BACK TO CALENDAR 2000

June 13                                           Tuesday

Still just above Montbouy.

S. to UK first thing in taxi which arrived very prompt 0700 while still eating breakfast and drinking coffee.

Did usual English trick of trying to climb into driver’s seat - wrong side, silly nits.

Remade wood fenders, thicker, with cord protected.

Trimmed grass, cleaned outside, cleaned brass, generally sorted our for reasonable long stay, awaiting Evans and bits for boat - now ordered for over a week. Silly excuses - but unfortunately this is the time of year when virtually every Monday is a holiday.

Fiddled about all day, settling to supper at 19.30 when empty peniche arrived, and moored up to bank just between Albert and the lock. Had to help them tie up - couldn’t get down the high side to the ground(?)

Crew left for auberge, but returned at about 2130, and sat on their after deck, from whence they completely overlooked Albert, and were occupying the only spot around where the mobile worked at all reliably.

 

June 14                                         Wednesday

Mountbouy Lock.

Last night’s peniche left at 0630, with, it has to be said, no chatter at all.

Occupied time all day - but don’t know what with!

After lunch found water very low (probably from fighting ineffectually the various tap washers).

Arranged with L.K. to go down when another boat arrived.

Through "official" moorings to find water tap completely blocked off by 2 G.W.W. just parked up empty awaiting customers next week.

Went on down to try for water at tiny hire base that the boats should have been at, but assured by Scorpio (multilingual Belgium fellow victims of pound draining episode at St Mammes) that it was dry.

Went back to moorings and breasted up to G.W.W.s - much dashing up and down inside the boat - end to end. Unfortunately, had, with considerable forethought - collapsed table, but left collapsible chair ban in middle of passage. It, too collapsed!

Otherwise successful - but realised when scrabbling across the G.W.W. how damn big they are.

Up the lock again - wooden fenders doing good job. Noticeable that L.K. did not consider tying up necessary this time!

Moored up again, and fiddled about.

Still no news of spares.

Another peniche arrive to moor up - perhaps this is a peniche mooring - certainly there is one truncated bollard in the grass which we are using). This one was fully loaded, and the drama started at 18.30 when he craned off his car onto the lock side while L.K. held him at suitable level.

Wife drove car to mooring, fellow brought peniche (whole operation accompanied by endless loud talk) over, got as close to the side as he could - +/- 10 metres - and stuck in the mud.

Threw ropes - 2 of them, unlike last night’s, who only used one from the stern - and then endless incomprehensible, but totally good natured - discussion which transpired to be how to get wife back onto peniche.

Heaven knows what happened to the car, there was a strange elderly bloke hovering, who might have taken it.

Eventually fellow produced child’s plastic play pool/ring, blew it up, and wife pulled herself over to peniche, after it very nearly blew away whilst being passed ashore.

Small child appeared from inside, and family "re-united".

Apart from a generator running for about an hour at bed-time, heard and saw no more of them.

Fortunately, on this occasion, their living quarters were at the end away from Albert.

 

June 15                                         Thursday

Mountbouy Lock.

We all - the peniche and self - surfaced at 0830 - nice day!

Nipped down first thing and bought bread.

Found source of occasional mutter from domestic water pump.

Leaking pipe just after pump in main supply line.

Water every where - especially when I opened the line in judicially without draining it from the shower head on the shower tray floor first.

However, not nearly as bad as similar nonsense in shower/loo early last year.

Removed all the odds and ends from the "secret" store under the floor mopped up, and set the fan to dry the chip board.

Replaced a short piece of grey plastic pipe - the end was all scarred and scratched, and the water could be seen leaking, presumably seeping through between the "o" ring and the plastic.

Have a very nasty feeling that I didn’t put the strengthening thimble into one end of the new piece - not going to go through all that again, so will wait and see!

Rubbed down and put first coat of varnish onto insides of front doors and hatch.

Very difficult to do well as cannot see where is brushed out nicely, where is running down, and where is not done at all. Made pretty fair cock of it, all in all when studied in nearly horizontal late evening sunlight.

Finally realised I was getting the run-around from Evans over the engine cooling water circulating pump.

Rang Peachment (Nanni agent in UK), got Nanni’s number. Rang Nanni (they are in Bordeaux) and got nearest agents number - in Paris.

Rang agent - no English speakers - so ordered engine cooling water circulating pump, it’s gasket and a cylinder head gasket set in fluent Fr Fr. Probably available Tuesday of next week - but ring Monday. Wonder what we’ll get - crankshaft for an MG probably. Anyway, as S. comes through Paris on Tues next week, surely we can arrange something?

As old experienced boaters say - in France if you want a spare part for your boat, you hire a car, and drive to Holland or England to get it. (This has been said to us by several people)

However, we really felt that dealing with an English firm, and using a French product (the Nanni that drives our boat is a French converted Kubota, and similar units are used in enormous numbers by the hire companies) we would be "all right".

