Tuesday 21^st July

After enjoying 3 nights with air-conditioning we moved downstream to Dole and moored in the same place as last time, close to the end of the reserved section of the quay. A large barge arrived after us and moored in the middle of the reserved section.  The lady at the hire boat kiosk said it would be are ok tonight but tomorrow a trip boat would be arriving from St Jean de Losne. The trip boat arrived at 7pm! After much to juggling around the trip boat moored on the quay. We had to move the most even though we are not occupying the reserved section. The crew on the trip boat are very grateful we thought a bottle of wine would have been a nice gesture.

 

Trying to keep cool with the widescreen down

Church on the Doubs

New electric boats at Dole

Trip boat leaves 

Sunset in Dole

VNF weed catcher

Thursday 23^rd July

We spent yesterday in Dole making several trips to the supermarket. On the second trip D. found a small electric fan for sale (just the one), it had not been there before. Fans have been impossible to find during this heat wave so we bought it and expect the temperature will now plummet.

Today we moved towards the end of the canal and moored at Abergemont. A quiet mooring with a bit of welcome shade over our bow in the evening.

Friday 24^th July

We travelled down the last 3 locks on the Rhone au Rhin canal and handed back the enormous controller. We arrived at St Jean de Losne at 10.40 and moored up next to Russell and Maxine, who we had last seen in Toul. Their barge now has new water tanks and a new kitchen. We had lunch at a restaurant on the quay and then walked to Blankard’s chandlery, always worth a visit. We met Frank and Jill who are just finishing winterising their boat before they return home then head off to the states to spend 3 months in their camper van and go hot air ballooning. I hope we are as active in our mid 70's.

 

Last seen in Reading. Now heading up the Doubs

St Jean de Losne

Fishing contest at St Jean

Sunday 26^th July

The weather is cooing down at last. We stayed in St Jean yesterday and had dinner with Frank and Gill at l’Amiral. Very jolly but we have had better food. Today have cruised to Verdun sur Doubs, 33km down the Saone. We had booked a space as there is only one barge mooring at it is a popular stop. An artisans market with live band was in progress in the town square next to the marina and we have an excellent lunch at the capitainerie restaurant. We are told another boat will come in this evening and moor diagonal to us! At 9pm a pusher with 2 very large barges came upstream - much too big to moor near us. Then behind it came Jeanine, a 34m hotel barge, it does moor next to us. They had been bumped from Chalon sur Soane and had to find alternative mooring at the last minute. Even hotel barges have a pecking order. We had met Jeanine several times before and they have always been considerate and polite. D. helped them moor up, in the rain. They are very grateful but still no bottle of wine.

 

Market at Verdun sur Doubs

Petite Doubs at Verdun

Large pusher arrives at 9pm

D helps Jeanine moor

At least the pusher did not try to moor next to us. 

Verdun sur Doubs

Tuesday 28^th July

Monday was a laundry and cleaning day. Today we travelled 26km downstream to Chalon sur Saone. The marina here will not take boats our size and we moor on the shallow, rocky bank of Ile St. Laurent opposite the main town. D spends some time sorting out mooring lines, using pins, wooden spacers and gangplank. Eventually he is happy but in the evening the wind gets up and he adds extra lines, including 2  on to a stone bollard on the high bank. It will take us so long to remove all the lines we will need to stay a few days to make it worth the effort.

 

Arriving at Chalon sur Saone. The boats are just getting bigger.

Mooring at Chalon. Lots of ropes

Thursday 30^th July

Yesterday it was cold and wet. D spent most of the day sorting out the grey water tank that is emptying every 15 minutes. D changed the switch again but L said it must be something else as changing the switch last time made no difference. Eventually we find it is backflow from the exit pipe that keeps refilling the tank and setting off the pump. Presuming the valve in the exit pipe is blocked D dismantled it to clean it only to find there is no valve! Fortunately we have a spare and once it is fitted the problem is solved for the moment. Today we did the tourist bit of Chalon and had lunch out. Our 2003 Michelin book said there was a guided tour of the Hopital on Thursday afternoons but we were disappointed to find it closed up and looking rather derelict.

