Monday 18th June - Nargis to Souppes

We didn’t release our lines until 10.45 as we had a very short run to  Souppes today.

.  All three locks were set our way and we arrived at our destination around midday.  Skip researched possible restaurants on the internet and discovered that the one recommended to us by the Englishman in Montargis was closed on Sundays and Mondays.  So as Skip wanted to watch the first English football game of the World Cup in the evening we decided to walk into town for some lunch.

Trip Advisor suggested that it was a 0.6 km walk to the centre of town......Crew disagrees - it was 2km at least!!  

However we found a very pleasant bar for an aperitif and the choice of two restaurants in this shabby/chic little town.  We opted for one which specialised in Portuguese food but ordered the menu of the day, which was more French than anything!  We enjoyed three courses for the princely sum of €13 and........with homemade chips!!!  Delicious!

Back to Aphrodite for a siesta, then a few jobs before settling in for the football.  Well, what a nail biter.....just saved our reputation with a last minute goal!  A bit of normal telly and bed.

8 km. 3 locks. 1 1/4hours

Sunday 17th June - Montargis to Nargis

We left just before 9.30 as we had arranged for a 9.30 lock through with the eclusiers but when we arrived at the lock there was a boat coming up so it was getting on for 10 by the time we got through. We were then given a telecommande, a remote control for the following locks which we were very pleased about - no more lunch stops!   At our fourth lock of the day a very friendly eclusier was very chatty, ending up talking football with Skip!  Not being a hundred percent sure as to where we would stop for the night, we took a look at the village of Cepoy - the village looked nice but the mooring was fairly crowded and we weren’t too sure about the availability of power so we moved on.

After 6 locks we arrived at the next to find a boat coming up again.  After he left the gates closed so we left a few minutes before using the telecommande - no response!  We thought that maybe the locks did close for lunch after all!  Skip called the VNF and they did say that someone would come.  However at one o’clock still nobody had come so Skip called again and, finally an eclusier turned up in about fifteen minutes or so. An hour and a half of our day wasted - all in a days’ cruising I suppose!

Our next possible mooring was a couple more locks on and although it was a bit rough and ready with no power, we decided to stop anyway and tied off on a bollard and a mooring pin in the long grass!

Our neighbouring boat was an old barge with the unsalubrious name of Plancton.  We thought it was just an abandoned boat but shortly a man came on a scooter and made ready to leave.  Soon after his wife, son and little granddaughter arrived.  They set off in the direction we had come, saying they would be back in an hour.

The weather had been very mixed but  thankfully, no rain so far so we settled and had a bread and cheese lunch.   Crew will cook dinner later.
A quiet lazy evening on our country mooring!

15 km. 9 locks. 5 hours

Saturday 16th June - Châtillon-Coligny to Montargis

Yesterday afternoon Skip called the lock keeper and organised a 9.30 start at the lock, so we left our berth around 9.15.  The lock, alas, was not quite ready as a boat was in it coming up.  Whilst hovering, we managed to get our stern stuck on the bottom, which took some effort to release......poor propellor!  Both this and the next lock were a 5 metre drop, so took a little longer than otherwise.
We now had an 8.5 km run to a chain of four locks which, to our surprise were automated - it shouldn’t have been because it was marked on one of our charts!  We managed to get through all four before the lunch stop.
We set off at ten to one in order to be at the next lock for one o’clock as arranged with the eclusier.  The lock gates were open so we went in and secured our lines - no sign of the keeper.  So Skip closed both gates in readiness.  A VNF van came hurtling along.........but drove straight past us!!  Now we sit in the lock and wait!  He came tearing back in about fifteen minutes or so and locked us through.  One more lock and a little run to the mooring in Montargis.  Crew was just thinking that we’d had no problems at all with mooring space this season but didn’t dare say it in case it  brought bad luck!  It made no diffference as there were a lot of liveaboards or boats not occupied lining the long quay but with some help from an English couple we squeezed in on a scruffy grass bank with not much space to manoeuvre.
It is a depressing port, with a very ugly hospital and some run down buildings nearby.....Crew has decided not to venture into town!  We were chatting to our English neighbour, another John, when a car drew up with three young men in it.  As they came to a halt, the driver threw a glass bottle out of the window, which landed in a puddle!  We were flabbergasted - they were obviously drunk as they all walked off carrying a bottle of Jack Daniels and some Coke with them.  Then as we were trying to get ourselves a very late lunch (getting towards 3 p.m. by then) we were approached by a man and a woman in stark uniforms, telling us to go and pay in the office.  We said we would but as Skip didn’t go straight away the man came back and virtually frogmarched him to the Capitainerie!  A nice welcome!!!  All the more reason not to spend any time or money in his town - a pity because Montargis is known as the Venice of France!
Skip did take a walk into town but reported nothing of note - we decided to eat on board.
A quiet night.

23 km. 8 locks. 5 hours

Friday 15th June -Châtillon-Coligny

We decided on a rest day as our last one wasn’t exactly restful.  Also it was Market day and we needed to see some people in this little town!  So we left the boat around 11 a.m. and took a walk around the market which was bigger than we had thought it would be.  Skip, having bought a linen hat was showing serious signs of thirst so we thought we could stop at one of the two bars in the market area but unfortunately there were no spaces available.  We made our way to our restaurant instead but it looked as if it was only serving lunch.  We had decided on maybe lunching there as it was so good but first of all, Skip needed a beer, so we walked to the other restaurant in town but that too was serving lunch and no terrace.  The decision was to go back to the boat for some lunch or back to Le Coligny......no contest really!   The lunch was again very good and we made our way back to Aphrodite again, fully replete!  We stopped to talk to a neighbouring lady on a Linssen cruiser, Triton II who was travelling in the opposite direction to us......they wanted to go to the restaurant but they are both lactose intolerant and it seems that the restaurant can not accommodate them.....shame for them!
A very lazy afternoon ensued, with Crew feeling only a little bit guilty for not doing any cleaning. But it is a rest day, right!!
Tomorrow we are cutting out our proposed stop as it’s a very short cruise again - Crew thinks this is some kind of punishment by Skip......he really doesn’t want me to rest too much!!  So we are aiming for Montargis instead of Montbouy.
Working on this principle Crew planned a quiet evening with a bit of telly!

