Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne: Langres – Cusey – Maxilly-sur-Saône.

11 July to 12 July 2018

74  kilometers, 43 locks, 1 tunnel, 1 lifting bridge.

Wednesday 11 July. Langres to Cusey – 33 kilometers, 24 locks, 1 tunnel (4,820m), 10 hours 50 minutes (including 3 hours of delays).

This was a very, very long day, one of the longest we have ever had. And a bit frustrating.

Our last 'uphill' lock!

We had planned on arriving at the four thousand, eight hundred and twenty meter long Balesmes tunnel as early as possible but also being aware that they would probably not let us through until nine o’clock in case a commercial wanted use it before then. However I noticed that the boat-to-hire with which we had had ‘issues’ at Riaucourt cast off at just after seven and we subsequently discovered that he must have arrived at the tunnel entrance at about eight, convinced the lock-keeper to let him through as he was a ‘commercial’, which meant that when we arrived he was still in the tunnel and then it was opened at nine for boats going the other way; the upshot of it was that we had to wait two and a half hours before we could pass through.

At last - the first of three.

An uneventful passage for two people who, three years ago, were so petrified of tunnels that they took their boat across the breadth of Belgium to avoid having to pass through the tunnels north of Paris – a great achievement we think.

The start of the 4,820 meter tunnel.

A stunning exit.

The downhill run of locks proceeded smoothly and quite quickly

A very small quay 

until lock 19 (our twenty first of the day) at Grande Côte which is part of a set of three linked locks; if one doesn’t work then neither will the next one. And it didn’t want to open.

So onto the phone and shortly thereafter a young lady lockie arrived and spent half an hour trying to get the thing to go – after much winding and button pushing, the doors opened, we entered (against no lights showing), the doors closed, the water dropped, the downstream doors opened, we existed, travelled the seven hundred meters to the next lock, and the doors would not open because the fault at the previous lock had not yet been properly fixed (it had run out of hydraulic fluid). Fortunately our young VNF lass had thought that there might be a problem and arrived in a cloud of dust, reset the system and we were on our way again.

On arrival at Cusey the port was empty bar one other cruiser so we plugged into the free electricity (water has been disconnected apparently because some freeloaders were abusing the system and filling their three thousand litre tanks here), poured a glass of wine, had a delicious curry supper and were in bed early.

Cusey port.

Thursday 12 July. Cusey to Maxilly-sur-Saône – 44 kilometers, 19 locks, 1 lifting bridge, 8 hours 30 minutes.

There are not many stopping places near interesting villages on the southern reach of this canal so we decided to do all forty three locks in two days…and Thursday was another long day although thankfully, the nineteen locks and one bridge worked faultlessly albeit the first eight or so locks were dreadfully slow to cycle; as we are going ‘downhill’ the locks re-set after an upcoming boat has passed through resulting in ‘downhill’ boats having to wait for the locks to close doors, fill, and open doors before they can move into the lock – and these locks really took their time about it!

Another sublime day marred only by our being attacked by a swarm of horseflies at one point and then being niggled constantly by the buggers along the entire route. We also encountered two upcoming commercials which makes passing quite interesting on this fairly narrow and shallow-at-the-edges canal.

Elle's original name was Cindy.

A lockside restaurant with nowhere to moor.

Retired lockie?

You take the dog for a walk and I'll take the horse.

Pretty, agricultural countryside but it is time to get back onto a river we think.

The Oisilly viaduct.

The boat's occupant was having a snooze under the trees.

Port de Plaisance, Maxilly-sur-Saône.

The somewhat industrial mooring at Maxilly-sur-Saône had only one boat tethered there and after scraping some rocks on our approach we tied up, popped a cork and relaxed in the late afternoon, very warm sunshine, not bothering to go into town for electricity (€3 for an hour - expensive!!) or water (€3 for an hour – cheap!) jetons. But we did get to the boulangerie the next morning…

The boulangerie.

And a pretty house opposite.

Two more locks to go and we will be on Petite Saône river!