I had thought I would travel up the Nivernais to our original starting point in 2016, the Le Boat base at Tannay/Cuzy, but ultimately changed my mind.
Locating yet another quiet rural mooring at Villers-sur-Yonne with free power and water, I decided this was a nice, shaded spot where I could turn
to the job of lacquering the wood on the boat, an annual maintenance requirement. It had steadily gotten hotter during the days (though you still wanted/needed a comforter at 4 in the morning), and the Yonne at this 
point was a nearby cool creek, offering the possibility of a cooling dip.
I spent two days, painting, organizing
areas of the boat, learning more of what was stored in this nook or that cranny.
My confidence in my ability to handle Desormais, and my knowledge of how she handled, had steadily grown as I had travelled up the Nivernais, using familiar ground as a crutch. Now it seemed time to consider heading to new experiences. Traveling further up the Nivernais would quickly bring me to an area of sharper ascent, where locks came in rapid succession. Having been forewarned about one section know as “the 16”, I chose to do my chores, rest for a few days in this bucolic setting, and the head back the way I’d come. Downstream I went.
