7th - 13th October

A lock keeper manages the barrage, removing stakes to allow more water to flow down

The end is in sight! After 8 months just one week to go. Big building work is proceeding on the quay in Auxerre where the whole water front is being rebuilt, they have progressed very quickly and it is shaping up to be fantastic and ready for the spring and our next season. The Luciole will moor for the winter on the city quay, close and convenient to Francisco's on-shore home, so he can keep an eye on her.

Great passengers onboard, unfortunately the weather could have been a bit better, but the river has started to fill again.  After the last 2 months the region is in need of rain. Neil was give the opportunity to taste this years Chablis, hot off the press and still fermenting in oak barrels. It is disconcertingly fizzy. Given time it will evolve and mature, the winemakers hope, into something special.

30th September - 6th October

Sunset from the top of the coral cliffs

October already! Autumn has arrived, sunsets and night time are creeping earlier and in the mornings there are fantastic sunrises while walking to collect the bread. We must be getting nearer to the end of the season, tally charts from the crew chess games now fill the page and canal traffic slowing down. Good to see our friend the barge 'Randle' back on the Nivernais after spending some time south of Clamecy due to lack of rain, when asked how he got through the shallow stretch, as we passed each other in the cut, he replied; “Balloons”.  

We nearly lost the chef on Friday after he took a slip into the canal.  He was pulled out drenched by the crew, we can't afford to loose a good chef. Been there, done that myself! Never the nicest experience, but happens to the best of us, its a sort of 'Canal Christening'!

23rd - 29th September

The Chardonnay grapes of Burgundy

Grape picking has begun in the vineyards; the whole valley comes to life! Alien tractors covered in pipes - specific for the vineyards fill the roads – creating Burgundy traffic jams. Unfortunately, it has however been a terrible year for the wine makers.  Prolonged 2 months of rain in early summer, followed by 2 months of drought has had a dramatic affect on yield. We will have to wait to see what it tastes like and can guarantee that it won’t taste like any other year - they’re all different - that is the joy of Burgundy wines.

On the Chablis tour, tour guide Neil parked the bus beside the Grand Cru vines and our guests had the chance to get involved. “The bus is trashed!” Neil joked, referring to the muddy footprint throughout after clients pottered around the vineyards, I just hope they didn’t eat too many grapes!

A birthday special Captain's Dinner with a celebratory cake for a passenger and our hostess Alex, who sat down with the guests for the meal. 

16th - 22nd September

The Luciole in her Gurgy mooring

The hostess Izzy has now departed, returning to England to continue her final term of university. The replacement; Tim, is here to see us out to the end of the season as he did last year and a great week to welcome him back. Poor hostess Alex is now stuck with 5 men, coping with all the general clutter without a murmur of discontent. 

Living and working on a boat for 8 months can be difficult. Credit to all the crew, this season there has been a fantastic atmosphere behind the galley door and had remained as good as the first week, if not better. It’s a pleasure to work onboard and often I think to myself how lucky I am to have this job.  Sitting out on the stern of the Luciole with friends, eating fantastic food while watching the starlings flock by in the evening light, swans bellow and badger to be thrown bread and maybe for the crew in the evening a glass of Chablis to accompany supper. A tough life but someone has to do it!

9th - 15th September

Yet another great week with a fantastic visit to the 12th Century chateau of Noyer-sur-Serein. The chateau was once the biggest of Northern France but destroyed by Henry IV, abandoned to nature, the chateau was gradually swallowed by woodland. A steep off road track takes us from the town up to the site on top of the hill - out of the bushes comes Willem - a Dutchman dedicated to putting this chateau back on the map. Behind him crumbling old walls that 15 years ago were buried under debris.

Willum the Dutchman of Chateau Noyers and Neil

A further 50 metres on and we find ourselves in a Medieval building site, a tower is taking shape once more. Over the last 10 years it has been rebuilt, and it looks fantastic. Willum leads the way, pausing at the stone mason's workshops and then into the tower and up the stairs. The guests follow him, he explains the history of the chateau and process of rebuilding along the way. It is well understood that this will take hundreds of years to complete, but Willem has started something great and we feel fortunate to see 'the work in progress' .

Willum explains to our passengers the brief history of the 12 Century Medieval chateau
and how he is reclaiming it from the grips of wild wilderness

Keep in touch with Willum and the progress of the chateau via the website: http://chateaudenoyers.free.fr

2nd - 8th September

The weather is glorious at the moment.  Perfect temperature, with a hint of late summer, early autumn feel.  Some of the trees are beginning to turn and the grapes are ready for harvesting. Up in the vineyards the wine makers inspect the vines, waiting anxiously for the day when regulations say the picking commence.

Earlier in the season, like last year, in the lock outside Auxerre, horses crossed the bow of the Luciole to reach their pastures on an island.  The lock keeper stops the lock filling at exactly the right moment, so the deck is level with the land and the horses hastily cross, they are used to the exercise now. It is a thrill to see.  The picture below is the spring shot, as you can see they are happy to be there, I am scrubbing the deck down!

The horses are pleased to be on their summer residence, an island between the River Yonne and the Nivernais Canal

Stuart arrives on horseback!

Stuart our chef saw an opportunity for a quick ride and appeared along the side of the Luciole in the next lock.  A real 'Luciole moment'!  We had a wonderful week on board with a fantastic family charter, celebrating a 60th wedding anniversary.  Many congratulations encore to Jim and Carolyn

26th August - 1 September

Our cruise this week finished in the pretty village of Gurgy, just south of Auxerre.  It was an exciting cruise down the River Yonne, through the larger river locks.

Passengers race up on deck when they realise a hot air balloon is about to land nearby

Earlier in the week, we watched one of the hot air balloons, belonging to France Montgolfier, land very close to the Luciole.  Passengers rushed on to the deck to take pictures, in between the supper courses.  Seeing a hot air balloon at close range is always a thrill.

The balloon lands in a nearby field