Our Adventures

We arrived in Chapel-Censoir yesterday afternoon and arranged a cab for the 20 Km ride to Vezelay where one walks up “to the imposing basilica perched high above”, which “with its immense Christ in Glory, is one of the greatest Romanesque works of art in the West.” Well, okay.

We arrived just as Vespers were starting so we did not get to see the crypt but we did get to hear some lovely singing. Vezelay is a major stop on the the pilgrimage route (Route of Santiago de Compostela) and we saw several hiker/pilgrims at the service.

At the back of the church, the hill overlooks a broad valley.

Thought I would do a post about life on the boat. The boat, our home for the past 6 weeks is a ~20 year old Locaboat “Penichette” (little Peniché) called “Bray Sur Somme”. It has a “pullman berth” style double in the front (i.e. only one side has access) and a “wet” head (no separate shower stall).

In the back are two sleeping areas, a second pullman berth and two single bunk beds, along with a second head in two separate rooms, a toilet and a sink/shower.

Aft Berth Bunk Beds

Aft Double Berth

Aft Shower/Sink

Aft Toilet

Just back of the forward berth is the galley with a stove/oven (propane), and (sizeable) top-loading refrigerator. Between the galley and he back berth is the main salon with the table and seating and also the inside helm station.

Galley

Galley

Salon

Salon/Helm

On deck there is a separate helm (the one we almost always use since it is higher and in the center of the boat so easier to use) and a table and seating for eating al fresco (which we almost always do when the weather is nice). We also have a small table and four chairs we take off the boat when the weather and mood suits us.

The boat has a 420L diesel tank and a 700L fresh water tank. We burn about 2L/Hr of diesel which means our range is about 40 days (at 5 hours running a day). This doesn’t translate directly into distance because of the locks.  Water is a lot easier to get which is good because we need it more often. Still, assuming 5-10 gallons/day/person (which is generous), we can easily go 3-4 days with four people.

The boat has a pretty decent heater which runs off diesel with radiators in all the rooms. We have only used it a couple of times (on the rainy and 40 degree days). The boat has no generator or air conditioner so we only have AC power when we are plugged in at a marina (which we do about once a week). We charge our phones off the 12 volt boat battery (there is a car-style 12V receptacle at the helm station).  We always have hot water (the water is heated from the engine and stays hot for at least 24 hours) and is usually so hot you have to be careful with it.

The toilets are electric (pump in water, pump out). Surprisingly they do not use the black water tank on the boat – everything goes overboard. We have little TP garbage cans in each head so only organic material goes overboard. This means swimming in the canal is not attractive but we have swum in the rivers.

The day starts with a walk to a boulangerie (if we are near a town) or, if not, Roberta will whip up a nice omelette. Okay, that was a joke. In six weeks we have made toast, boiled eggs and cooked a piece of salmon for a salad. We usually start motoring at 9 or 9:30 (the locks do not open until 9:00) and motor to lunch (the locks are closed from noon to 1:00). In the afternoon it varies depending on where we are trying to get to but we are usually stopped for the evening by 3:00 or so. Then a walk to town (if are near one) for sightseeing/shopping and dinner if we find a brasserie or restaurant we like.

Our Alaskan visitors, John and Christin have arrived! We had all kinds of adventures picking them up. We rented a car from a supermarché in Decize which was a little weird. Had a little hiccup getting the car because they required “un justificatif de domicile en FRANCE récent de moins de trois mois” (proof of residence) which, of course, we did not have. They were helpful, though, and suggested a utility bill from our home in Houston which we provided (via email and the internet) which satisfied them.

We ended up with a little manual Clio (no automatics) for a day and a half for 68 Euros which seemed reasonable. We drove to Nevers several hours early to do a little shopping (we have a car!). Strange driving at 90 Km/Hr when, for the past 6 weeks, our top speed has been 8-10 km/hr.

And, just as the French train system seemed to be collapsing (the arrival and departure screen showed all the trains “en retard” by 1 – 2 hours), the train arrived with John and Christin. Drove back to Decize in the rain and prepared to leave for the Canal de Nivernais the following afternoon (Wednesday). The first two days on the Nivernais have been fun but rainy. It rained almost all day today but the day ended with some excitement as we passed through our first multi-locks (ganged locks), the last of which was a triple (three lock cavities and four sets of doors) with a 24 foot ascent.

