Our first stop after leaving Sens was Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. Just 17 km, three locks, and three hours on the Yonne. Of course, those locks, too, had sloping sides.
And we didn’t have C’est la Vie to raft against. Even so, this would be easy. The VNF had installed a floating pontoon inside the lock. We simply tied to it the same way we had rafted against C’est la Vie. The pontoon would rise and we would rise along with it. I cannot describe the sense of relief I had.
We arrived at the top feeling all was good. But I really want to ask the VNF why it hasn’t put these pontoons in every lock with sloping sides – and why is there only one in this lock? What happens if a few boats show up at the same time?
As we cruised, we passed more commercial barges – this one taking on wheat. Almost all commercials are privately owned – often crewed by a husband and wife. What surprised me was how young these couples are. I would have thought it was a dying way of life. No, it appears transporting bulk cargo by barge will be going strong for at least another generation. In Germany, Ford uses barges to ship new cars from its factory. Greener than using trucks. The biggest threat to commercial barging is climate change. Rivers and canals are drying up. There were canals we couldn’t use this summer because the water levels had dropped – and on the Rhine, the busiest waterway in Europe, commercials could carry only partial loads or risk running aground.
We arrived at Villeneuve-sur-Yonne to find the dock empty. For now, we’d be the only boat moored there.
It was a far cry from the crowded mooring in Sens we had just left.
Two theories. First, mooring, electricity, and water in Sens are all free. In Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, the cost is €21 for a 24 hour mooring with electricity. Plus a separate fee for water. Spend a week, as we did in Sens, and that adds up. Second, Sens has so much to offer. Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, not so much. It has two bakeries and two excellent restaurants. But not much else. We had planned to spend one night before continuing our trip south to Auxerre. It turned out Villeneuve-sur-Yonne would be our home for much longer.
Not again. For the second time this year, we were stuck due to dead batteries. In May (Chapter 140), we had to replace our domestic batteries. Now, the engine-start batteries were dead. We were all set to cast off from Villeneuve-sur-Yonne but when I turned the key, all I got was a “click.” We weren’t going anywhere.
It was frustrating. We had replaced our engine-start batteries less than two years ago. On the waterways of France, there is no CAA, no auto club to call. You’re on your own to diagnose the problem – and fix it. Luckily for us, good friends on another Piper, Lady Sue, were in Migennes. 25 kilometres south of us. And they had two, brand-new, spare batteries of the same dimensions as ours. And they had a car. And were willing to deliver them. One of the wonderful things about barging is the friends you make and their willingness to help.
As often happens when something goes wrong, there is not just one cause. That would make life too simple. It was heavy work lifting out the old batteries and installing the new ones. But when I turned the key – still nothing. It took a few days of trouble-shooting to discover what else was wrong. The brown wire that connects the ignition key to the starter solenoid had loosened. Hidden deep under the engine, it was hard to see – unless you were a contortionist and could get on your hands and knees and turn your head 180-degrees – while holding a flashlight.
Our unexpected stay in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne gave us time to explore the town. Like many places in France, it was once fortified, a walled city.
We found some charming spots as we walked.
When we got back to Aleau, we found C’est la Vie waiting for us.
It wasn’t actually waiting for us. It was waiting for new guests to arrive. They would have dinner onboard C’est la Vie. Since we weren’t invited, we went to Auberge la Lucarne aux Chouettes – less than 100 metres from Aleau .
We sat down a little after 7:30. As you can see below, all the other diners chose to arrive later – sometimes, much later. It’s France, after all.
We chose from the Menu Chouette. (À la Carte was available, too.)
Jeannie started with the Gaspacho.
I began with a Salad de la Mer.
For our plats, we both had the Filet d’Eiglefin à la Crème de Chablis. (Haddock in a Chablis sauce.)
Dessert was Tarte Amandine aux Pommes avec Glace Caramel. (The photo shows no translation is necessary.)
Feeling very content – and a little full – we made the very short walk back to Aleau and enjoyed our view of the Yonne.
