The “Vénarey” sets off again, gliding silently through the calm waters of the canal. At Argentay lock a Pyrennean sheepdog watches us from an enclosure. I find him most attentive. Perhaps, like me, he has noticed something out of the ordinary? I decide to watch more closely.

 

 

At Ancy Le Libre the captain hands the tiller to the photographer in order to stretch his legs on a bike, which leads to my arrival on the upper bridge, the high point of the vessel and a remarkable observation point. We follow him closely, blue cap and yellow bike, but he out-runs us easily. A true champion, this man!

From Batilley the locks operate automatically. That’s to say that the crew have to manage the manoeuvre all by themselves. In fact we will be followed all the time by a lock-keeper who keeps an eye open for problems. Actually the operation is very simple: on a command console the buttons light up one after the other. Green, you press, red or blinking, you wait, and the sequence happens all by itself. Technology dominates…but all the same one misses having a bit of a chat with the lock-keeper.

In any case our captain now on wheels manages like a pro, and lock after lock he is there waiting to get us through. We cover a good dozen kilometres like this, one man on land, the rest of the crew on “Venarey”. A couple of swans, elegant as principal ballerinas, come part of the way with us, hopeful of being thrown a few crusts; the reflections of vegetation all around would happily inspire several painters; a coypu crosses the canal in front of the prow; some ducks fly off as we approach, and on the banks fields of rapeseed continue to enchant us with their vivid colour. It is bliss on water.

We approach Ancy-le-Franc. The captain gets back on board, exhausted but happy, and suddenly the silhouette of the chateau stands out through a curtain of trees. We moor at the port (excellent facilities) and the ritual starts… camera bag, walk, short recce of the village in preparation for tomorrow, and return to the boat for an apéritif and dinner in the twilight on the upper bridge.