The Colourful Camargue

Bonjour to you all from the enchanting Camargue, famed for white horses, black bulls and pink flamingoes.  There is a distinct cultural difference here - a Spanish influence on the architecture, bull-fighting (without killing the bull) and the food.  The Camargue is in the Languedoc-Rousillon region which is famed for wine, red rice, lavender, herbs and spices.  We are 2 miles from the Mediterranean Sea and the weather is changing.  The Med is famed not only for the sun but also a fine selection of winds: the Marin, the Tremontana, the Mistral and Scirocco to name but a few.  Today we awoke to an overcast sky - the first time in weeks - with a pink/red cloud - the red sands from African deserts.  Anyway, enough of the weather forecast - here's what we've been up to:

Friday 26 July - Avignon to St Gilles
We bid adieu to Avignon - and the Rhone (hurrah!) - and entered the Petit Rhone and, later, the Canal du Rhone a Sete.  It was a momentous day as we went through our last lock which dropped a mere 1.8m to sea level.  We continued to St Gilles halte, home to (apparently) the worst Capitainerie (Harbour Master) in France but we had no problem with him at all.  We also successfully completed our first 'Med mooring' - stern-to or bow-to moorings - tricky as it usually means getting a line through a buoy and using lines or anchor to secure you fore or aft.  This is the Med style, i.e. shoe-horn as many boats in as possible!  "Splodge" arrived a little later after a very long wait at the lock and we all went ashore for dinner with their friends Stuart and Katrin from London.  We all had a jolly time over a lovely meal and several bottles of wine - hicc!

Locks: 1 (217)
Miles: 37 (799)

Saturday 27 July - St Gilles to Aigues Mortes
We had a short cruise along the Canal du Rhone a Sete where we encountered the famous wild white Camargue horses.   First Mate has read that you can ride them on the beach - she'll look into that as it is on her bucket list:

The famous Carmargue white horses

And the one that got away!

We also saw a herd of black bulls.  Among the tourist attractions here is the opportunity to go ranching - imagine the fun of that!  Maybe another time...  We moored at Aigues Mortes (literally, dead waters), so-named as it is surrounded by salt marshes from which they still process salt.  Aigues-Mortes was the port from which the Holy Crusaders sailed on the 7th & 8th Crusades to Jerusalem after King Louis IX (later to become Saint Louis) built a port here.

First Mate on the ramparts at Aigues-Mortes - pinkish salt marshes in background

Nowadays,  Aigues-Mortes is a beautiful walled City as you can see below.

Skipper & First Mate on the ramparts!

Inside the wall is a thriving hub of gastronomy and boutiques - no sign of the economic recession here.  The style of architecture is quite Mediterranean and it was lovely to wander around these colourful little streets.  And here's how they welcome their newly-weds!

Aigues-Mortes brides are carried over the threshold in style!

Locks: None!!!!
Miles: 17 (816)

Sunday 28 July - Aigues-Mortes
Sunday is market day and off we went to see what was on offer.  Lots of fruit, veg and artisan foods including the famous Fougasse - a Brioche-style sweetbread flavoured with orange blossom - yum!  Also famed for its nougat - not the confectionery nougat but the real thing - made with honey, nuts and gentle spices - with a real price tag too!  In the afternoon we decided to climb the ramparts of the walled City and here's a couple of birds-eye views:

Aigues-Mortes rooftops with towers of walled City in background

You can have a pool too!

Tomorrow we cruise further down the Canal du Rhone a Sete towards our remast desintation - Frontignan - so watch this space shipmates! 

Roaming on the Rhone (3)

Hello to you all from the fabulous walled town of Avignon also home to a former Papal Palace.  We've arrived during Theatre Week where the town is buzzing with many walls and shops literally covered with posters and placards advertising various plays, dance and theatrical tasters.

