July 8 - Gray to Pontailler-sur-Saône

 July 8 – Wednesday – Morning in Gray:

We prep Juniper for departure – engine check, fill water. Ooops, our hose isn’t quite long enough. The boat next to us is a couple from Houston, Texas. We share hoses and fill both boats. We’d seen their boat in another marina with a flag on the back – Statue of Liberty with “No Kings”. A Texas college flag too. Turns out she’s the one putting stickers around that have Pro-America- a US flag - Anti-Trump. We saw one last year on the lock controls just past Dole. Yup, she put it there.

1572 Town Hall with Burgundian roof

Not in big hurry so we go visit the Musée Baron Martin. The museum is in an old Château with some of the rooms “furnished with chests of drawers , consoles, corner cabinets, armchairs , chaise longues, sofas, wardrobes, a cradle, overmantel mirrors , a screen and fireplaces bearing the owners' initials… accompanied by sugar bowls, coolers, ewers, plates, dishes, silver cutlery, cachepots and vases from Sèvres or Asia, as well as clocks, watches and other decorative art objects , the castle's salons contribute to the impression of sharing the daily life of the former owners.” There was also the traveling exhibit Grand Bleu by Jean Verame. It was different. Can’t say that we three are big into art, but was interesting! Many pictures showing rocks painted red, blue and purple. Small rocks and very large rocks in the desert. In case you’re interested: https://www.burgundy-tourism.com/events-calendar/exposition-jean-verame-grand-bleu.

The village of Pontailler-sur-Saône

We depart Gray at 11:53am. 85° but feels like 87°. We feel every. Single. Degree. High today is 91°. Decide to take ½ hour shifts at the helm so the other two can be in the shade of the bimini. Charter season has started! Riverly (formerly Nicols and Locaboat) and Le Boat boats are cruising, wild tied to trees to get shade and filling Gray. Arrive at the Canalous Base in Pontailler-sur-Saône at 4pm. Power and water. Whew! Two écluses and about 30 km.

While most of Gray is in beautiful condition
This old storefront caught my attention

July 5th We visit Château Ray sur Saône

 

July 5 – Sunday – Morning Scey-sur-Saône:

Last night temp dropped to 54° with a breeze. We remove as many of the window in the staterooms (bedrooms) as we can to allow more air flow. It cooled enough to be comfortable. Depart Scey-Sur- Saône at 8:50am. It’s 68° on the way to a high of 87°. Arrive at écluse (lock) #7 and the lights are red – green, indicating it’s preparing for us. Then go red. We wait until 9am when the écluse officially opens – still not working. Michael brings our bow close enough to shore for Joan to jump off to use the call box on the hut at the écluse to call VNF (organization that manages the canals and rivers). A very nice lady answers, looks via a camera and fixes the problem. We’re on our way.

Narrow exit from St Albin Tunnel

Around the corner is the St Albin Tunnel – 681 metres long built in the 19th century and improved in 1880 with locks built upstream designed to protect it against floods. As we go into the of the tunnel we pass by the restaurant we stopped at yesterday on our bike ride Five écluses and 19km later we arrive in Ray-sur-Saône at 12:35.

Château Ray-sur-Saône

Had tried to make reservations at the Château at Ray-sur-Saône as recommended online, but we were unsuccessful. We decide to walk up early and take our chance on getting into a tour of the inside. At the very least we can enjoy the park like grounds and enjoy some shade. No problem getting a tour. Just as we start, Gabor and Julianna, who we shared wine with last night, join the tour. They ere the nice couple from Hungary and speak good English, which was very helpful because, as you guessed, we don’t speak Hungarian. They are moored a bit down from us and invite us to join them for a BBQ that evening. Table and chairs moved to the grass where it’s roomier and a lot cooler than on the boat. Wonderful visit talking about everything from families and work to politics. They talk about the regime change in Hungary and we talk about the direction the US is headed, made for a very interesting conversation

July 6 - 7 - Still on the The Petite Saône

 

July 6 – Monday – Morning in Ray-sur-Saône: 

We depart at 9:15am and it’s 73° on the way to 90°. We stop in Port Savoyeaux to purchase two fenders and see if their mechanic can fix our tachometer. Success!! Nice to know our speed again.

