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June 11 Monday

June 13 Wednesday
Pouillenay to Marigny.

Weather fine and cool for a run up the most beautiful part of the Bourgogne, and possibly even France.
Unfortunately, it is also one of the most heavily locked stretches, and as one is going uphill, the views are inclined to get ignored as one wrestles with the joys of locking through.
This is still - or is the main part - where the ultimate idiocy of lock management written about yesterday on this canal takes place.

It took all day - from 9.00 in the morning, to 4 in the afternoon, to go through 18 locks, with 1 L.K. (the Fraulein, they called her) and 2 men - self on bike, and skipper off yacht on foot - helping, and none of the locks more than 150 metres apart.
Having said that, it was a beautiful run, and all went well for us. We had made it a condition yesterday, when asked by the VNF gaffer of our being paired with another boat - in this case the yacht Finale, a "Moody 345" - that we traveled up in the back of the lock chamber. They, poor things had a bit of a rough ride, and we only found out in the evening that not only were they new to France - without a word of the language - but they were new to sailing as well. The Fraulein was a bit wild and wooly with her paddle opening, until asked to desist, and bumped them badly. But really!, yachts (they are called "yaks, here, with the "a" pronounced as in "sat") are very difficult in the canals and locks with their rounded sides, soft fibre glass, and deep keels.
Also, of course, in the normal course of a day’s sailing they only moor and unmoor once, so the constant tying up part of canal boating, is foreign to them.

All arrived at Marigny - we had lunch there the year before last on our way down - to find the mooring enormously improved - short neat grass, shade trees, water supply, but still desperately shallow.
Did double gangplank moor to keep us off the bank - the pound was surging horribly, as it was so short. The yacht could only nose in, leaving his back end in the channel, because of his keels.
2 more boats joined us on the moorings- they had come from Vinery in 1 day - 28 locks on the trot. Must have had a more effective L.K. than us.
Almighty thunderstorm at dusk cooled everything down very nicely, but stopped all the various drink parties from the boats on the shore.

June 14 Thursday
Marigny to Pont Royale.

Arranged to complete this flight with the 2 boats that came in yesterday after us. One cruiser, and the other a sort of water-ski puller boat - tiny, with a 90 H.P. outboard on the back. (Discovered that he had both compass and GPS on his instrument panel!)
Our engine for 16 ton boat is 35 H.P.

The "yak" had let it be known that he was not coming on with us, or anybody else, unless he traveled in the back of the chamber!
New L.K., of course, to take us up last stretch of this flight, so having made it very plain to him that we were 16 tons of steel, and it would be tactless to manage the lock in such a way that we pulled loose, or got out of control, and went wild with 2 small glass fibre boats confined in the chamber, off we went.
However, both boats - French - set out to do at least all - and more - than their share, so although slow, it was good fun, and we soon had a good team drill going.
We later discovered that yesterday 1 wife (she was 58) cycled the whole distance - 14 kms on the towing path, and did at least 2 gates on all 28 locks.
System still as crazy as before - arrived at Pont Royale 10 locks later at 3.30 p.m.

Before that, at lunch time, we were just fumped at 11.45, and managed to find a spot at the end of someone’s garden, on the canal side, with shade. Difficult to get in - bank well armoured with rocks, but forced bows in, gang-planked, and had pleasant lunch in shade on the lawn!

Very comfortable moorings at Pont Royale. Totally dead and empty when we arrived, so missed sign saying mooring fees Ffr 50. Ouch!! S negotiated to Ffr 33.00 without using their lekistry.
Actually the place is a Locaboat hire base, but presumably all their boats are out. Joined later by very neat Dutch barge in the process of being done up, and a Locaboat penichete arriving early for to-morrow’s change over.

Polished boat side, and read (i.e. snoozed in shade of trees).

June 15 Friday
Pont Royale to Pouilly-en-Auxois.

Fine but cool to start, deteriorated during morning to light rain, followed by heavy rain at mid-day, fair pissing by tea-time.

Woke up with holiday feeling - haven’t had to tell anyone, or arrange and agree with anyone, when we start.
Slept in, bought bread at pub - second time forgotten ruck-sac and had to bike back with bread under arm.
Set off late tennish, determined to enjoy trip in peaceful privacy.
Countryside much more open, with magnificent views down the valleys - almost "upland".
To be expected, as we have climbed steadily since Laroches-Migennes on the River Yonne last week.
However - probably, if the climb of each lock was added up, the total cannot be more than 260 metres alto-gether - hardly South Col mountaineering. Nevertheless, country both looks and feels different!
Checked IGN (French equivalent of OS) map - we are about 400 metres a.s.l., and Laroches Migennes is about 100 metres.

Only 12 locks - first one manual, but with travelling lock-keeper. We had given no warning, but he appeared to be waiting for us, and cheerfully stood out in the rain. From then on, all locks, up to the last, are electrically driven manuals. i.e. the paddles, gates etc, are all the originals, but operated by electrically driven hydraulics.
The system is designed to be operated by boaters to save labour, but they are not allowed to carry out the operation - an L.K. travels with on a scooter, and does it all.
It all works splendidly, and is really completely hassle free for us. It sounds mad, but whose country is it!

Amused to see a fox in a field - right out in the middle, slightly fazed by the rain.

Also were considerably hassled by horse flies, or clegs. Frequently met the odd rather shy one that sneaks behind ones knee or elbow, has a good suck, and leaves a really horrid bight. Here we met them in swarms. Really unpleasant - but only one - thanks to Autan - bight between us.

