Thursday, 22nd July 2010, Chalon-sur-Saone
Eliza B
Ron & Elizabeth HOWARD
Fri 23 Jul 2010 17:42
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We left Langres on Monday morning (12th) to
complete the rest of the uphill locks and then entered the tunnel at the
summit. The tunnel is 4.8 km long and only wide enough for one boat.
Fortunately, it is lit along its full length otherwise it would have been rather
spooky. We knew that we were safe and nobody would be coming the other way
since we had been told there was a large barge ahead. After about an
hour we caught up with the barge but didn't get too close so that we didn't
suffer its exhaust for the last part of the tunnel.
   At last, we came out into the sunshine and then
started on the downhill flight of locks, 12 of them. We had to give the
peniche time to clear each preceding lock but otherwise it was very easy and
quick since all the locks were centrally controlled and were automatically
prepared for us once the barge had gone through. It took a little getting
used to going down through the locks but we quickly mastered the technique and
progressed without problem.
 Once we were through the first flight we
had 35 more locks to reach the River Saone. The second day we caught
up with the peniche and decided to keep fairly close since, we
considered, the locks wouldn't close at the usual 18:00 but would let him
through to the river. We managed the penultimate lock and then rounded the
corner ready to pass under a large viaduct and enter the lock only to find the
peniche rafted to another barge and completely blocking the canal. We
presumed he knew he had run out of time and the last lock wouldn't be
operating. We backed up to find an approachable bank on the canal and tied
up there for the night. It was 13th July, we were in the middle of the
country side and it was a beautiful starlight night. So we had supper
and sat in the cockpit listening to the surrounding villages letting off
their Eve of Bastille Day celebration fireworks. We could hear many more
than we could see.
 Next morning we had just the last lock on the
Marne-Saone canal to clear before entering the Saone. Unfortunately, the
automation let us down, for some reason, and the lock wouldn't open to let us
out. So we had to telephone VNF who sent a man in a van to over-ride the
system and let us progress.
At the junction to the river we had to join a queue
of one peniche and three pleasure boats to go through the first lock. The
river locks are all controlled and are much bigger than the canal locks so it
was very easy. The contrast between river and canal was significant (and
welcome). The river is wide, much deeper and free of weeds and other
obstacles with only occasional locks to slow down your progress. (There is
also a very slight current in your favour!) The scenery is much more
interesting and we have passed our first field of sunflowers - we must be
getting near the south. There are also loads of dragon flies - large and
small - this one hitched a lift for a few minutes. We haven't yet seen any
vineyards.
  We quickly arrived at Pontailler sur Saone, which
is a small port de plaisance off the river and the base of a small hire-boat
company ('LesCanalous'). We were made welcome and tied up just in time for
a very strong wind to blow through and cause havoc. It broke a large banch
off one of the trees in the port and, on the caravan and camp-site on the other
side of the river, it blew over a large tree which injured two people and killed
another. (We didn't discover this until the next morning but it explained
all the emergency vehicles and sirens most of that evening.)
Unfortunately, Pontailler were not having their Bastille Day celebrations unil
the following Saturday, so we still didn't see any fireworks. Apparently
all the communes agree to avoid clashes and spread the celebrations across the
week. However we did enjoy an enormous "bang" each day we were there courtesy of
the local Nobel explosives factory.
After a day pottering about and catching up
with various 'boat jobs' we continued our journey southwards. We took
a lunch stop about halfway at Auxonne. It is a small ville and it still an
active garrison town. It has some beautiful old buildings and some
wonderful gargoyles around the church. Auxonne's main claim to fame is
based on the fact that a certain Lieutenant Napoleon did his military training
there before he made the big time. There is a statue of him as a slim,
young man in front of the hotel de ville.
   We then continued our journey until we reached
St-Jean-de-Losnes where we moored in Blanquarts marina for the
weekend. St-Jean-de-Losnes is at the end of the Burgundy canal
and a very central and popular base for many people to base their boat - we
met English, Dutch, German and Canadian boat owners who are regular
visitors or have their boat permanently moored there.