Tunnel Transit Michael & Joan previous day

While underway a little house cleaning is done before the heat of the day. Keeping the bimini up as much as possible always watching for low bridges. We’re wearing the cooling towels that Julie got each of us – get it wet, snap it, wrap around your neck. Those and wet dish towels covering the helmperson’s legs make it tolerable. Pass through another tunnel, the Savoyeaux, it’s only a half kilometer long. Four écluses (locks) and about 37 km and we’ve melted our way to Gray, arriving at 3:45pm. A quick toast to Poseidon before Michael heads out for groceries. Toasting Poseidon is a ritual Joan and Michael picked up from the couple they canal boated with on a 48° North trip in the Netherlands. They always thanked Poseidon for safe travels at the end of a day’s run. A good day on the water is always worth celebrating.

July 7 – Tuesday – Lay day in Gray:

Read about a city tour with a guide that started at the

La basilique Notre-Dame de Gray

Tourist office. Not available today. Or maybe not available in English. The tour would have gotten us into buildings you only see from the outside when doing the self-tour. Okay, let’s go to Le Musée Baron Martin. Nope, not open on Tuesday. Sigh. We proceeded to do a self-guided tour using the map and visit the La basilique Notre-Dame de Gray. While we were admiring the building a priest and another person came in, knelt up by the alter and began chanting. The sound was amazing, two unamplified voices filled the entire basilica.  Followed by grocery shopping and laundry. Laundry is using washing machines in the Intermarché parking lot while doing your grocery shopping. So convenient because you’re in the air-conditioned store instead of sitting in the parking lot. Sheets and towels go in the dryer, clothes get hung up on the boat. So hot out they dry almost instantly. We treat ourselves to dinner out.

We passed a squadron of over 20 White Storks

July 3 and 4 on the Petite Saône

Juniper at Scey-sur-Saône

July 3 – Friday: Michael makes his croissant and bread run while Joan and Julie enjoy some coffee. It’s been so hot we switched to making cold brew. Quick and easy cuppa in the morning. We make a trip to Netto Groceries and stopped by the Tourist Office. Found a great map that shows walks, hikes and tourist places. Depart Port-sur-Saône at 12:02 pm right into écluse (lock) #5. Two écluses and 10 km later we arrive at the dock/campground in Scey-sur-Saône. Michael stays on board so we can keep the boat open while Joan and Julie walk town. New homes as well old homes that you can only guess how old they are and how much they may or may not have been modernized. Cool evening and a breeze, thank goodness, as we had no power so no fan. Campground next to the dock was busy with campers and bike tourists in tents. A couple guys were having a ball, jumping off the dock to cool off. Back flips and all.

Château Rupt-sur- Saône

July 4 – Saturday: Happy Independence Day! Praying we get to keep our democracy. Got the bikes down and rode to Rupt-sur-Saône hoping to see the Château. No such luck. Info on line was confusing on whether you can visit or not. At arrival we just see Privé – Private and no mention of visiting days/hours. At least we got a nice 11 km bike ride in! Passing through a restaurant (literally) on the way we decide to stop for a coffee on the way back. Tables on one side of the road/path next to the canal with main restaurant and patio on the other side. No uncommon here. Next we stop at a Parc with a Château, some animals, (wallabies, goats, deer, horses, peacocks) and a pony club. Walking the grounds it’s underwhelming, but a nice 4km or so walk in mostly shade.

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  Stopping for a café au lait on our ride

 

 

Château at Le Domaine du Parc aux Daims

View of the harbor at Scey-sur-Saône from Juniper

On the Petite Saône June 30 - July 2

Manual swing bridge near Corre

June 30 – Tuesday, Corre:

Lay-over day today. We walk Corre, make multiple trips to the Intermarché (grocery store), do laundry in the machine in the Intermarché parking lot. Their version of a laundromat in many small towns. Dinner is at a small restaurant; good but of no significance.

July 1 – Wednesday, Port de Fucécourt:

unidentified tower in Corre

It rained from 6:40 – 7:20am. It’s 66°. We felt bad for the two couples bike camping just above the dock. Michael heads to the boulangerie for croissants and lunch bread, unfortunately it’s closed on Wednesdays. He runs into the couple from Australia on his way, they had moved to the picnic shelter to eat breakfast and let their tent dry a bit. We see lots of bike tourists with panniers, some camping, some not. Lots of accommodations for them along this route.

Joan needs a trip to the pharmacy so Julie goes to the Intermarché (again!) for bread while Michael preps the boat for departure – fill water bottles, water tank, engine check, etc. Depart Corre at 10:28am.

Julie activating the écluse while Joan handles the boat.

