Cooler, cloudy first thing then sunny and getting warmer. Mike had been woken early at 6.30 am by a builders van hooting outside the hostel. He got dressed to go out to reconnect all the electric breakers that he’d left switched off last night, when our power went off again - someone off one of the other boats had just turned the left hand breakers off (ours, inc Charley, and Cosi) and reconnected the right hand breakers (the hotel boat and the Canadians). Mike turned the left hand breakers back on so everything was reconnected. He got back into bed as we weren’t going anywhere so he didn’t need to get up early. We got up just after nine. Mike went for bread and I started on the chores. All three of the boats that had moored overnight left around nine or just after. The cruisers heading uphill, the hotel boat downhill. (We had no more problems with the electricity, proving that most likely one of the boats had a faulty electrical system or was an exorbitant user). Mike started work on some of the repairs, starting with the main water pump. He also adjusted the voltage on the fridge’s mains transformer unit as it had crept too high
Friday 23 July 2010
Wednesday 21st July 2010 Dordives to Cepoy. 8.34 kms 5 locks
Hot and sticky night. Pouring with rain when we got up and much cooler. A British cruiser called Cosi went past at 9.35 a.m. We set off at ten following Charley. A VNF keeper in his thirties worked the shallow lock (1.41m N° 6 Brisebarre) while holding a brolly and mobile phone. Another cruiser arrived below the lock as we left it. A short pound to Nargis lock 5 (1.30m) another shallow one. The cruiser that had passed us earlier was moored below the lock (which was ready), the lady of the boat returned with bread as we went past them and into the empty lock. A blonde lady in her fifties worked the lock for us. Gave a hand with the top end gate. Made a note that a sign on the cabin said there was a bin and a tap there. 1.4 kms to the next.
When we arrived at lock 4 Retourne (deeper - 1.90m) Nick said there was a nice mooring below the lock next to the river. The keeper was a man in his fifties with a large moustache (rare to see Frenchmen with moustaches or beards). 3 kms to the last couple of locks. A very chatty helpful lady keeper at Montabon lock 3 worked the lock for us and said the next one was ready for us and we would get to Cepoy for lunch. Followed Charley 800m to the lock. The gates were still shut on Vallées lock 2. The keeper (total opposite of Madame at the previous lock, quiet man who worked the lock slowly) came out of the new cabin and opened the gates. Mike climbed off and closed a gate for him. Another one with a phone to his ear most of the time! Short run into Cepoy. We tied next to some houses.
It was a bit shallow, we were catching on the bottom, so Mike and Nick went to have a look at the port round the corner, shooing a flock of Canada geese in front of them (another rare sight in France). The two cruisers that had come up the locks behind us went past (British boat Cosi and Pax 1 with the two Canadians) had moored behind hotel boat Belle Francoise (last seen on the Rhone á Sète canal) with a mini-jeep on the roof. We moved on to the quay. Charley got in close to the wall but we were on the bottom. It was 1.00 p.m. as we started tying up, but it took us another hour in the pouring rain to put poles out and finish tying up plus run cables out for the electric. We were moored alongside a road opposite a small château which had signs to say it was an auberge de jeunesse (a youth hostel) but judging from the people we saw going in and out it had gone down in the world and was now a different kind of hostel. Had a late lunch then gave Mike a hand to put two planks from the roof to the bank so he could get the moped off. A man carrying several bags (typical tramp!) came out of the château and chatted with Mike as he got the bike ready. A group of kids on bikes had also come out of the château and gone up the road into the village earlier, making lots of noise as they did so. As insurance we put the covers on the solar system – the roof and road were on the same level. It was just after 4.00 p.m. when he went to get the car from Château-Landon. We’d got 3G again, which was nice. Mike managed to get to the car without getting wet. It was getting very late when Mike put the TV on to record a programme for 3.00 a.m. Not long after, around 1.00 a.m. the electricity went off again (it had gone off several times during the day, someone’s got an electrical fault) so Mike turned all the circuit breakers off, turned the power back on and just switched ours on (we were splitting with Charley).
Tuesday 20th July 2010 Château-Landon to Dordives. 4.1 kms no locks.