Posters galore in central Avignon

It is still very hot - averaging 37/38C for almost a month - phew!  So without further ado here's the latest exploits from Skipjack & Anchovy:

Sunday 21 July - Cruas to L'Ardoise
Now we're on the majestic Rhone the moorings are less frequent and longer days are the norm so we cast off at 7.30am.  We were not far off our mooring when we were passed by an empty barge speeding along and leaving a big wash.  Nothing unusual in that but to our horror Skipper's beloved A frame started to creak and move - alot!  This had never happened before and we figure that over a period of a few weeks - and in particular from the big barge washes at Valence - it has gradually worked loose.  Skipper jumped to it and lashed the A frame more securely to the strong parts of the boat and tightened the bolts.  We are relieved to report no further movement - gracias a Dios!  Just a reminder to me that the sooner we get to Spain and get the mast up the better.  "Reward" was built to sail with her mast upright - not to motor through canals with a mast strapped onto A frames!

To cheer us on our way we passed another nuclear power station before entering the cavernous Bollene lock which took us down 26 metres in 10 minutes without so much as a ripple - incredible engineering!  So far on the Rhone we've descended approximately 123 metres on approach to the Mediterranean.  After yet another nuclear station and lock and we arrived at L'Ardoise which can loosely be described as a PdP when in fact it was just a halte on an industrial quayside!  But after 8 hours cruising in really stifling heat we couldn't face another 20km to Avignon so we reluctantly moored for the night.  It was like the Bayou backwaters - not quite sure who or what would appear from the other boats moored there.  It reminded us of the film "Waterworld" and were expecting Kevin Costner and other webbed feet folk to appear!

Locks: 3 (215)
Miles: 50 (745)

Monday 22 July - L'Ardoise to Avignon
We were keen to leave the mooring and set off at 9am for a short run to the very loud chirping of what sounded like hundreds of cicadas.  In fact their mating calls have followed us all the way down the Rhone reaching incredible volumes at times - love it though - the sound of a long, hot summer - the soundtrack to our voyage I'll never forget.

I'm pleased to report an uneventful passage to Avignon and civilisation at the other end of our journey.  I guess we're really City folk at heart!  It was great to see Alan and Jacqui on "Splodge" who invited us to moor alongside them while they're away which works out well for us both.  It's quite normal here as the moorings are limited to the quayside as the pontoons with electric and water were washed away in the floods late last year - a reminder of the destructive power of this mighty river even though it's supposedly been 'tamed' by the canalised sections to feed the several hydroelectric power plants.  A reminder to us, too, that the sooner we're off it it the better!  Not far to go now, in fact, as I write Skipper has his head down in the pilot books to plot the final part of our trip through the French waterways to Spain.

Locks: 1 (216)
Miles: 17 (762)

Tuesday 23-Thursday 25 July - Avignon Theatre Week
We took some time out to relax and savour the delights that Avignon has to offer and which is literally buzzing with art and creativity from the many theatre companies advertising their plays and dance shows.  This magnificent walled town is compact - as they were in the 15thC. - built to protect you from the sun.  It is also home to a former Papal Palace and the view over the Rhone is magnificent to include the Papal Vineyards. 

View from Papal Palace over the Rhone and its famous bridge (off centre)

Skipper at the Papal Palace with the quayside moorings in the background

"Flightline" arrived on Tuesday and, like "Reward" and "Splodge" is staying a few days to rest up before the final traverse through the Canal du Sete a Rhone which actually runs parallel with the Mediterranean Sea.  This canal is busy with 'bumper boats', the hire boats skippered by holidaymakers with no experience and no insurance - we'll be giving them a wide berth!  We'll also pass through the Camargue region, famous for its wild white horses and etangs (lakes) full of flamingoes. So, apart from wandering into town for a culture fix over the next day or so that's about it for now. 

Roaming on the Rhone (2)

Hello folks, we write from about half way down the Rhone - amazing how much distance you can travel with a lively current under you.  Not that we're rushing things - we just want to get to Spain as we've been away now since end of April and in the French waterways since early May.  We are enjoying being back on the rivers and are passing lots of British yachts - there still seems to be a strong British contingent doing this type of trip - good to see we still fly the flag!