We are on the Petite Saône cruising through farmland with trees along the river. Beautiful. We no longer press a button on our electronic écluse opener. Now we must slowly pass by a pole hanging, usually from a wire. You then grab it and turn it counter clockwise to activate the écluse. At 11am the temp is 73° with humidity at 58%. We cover 24km and three écluses (only 3!) and arrive in Port de Fuchécourt at 2pm. Actually see a couple boats on the water now that we’re on the river. The marina is going through renovation. No one to check in with. A charter boat arrives and Michael grabs their line. It’s cooled off a bit so we get the bikes down and have a nice evening ride. When we return there is another charter boat in right next to us. Nice family from ??? with Grandma, three adults and a young girl. Spoke English but didn’t get much opportunity to chat with them.

Port-sur-Saône as we walk to town from the marina - photo JC

July 2 – Thursday, Port-sur-Saône: 7am and it’s 66°. The temp had dropped enough last night we didn’t need the fan on for a change. We depart Port de Fuchécourt at 8:45am. When doing the engine check Michael found disconnected wires that may be the cause of our tachometer not working and the engine and domestic volt lights flickering on and off. Fingers crossed. 10am and the temp is 72° on it’s way to a high of 84. We arrive in Port-Sur-Saône at 11am. Tachometer is still not as it should be, we’ll clean the connectors tonight to see if that helps. We walk the town, pretty quiet since it’s lunch time. We’re in a rhythm on the boat with all three take turns at the wheel and handling lines, shopping and cooking. Yes, we’ve done this before. Not for two months, but hey, what’s another six weeks. 

June 27 -29 Still Hot, as we work our way down the Canal des Vouges

June 27 - Saturday: Temp to be 99°-102°. Departed at 8:25am and right into écluse (lock) #19. Le Julian had already departed, so had to wait for the water to come up again. Arriving at écluse 21 Le Julian and another boat are there, écluse appears to be out of order. Fifteen or so minutes and it's up, Le Julian and Juniper carry on. The other boat was not departing yet. With a VNF office there at the écluse they may have wanted Le Julian and Juniper to share the locks. Before we arrived in France we heard they were requiring this.

Shade and a beautiful spot to ourselves.

Michael & Julie 

June 28 – Sunday: Departed 8:15am and it’s 76°, thunderstorms are predicted. We get through écluse (lock) #25 and #26 and it feels like we’re going to make good progress. Enter écluse # 27, the doors close. Then nothing. We wait and the water is not dropping. Joan goes to the hut and pushes the call button. It rings and rings and rings. No answer. Calls the VNF number on the hut and gets “leave a message”. The call button continues to ring. Michael checks the lights at both ends of the écluse, they are red/red. It’s out of order. Pondered options for about 15 minutes when the VNF man arrives to rescue us. Merci beaucoup!!! Ten écluses and 10 km (kilometers) brings us to Fontenay Le Chateau at 11:40am. We have power and water – yay!!!! We are drinking liters and liters of water so we need to refill often. We walk town and find a boulangerie, closed now but opens tomorrow at 7:15am. Another yay!

We do NOT find a grocery store. Rummaging the cupboards we find Cous Cous, garbanzo beans and corn. (Thank you again Karen & Bill!) Toss in our leftover veggies from the refrigerator and we have dinner. Tasty even! Sure hope we find a grocery store tomorrow though….

Joan on the bike path next to the canal

 

June 29 – Monday: Rain and thunderstorm last night as they predicted. Neither lasted long and the thunderstorm didn’t seem too close. 7am and it’s 68°, high will be 80° and it’s a bit overcast. So much better than 100°!!!!

Le Boat manages the marina we stayed at and they arrived just in time for us to pay 15€ for moorage, water and power. Can’t get by for that in the US for an 11 metre boat! Departed 8:45am. Stopped at Selle to walk town, then lunch on the boat since we couldn’t find a restaurant. We three are getting our boating mojo now. The break in heat and some better sleep makes us feel human again. We even got a bike down so Julie and Joan could take turns riding between the locks. That felt great!!! Eleven écluses (locks) and 20 kms (kilometers) takes us to Corre. At the last lock we turn in the remote used to activate the écluses by dropping it into a metal box. We dock at Marina Corre visitor dock at 3:45pm. We are off the Canal des Vosges and on the Petite Saône now. Off to re-provision at the Intermarche about 1km away. Good size store and we did a great job remembering 90% of the items off the grocery list that is still on the boat. Another sign we’re recuperating. 😊

Looking forward to dinner at La Marina Restaurant only to find it’s closed Monday and Tuesday. Sigh. Having re-provisioned, dinner onboard is just fine.

