Sunday, June 26, 2022

Yonne, Seine and Canal du Loing

Barge Date:  06-25-2022

We continued to make our progress down the Yonne River as we stopped at two smaller towns along the way. Pont-sur-Yonne is not a classic looking French village but it had more to offer in terms of retail than it was given credit for at the tourism office in Sens.

You have to look to find what is there. Fortunately we were able to locate a tavern that was serving ice cream and this we enjoyed while looking over the town square. There were several pastry shops and we bought our daily supply. We stayed overnight and in the morning we were on our way to Montereau-Fault-Yonne.

Montereau is our gateway to the Seine River. While we tried to find something interesting in this town we came up with close to zero. We walked a good number of streets again hoping to find a source for ice cream and we failed. But a good number of commercial barges were working the water.


 Notice the beehives in front of this mural.





Back on the boat I addressed a problem that had cropped up in the last several days. The engine temperature had been running higher than normal and I suspected all the wrong things. Was the river water much warmer this year than in previous times? Did I have enough coolant in the heat exchanger that keeps the engine cool? Finally, was the water pump working as it should or should I replace the impeller as I normally do at the beginning of each year? It was none of these.

We take water from the canal or river to cool the engine. There is an exchanger that keeps separate the water from the canal and the coolant around the engine. This is something to look at on a regular basis but I have never had a problem with debris getting into the water take-up hole which is on the bottom side of the boat. This is something that I look for with each start of the engine; throw your head over the port side and look for the water coming out of the engine room. Water was coming out each day but certainly not in the quantity that it should, and this restrictive flow caused the engine to overheat. I used a stick and the water hose to clear this area and it immediately solved the problem.





On the Seine we only needed to pass through one very large lock before we would made our escape on to the Canal de Loing. While the lock could handle a variety of very large boats we were the sole occupant and we traveled unaccosted on this river.

On the Loing the scale of everything returns to our normal. From the beginning there were live aboard barges and boats crowding both sides of the canal. We were moving along at a fairly slow pace taking in the view of these boats when all of a sudden our boat rose up in the middle and there was a sound of collision from underneath. I stopped the prop as soon as I could and turned my head to see what might be now behind us. While we don’t know what it was it was certainly yellow and I have to think it was made of metal. Later in the day we went to the video (hey Jim, it was like Warner Wolf saying “let’s go to video tape”). Yep, yellow, but we have no idea what it was. We could only see it from the stern camera and it soon faded from view. Perhaps the size of a large car hood and there was a large opening surrounded by yellow. We notified the capitainerie when we stopped.

We are tied up just before the first lock on this canal and we walked into town for lunch. A couple that is traveling ahead of us suggested a particular restaurant (La dame du lac) and we wanted to give it a try. Seemed like it was being operated by three young men trying to make a mark in the restaurant business and the meal and dessert were very, very good. I had Steak Tartare.

The town, Moret-sur-Loing, is along a quiet stream but in town they have a small dam and the remnants of an old mill. There is a bridge over the stream at this point and it was a good spot to take some pictures.












Back on the boat I tackled the last remaining problem and as you might guess it had to do with the toilets. You thought we were not going to have any problems in that category this year and you are wrong. But I knew what the problem was likely to be and using the quick access doors that I had put in place several years ago I was able to run a pipe cleaner through the hose that brings water into the boat. 20 minutes and the problem was solved. 

We have remained in this port for a second night and did make a trip back into town for a meal at another restaurant. This also was very good. It has been raining slightly all day long so any thoughts of doing more sanding or painting on the boat was put to rest. I’ve been reading and watching woodworking videos. Tomorrow morning we will leave going up the stream on this canal for about 20 km. Standby for more good news.

Surprisingly, there were 3 Belgian  registered boats tied up all together. The biggest gathering of Belgians I’ve seen in a long time.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Hart Massey

 

Barge Date:  06-24-2022

Hart Massey

As many of you know, our boat was once owned by a gentleman who wrote two books about the travels he and his wife made with Lionel. Hart Massey and his wife Melodie began coming to Europe and traveling the canals in 1975. From that enjoyment they ultimately purchased this barge I am on in 1982.

Hart Massey was from a very influential and wealthy family whose history in Canada goes back more than 150 years. He was educated at Oxford and in 1939 was the cox on the losing eight man team to Cambridge. During the war he was a lieutenant in the Canadian Air Force dealing with intelligence which meant choosing places to bomb. Following the war he became an architect, an artist, and a man who did a lot of different and varied things.

In 1982 he purchased this boat and he, his wife and their Dalmatian dog Joss traveled Europe until 1990 or 1992. His two books are interesting reads and when compared to other books written by people traveling European canals it is easy to see that his Oxford education allowed him to write quite a bit better than the other travelers of the water. He enjoyed life.

We have tried off and on to learn more about the man but it would appear that he was very private. Well, as private as a Canadian Massey can be. Other than the information gleaned from the two books there is not a lot we know about Massey and his wife.