Thursday 18 July - Condrieu to Valence
We got away early as we had a long day's cruise ahead plus the Capitainerie wasn't in the office yesterday to collect our moorings so a quick escape was high on the agenda for "Reward" and "Splodge"!  The scenery is changing from lush vineyards to industrial quaysides again but there's still nowhere near the amount commercial and tourist traffic we were led to expect by the books.

A last glimpse at the lush vineyards approaching Valence

The locks are huge - an average of 12m drops each - they even waited for us on two occasions.  We reached a heady 15km ph in parts of the river and passed a couple of hotel barges - some may say they're stylish but we reckon they're pretty style-less!

Typical hotel barge

We passed another of France's many nuclear power stations - grim billowing chimneys.  A few hours later we arrived at Valence but not before Skipper had to manouvre "Reward" skilfully through narrow entry buoys, against the current (known as "stemming") - easy for someone who regularly navigates Ramsgate Harbour! - but impressive nonetheless.  A couple of sundowners with "Splodge" before lights out as they had a fairly early start tomorrow whereas we are staying another day to explore Valence.

Locks: 3 (210)
Miles: 49 (675)

Friday 19 July - Valence
Another hot day and en route back from the laundry I thought I was seeing things but - no! - after rubbing my eyes and refocussing I knew I'd seen a llama - on a lead!  I couldn't resist saying 'hello' to Diego - but only after he sussed me out by sniffing my hair and armpits! He was lovely and let me stroke him so I must've smelled OK - to a llama anyway!


Diego the llama attracting passers-by at Valence PdP

 Valence is a lovely city and we had a good walk around - nothing really to photograph that you haven't seen in other cities though - sorry folks!

"Flightline" arrived this afternoon from  Lyon and we invited them aboard for G&Ts - you may recall they used to own a Southerly 105 so we thought it'd be a trip down memory lane for them but a big storm meant we had to take a raincheck - sorry for the pun!  The heavy rain, thunder and lightning were with us for about 5 hours before moving southwards and was pretty dramatic. 

Saturday 20 July - Valence to Cruas
The lull after the storm - the Rhone was a millpond.  We saw Diego again today and bid him farewell.  Our choice today: a 70km passage to Viviers - very popular at weekends with limited moorings and nothing much for another 20km after that - or go for two shorter cruises but one which meant mooring near yet another nuclear power station - what a choice! - so we opted for Plan B.  We used our homoepathic remedies and steered a course for Cruas which was, naturally, not without event.

We had to moor at the first lock to wait for a barge to move through and First Mate was moments away from taking a line gracefully onto the holding pontoon when we realised the current was doing the opposite of what Skipper expected, i.e. took us away from the pontoon.  Suddenly, First Mate was hanging onto the guardwires with all her might as she couldn't get ashore!  No injury - just a shock - and Skipper was there straightaway to haul her back aboard.  That woke me up!   Moving on swiftly to the next lock we went straight in fortunately - no hanging around - literally! 

Shortly after clearing the lock we arrived at Cruas but stayed below out of the strong sun - 36C at 1845!  That's it for now folks - over!

Locks: 2 (212)
Miles: 20 (695)

Roaming on the Rhone (1)

Hello readers from the mighty River Rhone, home of strong currents, strong winds (the Mistral from the North and the Scirocco from the South - which come without warning), several hydroelectric power stations (which open their sluices with no warning), cavernous locks and other horror stories.  For all the above reasons, and for the first time on this trip since our Channel crossing, First Mate has been inclined to wear her life jacket - it is obligatory in the locks in any case.  No reflection Skipper's boat handling - just something she feels sensible to do, so read on for the latest!

