Corre to Montceau

Aug 10

Getting a winter booking was becoming more urgent - Epinal was now too far North and the two possible DBA spots (Fragnes and Pouilly-en-Auxois) were foundering on VNF indifference.  At this point Terry Barrett on Renaissance suggested Montceau-les-Mines on the Canal du Centre (south of Dijon).  Not a decision to be made unseen so full throttle ahead.

The Upper Saone started off small and scenic and we wandered down to Port sur Saone which was a good and busy mooring but the town wasn't that inspiring.  No internet so definitely a one night stop. Off to Gray a much bigger town with supermarkets - the moorings were a bit silted up so lucky to get in in windy conditions - Peter finally installed the new washing machine and disposed of the old (room in the wheelhouse at last. Visited the museum in the Chateau - fortunately the entrance fee was low but at least it had a good view.

Then we found a small mooring at Lamarche sur Saone - we had to wait for a hire boat to move off but it was great stop.  The village had an excellent boucherie and boulangerie and a fairly tired Spa, but the latter had a good Beaujolais and an excellent Morgon so stocked up.  A steak barbecue on night One and boeuf bourguignon night Two - if only we had a deep freeze on board.

Auxonne was the next stop - fortifications and a Napoleonic museum (he served there) in the castle/chateau keep which was dire - NO more town museums! Found a bar to drown our sorrows.

Auxonne 

The Saone was getting bigger and few ecluses, so the kms per day were adding up. We were looking forward to getting to St Jean de Losne (hub of the waterways etc) but there were no moorings, so moored outside a restaurant which allowed us to stay for the night (any excuse not to cook). For a 'hub' there wasn't a lot of activity - so we bought a fender (down to the helmswoman) at H20, chatted to a few English boaters and drifted on south.  Moorings on the big rivers are tight, so after our first big ecluses since the Moselle we squeezed into Seurre with some fast talking - Kes made friends with the Capitaine which helped.

Next was Verdun sur Doubs - a short turn off the Saone - only one barge mooring and we were just in time for the market - fish for dinner.  Angie fluttered her eyelashes and the Capitaine agreed we were under 15m. A nice little town and we found a good bar - after two nights we had become 'regulars'.

Verdun sur Doubs

A few more big ecluses and we were at the Canal du Centre - the Canal entrance is 'industrial' and entering the first ecluse (10m rise) is like going into a mine entrance.  No problems and onwards towards Fragnes where we spent a few days. A very popular mooring, the canal side is beautifully maintained and a good boulangerie and restaurant (and a hairdresser they seem to breed like rabbits in French villages). No surprise that the restaurant had to be checked out - good food but moderate service.

The ecluses were automated using a rope 'trigger', but dreadfully sited  at one end of the ecluse or the other so difficult to operate from on board - a mix of 5m and 2.5m lifts. A commercial quay at Chagny (don't bother) - a greenfield quay at St Julien which was fine with a boulangerie in the village 5 mins away (all the rural villages seem well maintained with tubs of flowers) and then Blanzy where we squeezed onto a small quay (free elec/water).  We found a farm shop near the quay which made us homesick for the NZ farm - we stocked up with cheap dogfood and Merlot (only in France).  The next day was Montceau les Mines

We tied up on the T of a finger pontoon at Montceau and made ourselves known to the Capitaine Catherine who spoke quite good English, checked out the town,  the dog walks (important) and Internet reception (critical) . As Terry Barrett had said,  it had all mod cons, was remarkably cheap and everyone was friendly so we signed up for the Winter and relaxed for a few days.

Montceau Mooring

Strasbourg to Corre

Jul 10

As we were retracing our footsteps along the Canal Marne au Rhin we tried to stop at different moorings to the way out, though there was no real alternative to Lutzelbourg.  This time we managed to find a mooring at Saverne opposite the Chateau.

Chateau Rohan Saverne

We kept on meeting boats ex Strasbourg though traffic overall was quite light - a bad year for the Hire firms?  Not a lot of wildlife either other than swans.

