After getting back to the boat last night in Montbeliard, we spent the morning acclimatising ourselves to the boat again, doing some cleaning and shopping, and then Rita had to go test out the piscine after a week away. We were in no hurry.

In the late morning, I checked online to find the latest batch of VNF Avis (Notices) about the state of the canal network, and found that the situation had not improved. Because of the ongoing hot weather, the water levels in most canals had decreased again, leading to further closures. Of most relevance to us was the fact that the Vosges Canal south of Nancy was closed for its entire length, as was most of the Marne west of Toul. So even if we were to get to Strasbourg and across to Nancy, we could not really go anywhere else and be confident of getting back to Auxonne by the end of the season, unless we were to turn around at Strasbourg and come back the way we got there (assuming that the Rhone au Rhin Canal stays open for the season). We figured that this was all too much of a risk of being stranded at the end of the season, so we made the reluctant decision to turn around at Montbeliard and return to the River Saone, where we could be reasonably assured of water depth for the season between Lyon and Corre. This is the fourth year in a row, since we first tried in 2019 to take the boat to Strasbourg, that our plans have been thwarted for one reason or another. Someone is trying to tell us that we are not meant to get to Strasbourg.

So, after attending to a few more isues, we got ourselves ready to leave port in the early afternoon (given that our mooring would lapse at noon today, when the power would be turned off). But before starting the engine, I thought I would just make sure the bowthrusters were working, given our recent experiences. And I couldn't believe it when neither of  them worked! Nothing! So I went down and tested the batteries with the multimeter, and found that both of the batteries had voltages below 11v. I talked with some people in port, and exchanged many Messenger texts with Phil, and we concluded that somehow the new batteries had not been recharging since we installed them in Besançon, and that using them on the trip up to Montbeliard had simply been depleting them (I had noticed as we moored in Montbeliard two weeks ago that they didn't seem to be operating at full strength). This confirmed the feeling I had after discussions with Phil that something was wrong with the bowthruster charging system. So I suggested to him that perhaps I just use the Bosch C7 battery charger, that I had been using on the generator battery, to charge the bowthruster batteries. He agreed that it was worth a try. So I connected the C7 to one of the batteries in the early afternoon, and let it do its thing. Given the lowness of the batteries and the limited strength of the C7 charger, this was not going to be a fast process. So we paid for another day's mooring, so that we would have shore power with which to do the battery charging.

The batteries were not the only things with a low charge. I was feeling absolutely depleted, after the campervan theft, the canal closures and now the flat batteries were the straw that broke the camel's back. So when Rita suggested we go to a brass band performance in the early evening, I was not entirely enthused, and may indeed have been a little bit grumpy with her! But after she left to go to the performance alone, I thought again and realised that going along couldn't hurt (and might help). So I wandered over and found the hall near the rugby stadium, and arrived just before the intermission. Rita explained that a brass band workshop had been going on all week in Montbeliard, and tonight's performance were the "Professeurs" who taught the various workshop groups during the week, with all the students scattered among the audience. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the cheering and jeering that occurred from the students whenever "their" Professeur played a solo part. Clearly there was a good bond between teachers and students.

After the intermission, there was a special guest performer who was apparently a legendary Euphonium player in French brass band circles. He appeared several times for cameo performances, including this segment to close the show. Although now in his eighties, he can still pump out quite a tune.

On the way home after the show, I realised how lucky we had been to have the bowthruster batteries go flat. Otherwise, we would have missed out on seeing this great show. It all depends on perspective!

When we got home, I checked the batteries and saw that the one on the charger was now slightly avove 12v. So I decided to change the C7 over to the other battery and let it charge overnight, then went to bed in a slightly better mood.