THe church is very old with the Burgundy-style
coloured tiles. In front of the church is a memorial to the seventeenth
century seige of the ville.
   The port de plaisance at St-Jean is in a large
basin - just off the river and next to the canal. There are two separate marinas
and a large hire-boat station ('Le Boat') in the basin which is surrounded by
reeds. Each night we were serenaded with a chorus of
frogs. They were so loud that we initially thought they were
ducks.
You may recall that our original plan was to
leave the boat there, at St-Jean-de-Losnes, while we returned home for the month
of August. However, since we had made such good progress and were ahead of
our schedule, that we decided to continue south and investigate 'parking'
opportunities at Chalon-sur -Saone or even Pont-de-Vaux (just north of Macon)
which had been recommended to us.
We left St-Jean on the Monday morning and, equipped
with a new log book and a diesel top-up, we had a gentle and very sunny trip to
Verdun-le-Doubs . By this time we were well used to the sight of herons
languidly flapping their way along the river but this time it was
different. Coming up the river towards us was a bird with a distinct touch
of red, although it had the same long wingspan and lazy flapping action, it was
very red. As it passed us we were amazed to realise it was a pink
flamingo. Apparently they are a common sight at the bottom of the Rhone
but his one was obviously lost. Needless to say, I was too late to get a
photograph. When we arrived at the small port we cooled off with a
swim in the river, an ice-cream and an over-night stop.
  One of the large locks on the Saone. The
strange red and white signpost had us confused to start with. We then
discovered they referred to the water height when the river is in flood; it does
not give an indication of depth but it indicates which regualtions apply when
the water is that high - for instance the Roman
numeral for 3 indicates that nothing is authorised to move on the
water.
On Tuesday we arrived at the large port de
plaisance at Chalon-sur-Saone and went out for a
very nice meal in the evening. It is very busy and a popular stopping
place for the many hire boats we have become more numerous as we have moved
south. Most of these boat-hire companies offer the opportunity of renting
a spacious canal boat "sans permis", i.e. without requiring license or
qualifications. Obviously, they are very popular with families but present
a real hazard to other boaters. The boats are not very easy to handle in
stong sidewinds or currents (they have small engines and small rudders) and the
drivers do not have much experience of tricky conditions. Twice we have
had to 'fend off' hire boats losing control when they are trying to moor up
nearby.
  Chalon is quite a large town and this week is
celebrating 4 days of street theatre. It is quite amusing to see and hear
the variety of entertainment being offered - mostly for free. This is
fortunate since we are having to say here a few unplanned days while the local
chandlery sends for a new air filter for the Volvo engine. We discovered
the old one had fallen to pieces during a routine engine check. A
replacement has been ordered and it is promised for Saturday morning and it
should only take few minutes to fit (Ron predicts
hopefully).   On Wednesday we discovered a very large Carrefour
nearby and went and did our weekly shop. It was very hot and sunny.
That evening, the predicted rain and thunderstorm arrived and the rain continued
all night. We braved the intermittent rain on the Thursday and wandered
around town and after dinner we went to a street theatre nearby. The rain
is predicted to continue for a further day and then it should be cloudy but no
rain.
Once the new filter has been fitted to the
engine, we propose to move northwards, back to St-Jean-de-Losnes, on
Sunday. We have been advised against leaving the boat here - and there is
also some doubt whether they could accommodate us for the five weeks - and
Elizabeth has discovered that the canal leading to the Pont-de-Vaux basin is 4
km up a small canal with a declared depth of 1.2 metres. Since our draft
is 1.2 metres we think it might be pushing our luck to try that. So, it is
back to plan A and we have a berth reserved for us at St-Jean. We also
have train tickets for the 28th from St-Jean via Dijon to Paris to catch our
flight home from CdG airport.
 A typical
lunch!With best wishes, Ron & Elizabeth.
Ron & Elizabeth HOWARD
Eliza B, Moody 36
+ 44 7768 816 579
+ 33 (0)6 11 66 79 08
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