The anodes have arrived. We were told to take Aleau through the lock in St. Jean-de-Losne, onto the Saône River, and place her on top of the underwater carriage at the slipway. By ourselves. Keep in mind we have only been on Aleau in the water once. That was when the surveyor took her out to see if the engine was running properly. We were simply passengers – and that was on March 18. It is now May 2. When Aleau was moved from the slipway to the spot in front of the Atelier Fluvial office, she was towed.
I have been told that I must take a barge I have never operated through a narrow lock, onto a flowing river, and come to a stop above a piece of steel I cannot see. I was not exactly filled with confidence.
We made it. But there was no time for even a sigh of relief. The workers examined how Aleau was sitting above the carriage and determined that it would be impossible to pull Aleau out of the water as things were. The Saône River was too low. It would have to be raised two inches. I couldn’t believe it. The Saône is a massive river. How do you raise its height? We were told to leave, find somewhere to moor (Where and how was left up to us.), and wait for a phone call telling us to return to the slipway.
Fortunately, the Quai National in St. Jean-de-Losne was not far – and being early in the season, there was an empty spot. All I had to do was moor against a concrete dock while fighting the current of a flowing river. Remember, this was my first day at the controls of Aleau. You can see us moored just upstream of the tour boat.
A few hours later, we got the call – and returned to the slipway to have the anodes installed.