Evening view at Chalon sur Saone

At least its not trying to moor alongside 

Cathedral St Vincent

The Saone at Chalon sur Saone

Saturday 12^th July

We left our mooring Dole at 7.45am but even at this early a couple of boats had left ahead of us. We were joined in the first lock by a very small Swiss boat; big enough to live on and small enough to go on a car trailer. We reached Rochefort-sur-Nenon at 9.25am. This is a popular spot so as the pontoon was free we moored up for the day. At lunchtime a hire boat with grandparents and 2 grandchildren and dog moored behind us Before they were tied up the dog (black Labrador) jumped onto the pontoon and then into the river for a swim. Getting back onto the pontoon was not so easy and the bank was too steep for him to climb out. The grandchildren were looking a bit anxious when mum and dad arrived by bike and dad managed to haul the dog back onto the pontoon. Five minutes later he was back in the water! After being hauled out a third time the dog was confined inside the boat.

 

Rochefort-sur-Nenon

The Dutch have to come to France to find a rock to climb

Monday 13^th July

We stayed at Rochefort yesterday enjoying the cool breeze on the river. The bank is a popular picnic spot and the rocks here are used for rock climbing.

At 06.20 this morning workmen arrived to erect a large marquee next to the boat for the Bastille Day party tomorrow night. We decided it was time to move on,13.5km later we were a Ranchot and in time for lunch. A three course meal with wine and coffee for 13 Euros each, excellent. We worked off lunch with a walk later in the afternoon, across the river and up the hill to where the town was having their Bastille fireworks tonight. The town band gathered near our moorings and set off at 22.30 to walk up the hill. We decided against joining them.

Ranchot

Tuesday 14^th July

Ranchot is one of the few mooring places with electricity on this waterway and we stayed a second night taking the opportunity to do some washing and charge up the batteries. The only worry was an odd noise it sounded like fish were nibbling our hull! We have been debating about going to Bresancon as we have had several reports of stones and bottles being thrown at boats on the main mooring However a couple who moored by us today told us where there was a safe pontoon.

Wednesday 15^th July

Today we moved to le barrage de Rivere mooring near le Maroc. A pleasant rural spot alongside a weir, all the pleasanter as we found Frank and Gill (Détente) moored there. It is still very hot.

Strimmer man on water

Le barrage de Rivere

Thursday 16^th July

We reached Besancon today. The first part of the journey took us through the tunnel de Thoraise. A Danish architect, Jeppe Hein, has converted it to a work of art. There is a waterfall at both entrances to the tunnel (which shut off as the boat passes) and a light and sound show inside.  Further interest on our journey to Besancon included a double lock and very shallow sections of canal where the water level was much lower than usual. If the heat wave continues this waterway is going to run out of water. We moored next to the tunnel entrance at Besancon. Our mooring is pleasant and safe but unfortunately is a suntrap and the deck thermometer on the sunny side of the boat recorded 54c. We decided we cannot stay another day in this heat and will leave tomorrow.

Tunnel de Thoraise

Arriving in Besancon

Nice mooring but 54c in the sun

Saturday 18^th July

On Friday we left Besancon before the sun reached our mooring and went back to le barrage de Rivere. We positioned the boat for maximum shade and wind to try and keep cool. Overnight thunderstorms arrived and the temperature dropped to a bearable level but not for long. Today we travelled back to Ranchot and were lucky to get a mooring back on the quay, helped in by the friendly Frenchman we met at Choisey. We have paid for 3 nights, which means air-conditioning for 3 nights. Yeah!

Back in Ranchot

Tuesday 16^th June

It is still raining this morning but we decide to leave anyway. As we are going downhill and can manage the locks with one rope while standing in the wheelhouse out of the rain. The locks are very slow and it takes us over 7 hours to travel 17.5 km through 23 locks. By the afternoon the sun is shinning and we moor at a pleasant rural spot.

