Luciole Blog

Spring

The Luciole cruised back to Burgundy in mixed weather, it felt as if we saw all the seasons in the three and a half days. The new prop-shaft and engine cooling system worked like a dream and we made speedy progress.

William was the pilot, Penny his matelot. Admittedly there were a few hairy moments coming into the big locks on the River Seine, contending with weirs and water eddies, whilst aiming to slot in beside vast working barges. The speed at which many of those barges could pass us was astounding, overtaking the Luciole as if we were standing still.

It is always a special moment seeing the Cathedral in Auxerre from the river, whether cruising from the north or the south. After weeks in the shipyard, it certainly was a sight to behold. One of the other joys was being able to visit our favourite Auxerre boulangerie to buy coffee eclairs. They really were the cherry on the cake to celebrate our arrival home!