Many thanks Christian and Herman for your comments. Herman, not sure we can do much about the Captcha but perhaps click the refresh symbol if it is unclear. Slowness of map appearing could relate to slow internet.
We were quite glad that the public holiday on May Day closed all the locks. It was a very very wet day and cruising would have been quite unpleasant. Of course we could have made our own choice to stay put, but so far have not changed our plans for the weather. Instead we spent the day cleaning, washing (the clothes dried inside quite well) and catching up on other tasks and correspondence. We were sorry for those who had looked forward to May Day events but some people carried on regardless. A little boy in red gumboots out for a walk with his parents, was enjoying stamping in every puddle along the quay. The fishermen seemed undaunted and a huge fish was caught just behind our boat.
Floods on the Armancon
Having just escaped the flooding of the Nivernais and Yonne, relieved by a couple of fine days, we were concerned that this rain would again affect water levels. David has an application which allows him to track river heights, and during this day of constant rain, water heights along the Yonne and the Nivernais rose inexorably. By the next morning the Yonne was closed to navigation in its higher reaches, then within two days for its entire length. Various other canals in the region including the Nivernais are also closed.
We are lucky to be on the Burgundy Canal which does not have a river directly leading into it. The Armancon River, which flows into the Yonne, runs for many kilometres next to the Burgundy Canal. There are a couple of places where it goes under the Canal but it does not feed into it, making the Burgundy much less prone to flood influences.
With May Day over, we set off confidently on the Canal on which we cut our teeth after buying Anja in 2010. Then we travelled its length from St John de Losne in the South to Migennes in the North. This time we will be doing it in the opposite direction and aiming to visit towns which we missed last time,
In some places, the river has overflowed across the towpath
The first section of the canal was built in 1606. In the 18th century plans were drawn up to complete the route to join the Atlantic and Mediterranean through Burgundy. It was finished in 1832 and was a very important route during the 19th century. The introduction of railways and improvement in road transport took away much of the freight that used it. Now it is mainly a tourist canal with Freycinet sized locks which are fine for us and for the old- fashioned peniches, but which cannot accommodate the more modern commercial barges. We have still seen barges carrying grain and soil on the Burgundy, but this happens mainly during the grain harvest and when the Canal is being dredged. We know we will have the company of many hire boats, and in fact have recommended this route to friends in the past, as it is beautiful and comfortable to manage.
Our first destination was St Florentin, a town we have always enjoyed visiting. With the rain still falling, river heights continued to rise so it was ironic that we woke the next morning to find ourselves stuck on the bottom because the water level had dropped over 30 cms overnight. Fortunately the rudder was free and with some engine work and pushing with poles, we were free in good time to get to the next lock on time. The same 30cm drop happened the next night but as we were in deeper water, we were still afloat. For the next two days we noticed low water levels in the canal contrasting with the surrounding countryside where the Armancon was running very fast and had broken its banks, spreading over the low- lying areas, forming huge lakes. We saw one car almost completely submerged. The windows were open so presumably the occupants had escaped to safely. Then in the next pound the answer to the mystery of reduced canal water level: the river had broken into the canal and was pouring into it in a great torrent. Because the water level had been dropped the canal was able to handle the extra water without flooding. In May 2013 when we were experiencing similar flooding which kept us in the yard at the boatyard, the Burgundy was closed briefly when the river flowed over into the canal, so no doubt the aim was to avoid a similar closure a second time.
Water, water everywhere
The rain has now stopped and we have been told that the water level has peaked in the higher reaches of the Armancon so as long as it does not rain in the next few days, the floodwater can make its way to the Yonne and then into the Seine and to Paris.
Meanwhile we are enjoying beautiful- and very lush- countryside and small, old, interesting towns. We have been off on our bikes to cover more ground and certainly enjoy the excellent bike paths which have been created from the old tow paths dating from the time when barges were pulled along by people or horses.
The picturesque town of Tanlay
We are currently about 20% of the way along the Burgundy Canal at a pleasant town called Ancy le Franc. We have just come back from the good market which has been held here on the same morning for well over 100 years.
Best Regards,
Penny and David
In WW2, the Germans made aircraft engines in this tunnel at Reveilles on the Nivernais