Holiday mode

Auxerre, The old town centre.

 The job list aboard Antiope has whittled down to the tasks that can be achieved before the sun gets too hot. So far this season we have not strayed too far from the boatyard at Migennes and the Bricolage  (French for Bunnings) at Joigny. The big job list has all been done now, which has included installing a new gas sensor and remote shut off in the galley. Tis is a 'BEP' Kiwi made unit which is working well and shuts off the gas at the bottle at the touch of a button. We have also added a second 150w solar panel, supplied by a French company 'Unitech', their online enquiry, ordering and delivery was painless. The total 300w solar array should make us less reliant on shore power stops and running daily engine hours.  

So we have slipped into holiday mode, with a bit of lazy cruising to familiar haunts along the Yonne river and some quite social meetings with fellow boaters all of whom have their own Covid stories to tell. Ashore we find that Covid restrictions are all but lifted, mask wearing is optional and increasingly a rare sight.   

Antiope in the lock at Migennes, off to explore!

 'Auxerre', Antiope in the Nivernais lock

Some months ago back in NZ, I wrote a story for 'Cruising World' magazine, They published it in their May issue and a couple of copies found their way to us at the boatyard.

If you want to read this little yarn online, hit the link to www.cruisingworld.com/destiations 

and scroll down to the Steinlager 2 image.   

A bit of a yarn just published in 'Cruising World

Our plans to cruise further afield are always governed by water levels, canal closures and WEED (the water type). The Bourgogne canal has been reported as particularly thick with weed this season. As it is on our wish list to explore this year, we ventured a little way up the Bourgogne canal to 'St Florentin' to see for ourselves and spent a couple of delightful days there.

 

Some of the delights of 'St Florentin'

An invitation too good to refuse, to join some friends in Ireland for a cruise on the Shannon river, has settled our plans for the next few weeks, so we are heading for Vermenton on the Nivernais canal  to leave Antiope there, while we hop on a plane.

Watch this space for some different scenery.

Cheers Charles and Annie