Canal de Briare to the Canal du Loing: Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses – Chatillon-Coligny – PK40 near Montargis – Nemours – Moret-sur-Loing

30 April to 7 May 2019. 85.1 kilometers, 36 locks, 2 mini lifting bridges.

Our last view from the saloon window down the Briare canal just before we shut up for the evening was the smart hotel barge Horizon II slowly cruising to a mooring at the end of the quay.

Tuesday 30 April to Thursday 2 May. Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses to Chatillon-Coligny. 10 kilometers, 6 locks, two mini lifting bridges.

On a scintillating spring morning, marred only by Port Engine stubbornly refusing to start at all, we set off just before nine to be at our first lock at nine-thirty and were duly met by our lockkeeper who at first wanted us to wait for Oldtimer who had booked a ten o’clock slot but then something made him change his mind and ten minutes later we had lock operation and, with Lynn assisting with one side of the lock things went smoothly.

Quite unusually, two of the locks on this stretch have road bridges crossing them but at a height above water level less than the 3.5 meters prescribed by the waterway authority so the lockkeeper has to raise the bridge a good thirty centimeters to allow us through.

This length of the canal is very pretty and time seemed to whizz by despite having to have to re-learn how to drive a one-engined boat, a very different proposition to being used to working with two engines.

Serviced quay at PK12,5 near le Grand Chaloy.

With a bit of a breeze picking up, we docked at the delightful Halte Fluviale (municipal port) at Chatillon-Coligny to find that it was closed (apparently for the winter) but would be opening the next day, 1 May or so the notices tacked to the doors and shutters of the deserted port tourism office proclaimed.

Lunchtime.

The port looking north.

The main road into town.

Initially, a commandery of the Knights Templar built towards 1171

Edmond Becquerel, a French physicist who studied the solar spectrum,
magnetism, electricity and optics. He is credited with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect,
 the operating principle of the solar cell, in 1839

A portion of the Loing River designed to feed the moat around the castle.

A hotly contested game of petanque.

Taking advantage of the good weather we strolled around the most appealing small town finishing off our sightseeing at a small café where a Martini Rouge and a beer were enjoyed and where we decided that lunch at the same place the following day was definitely on the cards.

[Some readers, my wife included, have commented, directly or obliquely, that I post too many pictures of churches in this blog. My reasons, being personally totally areligious, are twofold viz;

-      - We do not have buildings of such antiquity in South Africa and before the Dutch settlers colonized the Cape in the 1660s there were no buildings at all which would match the meanest European church of the 17^th Century, and

-     -  I much admire the spirit, ingenuity, skill, and endeavour of the tradesmen and simple folk who labored in the construction of edifices of such beauty often for a measly wage, often by having the fear of excommunication hanging over their heads and often because they just wanted to have the biggest and best thing around that they could be proud of.

To me, most inspiring, so churchy pics will continue to feature.]

May Day saw no sign of life at the port buildings. We surmised that although the port was actually officially open on 1 May, May Day is a public holiday, so no-one was at work. But it was still officially open (but what about switching on the water and electricity?).

So the next thing to do was try and find out what was causing the issue with Port Engine. We bled the low-pressure side of the diesel line – nothing. Then the high-pressure side – nothing. Then a knock on the window and the rather scruffy young gentleman from the very scruffy little yacht moored nearby said, in broken English, that he could see that the diesel was not burning and would we like him to take a look – he had worked as an engineer for two years on hotel barges and had a small barge of his own.

What a godsend! Two hours and two changed glowplugs later we had a working engine again and the only compensation he wanted was that we allow his little daughter whose birthday it was, to come aboard and look around our boat – she apparently loves boats. It turns out that Gerald had just bought the scruffy yacht two days earlier and was busy tidying it up before taking it to Dijon where he has a home and a collection of ten other boats (some simply donated to him) which he has restored! Books and Covers spring to mind…

The newly purchased yacht.

Gerald at work.

And something else I learned is that you do not put any lubricant on the thread of a glowplug to facilitate insertion because when the engine block gets hot it turns the lubricant into Superglue and it is then only possible to remove a failed plug with extreme force and trepidation that something might break – and that would necessitate a very expensive repair!

2 May was raining and as we were setting off to the Super-U supermarket, a young lady arrived at the office, opened up, heard our request that the water and electricity be turned on and said that she would attend to it. Arriving back like drenched rats we found a team of cheerful workers testing the electricity points and opening all the taps to clear the rust coloured water (which took over half an hour) but happiness is a full tank of H2O and an electric heater to warm up the cockles.

Friday 3 May to Saturday 4 May. Chatillon-Coligny to PK 40.3 near Montargis. 20 kilometers, 8 locks, 4 hours 15 minutes (including lock lunch break).

Our Port Engine problems have still not been resolved but Lynn eventually got it going and we toddled down the canal in cool, partly cloudy and windless conditions marred only slightly by the odd smattering of rain – typical spring weather. The cruise was lovely with pretty views and smiling lockkeepers including one who changed her (sacrosanct) lunch-hour to assist us through the problematical set of three automatic locks.

Dropping down lock #38 we arrive at our ‘wild’ mooring, find the bollards amongst the weeds, tie up and chill, enjoying a late lunch/early supper before retiring to bed after a long chat with Ian and Sian.

Peace and quiet.