Still cool overnight. Very hot and sunny again. Put reflectors in the starboard side windows to try and keep the cabin temperature down a bit. Got on with the chores while it was still relatively cool. Lunch. After lunch Nick said they wanted to move on up to Cepoy as there was no TV where we were (they couldn’t get satellite at all or French TV and we’d had to resort to putting the dish on the engine room slide so we could watch Corrie). Set off at 1.45 p.m. after I’d walked down to Néronville lock to check the car was OK parked by the bins (it was, and in the shade too) but there was no sign of a lock keeper. The cabin was open and the lock house doors, but I couldn’t make anyone hear me – he was probably down at Egreville as he had the two locks to work. I walked back to the boat as Mike was untying. We followed Charley up the rest of the long pound (4.7 kms) to lock 6, Brisebarre. It was excessively hot. We passed a British yacht coming down the pound who had an unusual ensign on the transom, not the usual red, white or blue, this one was black with a white cross. Maybe Fowey Yacht Club is an ancient one and has a special ensign. (It didn't, it was a "Cornish" ensign - an unofficial one!) The lock was full with the top end gates open. We waited under the trees. A large cruiser came down. It was very much cooler under the plane trees so we decided to stop. Nick said he thought we’d get satellite so he could watch the Tour de France. Diana took a walk up to the lock to tell the keeper we were staying until the morning. We had to move in front of Charley as we couldn’t get the satellite. Still really hot in the cabin. Max 31.8°C inside – outside 39.9°C. We were moored next to a little back road but it was worth the occasional noise of passing cars to have the boat out of the sun. Boat batteries were pretty well fully charged. Had a quick look at the Tour, they were in the Pyrénées crossing the col d’Aubisque – been there in the car, nice road. There were campervans everywhere. Mike made a new float for the Honda gennie’s carburettor from a slice of synthetic cork Nick gave him. I checked to see if we had the Internet. We did, 3G!
Monday 19th July 2010 Nemours To Château-Landon. 13.1 kms 5 locks
Still cool overnight. Sunny very hot, not much breeze. Mike went for bread before we set off. The electricity had gone off early. A man in a van was there fixing it when Mike returned, so someone must have phoned (he said the Canadians on Pax 1 did last time). Boats went off downhill from opening time. Pax 1 (the large cruiser with two Canadians on board) left before us heading uphill. We followed Charley at 9.45 a.m. 2.7 kms to the first lock, Chaintreauville 11 (3.02m) a deep one. There was downhill traffic, three boats – a Norwegian yacht, a Swedish yacht and a large Dutch cruiser. Once they’d cleared we went up. Diana went up a ladder front right, we went on the left as there was another ladder and I went up it with our centre rope, gingerly as I’d just broken a strap on my sandal. The lock keeper, an older bloke, worked the lock with a ‘phone glued to his ear for the first five minutes. I put a stern rope on for Mike and was about to wind the gate shut when the keeper indicated OK he would do it. He filled the lock slowly. Mike and Diana opened gates so he went back in his cabin to ‘phone ahead. Shouted au’voir, merci, to him as we left and he came out smiling to wish us bonne voyage and tell us there was more downhill traffic.
We passed another lockful on the short pound (1.5kms) to lock 10 Bagneaux (2.20m) – two Danish yachts and another Dutch cruiser. A middle aged guy worked the lock. Like the previous lock there was no lock house, just a cabin on the lockside for the keeper whose car was parked alongside. There was unusual paddle gear on one of the tail gates, Mike took a photo of it. It had two racks each connected to an end of a horizontal bar, the centre of which was connected to the paddle rod. Wind either paddle rack and it opened halfway, lift the other and you get a full paddle. Weird! Past an eerily quiet factory, modern and it looked in use. Maybe it’s holiday shutdown time. The IGN map said glassworks. It had a long row of bollards for péniches to load/unload. Must ask Helen. It was 11.15 a.m. and we had a 4.4 kms pound to the last lock, 9 Beaumoulin ((2.10m). I made a cuppa. It was starting to get very hot again. It was 11.50 a.m. when we arrived at the lock and a jolly lady keeper (in her thirties) with a small son aged about nine worked it for us. It was into her lunchtime 12.05 p.m. when we left so we said thank you very much and wished her bon appetit.
