It was time to head out on the water. First stop – the St. Jean-de-Losne fuel dock. Gazole is white diesel – what goes into Aleau’s engine. GNR (Gazole Non-Routier) is red diesel – what is used for the boiler (heat and hot water) and for the generator (electricity when we can’t connect to shore power). There’s a heavy fine if even a trace of red is found in your white tank. Prices are per litre. SP95 is 95 octane gasoline for gasoline-powered boats. Not us.
But when we went to leave the next morning, Aleau wouldn’t start. Both of her engine batteries had died. A two-day delay while that was rectified. But it gave us time to have a pizza overlooking a few of our fellow bargees.
The effects of COVID were evident everywhere. Even so, over at the Quai National in St. Jean-de-Losne, at least one hotel-barge was operating.
