France Canal: Part Deux

 

Lush creekside stop while looking for open wineries in Chablis. I hope you can zoom in to see the surprise animal across the bank. 

LE BATEAU

Before we could push off, the Le Boat trainer, Tomas, had to give Mike and Sean the nod of approval. Mike made this look effortless because the boat had stern and bow thrusters. It could rotate 360 degrees easily and docking was almost effortless. The maximum speed was 5 MPH, so there was little way to make too much damage. 

Tomas looking over Mike’s shoulder. You can also see the open port holes above 2 of the 3 staterooms. Each also had an en-suite full, but compact, head. There was a narrow hallway down the center.

The boat was thoughtfully designed for novice boaters and for foreigners not speaking French. Consoles used pictograms, for example, above the switches.(1)

While the guys got the rundown on systems, the gals picked staterooms and unloaded groceries that Alison and Tim thoughtfully packed. The galley had a full fridge, oven/range and was equipped with plenty of linens, glasses, cutlery, etc. 

THE LOCKS

We were ready to roll. The first challenge was to traverse through our first lock. There were 6 locks we worked through during the week (and same 6 returning).(2)

Teamwork makes the dream work. Here we ducked under a bridge and into the narrowest lock possible.

Mike and I had experience from the 1990s going through the large locks in Seattle, with the guidance of world-class Army Core of Engineers lock keepers. Alison and Tim had experience going through locks on their previous 4 canal trips, where they often had to operate locks themselves. The locks here on the Yonne were somewhere in between. They all had a single “eclusier” (lock keeper) who operated the lock and sometimes helped us with our lines. I found the locks to be a challenging, fun part of the adventure because of the teamwork.

View from the stern. Entering a lock. At this one, we were about to go “downhill.”

Crew taking their places. This lock was likely after a wine and cheese lunch.

Down we go, as it drains.

...and further down...

...until the water is level. The gates open and we continue our journey.

THE SMELLS

I mean smells in a good way. The air of the Yonne was heavy with flora. We think this was from blooming Mock Orange and Elder Flowers.

Banks covered in Mock Orange flowers.

While we never smelled freshly baked bread in boulangeries, we did smell irresistible chocolate croissants and eclairs with chocolate and maple-iced tops. These were a daily crew breakfast.

THE FOOD

We experienced 3 kinds of meals. The most special for me were the smorgasbord-style lunches that Alison prepared. These were a great excuse to wait for the lock openings. 

Lunch in the galley: melon, roast chicken, baguette, rabbit terrine, and more.

The second kind of meal was budget-friendly restaurant lunches. While the quality of these meals was hit-and-miss, the wait staff was kind and helpful. Most of these restaurants had escargot on the menu (to Alison’s delight) and perhaps one salad offering with baked chevre (one of Margaret’s favs). Pizza typically appeared on these menus.

Casual lunch with a hilarious, straw-hatted owner, “Leezz”, who sang and danced for us. 

Tim had a special talent for finding and booking dinners at fine restaurants in all the villages and towns we stayed at. These were the third kind of meal. As we hoped, the food at these establishments were outstanding in flavor and presentation. The service was friendly and professional. And the interiors celebrated the original architecture of the old buildings so tastefully. And to top this off, we found the prices to be half of what we’d pay for equivalent dinners in California. Spoiled and satisfied were we.

THE WINE

As I said in Part 1, we ended up not cruising through wine country. However, I think that we did plenty of wine tasting each day; lunch, happy hour, dinner...etc. We stuck with local chablis, pinots, and sparkling wine. I don't recall any that didn’t delight us. And again, we found the prices for these great wines were cheaper than the equivalent in California.

Yonne canal cruisers can’t live on wine alone. 

THE SIGHTS

So very much that we saw along the Yonne was delightful and so very different than my personal experience.

Here’s a typical view. Notice the path on either side, the bushy banks and the calm water. We hardly ever saw other boats as well.

The views were often magical. Almost like Disney-magical.

Postcard-perfect traditional homes with brightly contrasting shutters, framed by roses.

Brilliant, red poppies.

Storybook spires--these were homes.

The incredibly picturesque town of Joigny. We stayed 2 nights here with this view.

THE SHORE ACTIVITIES

After 2-5 hours of cruising most days, it was fun to go into the villages and towns to explore local markets, the cathedrals, clothing stores, and the pre-Renaissance towers. 

Mike and Margaret returning from the store on the funny little rental bikes.

We were humbled by the size of the Gothic churches. The stained glass windows, Renaissance paintings, and flying buttresses were awe-inspiring. What was really impressive were the cool, quiet interiors that calmed the most rambunctious of the crew.

Mike stands in front of one of the original portals in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. This used to be a gate surrounded by thick stone walls. Cars drive in and out of the portal now. Glad I captured the French poodle in the pic too. The car and foot traffic streets in the towns were actually quite light.

Margaret “leaks” out joy of shopping on Joigny’s market day.

POST-CRUISE TOURING

Just as we got used to living in tight quarters and watching the world go by at 5 MPH, it was time to exit the last lock, dock, and pack. After realizing that nothing broke (3) and we each gained 5 lbs., the crew split ways. Alison and Time drove to the town of Chablis, and back to the UK. The rest of us stayed overnight in the bite-sized city of Auxerre. 

Final portrait on the Yonne.

The clock tower and astronomical clock were first built in 1483 in the old town part of Auxerre.

We 4 took an afternoon at the Abbey of Fontanay. This UNESCO world heritage site lived up to its billing. We found its current use as a family home, combined with the antique working forge, trout farm, and well-preserved buildings a unique window into the past. It reminds Mike and me of the original off-grid compound. Not that we are creating a compound at Decourcy, but still, there are parallels we can draw.

We then stayed in the town of Chablis in an attempt to finally get in some wine tasting! We found a few wine-tasting rooms and wineries open, even though we were there on a Monday. 

Now that we've tied the knot on this trip, we have created some great memories. The trip surpassed my expectations. I didn't expect the warm and patient French people, clean small towns with outstanding restaurants, as well as the perfumed, green scenery along the waterways. 

Mike and I really enjoyed catching up with our like-minded, boating, old friends on this fun and lovely trip.

FOOTNOTES FOR FUN FACT FANS

(1) Our boat was the Horizon 3 and was 45’/14 meters long. We never had to worry about power usage as long as we either plugged into shore power at night or ran the boat during the day charging the house batteries. 

(2) The locks in France were built in the late 1700s to the mid-1800s in order to boost commerce. Horses strapped diagonally to barges walked along canal paths. Trains steadily replaced canal and river traffic. And by the time automobiles came along, commerce in the canals was reduced to recreational boaters or commercial tour boats. Today, the paths are used by bicyclists and pedestrians. 

(3) Okay, so one line broke. At one of the first locks, I had tied a line too tight. As the lock opened, tremendous current pushed the boat, straining the line.  We heard an awful groaning whine. I thought, “Oh sh@#, the cleat is going to be torn off the boat!” I ducked and the polypropylene line snapped in two. Alison worked fast and retied the boat to the remaining line. No eyes or limbs were lost. Locks can be dangerous. Mike and I will traverse through 150+ locks when we do The Great Loop.