Nick said they were carrying on after lunch to Château Landon and I’d just said we were staying at Souppes so she’d given me the ‘phone number for Egreville. An old Dawncraft cruiser (heavily modified stern end) was moored above the lock, crew having lunch and waving. Tied up on the quay at Souppes between the permanent residents, a masted Dutch Barge and a couple of cruisers. Canadian cruiser Pax 1 was moored at the end, with a load of washing on the foredeck, no signs of anyone on board. Plugged in and did some washing, refilled the water tank (strange end to the tap, but Mike had a fitting for it) and decided to move on as there was a new sign which said it was 7,70€ per night for boats over 12m length.
A board also said parking for campervans was free and electric and water was available for them at 2,20€ per night. Why do they charge boats 5.50€ extra for just tying up? We left at 2.00 p.m. following Charley up to lock 8, Egreville (0.60m) where a young man worked the lock for us. I have a book about the Canals du Loing, Orléans and Briare, which says the lock used to be a flood gate. Then they had the “catastrophe” of 1910 when serious floods washed mine workings from the cliffs and spread all but one of the houses from the hamlet of Lorroy out flat, it destroyed 200m of the canal, a péniche went into a field, it flooded the lockhouse at Néronville and the lock gates were ripped off. Seven people were found dead. They had to build a railway to bring in a big steam crane to repair the canal. to see more (in French) click the link.
No signs of that nowadays. Just over a kilometre to lock 7, Néronville (2.90m) and our young man got in his car and drove up to work that one for us too. Another young man was sheltering from the sun under the bridge and he helped work the lock and gave us a map of Château Landon when we said we were staying at the halte nautique. Dutch hotel boat Fleur with British passengers had moored just above the lock, just after we tied up they started jumping in the canal like kids to cool down. We moored at the downhill end of the quay so we could get satellite TV, Charley moored at the uphill end to get the shade from the trees. Gave Mike a hand to get the moped off a very hot roof (even the white paint was hot) and he went to retrieve the car from the car park at Nemours. The Internet was 5 bars on EDGE but dropped out, so not really usable. When Mike returned he was still having problems with the moped not wanting to go above 40 kph. He’d already tried changing the spark plug, which hadn’t made any difference so now he stripped the carburettor down cleaned it and went out to try it. Still no change. Drastic action. The same thing happened before some years ago in the Netherlands when the exhaust sooted up, no other choice than to do stage 1 tuning and ram the poker up the exhaust pipe, aided by the lump hammer. That should fix it! After dinner we put the bike back on the roof. A large Irish cruiser had slotted between us and Charley, no signs of the crew, must be hiding from the sun.
Sunday 18th July 2010 Nemours. Day off
Chilly overnight, definitely needed the duvet. We got up late, must have been the Polish vodka! After lunch I started catching up with Ancestry entries. Made a chicken (grilled – quickly) salad for dinner. Sweltering, glad of 240v to run a ventilator fan.
Saturday 17th July 2010 Nemours. Day off
Still cool overnight. Windy but sunny. Walked into town to get the car. The market was in full swing, very busy with loads of white vans parked down the road to the canal. Shopping at Carrefour Market in St Pierre-les-Nemours, a village which has spread to join up with the built up area of Nemours. Back for lunchtime. Had to carry the stuff a couple of hundred metres to the boat, getting hot doing it. While the lock was closed for lunchtime we moved the boat down to a convenient gap on the quay and refilled the water tank, then moved back to the end of the line. Two empty péniches heading uphill went past just after lunch, Tempo at 1.15 p.m. and Vesta twenty minutes later. Getting hotter but wind refreshing.
Friday 16th July 2010 Nemours. Day off
Nice cool night, warm sunny day. Wind picking up. Mike was up early at 7.30 a.m. and put the sunshade in the car’s windscreen first thing. Someone had tripped the electricity supply and Pax 1 had called the man in a van to fix it. He arrived as Mike came back. Half an hour later boats started leaving. Mike went to the post office to post letters and then bought some bread. Lunch. Spent the afternoon on the PC, blogging and Ancestry. After dinner we went out for a ride in the car. Beautiful sunset, eerie half light over fields of grain, the quality of light you get at eclipses. Back on the boat before midnight, I took all the stuff back on the boat and Mike parked the car on the big car park next to the river where they hold the market and walked back.
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