From the top of the staircase to Girancourt where we were ablle to provision

June 25 - Thursday: Had to sleep-in a bit to recuperate some, but it worked against us as the heat wave had settled in with a vengeance with temps in upper 90s. We made it to Girancourt, 8 kilometers and one écluse (lock). There was power and water – which meant we could use the air conditioner. Power was from a kiosk by the quai. Karen and Bill had used it and left the card for it on the boat. Thank you!!! We used up the remaining balance then had to figure out how to add more money. A nice lady from a camper in the car park and a VNF lady who stopped by helped us figure it out. We had to have Karen, who created the account, add money through the app. The VNF lady had come by to confirm we knew we had to be through écluse #24 by the evening of the 28th. That section was closing. This update took some pressure off now that we don’t have to be all the way to Corre by the 29th. Relief with this heat!!! Karen and Bill’s notes on this route have been very helpful and very appreciated!! Including info on the grocery store only a short walk. Unfortunately no electrolyte beverages to be had – would have been a huge help… Heat and jet lag were taking a toll. Dinner was enjoyed in the shade at a picnic table, much cooler than on the boat since our air conditioner is pretty minimal. The boat was hot and sleeping was a challenge but the fans helped a lot. We couldn’t run fans and the air conditioner at the same time because it popped the shore power circuit breaker

June 26 – Friday: Departed Girancourt at 8:45am right into écluse (lock) #2 going toward the Soâne. A boat went through before us so we had to wait for all the locks to come up, a much slower go. We’re headed down now, much easier, especially in this heat. Tied to a quai just after écluse #18. Short day 17 écluses and about 9 kilometers. Another boat, Le Julian, was already in. He came and grabbed our line. Lovely, quiet place, no power or water. Moved small table and chairs to the grass and enjoyed the shade and breeze.

At last, cool enough to sleep

So begins the final journey and adventure on Canal Boat Juniper June 22 - Aug 16, 2026

June 22 - Monday: Joan, Michael and Julie (Joan's sister) Flew via Aer Lingus Seattle to Dublin THEN to Paris (Charles de Gaulle). All connections and flights went smoothly. The new Entry-Exit-System now active in the Schengen Countries also went smoothly; passport and face scan but no fingerprints this time. 

 

June 23 - Tuesday: Took a taxi to the Hotel D’Alsace across the street from Gare de L’Est (train station). Dinner at an outside table at the restaurant next door.

June 24 – Wednesday: We’re up early to catch the 9:11 TGV (fast train) to Épinal. Caught a city bus to the marina. Arrived about 1pm, checked in at the port office, hurried to board Juniper and dumped our baggage in our staterooms and were underway by 3pm. We had to have the boat out of the Embrachement d’Épinal by 7pm that evening because it was closing that night for the remainder of the season due to lack of water. At this point we thought we had to have Juniper off the Canal de Voges by June 29. Juniper was the last boat at the port. 3.3 kilometers to the Canal des Voges and 6 kilometers on the canal with 14 stair-step écluses (locks) going up to the top. It was helpful the stairstep écluses all were ready for us, but also meant we couldn’t stop for a much-needed break. Around 6pm we finally wild-tied (pounded stakes into the side of the canal to tie to) not by choice. The first dock we passed was too high for us to use with the water so low, the next was taken up by Syrah, a Peniche about 20 meters long. We were EXHAUSTED from jet lag and the temp was in the 90s. So thankful Karen & Bill left groceries aboard as we had no time to provision in Épinal. Dinner was a bag of potato chips (craved the salt) and mushroom paté on crackers. Hard to drink enough water in this heat!

Julie puilling hard on our bow line as the water level rises

Sunday, Sept 7, 2025 - St Jean de Losne

 Sunday, September 7, 2025 – Ranchot to St Jean de Losne

Ranchot écluse. The river and canal are separated by a cement wall

Sunday morning is sunny and warm. High will be 83. We also have wind, 9-12mph with gusts to 23. The gusts come frequently. We’d hoped to go to Dole for a night, we have power there, but the wind is so strong there is no way we can dock. There are very few private boats tied up and no one visible that might lend a hand. At this point the wind blowing in the 20s with lulls of 12mph. We continue on. There is an industrial area where you’re not allowed to tie up and there are no other ports that have power. Hoping to stop at Abergement-la-Ronce to have lunch. Two boats take up the whole dock because they didn’t tie close together, another boat wild tied just downstream. It’s not worth asking them to move just so we can have lunch, so we continue on and eat while underway. The wind is strong and warm all day. Takes a bit of edge off the sun. It reminds me of the mistral wind in south France on our bike tour so many years ago, just not quite as strong.

