Sunday 29th September - Ranchot to Dole

We woke to a beautiful autumn morning, with clear blue skies.......lovely after the dreary days we have endured lately.  We are cruising to one of our favourite towns, Dole - it is a very ancient picturesque town with some very characterful old buildings and a lot of bridges.  It was the birth place of Louis Pasteur, whose father worked in the tannery.

We are now alternating between river and canal luckily, with good depth - Skip no longer anxious!
We arrived at 1.30 and moored in difficult conditions as now the wind was strong and we had to tie off with it against the current.  We were assisted by a very nice young man - not sure what nationality he was as he spoke good English and also German but his boat carried a French ensign.
We had a late lunch again whilst discussing restaurants for the evening. As it was Sunday evening, we thought it best to have a wander around and see which was open.  Both Henk and Skip went into town and found it very lively - there was a festival going on.....it was called Weekend Gourmand du chat perche.  Rough translation the gourmand weekend of the perching cat!
When Crew arose from a short nap, there were hundreds of motorbikes racing around the river banks, making a heck of a noise and hooting horns.
We met for an apero and went into town.  A lot of the streets are fairly steep, which Crew is not so fond of but worth the climb in most cases.  We ended up in Les Cinque Senses, a beautiful restaurant with arched stone ceilings - apart from one couple, we were the only diners.  The waitress was not over friendly but pretty efficient and the boys chose a menu for €29.50 but Crew just chose one course.  The food was excellent.....hope to visit again some time.
The rain had stayed away and we got back to the boat around 9.30 so a bit of TV and bed.

21 km 6 locks 3 1/2 hours

Saturday 28th September - Besancon to Ranchot

We left at 9.45 under occasional blue skies but still with a cold wind - it promises to be an improving sort of day.....hope the forecast is right.  The city of Besancon is surrounded by water so our first job is to get through a small tunnel, ending in a lock - then another lock straight away.  When we got into the lock, the keeper started to close the gates before Henk had got in, so Skip hooted and he stopped the process - don’t fully understand how he didn’t know that two boats were coming through. Crew was informed by Skip that the locks become fewer......not quite sure when as we have eleven today it seems!!
The wind seemed to get even sharper, resulting in Crew resorting to wearing a very unbecoming ski hat!!  All the locks behaved themselves today and we arrived in Ranchot just before three o’clock.  It takes longer to get settled now that the weather is not so good - a lot of canopy to put up,
so a very late lunch today!
After lunch, Henk went over to the restaurant to try and book a table for dinner but alas, it was closed.  So he tried over at the camp site on the other side of the river.....the restaurant there is evidently only open in July and August.  So, dining on board it is!
We only had a pack of minced beef left in the freezer, so Bolognaise it was to be again.  TV behaved itself but as usual, on a Saturday, nothing much we wanted to watch, so we watched The Theory of Everything, Stephen Hawkins’ biography, which we enjoyed very much.

34 km 11 locks 5 1/2 hours

Friday 27th September - Besancon

A rest day today.....hurrah!  We messaged Henk to say that we planned to go into town for lunch, so he got a move on and left Deluz pretty early.  Unfortunately he had a problem at the first double lock - his remote control wouldn’t work.  So a wait for the VNF.  Crew has been told off by Skip for saying we hadn’t needed to call out the VNF......always asking for trouble!!
Henk managed to arrive around 12.30 - good going!  We went into town and decided on the Italian restaurant where we had dined back in May.  Not a bad lunch, although the pichets of wine were  just average.  The weather was grey and damp but we did manage to avoid the rain.
We just watched TV in the evening, whilst observing the students comings and goings.  They had some sort of meeting in the cafe opposite us and then once again, they all made for the music venue for the evening. A hardy lot these students as the on and off rain was heavy at times but they didn’t seem to notice!!  An easy last rest day before we reach our home port.

Thursday 26th September Deluz to Besancon

We decided to leave just before midday, even though the weather was horrible - grey, cool and drizzly.  Working the locks  when the whole boat is wet, not to mention the ropes is not a pleasure.  Also, the locks are filthy, covered in mud and slime - having said that we haven’t had to call out the VNF so far!
Henk messaged us earlier to say he was stuck at the ecluse de garde just outside Baumes-les-Dames.  They were changing the gates - no telling how long it would take!  After we got through our first (double) lock, he messaged again, saying he was underway again.
We arrived around half past two and quickly got settled on the long, practically empty, pontoon.  Then down below to dry out and get warm!  Henk messaged again to say that he had reached Deluz and had decided to stay overnight and catch us up tomorrow - it was not a good day for a long cruise!!
Besancon is a university city and is always buzzing with young people......indeed it seemed to be freshers week, as in the U.K.  There was the sound of music (well, a deep base throb of something like music) a little way from us and as the evening went on crowds of students made their way towards the sound.
We decided on a night in as the weather was not conducive to wandering around town.  Skip cooked our last steaks for dinner.......delicious, we’ll done Skip!  Later in the evening, as we were watching TV, groups of students returned to the town, a lot of them carrying red torches.  They seemed to have had a good time and were in high spirits.....a good time was had by all, we think!

