Wednesday 10th May 2017 Lamarche-sur-Sâone to St Jean-de-Losne 27.8kms 2 lks

Entrance to the lock cut leading to lock 19 Poncey-lès-Athée

3.7°C Sunny all day and warmer! Left the quay at 8.40am and winded to head downriver. About 3kms of river then into the canal section to the first lock, 19 Poncey-lès-Athée. Another 8m wide chamber, we dropped down about 2m. On downstream passing under the TVG rail bridge and passed two uphill cruisers, one private and one hireboat. Ten minutes later a UK widebeam went past also heading upriver (all three must

Pontoon moorings in Auxonne

have all left Auxonne around the same time). Noted as we cruised through Auxonne that the H2O marina was pretty full, the pontoons by the flats were empty except for one UK barge (crew waved) and there was one boat on the old stepped quay plus one converted péniche houseboat on quant poles downstream of the stepped quay. Today there were no water-skiers or jetskis which make staying on the pontoons a bit rocky at times. As we went into the lock cut a guy on roller

Weir at the start of the Auxonne lock cut - note there is a canoe slope

blades, propelled along with ski poles, went flying past on the tarmac towpath. Down 2.4m in lock 20 Auxonne, last of the 8m wide locks. A Norwegian yacht was waiting to use the lock to go upriver as we left. The next lock is a big one, 30kms downstream at Seurre – but we’re not going that far. Mike saw a small colony of five bee eaters (beautifully coloured birds which actually do eat bees, wasps and hornets) sitting in a tree at KP277.  Another UK barge came out of the

Passing the first lock on the Rhone-au-Rhin canal at St Symphorien

last (or first) lock on the Marne-au-Rhin canal and we followed it downriver into St Jean-de-Losne. There was space on the pontoon by the campsite so we winded and moored behind a small cruiser and a DB. It was 1.10pm. The sign on the pontoon said it was put there by Rives de Sâone for passing boats. Then underneath that was a list of charges for boats wanting to stay there for longer, rates for a week or a month. Why do that if it’s for passing boats? Mike walked down to the town and moved our car

Moored on the pontoon by the campsite in St Jean-de-Losnes

 to park it by the boat among the cars and campervans.