We aren’t - bet Evans gets it to-morrow - if indeed it has really been dispatched - or even ordered.

 

June 16                                              Friday

Mountbouy Lock to Chatillon Coligny

Started day with quick re-varnish of all yesterday’s work with very thinned varnish - dried quickly, and vast improvement.

Set of at 1315 up canal to Chatillon Coligny - about 5 kms, I think, with 1 lock, to see how it went.

Went fine!

Received tel call from Evans - Simon, not Lindon with whom I had been dealing - to say my pump had arrived - what did I want to do about it - shall they deliver it - or just send it out?

Asked about gasket - specifically ordered with pump. "Oh no, no gasket, can’t you use the old one, or we can knock one up". (Significance of correct gasket is pump faces onto engine block - if too far away doesn’t pump, if too close - grinds itself to pieces - so gasket is a specific thickness)

Felt it was - especially after 3 weeks of getting the run around, all a bit casual.

Slow past little P. de P. we turned our noses up at last week, but then it was 2 boats and hot. To-day about 22 were in occupation, and it was just as hot.

Went on slow through town, and inevitably got into 1st lock above - went up.

Really nice spot 200 metres beyond, under a tree on short cut grass - far nicer than the P. de P. - except no water & electricity.

Good grass path to lock bridge and into town.

Am always amazed at the way everybody moors up at "official" spots, or where everybody else moors - however unpleasant. A lot of them are open blasted heaths of grit or tamped earth or concrete without shade, but they do look very nice, neat, tidy, and cheerful. They are also secure!

Took bike and trailer to do experimental S.M. shop with no assistance, to see if it could really be done, taking home beer, loo paper and essential groceries.

It could and was -- but pity they only had a "Maxi Mart" in Chatell Coligny, they are very expensive - the price of beer, for instance ------

now this is where I am totally foxed. I am damn sure the price of the beer on the shelf was Ffr65.00. The normal price at other S.M. is +/- 43.00. I bought, anyway, as part of the exercise - . Now when I check the chitty, I see it was Ffr 43.95.

I must assume, if that is the case, that the exercise failed, and however cool and competent I may have looked on my scarlet folding bike, with trailer behind, my fluent French, our beautiful petit peniche Anglais, all neatly and correctly moored up, I basically hadn’t a clue what I was doing!

Very wounding - must try again.

Nice mooring, so stayed on and slept over.

Beautiful full moon.

Much overseas telephoning - Steve/Sue, and Ruth.

 

June 17                                            Saturday

Chatillon Coligny to Rogny les Sept Ecluses.

Woke 0530. Looked out - cold misty dawn, dug out duvet, went back to sleep.

Went down to L.K. as promised to tell him what my intentions were.

Dozens of boats in and around lock entrance.

Unfortunately, by the time I got away, unmooring, etc, the first lot had come up, and it would have been very rude to have blasted off in front of them.

Had to let 3 go by, which filled next lock, and 2 more appeared from behind.

Put first into lock in front of me, but obviously very uncomfortable - why, I ask myself?

Next lock, put other boat in front, and went in 3rd. Much better. Trouble is, even when I stop boat absolutely dead, to sort ropes and fenders, she drifts in the funny little whirlwinds and whirlpools these locks seem to generate, and the plastic boats all get hysterical.

It must be said that we are back into a different breed of L.K. - these guys seem to be interested in the boats and people in their "care".

Arrived at 3 lock flight at 11.30 - old game - as we cannot get through flight by 12.00 we can’t start!

Tie up under tree, and have very early lunch, sitting in solitary state, whilst other 3 boat crews have obviously previously arranged picnic with wine, tables and benches, and brolleys.

Realised, after 10 minutes, that we are at the same spot as where we slept over on 2 June - but on other side of canal facing other way.

1300, and no-body was making a move - not even the hire boat that wasn’t part of the party, so wandered off into the lock on my own.

Did next 3 solo - fabulous - no tying up, no hastle and no wasted time.

Pushed boat quite hard on very hot day. Temperature on gauge up to 80 - but no sign of engine overheating, or boiling. Beginning to wonder if the gauge itself isn’t being funny!

Into Rogny about 1500, to be greeted by several recent acquaintances in locks, etc, moored up to long "hotel boat" quai on way into village.

Tried P. de P., but very hot, still, and gravelly, with no shade, so backed out of the little side canal (interesting exercise in a Narrow Boat) and went back to other moorings, and just to show independence, moored on other side of canal - it was also under splendid shade trees.

Bike ride around "Sept Ecluses" and village.

 

June 18                                             Sunday

Rogny to Mountbouy

 

June 19                                             Monday

Mountbouy to Château Coligny

These 2 days spent motoring around solo, and doing odd jobs like cleaning on the boat.

Both days were very very - sizlingly - hot, clear, sunny, windy.

This week's we're here Map (and click here to go back!)