Travels with Forty Roses: Water Rising

While everyone at home is worried about pipes freezing and bursting or cars not starting, here, in temperate France, we have worries too.

The Yonne River, of north central France, is a left-bank tributary of the Seine River. From its source in the Niévre département at the foot of Mont Preneley, located in the Morvan heights west of Autun, to its confluence with the Seine at Montereau, the Yonne is 182 mi (293 km) long. It speeds north-northwest through deep, wooded gorges to Pannessières–Chaumard, where its turbulent waters are dammed to regulate its flow as well as that of the Seine. Passing through Clamecy, accompanied by the Canal du Nivernais, it enters the Yonne département and receives the Cure. The Cure source is deep in the Morvan and it runs fast and steep to join the Yonne just above Auxerre and us.

To prevent floods in the Paris Seine Basin 4 major holding reservoirs exist, one of which is above us on the Yonne, called Lac résevoir de Pannecière at Pannessières-Chaumard, built in 1949. The other three are on the Marne, the Aube and the Seine. A huge project underway to improve water containment and prevent flooding, called La Basée on the Seine, will be completed before 2020. Every effort is made to manage the Seine flow through Paris. However, flooding in 2016 broke through the banks in the city causing much damage. Efforts upstream are therefore paramount in managing the basin. If rainfall and runoff exceed the reservoir above us there is little that can be done in Auxerre to prevent flooding. With storm Eleanor and large amounts of rain and the potential for upper region snowmelt we are all watching the waterline very carefully.

Slide boards, really just long 4x8’s, are hung from the boat railings to go deep into the water and are held tight against the side of the boat by the current pressure against the bank. These will prevent the boat “going aground” over the bank should waters continue to rise. The current is running between 4 and 5 knots at this point and even the swans are staying close to shore and sheltered from the central current. If they venture out into the current they are severely buffeted and swiftly shoot down the river. Right now, they are across the river from us and dare not hazard the trip across for their afternoon treat of bread crusts. We check the mooring lines frequently to keep them taut but not too tight.

The banks have overflowed...just...but the water is creeping further such that a little water hen was splashing under our gangway. At least with our gangway we can leap the water when boarding. We have gone from stepping onto the boat to climbing the gangway

No nothing compares to -39C with wind chill! We know that. Keep warm all you North Americans and take heart in the thought that weather moves eastward so we are bound to feel the pinch of cold soon.

So, the pictures are a mixed lot…a bit of Christmas with Ollie, Michelle and Tyler, birthday party, travel and water rising….