Luciole Blog

29th May - 4th June 2016

Back to the Nivernais this week, heading towards Clamecy, however we weren't to make it quite so far as it soon became apparent. Although conditions on Monday morning were calm and the river navigable, we were to encounter a problem beside the small and pretty town of Vaux. The River Yonne interacts with the Canal du Nivernais in many sections, when they wish to separate canal from river it's done just after a barrage, a controllable waterfall designed to manage the amount of water that can flow through the river. These barrages can create quite a powerful current when there is a large volume of water passing through as there is at the moment. For the first time the Luciole managed to succumb to the strength of this barrage and found herself rather stranded and pinned to the side of the canal. A dramatic experience but fortunately not a particularly dangerous one. After a short wait we were rescued by a man with a very convenient tractor and towed away from the obstacle. Because of this section now being impassable for us with the strength of the current, it was decided we would spend the week by the lock house in Vaux, a pretty lock owned by a friend of the boat, lock keeper Olivier. In reality it was probably the perfect location for this weeks set of guests as it is right next to a bowls green, tennis courts and football pitches, excellent for such an active group of people.

We were joined this week by a single American family all the way from Hawaii and California, ranging from grandparents to children. They were sport fanatics, soccer lovers, thrill seekers and all around brilliant people to have onboard. Always active and looking for another activity to participate in. They had come for one of what we call 'our adventure charters', where the group has many options of exciting activities to take part in. Wether it was karting, climbing, paint-balling, horse riding, cycling, more football of course, and even beauty and colour advice from the always wonderful friend of ours, Rosemary.

We send an enormous 'high five' to this wonderful family and thank them for their generosity of spirit throughout the week that saw Paris close to flooding. In the end it was hard to say goodbye to such a lovely group after such an unusual but enjoyable week. You really were all stars.