Monday 15 July - Macon to Lyon
An early start for us on another warm and sunny morning - the Saone was like a millpond.  Macon Marina is large and spacious so First Mate fancied her chances of taking "Reward" off the mooring and into the river.  Lots of room to manouvre and Skipper congratulated her on her sublime boat handling!  "Splodge" and "Flightline" followed a little later and caught up with us at the second lock and overtook us to arrange moorings at Lyon.  We had a great cruise down the very pretty Saone and arrived at Lyon PdP, a new marina along the lines of London's Docklands with a shopping mall - a smaller version of Bluewater.  We all had an quiet evening as it had been a long day. 

Locks: 2 (205)
Miles: 50 (601)

British contingent at Lyon (Reward, Kitty Rose, Flightline and Splodge)

Tuesday 16th - Lyon:  The crews from "Splodge" and "Reward" went ashore to wander around the Old City which was beautiful.  We went by ferry and returned by tram - fab.  I think Lyon beats Paris as a City hands down - beautifully designed and symmetrical - here's an aerial view: 

Lyon skyscape

The Lioness at Lyon

A short stroll from here was the Rhone - I can't think off hand which other City has two major rivers?  We could see the current from the bridge - a bit faster than the Saone as all the recent flood waters had subsided,  The water was a beautiful shade of turquoise, draining directly from the Alps - quite inviting on such a hot day!  There was an outdoor lido on the riverbank - the French do have a certain style that's for sure.

The lovely Robert and Carol from "Flightline" invited "Splodge" and "Reward" aboard for wine and cheese as a 'thank you' for the Bastille Day invitation.  Their Broom 42 is the epitome of comfort.  They used to own a Southerly 105, the slightly smaller sister of "Reward" and enjoyed many years of sailing.  They put on a lovely spread for us and we were thoroughly spoiled - wine of all colours flowed - thanks to them for a wonderful evening - cheers! 

Robert and Carol on "Flightline"

Wednesday 17 July - Lyon to Condrieu
The Rhone beckons today - yikes!  "Reward" was up for an early start again as rain clouds made an appearance.  "Splodge" followed a little later and "Flightline" decided to stay for an extra day.  We caught up with Chris and Ros on "Kitty Rose", a British couple on a lovely Dutch steel cruiser that we'd met at Lyon.  In fact, we had a very pleasant cruise down the Rhone - the vineyards that provide Cotes du Rhone along this stretch are evident - such beautiful scenery.  We were travelling at 14km ph, averaging 8+ knots - that's pretty nippy for us.  We had two locks to contend with featuring our favourite floating bollards - easy peasy!  Another first: First Mate steered the boat out of the locks - a little worrying as the walls create a long corridor but the helm responds really well so our exits went without a hitch.  We arrived at Condrieu PdP and went ashore to explore the wine-tasting opportunities but we were a bit jaded from last night's soiree so we'll earmark that for another time!

Locks: 2 (207)
Miles: 25 (626)

I'll update you with more exploits from the Rhone a little later in the week.  We should be in Mediterranean France next week which is great - Spain is calling!  Over & out for now shipmates...

Bastille Day Macon-style

Bonsoir from a hot and sunny Macon!  We've been at Macon PdP for the weekend which was the perfect location to share the French celebration of Bastille Day so without further ado, here's a precis of the last couple of days:

Friday 12 July - Chalon sur Saone to Macon
A warm and sunny morning and "Reward" set off at 8am to get a good start on one of our longest mileage days yet.  It was a lovely day's cruise: hardly any traffic on the river and a light breeze which makes for ideal cruising conditions and is what makes boating so pleasurable.  We whizzed along at 7 knots per hour with to include a 2.5 knot current under us which made the journey that much easier and quicker.  There was only one lock to contend with - nice to see the large locks which can easily accomodate several boats and barges.

Along the way we saw a couple of things of interest: the owner of the boat below gave us a cheery wave from the shore as we passed.  It's a boat covered in tarpaulins and suspended from trees to protect it from the wash of passing river traffic - it's a winner in our view - coming to an IKEA near you soon!

Robinson-Crusoe style des-res!

We also saw a couple of nudist swimmers near the lock - I wondered why Skipper was hogging the binocs!

