So here we are and considering how far tomorrow. With this current we probably can make Avignon, and any other stops would be for convenience not exploration.

Wednesday, October 18, 2000

We did make Avignon. The water fell overnight, but the current was still about 7 kph. They have lowered the downstream levels to speed the flow and clear the backlog of water upstream. Good flood control!

The three locks went easily. Even the 23-26 metre Bolene was easier than a small canal lock, though the huge dimension was emphasised by losing a 100m boat and a 38.5 m peniche in it before we entered. And the deck hand on the front boat looked like a cupey doll from our place at the rear! The two alternative moorings at St Etienne des Sorts and Roquemaire looked comfortable, the latter a beautiful setting in spite of the warnings about its safety in a mistral.

We moored in Avignon about 3 pm at the port de plaisance under the Chateaux des Papes, huge castles erected by the popes at the time who shifted from Rome to Avignon between 1309 and 1409. The Pont D’Avignon is 100 m astern of our mooring, and a spectacular view with the sunset behind it.

Thursday, October 19, 2000

We did the tour of the Palace of the Popes today. It was magnificent. Although now mostly devoid of furnishings, and showing the ravages of the revolution, the use of the building as a military barracks and general neglect, restructuring during the last century has restored the buildings to much of their former glory. It was only in 1791 that Avignon was included in France ratherthan under the Vatican

.Friday, October 20, 2000

We did some washing and tidied up the boat. Our plan to finish the season in the south has been justified by the temperatures. It rose to 26 degrees today; lovely with the sun. In the afternoon we went for a drive with Wim, the Dutch owner of Amaraqua next to us, to stock up on 5 litres of red wine at the vineyard for FF9 the litre; only a little more that the price of diesel we have paid! And it is a lovely wine, too. We also succumbed to temptation and, after a few samples, bought two bottles of 1997 red and two of 1998 blanc. A lovely white for the south. For the record the vineyard was Freres Lombardo, Chateau Le Devoy Martine of Lirac Appelation, Vallée du Rhone.

In the evening our friends from Carpentra, Renée and Paula came aboard for some of the white wine, and we walked to The Place d’Horloge where we had a lovely meal at a brasserie and watched the figures "beating" the bell as the clock chimed.

Saturday, October 21, 2000

It’s time to move. So now we are heading south again on yet another sunny day, to Arles. The river speed is now only 3-4 kph and the water is carrying much less mud.

Later. Lorna convinced Ian to bypass Arles, and we diverted down the Petit Rhone, leaving the rivers at St Gilles lock about 4.30 pm. The lock is really a guard lock, only falling 50 cm or so. Half an hour later we were at St Gilles, moored about 100 metres above the port to avoid the FF68 per night fee! It was good to talk to Vaughan, Corrine and the other staff at Crown Blue who we had seen so much of last year!

Sunday, October 22, 2000

The weather is much milder. The thermometer showed a maximum of 29 degrees. We went to the market for veggies, and lazed about. We had Tete de Vache, a sort of brawn made from cow’s head for dinner. It was very nice with a salad. And Paul has agreed to do some small maintenance on the boat.

Monday, October 23, 2000

Ian measured for shelves in the bedroom for storage of clothes, and shopped for suitable material, eventually settling on MDF with appropriate mouldings to strengthen. Lorna checked out the town. We heard a strange noise while we were in bed. A quick check for boarders, but no obvious cause. It occurred again during the night and appeared to something nibbling the slime below the waterline.

Tuesday, October 24, 2000

The shelves are cut. Paul from Brown Blue came along to give us advice on winterising the boat, which Ian will do at Port Ariane next week and to check on a water pump seal leak. The pump for the canal water section of the engine cooling system needs repair and we await parts from Ted Johnson at Chitry Les Mines who we met in the Nivernais 6 weeks ago. La Poste has a courier system with regional delivery the next day and elsewhere 2 days. We reckon the Saussice de Toulouse we bought at the market is the best yet.

Wednesday, October 25, 2000

We started the boat to warm the water for showers, and top up the batteries which are still near 13 volts. No parts have arrived, and we did our supermarket shopping, including the oil and antifreeze for the boat. Ian changed the oil and oil filters, but Paul advised us to leave the diesel filter change until after the winter so that the worst of the condensation will be collected at the same time. Ian checked the fuel level – we have only used about 70 litres since filling at Lyon, 300 km back – about 4 km per litre compared with last years 2 kpl and this years 2.3 kpl. The flood had some benefit!