After first lock, all - L.K., boat, us, and weather - got steadily wetter and wetter, and the boat got more sordid from tramping through to do rope things up at the front at each lock.

Into Pouilly-en-Auxois - a canal "axis" town due to it’s being on the summit level of the canal, having a serious tunnel through the hill - 3.2 kms - and being a centre for small grain storage.
The silos are alongside one side of the neat little port, which used to be busy with grain carrying peniches. Now the grain all goes by rail and road, and the port is purely used by water borne tourists.
Met by important lady "control" at last lock to discuss going through tunnel. Only place in France where they inspect life jackets, safety rings, head lights, etc.
Having done it before, we were slightly frivolous, and anyway, she did favourite trick of talking to us before we were tied up, and with the engine running. The first flight down on the far side is D.I.Y.. This we also remember as being desperately slow, as they only let one use the very small ground paddles, but we made up a windlass for the gate paddles with a BW windlass, a shifting spanner, and some baling wire, and so speeded the operation considerably.
Perhaps they remembered (certainly the people in Pont Royale remembered us, that’s how we got Ffr 1.70 off our mooring fees) because the "control" lady classified us as over 15 metres, therefore not competent to do D.I.Y., but needing an attendant L.K.
We suggested to the dear lady that our "papers" - i.e. our SSR Certificate - actually say we are 14.95 metres, but in true union fashion - she is the local union rep, and was the only one to go on strike last month in the entire length of canal, effectively blocking it, and ensuring that everyone else who reported for work, but couldn’t, got paid, announced that "if she said a boat was over 15 metres, then it was over 15 metres"!.
Got in at about 15.30, but just tied up, snugged down, hung wet weather clothes in shower, had more lunch, and sat and snoozed till 1730, when very heavy rain eased, and finally stopped.

Bikes out, and up to town to explore. Nice little rural agricultural town, narrow streets, polite drivers when overtaking wobbly geriatrics on bikes.
Tried to get hair-cut - but refused reasonably firmly. Then noticed it was after 6.00 p.m!
Big S.M. but too far away for fuel, and don’t need anything else, but pleasant trip.

June 16 Saturday
Pouilly-en-Auxois to Vandanesse.

Intended to be quiet gentle little day after recent exertions.
It was, really!

Found we had to share tunnel and locks with the little buzz boat first met day before yesterday. (Quote - water-ski puller boat - tiny, with a 90 H.P. outboard on the back).
O.K. in the tunnel - he was gone so fast we never saw him again until little port of far side.
(Tunnel - for the record, and because I have been stating to the contrary - is, like the one at the top of the Nivernais, not lit).

We have a very strong head light - when I remember to connect it, it is on the same wires as the orange flashing beacon. So once our eyes are used to the darkness after the full glare outside - a real problem for the first 10 minutes - lit or unlit makes no odds, so long as head light does it's thing.

This tunnel is 3.2 kms long, but I don’t think that is as long as the Wast Hill Tunnel out of Birmingham. It is absolutely dead straight, and unlike the English Tunnels has no towing Path (history has it that before mechanical power, boats and log rafts were propelled through by 6 men pulling themselves along a chain attached to the wall, and took 10 hours. Later they pulled trains of boats through using coal fired steam tugs, and killed half the boats’ crews with CO poisoning. Then they used diesel tugs, and this continued until 1995! We are lucky now-a-days to be allowed through under our own power.

In fact - remembering English tunnels with chains along the wall especially mounted to tear one’s fenders off, lunatic terrorists coming the other way too fast shouting to hear their echoes - French tunnels are a well organised doddle.
Had to wait in little port before first lock on emerging for up-coming craft - strange to be meeting boats again.

The chain of 10 locks or so to Vandanesse are supposed to be D.I.Y., but very happy to have a travelling L.K. - lot less work, as chappy in buzz boat was on his own, so couldn’t help.

Into Vandanesse, and it was just as if wasn’t 2 years since we were here last, except more boats surrounding the Gite boat, and the permanently moored Hotel Boat.
Moored for lunch on exact spot we overnighted on year before last, with same lack of depth. Very strong, and strengthening cross wind made the mooring protracted and difficult, but chap in next door boat helped.
After lunch went 2 locks down to nearest point to Chateauneuf.

One of the stated aims of this trip is to visit this Chateau, which looms over the canal, and it's attendant\walled town was one of the reasons for coming on this trip. It was one of the sadnesses of our 1999 trip that we were too hot, and it was really too far to walk to.

Great difficulty mooring up - insisted that, in view of the very strong wind off the moorable side, the strong possibility of terrorist boats passing, and the short pounds with levels surging every time the locks at either end are filled or emptied, that no ways could we leave the boat on pin only moorings, and go away.

There were 2 old bollards, but they were really too close to the lock gates (they were a relic of peniches tying up and waiting for the lock) so surge was even greater a problem - but safer there than tied to pins that get pulled out of the ground.. Did thoroughly complicated tie up with springs and pegged ladders.

Survived lock opening and hotel boat, and apart from sitting up on the bank at one stage at a dreadful angle, dangling on our ropes, we were comfortable.

Long committee meeting on visit up the hill to Chateauneuf.
Decided that incipient exhaustion was endemic, and we would have a night’s sleep and go up to-morrow!

Wind continued strong - very - and gusty, with rain squalls.

Bit worried about this rain thing. Right through the winter - 6 months - Albert has had a dry engine room, with all extraneous water being directed into a container, within which lies an automatic pump to pump it out over the side. In the last 3 weeks there seems to be some sort of nonsense, with water all over the floor. Trying to tape up the sides of the bucket - taped it before, but suspect water getting between the tape and the bucket!