After suffering through 95 plus days on the Canal de Roanne last week the high today was  in the mid 50’s.

We spent two days coming down the side canal to Roanne (Canal de Roanne à Digoin) in blistering heat. Not many cruisers take this canal as there are no big chateaux or major sites but it is a nice  cruise through a  pretty rural area of Bourgogne. It is also the farthest south we will go this summer.

There are only 10 locks over 55 km but some are the deepest in the country’s canal system. The deepest is 7 meters (22 feet) and there are no floating bollards (the things you tie your boat to) so the lock keeper has to lower a big hook on a long line on which you place your mooring line. He pulls it up and puts it around a fixed bollard on the side of the lock. Then you wait.

I hopped out and helped the lock keepers a few times, which is always appreciated. Even more appreciated is the cold beer I would hand them. Just doing our part for international relations.

Roanne is nice little city with the requisite allotment of impressive churches (that no one seems to go to), a nice pedestrian shopping area (which Roberta checked out, several times) and an indoor market with regional foods. They have the best produce here. I am eating a funny looking flat peach that is, seriously, the best peach I have ever eaten.

We took a “rest” day here – that means laundry, shopping and cleaning. The first day we walked to a little mall and were able to buy the last two small fans (AC powered so we can only use them in marinas) and two battery powered fans.

Tomorrow we head back north with promise of cooler weather!

Yesterday we reached the eastern terminus of  the Canal du Centre in Digoin. The Canal du Centre links the Saône river valley to the west with the Loire valley. It officially ends at the Loire River where an impressive canal bridge crosses the Loire.

Today we begin a little side trip down the Canal de Roanne à Digoin towards Roanne. Hopefully it will cool off  – temperatures have been in the 90’s the past few days. We met a nice couple from Florida who have been barging in France for 8 years a few days back and have been locking with them since Montceau-Les-Mines. They invited us to dinner on their boat (they actually cook!) and gave us all kinds of useful info about barging and the Great Loop (which they have done three times).

After four weeks on a canal boat in Burgundy we can definitely say… we like wine. We really, really, really like wine. We’ve done about 500 Km and 230 locks.

In the process we managed to lose overboard:

• 2 umbrellas
• 1 stake (for securing the boat to the canal bank at night)
• 1 cushion
• 1 sailing glove
• and 1 plastic chair

The water is a hungry monster that must be fed! So far no human sacrifice has been required but…. well…let’s just say we have people visiting us for a reason.

Life on the boat…. is nice. The day starts with a cup of coffee and (usually) a stroll to the local boulangerie for the day’s baguette and something tasty for breakfast. Sometimes we will also get something for lunch if it looks good. Depending on what we’ve told the lock keeper we are usually underway by 9:00. We motor along at 6-8 Km/Hr (a good jogging pace), hitting a lock every 2 Km or so (if varies a lot) enjoying the scenery, which is always interesting.

We usually stop for a picnic lunch at a pretty spot (no choice if the locks are manual). This is when we have our first wine of the day. It’s all downhill from there. In the afternoon we motor for another 3 hours or so. On average we do about 15-20 Km and 5-15 locks a day.  Sometime we moor at a town dock (if it’s pretty) or just out of town at a nice spot.  We walk into town to check things out. Each town, no matter how small, has a stunning church and a memorial to the local people who died in World War I.

Almost every town also has a tobac and a boulangerie. The little epiceries (grocery stores) are dying out, unfortunately, because of the supermarchés. Sometimes there is a cafe (or two) and a pharmacie (I think the French are hypochondriacs)

Dinner is either something simple (cheese, pate, bread, salad) on the boat or a walk to a local brasserie or cafe.

We left the lovely Saône river this morning, heading west on the Canal du Centre. Our first lock was one of the deepest we will encounter – more than 30 feet. It was exciting (Roberta says it was not exciting, it was creepy. We were in a big, dark hole that reminded her of an alien spaceship).

But the Canal du Centre is quite lovely – we just have to get used to canal travel again (after a week on the river). The locks are deep but when we came out of them  we were on a ridge – we were above a train a one point.

It is pretty … until the thunderstorm hit! Hail, wind, rain! Oh well. And did we mention the troll who reached onto our boat and pulled one of our plastic chairs into the river?  We raise our glasses to a chair that served us well. It joins an umbrella and a cushion as offerings to the water gods.