We'd heard varying reports on Macon PdP - it had a bad repuation in recent years but it's under new management and is fully redeveloped, extended and renewed to provide nearly 400 berths and lovely facilities.  "Splodge" caught up with us just as we were approaching Macon - they left a couple of hours after us as they wanted to refuel.  So, reunited once again, the consensus was that we were happy to stay here for a couple of nights and move on after Bastille Day.

Locks: 1 (203)
Miles: 41 (551)

Saturday 13 July & Sunday 14 July - Macon
Now that we're out of the canals we decided to clean our boats - "Splodge" had picked up a few scratches in the canals and our fenders and topsides were pretty grotty.

Nautical SOS team tending to minor casualty

After two weeks consistently hot and sunny weather but without wanting to tempt fate, First Mate decided to clean our all-weather gear in readiness to stow it for the summer - hurrah!

The ever-sociable Alan & Jackie decided to take their boat to Macon Quay for Bastille Day fireworks tonight and invited us, as well as fellow cruisers Robert and Carol from "Flightline" aboard for supper and drinks.  The helpful Capitainerie recommended we leave early to get a spot so at 6pm we set off for the short trip to the town quay where there was one space left and the French welcoming committee helped us shoe-horn "Splodge" in - you can see from the photo how close the boat behind us was.

Crews from Splodge, Reward and Flightline at Macon Quay

We went ashore for the parade - a celebration of municipal service-providers and French military prowess (tee-hee!)  The stars of the evening were an Italian platoon with elaborate feathered hats - like Muscateers - and they trumpeted their way through the street at a canter - we've never seen anything like it - only in France!  We returned to "Splodge" for a lovely mixed platter supper and were in poll position for the fabulous fireworks display later that evening.  We we had a truly brilliant evening and the fireworks display was stunning - photos can never do it justice but this is the best I could do:

Bastille Day Fireworks at Macon Quay

Our return journey to the marina was interesting - in total darkness - no street lights around here - just tree-lined riverbanks.  The boats which had surrounded us at the quay had already pulled up their anchors and disappeared - along with their nav lights - so with the skill of three Skippers and a torch we returned safely to our mooring at about 2am.  Needless to say a quiet Sunday followed and, because pretty much everything shuts in France on Bastille Day, we went ashore for an ice cream at the brilliant "Flunch" - an American style burger and ice cream diner - yum!

Tomorrow brings another long passage and an early start - Macon to Lyon - 50+ miles - so we're off to bed for an early night!  Over for now!

Bye bye Bourbonnais!

Hello folks from Chalon sur Saone.  Yes, we've  escaped the Borebonnais and are tucked up in a lovely marina just off the Saone.  The last part of the Borebonnais was really picturesque but, what I didn't realise we were missing was the sense of space and expanse of water that we're used to.  So, without further ado, here's a precis of the last few days:

A typical Bourbonnais scene to inspire the budding impressionist

Saturday 6 July - Blanzy to St Julienne sur Dheune
"Reward" and "Splodge" cast off for a busy lock day - 15 ahead of us!  We were looking forward to a change in lock direction (descending as opposed to ascending) but - as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for!  We are no strangers to descending locks but the layout of this set of locks was such that it was challenging for whichever boat was at the derriere.  Over the next couple of days, "Splodge" and "Reward" struggled with bollards that were not in the ideal position for our boats.  Plus, the locks followed in very short succcession so there was only time to sort the lines in readiness for the next lock but, after a stressful and hot 4-hour trip we moored at the pretty St Julienne sur Dheune - another free halte but no water or power.

First Mate at St Julienne sur Dheune

After a hot day cruising, there's only one thing to do: gin & tonics ashore with Alan & Jackie (Jackie mixes a mean G&T!!!)  After two of those and a mixed platter lunch which we all contributed to, Alan appeared with a hammock which he tied around two perfectly positioned trees!  So, there was really only one thing to do - sleep it off ...

