Moving On, Oct. 2025

 Oldtimer was moved up to Burgundy to make a sale possible. It worked.

In August a German couple made an offer on the barge and after some negotiations, a survey and more negotiations, Oldtimer had found new owners.

I had realized that with the sale of the barge, it was the first time since 1981 that I had neither a boat to live or work on. That situation was quickly remedied.

Toko

I had been idly looking at possible replacements and I found one in a Monk 36 trawler. Single engine and bow thruster, just like Oldtimer, just a little more power for the ocean. The galley is not as nice either, but it will do. She was located in San Diego, some way south of Ventura. Purchase complete, I cruised to Ventura last week with my friends Tim and Christine, a two day stop at Catalina Island and an overnight anchor in Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park.

Approaching Avalon on Catalina Island

Sunrise in the Cherry Cove moorings

So it’s back on the ocean for me. If you fancy a vacation to the Channel Islands National Park  you know who to call!

This blog is officially done. Thank you all for your comments over the years. Traveling the European canals was a magical experience. I met many great people and will cherish the memories always.

Don

And the End, Sept. 24-28

 I decided to make a post for this year and realized when I looked back that I had never finished posting about the trip north to St. Jean de Losne after we left Lyon. Without further ado…

We left the mooring in Lyon a little before 8am. We had about 70 k to cover to our next stop, Crêches sur Saône, so we wanted to get an early start.

Cathy Jo and I had stopped here on the way down the river in 2022. There is a pontoon with room for a couple of boats and a small cafe. We pulled in about 4:30 pm. There was nobody else moored there and the restaurant was closed but we saw a great sunset.

Wednesday we left around 8 am again but it was only about 5 hours and 40 k to our next stop, Tournus, and another opportunity to visit an excellent Michelin star restaurant, Aux Terrasses. Cathy Jo and I had eaten here a couple of times and found the food and service to be excellent. I tried to book dinner on Wednesday or lunch Thursday but both were complet so we opted for dinner on Thursday. It turned out to be a good choice because the weather was pretty bad Thursday with rain and wind so we didn’t feel bad staying put. The meal was very good again.

Friday morning it was off to Verdun sur le Doubs where Cathy and I had stayed several times. We travelled for about 7 hours and passed through one lock.

Another 8 am departure Saturday morning Sept. 28 saw us complete the last stretch of the Saone to St. Jean de Losne in about 5 hours. We found a space on the steps in front of town and walked up to the H2O office to check in and get our slip assignment. About 5 pm Oldtimer was in its slip on the sales dock, journey complete.