Just recently I began rereading the two books and was doing so in the wheel house just a few days ago when someone came to the door and said “Hello, I knew the man that used to own this boat.” We had always hoped to run into someone that knew Hart Massey but it seems like it would not happen until this gentleman rode his bike up to our boat.

His name was Peter and he grew up in Holland around boats which became his life. Divorced in the late 70s he moved to France and became a French citizen and was using his boat experience to be a pilot on the rivers for hotel and restaurant barges mostly in and around Paris. He met Hart Massey in Auxerre in 1982 or 1983. Peter was never mentioned in any of the Massey books but he claims to have introduced Massey to a woodworker from Holland who would work on the interior of the boat they had just purchased. Interestingly, this man, by the name of Vic, was something I had just read about maybe 10 minutes earlier from one of the books. 

Peter went onto describe some events that joined the two men but I didn’t get the impression that they were actually friends. He thought the two Masseys were more interested in their dog Joss than in each other but I am not sure that is the case having read the two books. Peter seems to be down on his luck in recent years and perhaps didn’t have a kind word to say. He is living on a boat in Sens and has another one on land and he hopes one day to work on it. 

Regardless of what Peter says about the Masseys he is the first person we have ever run across that knew these barging people from Canada. So this adds just a little to the knowledge we have about the Masseys but it was fun to actually speak to someone who knew them back when.

In the two books that Hart Massey wrote there are no pictures of them, only caricatures drawn by a friend. In searching for information about Massey I have only located one picture taken in 1939 as part of an article written about Massey and his crew of the Oxford eight. Below is that picture. Nothing ever seemed to get in the way of this man and as you can see he might’ve had excuses to make. But not once in the book did he think of himself as anything other than capable of doing anything. He would’ve been someone that you would like to spend some time with.


I spent some time thinking about putting this only picture I have of Massey on the blog. Am I trespassing on someone’s privacy? So I thought about this overnight and have decided that there is a good reason to have this picture as part of our blog. If the picture says anything it is that Massey could do anything he put his mind to, be it the cox on the 8 man team or the captain of Lionel. He was 21 in this picture.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

 

Barge Date:  06-22-2022

Moving Along

We are in Sens waiting for the rain to stop.  The French need the water so I am not too upset about this.

We have come through several small towns since the last blog posting from Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. Since Sunday we have been in Sens. Always work to do.  Was able to get paint on the starboard side of the cabin roof and this resulted in running out of white paint. It seemed that all Bricos (Lowe’s) are on the other side of town so I got on the bike to make the trip. It was a good size store with a long aisle of paint going up to the ceiling. Not seeing what I want I inquired.  The young man said I would need to clear the aisle as he would need to go up to get more.  I wanted 2 cans.

His search resulted in one can that was nearly bent in half. Yes, just one sorry can. How can it be that the one thing I needed from this large store was out of stock? And after the long bike ride? So I put in the directions for a second store that looked questionable and it was.  An apartment complex. I will wait for the next opportunity.

I have been in the engine room looking at the generator. I needed to remove the "sound suppression box” to get to it. I did the same 3-4 years ago but this refreshed my memory.  The single  cylinder engine looks very new.  The electrical unit less so. With the new battery for this beast I will attempt a start in a couple of days. Yes, I have to think about this. I am contemplating removing this unit and replacing it with something more modern. I am re-reading the books about our barge written by Hart Massey. He had terrible problems making electricity and perhaps I can improve on his work. Here is a picture of that motor. It, like the generator, was made in Italy. Somehow I am not impressed with a company called Acme. What a terrible name.


Here are some pictures of Sens. One notable bit of history: the cathedral in town is the first gothic structure to be built in Europe and the British isles. Begun in the 11th century. It took a good many years to complete and it is very nice.  This is also the city Thomas Becket was exiled to. He should have stayed here.

Here are some pictures of the town.









The city hall



This small church sits right on the river and looks so nice.

It was June 21 yesterday and across France cities and towns were putting on music programs. This is an annual event in France. So last night we were able to walk to town and listen to a variety of music genre. Here are a few samples.


This was the Irish band that played while we had dinner.









Finally, I had high hopes for this Honda generator that was in the forepeak of the boat since day one. I took the generator to a nearby repair shop for cars and they promised to try to look at it. Well they finally did, and they are saying there is no compression. This thing weighs a ton but I carried it back to the boat and perhaps I will get a second opinion. Otherwise, it might make for a good anchor in an emergency. And more space available now in the forepeak.


Saturday, June 18, 2022

Barge Date:  06-18-2022

Finally Moving and Getting Some Pictures

Some comments about the first blogs and the lack of pictures. We have been in the first 2 locations last year so little to crow about.  But here are a few and some comments about our track this year.

Remember to click on a picture to see a slide show and larger pictures.

And remember Marianne's FB account of travels in pictures:  Barge Adventure


Auxerre approaching sunset.

We will be flying the Ukrainian flag until there is justice.


Part of our wine tour.



The town of Joigny.