Starting off in the rain

Quite country mooring

D paints some scratches

Wednesday 17^th June

The sun continues to shine and we only take 3½ hours to travel 10.5 km to Fontenoy-le-Chateau. In the 18^th and 19^th century the town was a thriving centre for metalworking and embroidery. We visit the embroidery museum where embroidery created for the crowned heads of Europe is on display.

Canal  des Vosges

Fontenoy-le-Chateau

Friday 19^th June

We are heading towards the end of the canal des Vosges. Yesterday we stopped at a rural quay. This was not as quiet as we expected as a group of workmen were building a cycle path on the opposite bank. Our quay was used as the gravel dump and truck arrived frequently during the afternoon to load and unload gravel. Luckily all work stopped at 5pm. Today we covered the short distance to Corre at the end of the canal. No mooring was available on the quay and we used pins and chains to secure Tesserae to the bank. We had just finished sorting the mooring lines when a cruiser moved off leaving space for us on the quay! Corre is a very doggy area and a large number are exercised along side the quay leaving presents! So we have to watch where we walk. Our neighbour (who has 3 dogs) came aboard for sundowners an interesting lady who manages an old barge on her own. We are invited for tomorrow evening.

A couple of the hazards we have to deal with

Non automated swing bridge

Trucks arrive early

Corre

Saturday 20^th June

A lazy day, we had lunch at the marina restaurant and then a very sociable evening onboard the next-door barge. Three more barges had arrived in the afternoon so a quiet drink turned into quite a party.

Sunday 21^st June

We descend the last lock on the canal des Vosges and enter the river Saone. We are surprised by the lack of flow but we are travelling faster as there are fewer locks. We stopped on a pontoon on the river at Fouchecourt. There is a small marina here with a restaurant. The deal is we can moor overnight on the pontoon if we have a meal at the restaurant. We are happy to accept and have an excellent meal in the evening.

Fouchecourt

Monday 22^nd June

Another short day, 15.5 km and 1 lock   to Port sur Saone. There is plenty of space on the long quay that is very welcome as finding a mooring on the Saone is not so easy.

Tuesday 23^rd June

We leave Port sur Saone early and hope to find a mooring between here and Gray, the next big town. Many of the moorings are down side arms of the river and we take a diversion to Soing only to find the mooring is full. We eventually travel for 8hrs (54km, 8 locks and 2 tunnels) before finding a pleasant spot on the river bank and tie up to a tree. The wooden weir pin we found in the lock on the Meuse was very useful for keeping our stern off the bank.

A small tunnel on the Saone

Guard dogs

Weir pole comes in useful

Counrty mooring on the Saone

Wednesday 24^th June

We arrived in Gray before lunch and found a mooring with free water and electrics close to a supermarket - perfect. The weather is getting hotter and a heat wave is forecast for next week. D. has his annual French hair cut to improve ventilation and we stock up the boat with beer and other cold drinks. And we try out the new sunshades.

Gray

Musee Baron Martin

Tuesday 30^th June

We stayed in Gray for 6 nights. D became a shopaholic with daily trips to the supermarket and the brico. We also walked around the old town and visited the Musee Baron Martin in the chateau on a hill above the Saone.

Today we moved downstream to Pontailler sur Saone. We moored here last year before going up the canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne so we are back on familiar ground. It is getting hotter, 39c in the shade today.

Wednesday 1^st July

We arrive in the Port Royal marina at Auxonne at 11.30am and at midday our guests arrive by car. We have booked the marina for 3 nights as we did not want to be searching for moorings with temperatures above 40c. We walked into town with Mark and Anna in the afternoon and lingered a while Inside the medieval church which was blissfully cool. We went to the brico to look for a small fan for the wheelhouse but there was nothing suitable.

