Sat 26 Aug - cruising, St Symphorien, dawdle, wiper kaput, Rance, cool, night walk

I was up early to watch the Hawks get done by Fremantle, and the Storm defeat the Gold Coast. So, a balanced start to the morning. We then did some final cruising preparations, before having a chat with Alain about our expected return date. At 1040h, we were on our way, heading south from Auxonne down the long straight section of canal to the first lock and our drop down to the River Saone. It was good to be on the water again.

As we cruised down the river, we took notice of various features, including this heron-packed tree.

After a couple of hours we arrived at the lock at St Symphorien, which transports us from the River Saone up to the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. However, as often happens after a morning departure from Auxonne, we forgot about the mandatory lunch-break for the lock-keeper. So we tied up at the waiting pontoon and had a relaxed lunch ourselves.

After lunch, I went for a short stroll ashore, and on returning to the boat I saw that we had been joined by another boat wanting to enter the canal. But the real reason for the photo below was to show off the new painted stripe around the top of the cabin