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| Beautiful Burgundy tiles. Briennon church tower. |
7.5°C Warmer overnight, but pouring with rain when Mike got up at 7.30 a.m. The météo had promised a sunny day with white fluffy clouds that didn’t occur until we had tied up again. We set off at 8.35 a.m. with the brolly up. The rain had turned from a downpour to showers while Mike was gathering up the electricity cable and getting the boat ready. I lifted the bed and found our winter boots out as I didn’t want cold wet feet. Spotted cattle egrets among the cows in the meadows bordering the Loire and later a pair of buzzards. Around 9.45 a.m. I ‘phoned the keeper, Daniel (Lizanne gave Mike his number and name), at Briennon to tell him we’d be there in an hour. The port at Briennon was almost chock a block with moored boats. Lock 3, Briennon (2.96m) was empty with both gates open even though I’d said we were narrow and he could open one gate for us. He took my rope and put it on a bollard for me then filled the lock slowly on one gate paddle. We left the top at 11.00 a.m. with 4.4 kms to the next lock. The same keeper worked the next lock, 2 Cornillon (3.04m) and this time he had only opened one gate, the left, but once in the chamber the wind effect blew us across to the right. We left the top just after twelve and wished our keeper a bon hiver – a good winter - and we’d see him again in spring.
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| Old crane at Briennon moorings. |
8.3 kms to the last lock. At the next bridge there was a weir taking water from the pound to below the lock which had water jets keeping the debris, leaves etc from going over the edge. I went in the cabin and made lunch, a sandwich for me and cassoulet for him; I ate mine while his was heating up then I steered while he ate his lunch in the cabin. While I was preparing lunch he called me to see nine white storks soaring up on thermals to gain height. We’d not seen any storks in this part of France until a couple of days earlier when we saw a pair. Unusual for them to be here this late in the year. As the canal went into the town we passed high fences with barbed wire around the Arsenal and shortly after more high fences, this time around a modern prison building with two high sentry boxes at opposing corners of the walls. The first sign of the town centre proper was a road running alongside on the right bank with industrial units beyond.
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| Aqueduct carrying a stream over the canal. Roanne. |
The lock up into the basin, 1 Roanne (0.60m) was ready with one gate open, on the left, and Fred the lock keeper worked the lock for us lifting the boat less than half a metre up into the basin. Noted the flood marker of 1866 half a metre up the wall of the lock house. It was 2.00 p.m. when we left the lock. Past the Capitanerie on the left and lots of new built boats (British replica DBs for the most part) on the right on the side nearest the town. Elizabeth II, a very smart klipper moored on the left, gave a hoot as we passed and we waved to the crew. Half way along the basin on the left there was a gap that we dropped into in front of G. V. John and Lizanne came out to take a rope and say hello. We organised our mooring lines and Mike set the TV up. Sorted out the electric with our new neighbours and we plugged in. Mike had to move the boat a bit further up the quay as Lizanne had said that the Capitan (Hervé) would object to the mooring pins we’d had put in to keep the boat against the wall. Checked the Internet. Whoopee! 3G! The sun was out between clouds so there was quite a contingent of promenaders along the quay. The Winter starts here!
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