Damp after overnight rain. The parking along the basin was full so Mike couldn’t move the car from by the LeBoat workshops. Set off at 9.30 a.m. following Charley into lock 57 Chatel-Censoir (1.58m). The resident keeper, a man in his thirties, had a helper so no extra lock workers were needed. We took a photo of the little fibreglass topped narrowboat called Otter, moored in the corner of the hireboat basin, to compare later with old photos of Bob and Jean’s boat Fleur de Sègre as it looked very much like it.
Down the shallow lock and on to a 2kms canal pound to lock 58 Magny (0.94m). An old wooden cruiser called Miss Lilly registered in Nice was moored before the first bridge in Chatel. The next lock was ready for us, a lady keeper (in her sixties) whose husband was cutting up bits of steel with a grinder in his garage, worked the lock for us. I made a cuppa on the next pound, another 2 kms to lock 59 Rèchimet (2.50m). Another resident keeper, a man in his thirties, worked the lock. The first river section lead past the Rochers de Saussois, vertical chalky cliffs.
Three old hire boats, big square pontoons, full of kids were moored against the rocky bank. The kids (ten to each boat according to Diana) came riding back up the cycle path on their bikes, waving and shouting hello in English. Took photos of climbers on the rocks. Back on to the canal via a stone lined narrow channel. A short distance to lock 60, Ravéreau (2.12m) The lock wasn’t ready so Diana jumped ship to open a gate. An older large bloke, followed closely by a Bernese dog, worked the lock. The old lock house was derelict so he had a nice cabin on the lockside. Back on to a river section. Beyond the road there were more rocks and climbers. Through flood gates and we were back on the canal again.
The bridge by the flood gates had a “W” in the middle of it and we remembered hotel boats which used to come here in summer had to take their steering wheels off to get under it. On the other side it was marked as being 3.45m, but it’s river level so that can vary! Round the bend, with lovely views of Mailly on its cliffs, and into the basin. A France Afloat was moored in the middle parallel to the canal so Nick moored at the downstream end and we tried mooring along the bank – it was too shallow the edge was full of rocks, as were the edges all around the basin. Charley moved round, we took the end and they went along the edge by the Burgundy cruisers’ boat. Sank tyres and pulled in on to them then put a plank out. Had some lunch. Gave Mike a hand to get the fizzer down the plank then we put the quant poles out as passing hireboats (more and more of them) were rocking the boat on to the stones. Mike fetched the car. He was soon back. No phone signal (except FRA 02) and no Internet either. What a place! Bike back on the roof and we went by car to Auxerre to collect the new dongle from Bouygues. Then we went to Cora in Montereau to the north of Auxerre via the N6 for some shopping. Piled it in the motor and went home. We had been joined by several hireboats in the basin, another was just landing, a couple were moored on the main canal and not long after we’d hauled the shopping up the plank John Lilley’s hotel boat Luciole went past very slowly heading up the canal (the one that takes its steering wheel off!). The first hotel boat of the season.
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