Unexcused Absences France 2014 - Week 0 Recap (he said)

France 2014 – Week 0 Recap (he said)

by Kent 8 Jul 2014

Author’s note: I say “Week 0” as if I’m a computer scientist who can only begin counting from zero, but since this report covers only 3 days of actual boating, well, “Week 0” it is. And our timing is a bit off, we’ve been so busy having fun that we’re about a week behind on our postings. When we get back home we’ll be running for the board of “Procrastinator’s Anonymous.” Or maybe we’ll do that next year…

Friday we rented a car and said goodbye to the big city and drove to Burgundy. We didn’t go directly to our boat (in south-east Burgundy), however, because in a line between Paris and the boat are the incredible wine regions of the Grand Auxerrois, Vézelay, and Côte Chalonnaise. We spent the night in Clamecy, a town we have visited many times both on our boat and by car, and checked in with Luc Le Métayer, who runs the Caves de Clamecy, a fantastic wine cellar. He had a custom flight of wines (he knows our preferences) ready to taste, and we purchased some Saint Bris Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Vézelay Pinot Noir 2011, Tannay Pinot Noir 2012, and Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2012.

Wines acquired from Luc in Clamecy

In Clamecy, we normally eat at either La Roma or Les Deux Pieces, but this year decided to expand our horizons by trying La Tour, just around the corner from Luc’s place, and it was a winner. Clamecy is definitely a hidden gem – if you end up in western Burgundy, give this little town – a canal port on the Nivernais – a shot. It has tasty (and reasonably priced) restaurants, a canal museum, and Luc’s wine cave, plus it’s near the historic hilltop village of Vézelay and the equally historic city of Auxerre. And it’s about 40 minutes from the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis.

The German fest in Dijon

Saturday we finally arrived at Après Ski, still in her perch on land, but with a fresh coat of bottom paint courtesy of the folks at Blanquart’s boatyard in St Jean-de-Losne. We unpacked the car and did some rangement (putting away) on the boat, then drove back north a short distance to Dijon to meet our friends Marianne and Jean-Pierre at a German street festival. Jean Pierre (a chef) was catering a wedding that night, but we had a great evening with Marianne and her German friends who had come over for the festival. France may have its high-end culinary tradition, but there are few things as good as a hunk of pork sausage hot off the grill with a side of brot und kartoffelsalat (bread and potato salad), German style.

Après Ski goes back in the water

Sunday we enjoyed a long breakfast together, which became an extended lunch (and almost turned into an early dinner), then drove back to the boat to prepare for her Monday morning re-launch. The grutage (craning) went without incident, and we spent the rest of Monday unpacking and doing the necessary boat projects (re-install the raw water impeller, change the oil, top off the coolant, check hoses for brittle spots, exterior and interior cleaning, etc.).

Back in the water in St Jean-de-Losne

Tuesday morning we locked down into the Saone river and took a short shakedown cruise, since it’s better to uncover any mechanical problems while a stone’s throw from a full-service boatyard. Après Ski performed flawlessly (water stayed on the outside, engine fluids stayed on the inside), and we declared her ready to cruise. To celebrate, we jumped in our rental car and drove to the previously mentioned Côte Chalonaise, a wine region less expensive than its neighbors directly to the north, Côte de Beaune or Côte de Nuits. At a Cave Coopérative (a business that bottles and sells wines from many different growers) in Buxy we purchased some Givry Pinot Noir 2012 and some Crémant de Bourgogne Brut (that’s how they say “Champagne” in Burgundy). That night we watched the US loose a heartbreaking match to Belgium in the World Cup soccer tournament, so from here forward we will root for France.

Wine country – the vineyards in Vougeot, Côte d’Or

Wednesday was dedicated to the final bit of boat cleaning and organizing, and fixing a small leak in the shower drain through-hull that became apparent overnight. To repair the leak, I would need to get the through-hull, which normally sits just touching the water where it exits at the stern, about two inches out of the water so I could disassemble, clean, and re-caulk the fitting. Hiring the boatyard crane to lift the boat, though, would cost 300+ euros – argh. So I hit on an ingenious, if back-breaking, alternative solution; carry large 20kg (about 44 pound) bricks from the boatyard down to our boat and stack them on the bow. This would lower the bow and (hopefully) raise the stern. Many heavy trips back and forth later, the stern was indeed high enough out of the water to make the repair. A number of fellow boaters came by to admire the solution (although they showed up suspiciously AFTER I had finished hauling all the blocks) and we all declared the operation a success. In hindsight, what I should have done is invite them all over, have them stand on the bow, and then feed them wine until I completed the repair. Lesson learned.

The culprit – a leaking through-hull

Heavy blocks on the bow

Après Ski down at the bow so the work could begin

Thursday we made a quick stop at Ikea, then returned the car to Dijon and took a train back to St Jean-de-Losne, but not before eating at our favorite kebab stand in Dijon, one block east of the main square. Their two keys to making a delicious kebab were 1) to use cabbage in addition to the usual shredded lettuce, and 2) to add some mint to their sauce blanche (white sauce). We savored our meal on a bench watching the lunchtime crowd at the restaurants around the square, certain that we were eating the best meal of the bunch.

Chateau de Talmay, near where we turned off the Saone River

And then, our cruise began; we paid our bill at Blanquart’s (B.O.A.T. really does stand for “Break Out Another Thousand”), and cruised north-east (upstream) on the Saone River two hours to Auxonne. We topped off our provisions at the big Intermarché supermarket because we have heard that the southern part of the Burgundy/Champagne canal, which we will enter in a couple days, has basically no provisions for about 100 kilometers. But with a fridge full of cheese and a guest cabin full of wine (!) we think we are adequately prepared for many, if not most, eventualities.

Countryside around the southern Champagne-Burgundy Canal

Friday we moved upriver to Pontailler-sur-Saone, a large village with one key enterprise; a bar/cafe at which to watch Friday evening’s World Cup soccer match between France and Germany. The bar was packed with mostly French locals, although there was one table that was suspiciously quiet whenever France had a shot on goal. They also revealed knowing smiles when Germany scored 17 minutes into the match, and that was all Germany needed; in spite of some late pressure by the French, the German defense was just too strong, and with France now out of the tournament we will probably switch our allegiance to Germany out of deference to our friend Jen and my dad, who both love all things German.

Our parking spot Saturday night near Oisilly

Saturday we moved just north of Pontailler and turned left into the Canal entre Bourgogne et Champagne, which is new territory for us and Après Ski. We parked not far from the junction with the Saone, at a rural mooring (with picnic table) in the microscopic village of Oisilly. Marianne and Jean-Pierre (from Dijon) drove over and joined us for a BBQ, and we lingered over a late dinner under the close gaze of a crescent moon, Mars, and Saturn. We are so happy to be under way on our 2014 canal cruise.

France 2014 Week 0 Numbers: