Tenth
day: From Vincelles to Auxerre
Between Vincelles and Auxerre the Canal du Nivernais
can hardly be mentioned a canal. We are navigating on the wide Yonne all the
time. Only near the weirs we navigate in short sections of canal with a lock in
it. We pass Bailly where we should find a manifestation of pottery today
but we see no activity and navigate on.
From lock 75 we are followed by a group
of perilous Englishmen. I assume they are navigating for the first time today.
They have rented a boat of steel and are navigating with great speed into the lock
we already have stopped. They can back up just in time but that was a close call. They
almost navigated into our boat. Between the locks they navigate wherever they
want while my map shows to stay closely to the left side. I am wandering if they
have a map at all. At the next lock they bump from one gate to the other
entering the lock. The lockkeeper gives them a warning.
 |
Between the locks 76 and 77 the canal is separated just by a small wall (and later on by a narrow strip of green) from the river. |
| We pass the little village Vaux which looks picturesque from the waterside. |  |
After lock 80 we navigate suddenly in a
track for canoes. The entire Yonne is full with orange balls. The lockkeeper
told us to navigate by lane three from the right. And so we navigate in a
canoe-track along the stadium of the football club Auxerre. We have to
pass just one lock to arrive in the center of Auxerre but we can't manage it
before the lunch break of the lockkeepers. Therefore we moor near a park in the environment
of the stadium. By the way it's more than a stadium. It 's a gigantic sport complex
with also a swimming pool and an athletic track. The boys are playing football
at once.
After lunch we navigate into Auxerre. We already have a wonderful view on the city from the last lock with three church towers on a row. We moor in the middle of town. I have to pay for the mooring-place but it's beautifully situated. Our boat is situated just next to a bridge for pedestrians to the city. Besides at this side of the river there is no motor-way and we can enjoy the evening-sun on deck.
We use the rest of the afternoon to take
a look in town. Pepijn buys a shirt of the football club Auxerre. He is very
pleased to find a shop where the shirt on sale but that changes as he
comes in a supermarket where the shirt is still cheaper.
 |
We eat the pizzas left from yesterday. In the evening we have a wonderful view on the illuminated churches of Auxerre at the opposite site. |
We have come to the finish of the Canal du Nivernais
now. Tomorrow we navigate on on the Yonne.