Thursday 2^nd July

We took Mark and Anna for a day trip up the Saone; the wind on the river was very welcome. We moored alongside a restaurant at Lamarche sur Saone for lunch. The quay looked very rickety and D. spent some time (ages!!) sorting out the mooring lines and used that weir pin again to keep us off the rocks. Lunch was very good (no wine for the crew) and we took the left over potato gratin back to the boat. After lunch we went further upstream before heading back to the marina as it is definitely cooler on the river. In the evening we have a buffet meal on board and compare French and Italian wines, our guests have just spent a month in Italy.

Moored for lunch

Lunch with Mark and Anna

Anna drives us home

Arriving in Auxonne

Friday 3^rd July

Mark and Anna left this morning - back to London and the tube strikes. Also moored at Port Royal are Richard and John who had the mooring next to us at Reading marina, we have not seen them since we left the UK. They gave us a lift (in their air–conditioned car) to Dole. On the quay at Dole are Debs and Kevin on Rangali, (another Piper boat launched just before us ) who we also first met at Reading and we spend sometime catching up with them. After lunch in one of the quayside restaurants we visited Louis Pasteur’s birth place, his father was a tanner in Dole, then climbed up the hill to the train station. The 10min air-conditioned journey back to Auxonne was not long enough to compensate for the walks at either end and we collapsed in our air-conditioned cabin for the rest of the evening.

Trying to keep cool in Auxonne

Sunday 5^th July

We stayed an extra day at Auxonne because we need to have a good shore electricity supply to use the air conditioning.

Today was slightly cooler (39c) and we moved down the Saone and on to the canal Rhone au Rhin towards Dole. At the first lock we picked up the controller for the locks, very different from any we have used before. It is bigger and more complicated and we had a ten minute lesson from the eclusier on how to use it. We had great trouble at the next lock but unexpectedly there was a lock keeper there and we thought he may have been controlling it not us. We planned to stop at Abergemont a short distance up the canal but the mooring was full so we kept going. The next section of the canal passed through a very large chemical works. Plenty of moorings but we are not permitted to stop because of the danger of chemical fumes. The controller continued to be problematic and at the sixth lock it fails completely. Fortunately a hire boat came up behind and opened the gates for us. There is a mooring pontoon at Choisey, the last mooring before Dole. We arrived at it to find a barge moored at either end with not a very big space between them.  The very helpful Frenchman on one barge paces out the space and thinks we will just make it and with his help and encouragement we do. There is so little space between the boats we would never have attempted on our own. The Dutchman on the other barge slept through the whole proceeding.

Our large controller for the Rhone au Rhin Canal

Just enough room

Rangali arrives

Some welcome shade at Choisey

Monday 6^th July

Over 40c again today, too hot to move on. A lock keeper brought us another controller in the afternoon; it had taken three phone calls to the VNF office.  Rangali arrived during the morning and Détente, another English boat we know (swan boat incident Genelard, July 2013), arrived in the afternoon. We had a jolly evening on Tesserae catching up.

Tuesday 7^th July

Today was the hottest yet, 49c in the sun and 39c in the cabin. We feel exhausted after 10 days of temperatures around 40c, L says this is not a heat wave but a heat tsunami. As there is no shore power here we used the generator to run the A/C for a short time. After a fierce but brief storm in the evening it felt cooler. We celebrated with drinks on Rangali. Another late night!

Wednesday 8^th July

Definitely cooler today, we and Détente moved on to Dole. Only 4km and 2 locks but far enough as neither of us was feeling great. We think it is due to electrolyte imbalance after the prolonged period of heat rather than a hangover. Taking extra salt and fluid did not seem to help and D went out for some medicine. He came back with cans of Coca Cola!

Dole

Friday 10^th July

Still at Dole and our bodies seem to be back to normal and the temperature a pleasant mid twenties. Monster trucks have arrived in the car park next to the mooring for a show at the weekend. We will leave tomorrow morning before the show starts.

Monster trucks arrive