17 km 3 locks (1 double) 2 1/2 hours

Wednesday 25th September - Beaume-les-Dames to Deluz

We woke to a grey soggy morning and a very wet deck.....summer is definitely over!   Henk decided to stay on another night as he hoped to meet up with his friends so we left just before 10 a.m.
With the hope of no more rain wet set off on a fairly difficult trip as the river was full of sandbanks - to be avoided at all costs!  For several stretches of water we had to slow down to avoid being grounded which made for an anxious Skip.  Our first lock was 4.2 metres and took quite a while to fill for us.
There was a very narrow shallow cut leading to our fourth lock and it wasn’t until we were near the lock that we noticed there was a boat coming up. So a difficult reverse for Skip back into wider waters - the wind didn’t help either.  The last two locks went well if a little chilly......the wind was bitingly cool.
We arrived in Deluz just before one o’clock and managed to find a space with a finger pontoon to tie off on.  We had some lunch but retired below afterwards as it was raining on and off.  The port was very quiet and although Crew saw a dog board our neighbour, no human was in sight.....maybe he’s a guard dog!!
A lazy afternoon and evening followed with Crew in the galley cooking bacon wrapped chicken.  TV was good apart from rain interference.

17 km 6 locks 2 3/4 hours

Tuesday 24th September - L’isle sur Doubs to Beaume-les-Dames

We left at 9.30 on a cool grey morning......a shame because the autumn scenery was beautiful.  The vague plan was to stop at Clerval one boat each side of a lock.  Two locks from Clerval we lost Henk!  In the lock he waved his arms at me and put five fingers up, meaning he needed time to do something but I misconstrued his wave as a ‘good morning’ wave, so we left the lock as usual.  To our dismay the lock gates closed, with him still in the lock!  He had to ascend the lock again, reverse out and start all,over again......sorry Henk!  So now we are cruising separately!!
There is technically a port in the village but we have notice of it being an unsafe mooring as there are sandbanks near the pontoon.  The ‘mooring places’ were actually landing stages for the locks and not strictly for use as overnight berths.  Also the river narrowed considerably on the pontoon we were to use after the lock, so we aborted that idea!  The official pontoon was actually sitting on a sandbank - so we moved on!!  It’s a shame for Henk as he has a friend who lives in Clerval.
It seems that there are no official stopping places apart from the landing stages, so Beaume-les-Dames it is!!
We arrived in Baumes-les-Dames at three o’clock and got settled to wait for Henk who arrived about an hour later.  We had drinks and a quick bite to eat, even though it was pretty late and decided to take a cab into town for dinner as it was raining on and off by now.
We assembled on deck for an apero and took the taxi into town at 7.30 to the Charleston restaurant wher we had eaten before with Henk.  It is a charming old fashioned establishment which serves excellent food.  The waitress greeted Henk with enthusiasm and two kisses!  Henk overwintered here three years ago and visited the restaurant many times during that time.
We had a lovely meal with excellent wines - home around 10.30 p.m.  a little TV and bed.

31 km 14 locks 5 1/2 hours

Monday 23rd September - L’isle sur Doubs

Crew woke to the sound of rain but, no matter......no clock watching this morning!  By the time Skip had given Aphrodite a good clean outside and Crew had put some washing on, we thought we would go into town.  It was market day but unfortunately, they were closing down so only a few stalls left.  Crew still managed to buy a silk flower arrangement for the boat.  The bar we had been to before was closed and another establishment which Skip thought might be a restaurant was just a rather shabby bar, so we decided to go to the supermarket - a fairly large  Intermarche.  On the way back, we went to look at a restaurant just across the bridge, which was serving a simple two course menu plus wine for €15.  One of the choices was Moules Mariniere....one of our favourites!  So us and our shopping settled ourselves in the busy little cafe, looking forward to our first moules this year.  We guessed that  some of the clientele were market people, so there was a lot of loud banter going on - good atmosphere!  There was a slightly more upmarket restaurant attached to the cafe but we were happy with our choice.
Henk arrived shortly after we returned to the boat and, after getting settled came over for a beer and we chatted for a while.  Crew optimistically hung the washing out - the weather has been very changeable today, with dark clouds threatening every now and again but, luckily no rain.
The usual rest and then lazy evening in front of the TV - Skips’ favourite Only Connect on tonight.  Don’t understand it......can’t answer any of the questions!!!!