Another lunch.

Saturday started with very cool temperatures but we were determined to take the four kilometer ride into Montargis and by the time the bikes had been unloaded the rain had arrived.

Montargis is lovely (would have been lovelier if it had not been in single digit temperatures and rained the whole time we were there, hence the paucity of photos) and well worth spending a couple of days exploring; we are on a schedule however so spending another day to do some more sightseeing is not on the cards. Riding into the canal-laced city we immediately spot the shopping cart brigade heading determinedly into town with the obvious knowledge that it is market day. And so it was and a good one too! Despite our original intention of finding a good lunchtime restaurant, we came away (after having done limited sightseeing) with, inter alia, a huge portion of freshly cooked paella which, once back aboard and our drenched clothing having been exchanged for warmer attire, we devoured. Dee-lish!

La petite Venice

The main shopping road.

The Church of Mary Magdalene, begun in 1183 it was finally completed in the 16th Century.

A portal into the chateau.

A delicious, warm meal after a long, wet and cold day.

Foul weather!

Our intended ride to the town of Amilly was thwarted by a spam message saying that our monthly Free mobile phone (read: Lifeline) debit order had been bounced; my SA cellphone which is used for internet banking refused to co-operate (S4, despite your hitherto loyal service, you now have just six months of existence left…) and, eventually, amid great relief, we finally got everything under control. And then it blew hard, and rained. And so ended our visit to Montargis and surrounds. Unfortunately.

Sunday 5 May to May. PK 40.3 near Montargis to Nemours. 38 kilometers, 15 locks, 8 hours 30 minutes (including lock lunch break).

Another icy morning sees us heading through Montargis where we are handed a telecommand to open the automated locks all the way down to Moret-sur-Loing where we are to meet the Carters who are powering their way down the Seine.

Passing through Montargis.

Chilly!

The confluence of the Briare Canal and the River Loing.

Initially our plan was to do a short jump to Néronville and then to take a ride to a nearby chateau but with the weather being good and the locks all behaving (except the first automated one) we decided to press on to Nemours where electricity was available – needed as the overnight temperatures were dropping to 1C and we needed our electric heater.

Heading off to Nemours led by two herons.

More delightful countryside, more cheerful lockkeepers, a couple of opposite-direction commercials (one thinks that passing would be impossible on these small canals but somehow it is managed, albeit heart-in-mouth-ish), past fisher-people, past mooring places some of which are lovely country haltes and some pongy factory sites

A big fishing competition.

We have no idea what these plantlings are.

Approaching the (smelly) port of Souppes-sur-Loing.

The Loire River running adjacent to the canal.

One of a number of commercials we passed that day.

A canal-side restaurant.

New style lockkeepers base.

And an old one.

until we arrive at Nemours which had been described to us as “Kinda sad” and “I’ve seen better places”. There being no place for us and having been chased off going alongside a ‘tatty’ and then having a long-stayer on a small ex-Locaboat peniche refuse to move their boat one meter so that we can squeeze into the only remaining space, we end up breasting up to an old Dutch barge Leo. Coincidentally, Ian and Sian had spent a couple of days cruising with them going along the Maas/Meuse two or three years before and the (part-) owner was delighted that Ian had remembered chatting to their son who had been building a dingy with foils as a university project. At least they had no issue with our rafting up and indeed, were very nice people.

A very crowded Nemours port.

Rafted up to Swiss-flagged Leo.

Monday 6 May to Tuesday 7 May. Nemours to Moret-sur-Loing. 18.5 kilometers, 7 locks, 3 hours 20 minutes).

Having no real inducement to explore Nemours (I hate crossing other peoples’ boats while they are aboard) we had an early night; Monday morning started off clear but with a little surface fog swirling over the canal and, after pouring hot water over the decks so that Lynn would not slip on the ice while going about her duties, we activated the lock and continued on our way north in sparkling, cool weather – more fabulous cruising!

Iced up solar panels.

Goodbye Nemours, maybe another year.

In the distance, a 'biggie' entering the lock we had just exited.

Another one.

Arriving at Moret-sur-Loing we luckily found the last space which could accommodate our size but still leaving a small slot for Njord when they arrived which would not be too long as we could track them moving down the Seine toward the Canal du Loing on Boat Beacon (or Marine Traffic), whichever system worked better at the time. As a result, we were on the quay waiting for them when they arrived and after meal arrangements had been agreed upon (an early supper) our Weber was started, wine glasses were filled and then everything went blank after that…

Njord on left, Applejack (Australians) and Elle.

Sian being attacked by a swan.

Sian and Ian - let the party begin!

The next morning was a chore morning with a visit to the laundry, to a garage to order two glowplugs (€35 each!), to a chandlery to try and find some paint for Ian, to the tiny market in the beautiful town center, and finally to the big Carrefour for some serious re-provisioning.

Gorgeous Moret-sur-Loing. 

The little laundry on the St Mammes side of the waterway.

The weekly market.

As a 22 meter barge had booked our space we had three options: Raft up to a long stayer just in front of us (very uncomfortable), move to the port at St Mammes or try and get into Njord’s mooring with them squeezing in behind Applejack. Happily, the third option worked!

Moret is one of my favourite places so tomorrow we will do some serious exploring – bad weather is forecast so we will only be leaving on the 10^th.