Tuesday 4th June and they`re orff!

awoke early full of anticipation for the orff. At last after 13 days in Accolay, the navigation was open and we could set off once again on our nivernais adventure. Eric and Jill were joining us but Berlin Bertie and Monica had elected to leave Tao at Cravant for the duration of there return trip to Berlin and so it was time for sad partings.

Monica presented us with a gift. It was a fridge magnet of a now iconic east German traffic light sign which has now been adopted all over modern Germany. We had green for go whilst Eric and Jill had red for stop. Monica felt it was an apt gift for us. She was oh so right.
As we slipped away from the village in which we had become part of the landscape for the last two weeks, I admit to a tinge of fond sadness whilst exhilarated to be once again on our way.
The journey soon provided evidence as to the reasons for our enforced quarantine in the Accolay holding pen.

It also served notice of the delights we had to look forward to on this delightful waterway and for Eric a warning to be on his toes when helming the rather narrow locks for his Cat.

 

We were joined by a third boat at the second lock where we were greeted by a stern looking rounded female eclusier. The bollards on the lock are set back some 3 yards from the edge and as we were climbing and hence low down, it was pretty impossible for the crew to lasso the bollard. With 3 boats squeezing in, it made even less sense that the eclusier was making no attempt to help as was and is the custom by taking ropes from the crew and making fast to the bollards. I told Collette to take a line to the bars fixed into the wall which we often do and collette was soon attached.
With this the burly unsmiling hag approached telling Collette that she could not use the bars. Now I have locked over a thousand locks and this was a first. is there a problem? I politely enquired only to be scorned at by sour face and told that she was the eclusier and we must use the bollards. Meanwhile, the two boats behind are both struggling to try and Lasso and because of the tight squeeze, I am the only one near a ladder. The hag leans on the lock gate and watches as I climb the slimy slippery ladder and take there ropes and round the bollards. Of course as we rise within a couple of feet of the front lock doors, and with just a centre fixing on bollards with 5 yds of line Collette struggles to hold Doucette who turns and bangs her aft quarter on the opposite lock wall. I explode at the hag. We row and I leave her in no doubt that I have never met a more unhelpful eclusier in France. She is straight on the phone and of course we are greeted at the next lock by her twin stasi sister. Same issues and no help at all. Very very sad to say that this has been a first for me on the waterways and the fourth lock showed that a surly student had clearly been taught the ropes by sour face hag at lock 2. Thank god my faith in human nature was rewarded at the next lock by a smiling guy waiting to take the ropes and locking was suddenly delightful again. 
We lunched bank side on a rick stein goats cheese salad and met two passing cyclists from Christchurch. Now motor homers they yearned to be fit enough to be boating again having been forced into boating retirement a couple of years earlier but who still constantly gravitated towards the waterways. We thus arrived at our night stopover in Mailly La Ville shortly after 3.
With free electric and water it was a great little halt and withing a couple of hours we had been joined by 4 other boats. A stroll round the village and we discovered a tiny store where I was chuffed to find a box of 5lts of the grand ordinaire for the princely su of 19.95 euros. about half the price this dope paid for them in Chablis but at least I now had a solid stock in Doucettes cave.
The sun set on a fantastic evening where we reflected on the sadness of the strange affair with the utterly horrible lock keeper and in total contrast, the sheer delight of the weather, the scenery and the utter delight of the rest of the days events. We were definitely orff again.