French Cruise - 2016......Summary

It has been a particularly busy cruise this year, fairly heavy on the partying!!  We started off as a party of six with four boats, us, David and Janet, Henk and Arthur, ostensibly to help the two lone sailors with the ascending locks but enjoying a few party nights on the way!  We had a lonely night in the middle of nowhere trying to fit a new impeller with Henks' help.  He was also our saviour when we forgot to take our canopy down and crashed into the tiny bridge in Capestang, by attaching the broken strap with a special sailors' knot (still in place as I speak!).  Our bilge pump also gave out in Capestang and had to be replaced.  After going back to Blighty for four weeks we resumed our cruise in Colombiers, where we had considerable trouble removing ourselves from our mooring, so stuck in the mud were we!!   It was a very happy surprise to come across our friends, Quentin and Denise just after the big round lock in Agde - a lovely catch up since we missed our rendezvous with them last year due to a breakdown!  Then the memorable 60th birthday party of our friend, Peter - fantastic do.....took two days to recover though! Carol and Frank stayed with us for a couple of nights for the party.   The mistral found us on the Petit Rhone - luckily not too harsh but a bit uncomfortable.  We then fell into a comfortable routine just cruising with Cornelis k. and enjoyed some lovely meals and laughter!
Next years' cruise is not yet fully decided but Crew feels a definite pull towards the Champagne area....can't think why!!
So thank you for your attention (if indeed you have been paying attention) - Crew has occasionally been distracted by the entertainment side of this cruising life!!
I'll be back sometime after mid-May 2017!

Saturday 24th September - St. Jean de Losne

We planned on a lazy day today as we still had more than a week to pack up for home.  A good idea we thought was to test drive the new restaurant recommended by our friend Carol called Sauconna for lunch. Henk came with us and we all agreed that , although a little on the expensive side, it was very good, particularly the pichet of Chardonnay which was €11 per 50cl.  On the way to the restaurant, Crew spotted a notice announcing Dragon Boat racing on both 1st and 2nd October....might be fun!  

We had tried to get some of our long list of jobs registered with Blanquarts but we're told, in no uncertain terms that nothing could be done about anything until Monday - it was around 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.......all the French can think about at that time is 'Le Weekend'.  Why did we ever teach them that word!!!  So, to sum up, we have no fridge, no heating and now no hot water (boiler has finally died on us!) - not a very auspicious ending to our 2016 cruise!  It looks as if Crew is going to have to wrestle with the unfriendly shower in the marina in order to finally get her hair washed.  We had a quiet evening watching TV and bed.

Friday 23rd September - Seurre to St.Jean de Losne

Our final day cruising to St.Jean de Losne - our overwintering port.  We left port at 10.30 and after a twenty minute wait for the lock in Seurre started our last cruise of 2016.  An uneventful cruise saw us onto the fuel pontoon in St. Jean - we need to fill the tank full of diesel for the winter otherwise condensation will get into the tank and result in contamination of the fuel.  We took on 550 litres of fuel and are now €680 the poorer but that is what it has cost for a whole 3 months cruising!  We then said 'au revoir' to Henk and left him to fill up himself and then moor on the town quay.  We tied up on the Visitors' pontoon to await the re- opening of the Capitainerie at 2 p.m.  Skip went up just after 2 and we were assigned a berth, which thankfully, was closer to the Capitainerie and indeed the town.  For six years we had moored in H2O but although the marina is nearer the town we found it very expensive for repairs - lots of people have highly recommended Blanquarts, the marina next door, as the quality of workmanship is better and less expensive.  As we have quite a long list of jobs to be done it could be financially advantageous!
We settled ourselves into our mooring and relaxed for a while.  Crew cooked more duck breasts for dinner, with vegetables, a cheesy potato dish for Skip and Crew and a jacket potato for Henk.  Lazy chat and bed.

