Canal du Bourgogne to the Saône River: Dijon – Epoisses – Longecourt-en-Plaine – Brazey-en-Plaine – St Jean-de-Losne.

19 June to 24 June 2019. 30 kilometers, 22 locks.

Friday 21 June - Dijon to Epoisses. 10 kilometers, 10 locks. 4 hours, 45 minutes (including delays).

For such a short distance it was a long, slow day.

Lock-through had been organized for nine thirty so that the VNF staff, both permanent and temporary, could rub the tiredness from their bodies and report for duty at the appointed and regulated time of nine o’clock. At twenty-five past the hour a figure appears at the lock doors so we quickly start engines, cast off and then spend the next half hour trying to keep Elle from looking like a new-hirer in the fresh cross-wind as they bring out the weed-gobbler and proceed to clear the clogged area in front of the lock and even drive the thing into the lock for weed collection, something for which we are very grateful but for which we would have been more grateful had the young VNF lass heading upstream on her scooter, who stopped for a word or to with Lynn, informed us prior to us casting off.

More cooties.

Good bye Dijon.

The next young trainee-student was so worried about the fact that two maximum canal-sized peniche tourist boats (38m x 5m) were coming our way and we would have to ‘cross’ them, that she dithered between speaking to her downstream colleague about the big boats’ progress and opening the doors. She was very new at her summer job and simply could not seem to grasp that a little ‘un like Elle was okay with by-passing a thirty-eight meter ‘monster’ – not fun with the weed but without incidence, just. We passed within thirty centimeters of the second peniche, a scruffy bicycle-tour boat named Anna Maria, as they were exiting and we were entering a lock.

Anna Maria

Then it was lunch time so seventy minutes in a cherry tree desert.

The paltry contents of two strainers after a mornings cruising.

Cherry hunting.

At lock 62 we jumped off for a quick lock at the ex-lockkeepers ‘museum’ (man cave?) and left a beaded South African flag keyring as a memento, almost lost amongst all the other similar tokens.

Lock 61.

The 'museum'.

The weed situation has steadily improved and, apart from having to clear props in the plentiful ‘clear space’ after each lock and during the two peniche crossings where we had to hug the weed-forested bank, we had few issues.

Just after three in the afternoon we tiredly tied up, Lynn presented a delicious, spicy-rice late lunch

An old Terrot motorcycle.

Looking forwards.

Familiar boat name. - I wonder if it was put into
the washing machine on a too hot wash?

The view from the next lock back towards our mooring.

and we R&R’d to the sound of rattling and rustling poplar leaves in the stiff breeze, and a few raindrops.

A long, slow day…

Saturday 22 June – Epoisses to Longecourt-en-Plaine. 5.5 kilometers, 5 locks. 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Seeing the lockkeeper scoot by at nine we made ready and then cast off from our leafy surrounds and headed straight for the lock two hundred meters away.

He might have been timeous but this lockie was tediously slow and one could almost nod off during the emptying process – but then he left the one sluice partially open which caused us to crab out of the lock. Not very comfortable.

Dodger and bimini down for two bridges.

A storm brewing over Dijon?

Not very inspiring.

Eleven o’clock saw us exiting our fifth and last lock for the day and tie up opposite the Dijon cereals mill; not the prettiest of moorings but fine if you look the other way. And ahead of us stretches kilometer after kilometer of arrow straight canal.

After lunch Lynn took a walk into the village reporting back with a crop of cherries and the news that there is not much to be seen – “Quite modern, but there is a castle in the distance”. I continued with my book.

Before casting off the next morning it was my turn to wander villageways, past the modernish square boxes which were occasionally interrupted by signs of noblesse farm buildings, these becoming more frequent as the village green and Mairie drew closer. And there was to be found the Chateau Longecourt-en-Plaine, for three hundred years starting in the 13^th Century the fortress home to Burgundian nobility before falling into ruin, being restored as a palatial home in the 17^th Century and then converted to its present wedding-cake appearance in the 19^th Century. It is a private residence but does accept guest bookings.

The outskirts of town.

Probably once the gates to the 40-hectare property.

The gatekeepers house.

Chateau gardens.

Sunday 23 June. Longecourt-en-Plaine to Brazey-en-Plaine. 9 kilometers, 5 locks. 2 hours, 20 minutes.

From a cruising perspective, almost a mirror of the previous day but with longer gaps between locks as we plateau out approaching the Saône River. Almost mesmerized by the endless line of trees guiding the canal, reaching to the horizon and St Jean-de-Losne, we eventually pop out at the town of Brazey-en-Plaine where, Lynn had read, they were having a Vide Grenier, which indeed they were.

The last page of the cruising guide for the Burgundy Canal.

A message waiting for Mr Pottage to cruise by.

The white horse did a prompt about turn as we approached
and wouldn't move until we had passed.

Another boat! New Zealand flagged Temps Parisienne

Brazey mooring.

The attic sale.

The only building of any stature we came across.

The main road into town.

Mesdames in a boulangerie.

The very warm afternoon was spent aboard, ensconced behind sun drapes while trying to listen/watch/stream the cricket. Why bother - pathetic.

Monday 24 June. Brazey-en-Plaine to St-Jean-de-Losne. 5.5 kilometers, 2 locks. 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Well, what can we say?

Another superb morning, one lock,

The final lockkeepers cottage.

This bush was filled with butterflies and bees.

a last bit of countryside, a couple of boats lining the sides of the canal,

Iron Lady, last seen in Aire-sur-Lys but now with a new owner.

and suddenly were are passing the Blanquarts boatyard

Blanquarts yard.

and have lock number one hundred and eighty nine, the last on the two hundred and forty two kilometer long Canal de Bourgogne, in sight!

The final lock.

At ten past ten we arrive at ‘The Steps’ of St-Jean-de-Losne and there are two spaces open – made to order (half an hour later there were four open spaces but by nightfall the place was jammed). Lynn wanders over to the jeton machine which is out of order, follows the instructions on the machine and walks to the service station which is closed (Monday), then walks to the tourist office (closed – Monday) and then to the museum where the lady told her to call the number displayed on the side of the jeton dispenser which she did – no-reply-Monday.

But the water and electricity bourne jeton emptier man was emptying the jeton holders, and on hearing Lynn’s tale of woe, presented her with one for free which enabled us to put in four hundred and eighty liters of water, the first refill we have done since leaving Pont d’Ouche eleven days ago. It was gratifying to know that we still had one hundred and seventy liters in reserve though – we have been pretty frugal with our water use.

A visit by the waterways police (his dad was an international rugby referee and he proudly informed us that he owned a genuine Springbok rugby jersey so Lynn gave him a SA bead-flag keyring to add to his memorabilia) to check boat papers, skippers qualifications, fire-extinguishers and life-jackets, was followed by the arrival of the lady from the bimini repair place to take our dodger away to have the window zips replaced.

The inside temperature gradually rose to 38C and our solar panels were just not capable of delivering enough power to keep both fridges going and we eventually had to run the engines for half an hour to top them up.

Our saloon view.

And so ended our cruise along this fantastic waterway. A trifle boring on the dead straight section fron Dijon to St-Jean-de-Losne but the dire warnings of no water were unfounded – a little shallow toward the summit but not an issue – and the five kiometers of bad weed and the another five kilometers of very bad weed (4% of the entire waterway) are not an excuse not to experience the Canal de Bourgogne. We have absolutely loved it!