Alan & Jackie ready for an afternoon snooze

There wasn't much going on in St Julienne - just a restaurant/bar but there was a wedding and, low and behold, the bride and groom asked if they could have photos on "Splodge"!  The bride was resplendent in a feathery meringue, glittering in the sun - reckon there's a business opportunity there for Alan...

Bridge & groom aboard "Splodge"

Locks: 15 (175)
Miles: 10 (482)

Sunday 7 & Monday 8 July - St Julienne sur Dheune to St Leger sur Dheune
Another hot balmy (or is it barmy?) day.  11 locks ahead - all descending - and we were pleasantly surprised by perfectly positioned floating bollards (bollards that rise or fall with you rather than those that are fixed on the lockside).  We all faired well so, overall, a good day on the locks.  We passed through one which was playing typically French accordion music - lovely.  We moored at St Leger PdP - a nice quayside with all facilities.  We had a game of boules with Alan & Jackie - Skipper was the dark horse, winning overall but First Mate was no shirk, delivering a couple of devastating strikes to Alan's well-placed boule!

Monday 8 July: We'd heard of a lovely restaurant here so, without further ado, Jackie and I booked a table for lunch.  Check out 'Au P'tit Kir' - a traditional French restuarant run by the lovely Katie - a British woman who's built the business over 10 years.  http://www.auptitkir.fr/.  A fabulous lunch was enjoyed by all and we would recommend it to anyone passing through St Leger.

The fabulous 'Au P'tit Kir', St Leger-sur-Dheune

Locks: 11 (186)
Miles: 8 (490)

Tuesday 9 July - St Leger to Fragnes
Another hot & sultry day and 15 locks ahead for "Reward" and "Splodge".  It turned out to be a long day - 7 hours overall - as we had to wait for the locks on a couple of occasions but, more annoyingly, we got stuck behind a hotel barge who was taking his time loading and unloading cyclists at each of the last four locks.  Alan and Fliss were not amused and went along to ask what was going on - the Barge Skipper came out with some cock & bull about broken locks but we think he had an arrangement with the lock-keeper to easily board his clients and bikes.  He did, though, get a few of First Mate's gesticulations and that infamous 'look' that my nearest and dearest know so well! 

Eventually we arrived at the lovely Fragnes and "Splodge" managed to squeeze into the one remaining spot and we moored alongside a British canal boat - "Crazy Days" owned by Ray and Diane from Cornwall (with Jacks the ship dog).  We spent the evening exchanging yarns with them - former yachties - over some rather nice wine so a good night was had by all.

Locks: 15 (201)
Miles: 15 (505)

Wednesday 10 July - Fragnes to Chalon sur Saone
"Splodge" and "Reward" cast off for a short run to Chalon sur Saone.  Another hot & sultry day here but no complaints. We'd heard of a big supermarket a bit further down the canal and we decided to stock up on supplies and fuel.  Ahead of us was the only lock of the day - the last on the Borebonnais - no. 34b - at 10.3 metres deep.  "Splodge" went ahead of us as we were too long to share the lock with another yacht so off they set for the Saone.  We followed about an hour later and, for us, it was ideal as we had the lock to ourselves so we used the floating bollard amidships for our three lines (stern, admidships and foreline).  Easy, peasy! Here's a video of the lock opening onto the Saone - known as a guillotine lock.  Sorry about the orientation - not that brill at this blog lark:

 
And what a relief it was to see the open expanse of the River Saone - truly a breath of fresh air.  

Slightly ahead of us is a guy waterskiing on the Saone - as you do!

There is still a current running in the Saone - about 3 knots and we whizzed along to the Chalon sur Saone PdP in under 30 minutes.  Alan & Jackie had sorted a mooring for us and were there to take our lines - thanks guys! So, the next part of journey has started.  We'll stay here a couple of nights before moving onto Macon on Friday - just in time for Bastille Day celebrations this weekend. 

Locks: 1 (202)
Miles: 5 (510)

Bourbonnais: still!