Thursday 14th June - Rogny to Chatillon Coligny

We left at 9.15 as we had a short day and wanted to avoid having to stop for the lunch closure.  Our six locks all went very smoothly, thanks to the efficiency of the eclusiers and we were well settled stern to on a free mooring by 11.30 p.m.- probably the earliest we have ever arrived in port!
We got ourselves settled and Skip went to the Tourist Office on the quay to pay and ask about the town.  We had been given a recommendation for a restaurant here, The Coligny and Skip wanted to find out its’ location.  There was nothing to pay, which was very good news and the restaurant was just a 15 minute walk across the bridge......so all good!
We had an early lunch then usual siesta, after which Skip walked around town for an hour or so.  Châtillon-Coligny is a rather sad little town with a lot of shops closed down, giving the place a more shabby than chic appearance!  There are a lot of very old buildings which haven’t been very well cared for, which adds to the overall impression of neglect.
Later, we freshened up and walked to the restaurant just before 8 p.m.  What was very noticeable was the lack of people around.......maybe more folk tomorrow on market day!
The restaurant had a terrace which could have done with a bit of a makeover and although it was quite a balmy night, we were not encouraged to dine outside....a shame.  However the dining room was a very attractive one although only five other people were dining.  The meal was excellent though and very efficient service.  We went out onto the terrace to finish our red wine before the dessert and started talking to three Australian ladies who had been dining and were on a hire boat for the first time.......brave girls!  The waitress came out to us and asked if we would like our dessert served outside - as we said ‘yes please’ they brought a tablecloth and two cushions for the chairs and promptly served our dessert with a complimentary glass of bubbles!  Good service!!
We walked back to the boat for a little TV and to take our full stomachs to bed!

10 km. 6 locks. 2 hours

Wednesday 13th June - Ouzouer-sur-Trezee to Rogny

Crew overslept so we didn’t set sail until after 10 a.m. (double figures at last!).  Today we have six locks up to the summit then six down - they are all about 4 metres deep.  We had a very pleasant young man to see us up the first locks, then we stopped for the lunch break for about 45 minutes.  A young lady helped us for the first three when everything was going swimmingly.  However, we had to wait for over half an hour for the next as there was a problem.......and, indeed, as the lock gates didn’t open fully to release us, it was a bit of a squeeze to exit!  Then we had to wait another half an hour, as a hotel boat was coming in the opposite direction - they have priority!  The afternoon was not going as smoothly as we thought it would.....it is 13th I suppose!!
What we thought would be a maximum of three and a half hours’ cruise became  almost five hours, so we arrived in Rogny at 3 p.m.  The quay was practically empty but we moored close to a little French cruiser as we suspected the hotel boat would join us later, even though there were no cones reserving a space for them.
We chatted to a very nice English lone sailor Nick, who kindly invited us for coffee on his boat but we said maybe later as we had not had any lunch yet.  So a quick lunch of quiche and salad, then Skip went for a walk to research restaurants, etc.  He found two but one was favourite, the Auberge les Sept Ecluses, which of course, was closed, so unable to book.  On his way back he saw Nick practising his boules skills and after discussion with Crew went back to invite him for drinks on Aphrodite at 7 p.m.
In the end it turned out that the restaurant was not open for dinner and we ended up with a takeaway pizza!  We had a long chat with Nick, who had also ordered a pizza, and indeed told us that the restaurant was not too good anyway.  It seems that Rogny les Sept Ecluses was not very well served with good dining establishments!
Rogny les Sept Ecluses obtains its’ name from the old flight of seven locks, much like those at Beziers in the south.  These seven were a remarkable feat of engineering built during the reign of Henry IV.  They have now been replaced with the six locks we descended this afternoon which unlike the old flight the locks have gaps between them, allowing boats to pass.
After our pizza feast, we chatted a bit more then by invitation we went to look over Nicks’ old Luxe Motor barge.  Although she was over 20 metres. long, there was only one cabin and one head but the saloon was very spacious, so good for a liveaboard.
We made our way back to the boat for some TV and bed.

11 km. 12 locks. 4 3/4 hours

Tuesday 12th June - Belleville- sur-Loire to Ouzouer-sur-Trezee

We set off around 9.30 - only three locks with long stretches of cruising today.  After our first lock we had a nineteen and a half kilometre run.  After almost an hours’ cruising we came across a very slow Hotel boat going our way.  We both pulled a face......it would be a long, slow slog at this rate.  But the skipper slowed right down and invited us to pass which we did - and very grateful we were too!
After crossing the one kilometre aqueduct just before the town of Briare, then just two more locks before our stopping place, Ouzouer.  We had to stop for the lunch break before these two but were settled in by 1.45 p.m.
Again we had stopped here before, 5 years ago and both remembered it as last time there was a wedding reception in the attractive modern building right by the quay.  A very poor bar/restaurant town though.....as Crew remembers the bar closed at midday last time!!
There was a sign put up on the quay to save a space for the hotel boat we had passed, so we moored as far back as possible.  We got settled and had lunch then Skip walked into the village - bar/cafe and a boulangerie only, neither of them open!  So dinner on board.
We had to eat below as the temperature had dropped somewhat by the time dinner was ready.....TV and bed.

26 km. 3 locks. 4 1/4 hours