Now that the weather has changed, and our Vignette has expired, we will spend the next few weeks in and around Auxonne (or at least not cruising). So all those activities (for the balance of September) are captured on this page.

Sat 24 Sept - rain, AFL GF, NRL SF, Bledisloe, stag party boats

As forecast, the rain arrived overnight, so today was a quiet day on the boat. But it wasn't a total waste of time, as I followed the AFL Grand Final (where Geelong easily accounted for Sydney), the NRL Semi-Final (where Penrith qualified for their third Grand Final in a row) and the Bledisloe Cup Rugby Union between Australia and NZ (where NZ continued their unbeaten run at Eden Park, Auckland for the umpteenth time in a row). While following all these games, I finished the memorial video I was creating for Anne Kantor.

In the late afternoon, two hire boats arrived carrying about 16 young men, who had already started partying before they arrived at Auxonne. The drivers of both boats had to put their beers down to enable them to moor the boats. Port Capitain Alain, gave them an early warning that other people lived in the port, and that excessive noise would not be tolerated after 2300h. In the early evening, we realised that they were having a Stag Party for one of the passengers, as they headed out in fancy dress for a night on the town.

Sun 25 Sept - Alains ultimatum, stag party boats leave, four Pipers

Around midnight the party-goers returned to their boats, and continued to party. Luckily, our bedroom was well away from their boats and so we didn't hear too much noise. But the volume increased as the morning wore on, and around 0300h, I heard loud shouting from the boats, followed by even louder shouting from the pontoon, which was Alain telling them to cease the noise or he would call the police. This seemed to do the trick, as they all went inside their boats to continue their drinking and talking.

Mon 26 Sept - cooler, ropes changeover, fees, windy, raining, bimini raising

The weather had changed overnight, and was much cooler this morning. So given the cooler conditions outside, I took the opportunity to changeover all the mooring ropes from the good black ropes that we use when cruising, to the older, heavier coir ropes that we use for winter mooring. I also realised that I hadn't paid H2O for our annual mooring fees (which were due in June), so I transferred the money to them using OFX international money exchange. While I was at it, I enquired with them about getting Kanumbra winterised for the coming cold weather. In the afternoon, the weather changed even further, and became rainy and very windy. In the midst of this windstorm, I noticed someone on the hire boat behind us trying to (single-handedly) raise the bimini on top of the boat. They were having quite a time and on several occasions it looked like the bimini would take off completely and leave the boat. Eventually they got someone else to help and they succeeded in getting it secured. Given the rain and wind I was wondering why they were raising the bimini, and I soon had the answer as they proceeded to light the BBQ underneath the bimini (which still didn't prevent them from getting very wet in the rain and wind). As soon as they had finished cooking on the BBQ, they took the bimini down again. Sometimes I wonder about the intelligence of boat-hirers.

Tues 27 Sept - rainy and windy, Carte de Grise info, Kuno Covid?

Today continued windy and rainy, so I spent most of the day reading a novel and writing on this blog. Given that Dijon Iveco had failed to get someone from Dijon Citroen to do the required work for the VIN number on the campervan, Rita had phoned Dole Citroen and had arranged for them to do the VIN work (engraving on the chassis and production of a VIN plaque for the engine compartment). However, they needed some data from the Carte de Grise (the registration papers) and when she phoned Dijon Iveco to get the info, they said that the van was away with "the expert" checking the chassis alingment (for reasons unknown) and hence they didn't have access to the Carte de Grise. So we would have to follow up with them tomorrow. Later that evening, Rita rang from Bern saying that her brother Kuno might have Covid, and had some PCR tests scheduled for tomorrow morning. Here's hoping!

Wed 28 Sept - strong rain and winds, Covid tests, hot shower, alphorn

Strong overnight winds and rain continued to produce a very noisy environment of squeaky ropes. In the morning, Rita rang to say that Kuno's PCR tests had come back negative, as had her RAT test. The rain continued throughout the day, but since we were moored on Pontoon A next to the port office and facilities, I decided to treat myself by going there for a hot shower (since our hot water system is still not working on the boat). It was delightful not to have a cold shower now that the weather was cooling! In the afternoon, Rita rang to say that she had this afternoon bought herself an Alphorn! Not the sort of thing you expect to hear every day! Later that evening, she returned to the barge.

Thurs 29 Sept - receding storm, Iveco, Dole, GAN, brico shopping

After more overnight rain, the dark storm clouds receded to the north-west during the morning. But as we drove to Iveco in Dijon, we ran into them again with torrential rain along the highway. After the hot, dry summer, we are finally getting some rain. But it is all too late for many boaters who could not get to their preferred winter port, and have had to arrange for alternative winter moorings.

We arranged with Iveco for us to pay the bill now for the work done so far on the van, but they would not cash the cheque until we received payment from GAN Insurance. We then collected the van and drove to Dole Citroen, where we left the van for the VIN engraving and plaque, then drove back to Auxonne in the Scenic. In the afternoon, Rita rang GAN to say that we were sending the receipt for the payment, and they informed us that they would not be reimbursing us for the stolen eBikes, because we didn't have a receipt for their purchase (seriously, who keeps such receipts, just in case they are stolen?). We just hope they will reimburse all the other expenses that we have incurred at their demand.

Later we went shopping at Brico to get some supplies for me to start making a carry case for the Alphorn so that we can take it back to Australia. This is going to be a challenging task!

In the evening we got a nice sunset, which made quite a difference from the rainy, stormy skies we have had for the past few days.

Fri 30 Sept - foggy morning, pan case locks, campground, ping-pong, Alain, crescent moon

The morning started foggy and stayed that way until noon, when it was replaced by sunshine (much like a late-Autumn day in Taggerty).

While it was still foggy, I got started on making locks to join the new pan case lid to the body of the pan case (which was thankfully left behind in the campervan). After the sun appeared, we lifted the outdoor carpet from the rear deck, and spread it over the table and chairs to give it a chance to dry before it was packed away in the coming days for the winter season. We then rode our bikes over to the other side of the Saone to check out the campground (just in case we ever wanted to bring the campervan there). The view of Port Royal (and the military buildings in the background) was very different from our usual view.

While we were there, we looked for a table tennis table (since we had brough bats and balls with us, just in case). We found one in the campground area, but it was in very poor condition. So Rita kept looking and found one in an adjacent area that contained several camp bungalows. As we started to hit up, someone came out of one of the bungalows, and explained that he was the campground manager, and that this table tennis table was private and belonged to the bungalows. But Rita used her best powers of persuasion, and eventually he agreed that we could use it for an hour, so long as we left the area in good condition. The table and surrounding ground was pretty good, but there was no net. So we made our own net from some boxes we found in a nearby rubbish bin and some twigs we picked up from the ground. Not exactly the most stable of nets, but necessity is the mother of invention!

When we got back to port, we had a long talk with Alain and discovered some of his many prior work experiences, including being a concert organiser! Maybe we'll get to work together in the future if we stay up north and decide to organise a Barging Festival at Auxonne like the three we organised in Moissac.

Sunset came and went without anything spectacular, but a while later I got a good shot of the rising crescent moon as I looked down the river towards the bridge. A nice way to end the month.