We set off from Sens at 3pm headed up river (away from Paris) to town – about 700m – and stopped for a quick bit of lunch and for Cherie to practice some mooring as Cherie needs to start driving the boat, and I am doing ropes.
After a few minutes Peter arrived as the despatch rider to check we were alright as all the boat yard were still waiting on the quay armed with still and video cameras for us to travel back on the correct direction and were now quite worried!
They were especially interested to catch pictures of Jeannie sporting her new yellow lifejacket, but were not able to see Whiskas in her red outfit which is obviously designed for a fat corgi on a royal diet not a little cat!
Peter again appeared at the first lock, driving ahead to ensure the lock was ready for us. The lock keeper had not noticed our appearance as we had not informed him of our progress and Peter was roped into helping the lock keeper for the next 45 minutes. We could have been in for a long wait as the boat horn is not yet wired up!
Proceeded onward to towards Paris quite well for 21km, and stopped after three locks after following a slow barge. Moored in the darkness outside the fourth lock in a lovely setting at Courlon -Sur Yvonne. Peter drove to meet us for dinner and informed us the drive, our four hours cruising, took him 30 minutes in the car! Cherie had first nights experience cooking on Gas camping burner with her head torch on. After dinner I wired up a light in the kitchen so I could wash up though!
Jeannie has taken to this really well jumping on and off of the boat at will, hers not ours though, as we found in several of the locks were she showed off by jumping off the bow and walking round and jumping back on the side! Normally she patrols the boat with her ears flapping in the wind and running to the bow to warn off passing birds or swans.