A fair, similar to the Easter Show is being assembled in the street where the market is held (tomorrow’s market is moved to the other end of the same avenue). It is fully mobile with modern articulated vehicles both as part of the rides and also for some of the larger houses. It is obviously a successful enterprise.

Thursday, October 26, 2000

Another lovely day. Paul installed the new kit into the water pump and refitted it. All ran well except the bank account! FF2000 for the parts and installation! It always sounds worse in francs. By the time it was completed, we decided it was too late to start so tonight we are still with the mosquitoes at St Gilles.

Friday, October 27, 2000

We left St Gilles at 8.15 and arrived here at Port Ariane at 5pm. We stopped at Gallician for an hour to chat with the Lowes on Wildbird (The NZ yacht crew we met at Tournus), who were waiting to see the driving of the toureaux (bulls) through the town before moving on to Sete and the sea. The sun shone, the temperature was up to 28 degrees, and the canal was boring and flat except for some spectacular views of the flamingos feeding on the lakes. We left the Rhone à Sete canal about 4pm and turned up the Lez for 6 km to the only lock 1 km before Port Ariane. This lovely port is surrounded by Mediterranean-style 6 storey apartments of the rapidly expanding Lattes. We have a number of English boats on our pier and one Australian boat. We will do a lot of talking as well as preparation for winter!

Saturday, October 28, 2000

Mainly organising the boat today, and touching up the green scratches near the waterline. We checked out the old village and the Maison de Tourisme, getting maps and info both of the town and for a day trip when we get our rental car.

Sunday, October 29, 2000

We have just realised why the market this morning was still going after 12 and we seemed to eat lunch earlier than others. It is the end of daylight saving and the clocks went back an hour. Ian emptied the 80 litres of diesel into the tank from the 20 litre containers (it needs another 60 litres to fill the tank) before we wandered down to a lovely market for veggies, saucisse and fruit (the pears are still lovely). After lunch Ian checked out the town on his bike and decided to wait until the car comes on Tuesday to get the diesel. Then he painted over the white scratches and marks before we entertained Bruce Blaikie, the Australian who spends much of his time working on world aid projects, recently in Cambodia. Tonight we have tried the shore shower that for a change has good facilities and hot water.

Monday, October 30, 2000

We paid for the mooring, signed the contracts and paid a F300 deposit for an adapter for the power supply, which is an odd one, apparently common in this region. In the afternoon Ian pumped the water from the engine bilge and polyurethaned the shelves for storing clothes in our cabin. Ian also touched up the white paint around the forward half of the boat.

Tuesday, October 31, 2000

Ian biked to the airport and brought back a rental car for three days hire. After lunch we went to a laundromat in Montpelier to wash the duvets etc. What little of the town we saw was more modern than other towns in France. We bought 70 litres of diesel to top up the tank and reduce condensation in it over winter and spent an interesting hour in Costerama, a huge DYO supermarket to price timber, curtain rails, water heating and many other similar products.

Wednesday, November 1, 2000

We went exploring in the car today, heading northwest towards the Massif Central. The first stop was St Guilheim le Desert, a village up a narrow gorge backing on to a barren cirque. It was established in the 8^th century and includes an old abbey.

Next, after driving along an impressive dual lane highway through a spectacular limestone gorge we stopped at Couvertoirade , another old stone village established by Knights Templars and developed until the 16^th C when it was surrounded by a wall to protect the population from brigands..

The final spectacle was the Cirque de Navacelles, a large-scale version of Skippers Canyon! After viewing the village at the bottom of it from the edge, we wound our way down one side, across a tiny stream on a culvert bridge, through the village and up the other side. It was after dark when we got home from an intriguing journey.

Thursday, 2 November, 2000

Our last full day here. Ian topped up the diesel, winterised the engine, water supply and toilet pumps, fastened the covers over the roof and generally prepared to leave the boat for up to 7 1/2 months. Lorna scrubbed, tidied up and packed our bags. It was a busy day, but we took a break sharing lunch with Bruce Blaikie, an Australian who is also leaving his boat Janna II here from tomorrow.

Friday, 3 November, 00

Up at sparrow phart; well 7.30. Breakfast, pack, adjust the mooring, take Bruce to the rail station, load the car, say goodbye to the Brits staying over winter, pat Erewhon and wish her a good winter and off to fill the car with petrol at the local supermarket before departing from Montpellier at 1.00 pm. It was 10 degrees cooler in London! But we look forward to 10 days with Joanne and Michael (Ian’s children who live in London).

 

 

• Erewhon 1999 Journal
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• Erewhon 2007 Journal
• Lock Skills