"Juniper" back at St Jean

We arrive in St Jean de Losne, check the gas pump, still out of order, and tie up at 6pm. It was eight hours of running not stop. With the sun and strong wind, it was exhausting. Time for a G&T, or two! 8:30pm and it’s still around 70 degrees. Shower and bed coming up sooner than later.

Wed Sept 3 - Sat Sept 6, 2025 Rachot, Weir at Torpes, Ranchot

 Wednesday, September 3 – 4, 2025 - Dole to Ranchot

Americans are welcome

We’re heading out of Dole at 8:57am up-stream to Ranchot. A favorite place of Michael’s. Three boats pass us going downstream while underway. We arrive at 1:30 and find the quai empty. Two boats pass us going downstream in the afternoon. We get out for a short walk and half expect to see a boat on the quai when we return since that happened to us twice on the Bourgogne, but not this time. We have the place to ourselves for the night.

Thursday we wake to rain and another thunderstorm. We knew it was coming and it’s predicted to rain all day so had decided to hunker down for the day. Lots of reading. A break in the rain so we take another walk to see the village of Ranchot. Walked up to the train station, hadn’t realized they had a stop. Not a lot to see, very quiet. By evening, three more boats have joined us. A full quai!

Leaving the port of Dole

Friday, September 5, 2025 – Ranchot to the Weir at Torpes

School group watching us transit an écluse

At 10am (yes, not 9am!) we head up stream to the weir Michael has wanted to tie up at for the night since he saw it. Gary (one of our original partners) had marked it in the boat chart book. It’s past Osselle, just past écluse de gard 57 N Torpes (Flood gate). Across the weir is a factory, which we thought was closed down. But we saw steam from a couple chimneys and there were lights on/in some buildings at dark, so some of it appears to be in use. We think it was a paper or stationary mill at one time.

Our moorage for the night

Right after we tie up, about 1:30pm, a Hotel Barge comes downstream. So glad we’re tied up already!!! The canal from Ranchot has some narrow, one way stretches and blind corners. It would not have been fun to meet it underway. A charter boat coming down stream stops for lunch around 2pm. Later in the afternoon, a private almost peniche size boat also coming downstream pulls in and stays the night. It was amazing watching them bring it in between Juniper and the rock wall at the end.

High water on the Doubs

When wild tying we keep an eye on the house batteries. We find they’re not holding a charge, even with the fridge on 2 and nothing else really running. OK, the bilge pump does occasionally as it seems we have a slow leak – Michael thinks it’s the stuffing box. I’d say it was a quiet night, but the water running over the weir is ever present.

The canal water levels on this section were often higher than the upper écluse gates. It was different entering an écluse that sounds and feels like the valves have already been opened.

Saturday, September 6, 2025 – Weir at Torpes to Ranchot

In the morning our battery volts are too low, they’re not holding a charge. We hurry to get underway instead of the leisurely morning we had planned. We depart at 9am so they can recharge as we run. Power at Ranchot comes on at 6:30pm and goes off at 8 or 8:30am, so we’ll still have to wait to plug in but hope the run downs brings the volts back up enough.

Gîte in Ranchot on the croissant route

Arriving in Ranchot the boat Aperose is tied at the end. We had seen the boat in Dole. It’s distinctive with it’s bright red hull and it’s in very good shape. We tie up at the other end of the quai. Our walk today takes us across the bridge into Rans looking for a trail Michael had sorta found. Never found it so wandered up the hill, appreciated the view and wander back to the boat. Surprise, another boat is on the quai, tied next to Aperose. We move our boat further to the end so another boat could easily fit if needed. No other boat joins us. A young woman from Freiberg, Germany (we’ve been there!) is cycling to Balboa, Spain by herself. She asks if we can charge her phone while she eats lunch. She saved up her money, quit her job as a school counselor and is doing her month-long ride. Then she’s not sure, maybe something with music, she plays guitar and sings. Counseling with kids was stressful.

Boys fishing at the Ranchot Quai

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