The deep lock at Rechicourt (15.4m) was a squeeze this time - the Eclusier insisted on fitting in 4 craft and our jackstaff got damaged (more grump).

Rechicourt ecluse

Peter had to go back to UK to help daughter move flats in July, so we moored up at Lagarde and Peter did the 10 hour drive back to Bristol in a hire car - Angela was left with a can of varnish and brush (for the wheelhouse) - Kes to entertain and a boatload of Italians to fend off.

Lagarde - early morning

Peter got back a week later with a car full to the gunnels incl boat paint, new fridge and washing machine etc. While back he had also squeezed in an unplanned removal of a skin cancer - which was found on his routine check (too many years in hot climates).  The NHS is great but works on rather extended time frames so a speedy private job depleted the cash flow again.  The Bristol flat was now let  - so sonst ist alles OK.

Fascinated by some of the place names en route Xouaxange, Gondrexange, Xirxange, Xures which don't exactly trip off an English tongue - must do a Google search to find the derivations.  A lady sharing an ecluse with us gave us a fright by falling into the rapidly emptying ecluse from her hireboat (she thought it was funny once we get her out)!! Not sure filling out Inquest forms in French would be.

So we traipsed back past Nancy to Toul where we turned south on the Moselle - we had planned a shortcut down the Embranchement du Nancy but that was semi-permanently closed (to the surprise of our Navigo software). A few very long days in the absence of any good moorings - Angela tired and giving the crew a hard time again.  A few nice family sized chateaus on the Moselle which Angie fancied (I pointed out the cleaning and heating costs)..

Moselle chateau

We were looking forward to getting on the Canal des Vosges, though we were hearing rumours about possible Arrets de Navigation.  Richardmenil was a nice mooring but all the restaurants were closed - back on automatic locks - whoopee. The next day a green bank mooring just short of the Flavigny sur Moselle ecluse and aqueduct - a lovely spot.

Flavigny aqueduct

We pushed on through Roulle devant Bayon to Charmes, following a slow commercial most of one day. Saw a lot of Kia,  a swiss registered Peniche de Plaisance, first met west of Strasbourg. Charmes was busy and we found a slot at the Camping Ground, we spent the evening in an ad hoc canal side meal with some Australians from a campervan.

Canal des Vosges

At Thaon les Vosges a VNF worker told us that Ecluse 6 was 'broken' and we would be held up for 4 days -  luckily the town had all mod cons so Peter fuelled up by jerrican, we depleted the supermarket and when bored we gave Kotare some TLC (washing, varnishing and painting).  An adjacent barge was called 'Miss Marple' but was owned by a Frenchman (with a very noisy generator).  Angie took my stitches out (lots of previous practice with our dogs). Met Etoile de Soir, a very early, and small, Sagar owned by a Kiwi from Christchurch.

Off south again towards Epinal which we wanted to recce as a winter mooring, but the embranchement was closed so pushed on (an extra 14 ecluses) to Les Forges.  At which point we were told by VNF that Ecluse 37 was closing for 2 weeks + in two days! Could we do 37 ecluses in 2 days - mais bien sûr.  A pity as we were sprinting past places where we would have liked to linger.  Fontenoy Le Chateau was pretty little town - if slightly run down in places aka derelict - a possible wintering spot one year?  Managed to get bread and water before lunch closure.

Departing Fontenoy

We finally got to Ecluse 37 where we found three barges ahead of us, one of which was Vrouwe Catherina.   The water level was right down as the ecluse gates were knackered - VNF was pumping water into the ecluse from a lake to get each boat through.  We put our bow into the shore while waiting and were lucky to get off when we wanted to move as the water level had fallen further.  We were the last boat through before they pulled the plug.  Continued on to Selles where there was a nice restaurant, so we collapsed for a few days and, led astray by the Ramsey's on V. Catherina, squandered the housekeeping on wine and food.

Then off to Corre and the junction with the River Saone