 





And now the town of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne.




  


 

This is an old town and a wall had ringed the village.  What is left are 2 tower gates nicely located on either end of the main street.
 





I know, a big picture.  You can see Paris at the top as a reference I hope.  If you want to look for canal maps, here are the canals and rivers we will be on:

The Yonne River going north to a small part of the upper Seine.

Then off to west and south  on the Canal de Loing, the Canal de Briare, Canal Lateral and then the lower portion of the Loing again.  This will take us to Dijon and then we decide where to go.

The total distance 474km and 123 locks and 1 bridge.

I have been painting the barge but discovered that it is mayfly hatching time and they like white paint. So work is shifting to other smaller projects.

We are in the town of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. Nice tie-up and town is nice but does not have the artists and craftsmen we saw in Joigny, nor the restaurants.  Only 2 places to eat here and they are booked for this weekend. Can't find any ice cream and it is 102. 




Monday, June 13, 2022

 

Barge Date:  06-13-20222

Arrival in France

We arrived in Paris on June 1 at 6AM in the morning. Entered without any difficulties, collected our bags and bought tickets for the bus into Paris. Had to wait 45 minutes for the bus; the driver said traffic was very heavy; and to prove his point it took us nearly an hour and a half to get to downtown Paris at the only stop for this bus which is at the opera. From there we caught a taxi to the Gare de Bercy and were able to purchase tickets for a direct train to Auxerre.

After dragging our bags from the train station to the marina we were able to get on board with the hidden key and found everything to be just right. The bilge was dry, the batteries had a good charge, and everything else looked real good. It always takes time to get everything undone and put back where things belong. Did not want to put too much on the cabin roof as this is where I was to start painting. 

So it was off to the hardware store for paint and supplies and I began to work on the cabin roof. Over the winter there was another Sahara sandstorm and the boat was covered in a light brown color. It looked terrible and I thought it might be a real pain to clean up but with the pressure washer we purchased last year we had things looking better in short order. With the boat somewhat cleaner we were able to concentrate on the cabin roof and sides and began to prep them for painting. 

Of course we did a few other things as well. Marianne was quick to get back into town and to visit the various bookstores that she now knows quite well. We had an interesting dinner and a visit with a waiter at a restaurant. He read us the riot act as we took an outside table that was obviously ready for diners. And the meal wasn’t all that good. 

Marianne‘s birthday was coming up on June 8 and she did not know that her brother and our sister in law were going to make a surprise appearance the day before, driving all the way from Brussels. So on the seventh with the secret still a secret, Philippe and Monique arrived and we were able to surprise Marianne who was below. 

We spent a day with them and did some traveling to the small town of Chablis where we did a wine cellar tour and bought a few things. That evening we came back to town and had another dinner with the family. It is always good to see these people because they are so nice and full of interesting conversation. I should mention that Philippe ran me around town to get a battery for the generator and a small battery tender. Thanks. 

I am always a little apprehensive about taking the boat out the first time. You never know what might happen or what I might forget to do. But with a little help from other boater friends we were able to leave the wall with a nice spring off of a line and we left Auxerre for the basin at Migennes. This is where we are now as I dictate this addition to the blog. We are tied up with people we were near in Auxerre and there is also another friend who may be joining us tomorrow. 

Everything on the boat is working great. However I am having trouble with the camera system and the GPS system for the navigation set-up we have. The camera problem seems to be a “no go” and I have ordered a replacement control box for this from our regular camera supplier in New York City. I could have purchased something similar here in France but the likelihood of our cameras working with that are near zero. So having to pay for the replacement part plus shipping and import duties. That’s what you get for owning a boat. The GPS problem I think is due to the upgrade this year as I can get everything to work with last year's version. The software company for this navigation tool thinks it might be something different but I think they are wrong. Still some playing around to do. 

I had a canvas cover made for the front wheel house windows. Not only does this give some privacy if we need it but it is great at stopping the sun from heating up the warehouse. We like it. 

Traveled down the Yonne River with seven plastic boats and our heavy barge in all the locks. Surprisingly, everything worked out well with my handling of the boat and no one was damaged. Now we are sitting here waiting for the camera part to arrive, maybe by this Wednesday, but I had intended to paint the boat here so that work is continuing. 

 After early morning trim painting around the windows of the cabin, Marianne and I and our friends walked to an event that was being held on the other side of town. Not all that much to it but we were able to see some things and have lunch there. And on our way back we stopped at L'Escale, a cabaret next to the building that houses the tourist office, and had a nice concert of big band music from a group of 17 instrumentalists and a very nice male vocalist. This performance center has been here going back to the 50's and many big name performers graced the stage.

Now we’re back on the boat doing more painting, waiting for the camera part, and seeing what other mischief we can get into. 

 I remind everyone that I am once again under a news blackout. The only exception will be if Putin abdicates or Russia withdraws completely. We are flying a Ukrainian flag on the boat this year and will do so until those bastards go home. Where is NATO?