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I arrived at Sufiana on Thursday 6th April 89 and set about cleaning and provisioning. The batteries were not in a good state so I got them charged. The engine started on Friday morning and I phoned Pierre who persuaded me to go down to Sarras that evening and return with Anne Marie and Michel on the Saturday. We planned to go about mid-day but a mix up with trains meant that we reached Sufiana a bit late.
Sunday was fine and we made good progress reaching Rapille after running aground opposite some anglers and losing time there. We passed 15 locks in the day.
Monday was a good day of motoring. We covered 30 nautical miles according to the log and passed 19 locks. We reached the end of the canal at 1600 on Tuesday where we visited the shops. By evening we were at Saint Aubin sur Yonne where we had a BBQ. We were running well on Tuesday and reached Sens at 1330, did some more shopping had lunch and settled for a siesta. We set off at 1545 and headed for the lock where we had to moor facing upstream because of the current.
We cast off when the lock was ready and started to turn trying to avoid the current with a three point turn. We were heading for the bank, I selected reverse but did not get in gear. The engine raced faster and the throttle did not slow it. We hit the bank. The engine running on its lubricating oil stopped in a cloud of black smoke. Now we were heading for the weir. I walked forward and put out the anchor. It held when Sufiana was 15m from the lock where the current started to swirl into midstream. I found that I could steer towards the bank still hanging from the anchor. Once near the bank we got lines ashore. The lock keeper and Anne Marie hauled us 100 m upstream to the mooring posts we had just left. I called Evans Marine who had visited Sufiana in Sens and an hour later they came to tow us back to their yard.
There were no Yanmar agents about so Simon Evans built a steel bracket for the stern and sold me a used 20HP Chrysler outboard. Unfortunately the prop was not deep enough in the water and this caused no end of problems. The engine had remote control but had to be hand started with a cord. Trials on the river gave 6 knots with power to spare and no indication of problems as the water was flat.
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