20km 1 lock 2 1/2 hours

Thursday 22nd September - Seurre

We decided to stay another night as it is a nice peaceful mooring.  Skip spent a long time cleaning the hull as it was relatively easy to get to, Crew put the washing machine on and Henk put the final coat of varnish on our table - they are looking like new!!  Another disaster......the heating has packed up!!  Crew tried to put it on for some warm towels but no.......another job for the list and, as the mornings and evenings are rather chilly, not a happy Crew!!!  No fridge and no heating!  After lunch Crew attempted her usual siesta but felt unwell and was subsequently sick.......we had some nice warm white wine in the fridge that had been open for some time - am blaming that!  We are managing by having the use of Henks' fridge and by making ice cubes in our ice machine.  The plan was for Crew to cook dinner - duck breasts and vegetables but she had to cry off sick so we had some bread, soup and cheese and a quiet night in front of the TV.

Wednesday 21st September - Verdun sur le Doubs to Seurre

We left Verdun around 10.30 and cruised 7km to the lock.  Unfortunately a very large commerce in front of us took up the entire lock so we had to tie off on the waiting pontoon with Henk rafted alongside.  Altogether we waited an hour to pass through the lock!  We arrived in Seurre around 1.30.  The pontoon is hidden behind a little island - normally we treat it like a roundabout and go round the island and onto the mooring but as we were following Henk we approached from the other direction......plenty of depth, luckily!  We had some lunch, Skip went ashore to check restaurant opening times and some shopping and Crew had a siesta.  Our usual restaurant Les Negociants (also a hotel) was closed down.......dommage!!  Skip has been trying to set up a French bank account so that we can recharge our wi-fi by credit card and phone - and indeed has been trying for about five weeks.....what a saga!!  As he had run out of wi-fi he went to the Capitainerie to pay and sort out his e-mails, etc.  When asked where was best to eat the Capitaine suggested Le Grilladine on the edge of the town, where we had eaten before.  After aperitifs around 7 p.m. we walked to the restaurant - we decided to be brave and sit outside!  A very cheerful, cheeky young waitress served us efficiently and we enjoyed a good meal.

19 km 1 lock 3 hours

Tuesday 20th September - Gergy to Verdun sur le Doubs

An even shorter run to Verdun so we didn't leave until 11 a.m. - could get used to this lazy cruising!  We arrived at the long pontoon to a very warm welcome from the friendly Capitaine who helped us in.  Cornelis k. has a little green dinghy on davits which makes it difficult to moor stern to.  If there are no finger pontoons which is the case in Verdun, it is impossible for Henk to get to shore unless he can moor alongside another boat, so luckily he was able to tie up against us.  Having settled in, we decided to look for some lunch in town for a change.  Yet another quaint old town, Verdun has most of the amenities required very close to the port.  We remembered having a good meal in a restaurant a little further into town but of course, found it closed so we had a beer in a bar on the way back to the hotel nearer the port........mistake - by the time we got to the hotel it was 'complet'.  We are now in the land of lunch at12.30 on the dot - or no lunch!!  This system doesn't exist in the south of France......find it very frustrating!!  Back to Aphrodite for a spot of lunch then, having booked dinner at 8 p.m. in the hotel!  As we now have lovely sunny, autumnal weather during the day with cold mornings and evenings, lunch is a better option - we just need to work on the 12.30 thing!!  Dinner was pretty good in the hotel, then back to the boat for a digestif and bed.

Monday 19th September - Chalon sur Saone to Gergy

Left Chalon at 10.30 for our short run to Gergy.  We have stopped in Gergy many times - it has a rather ropey pontoon but a very good restaurant on the waterfront.  Unfortunately as it was Monday, as usual, it would be closed for the day, which means that, having not cooked for a long while, Crew would be on galley duty for the third night in a row.......feel a mutiny coming on!!  We tied up behind a nice German couple, with Henk mooring behind us.  The ropey pontoon was even more ropey as it was now broken in the middle, making it difficult for us to get Henk secured since he was straddling two parts of the pontoon!  We got there in the end!  After our usual lunch Skip took a walk into the village to find all the usual amenities including a bar, a coiffure, a small supermarket and a hotel/ restaurant - which was closed down!  Although not raining, we have now lost our summer climate and are well and truly into autumn and as Crew was only doing a cold supper, found some soup to warm us all up!!

17 km O locks 1 1/2 hours