Hello there, as I write on Friday evening, we've a few days left of our travels through the Bourbonnais canals.  As lovely as it's been, Skipper has coined the phrase 'Borebonnais' as we're a little lock weary and ready for the next phase of our trip - the Saone & Rhone rivers on descent to the Med. 

Monday 1 to Wednesday 3 July (Decize to Digoin)
We cast off at Decize at 9am and had a lovely couple of days en route to Digoin - hot sunny weather which has helped the tans!  "Reward" and "Splodge" cruised for 6 hours to Beaulon, a quayside halte with power and water except on arrival, a clutch of guzzling camper vans had taken all the power points.  Fortunately we had enough hot water for a much-needed shower.  We sat on the aft deck 'til quite late Monday evening and heard the unmistakable sound of Mediterranean summer: cicadas chirping away - fab!  On arrival at Digoin on Tuesday afternoon we just got moored up before the skies deposited a heavy downpour so our beer ashore was postponed!  We decided to stay for 2 nights as we've got a couple of long days ahead of us and we need to fully stock up as we can't rely on supplies in the small villages we'll pass through.

Skipper working the lock gate with Alan & Jackie on "Splodge"

Locks over 2 days: 16 (141)
Miles over 2 days: 38 (440)

Thursday 4 & Friday 5 July (Digoin to Blanzy)
Two more lovely sunny days which was great as "Reward" and "Splodge" had two long days ahead of us -10 locks on Thursday and 9 locks on Friday.  The reason we're steaming ahead is that we're ready for a change of scenery plus "Splodge" needs to be in Avignon by 25 July.  Also, this is just the layout of locks and haltes with power and water.

On leaving Digoin we left the Canal Lateral a Loire which continues as the Canal du Centre.  The only difference we can see is slightly more industrialised scenery and fully automated locks.  This means much less time hanging around for locks to open, lunch hours, lock keepers to help or not as they see fit!  We are enjoying cruising with "Splodge" - we get on well and help one another out in the locks, etc.  "Splodge" got something around his props so Skipper suggested he put the engines into reverse as, often, that will free up whatever is around the prop.  Fortunately for "Splodge" this was the case - it wasn't the dreaded fishermens' line but very long grass from the freshly-cut verges.  VNF is fastidious in maintaining the canalsides and locks - to the point where it becomes a menace to boaters - the amount of debris in the canals is considerable and we've heard of three boats with similar problems on this stretch of the canal.

We've seen numerous hunting birds on this stretch of canal - we think they're Marsh Harriers or Red Kites.  We saw a group of 4 together today fighting with a crow.  They put on quite a performance for us - swooping down in front of us and back up again - not a close encounter you see in the UK.

 Thursday afternoon: we arrived at the free Genelard quayside halte and heard about a wine cave where you can taste the local vintage and top up your empty containers for very little money.  Sadly, chores meant that we missed the wine cave but "Splodge" did manage a visit and recommended it - not for the grog - but one of those life experiences - noted for our return journey!  We also heard that there was a reggae concert this weekend to include Toots and the Maytals.  Quite how he ended up here in this tiny village one can only guess and, sadly, we'll miss that gig.

Friday morning: onwards to the village of Blanzy.  Today was a mere 9 locks - a doddle for us lock groupies!  A nice, easy day and we were moored up by 1pm at another free halte with power and water.  Not much going on here sadly - the usual boulangerie, tabac and charcuterie.  We had a sundowner with "Splodge" to end a good couple of days and enjoyed the evening sun.

Locks over 2 days: 19 (160)
Miles over 2 days: 32 (472)

There should only be one more Borebonnais post for you and then I'll take you on Phase 3 of our journey down the mighty Rivers Saone and Rhone ... currently running at 8km ... fortunately we're going with the current but that presents its own challenges!  We hope to be in Macon on the Saone for Bastille Day next Saturday - when France goes completely nuts and celebrates its despatch of royalty.  So, until then folks, over!