July 22nd started for me with a loud BANG, as the boat shuddered and shifted. I’d slept in a bit and was startled awake, my first thought being “The boat has been HIT!”. Charging out of bed and into the wheelhouse, I immediately noted there was nothing near me. The port was calm, and I was both confused and puzzled.
Getting dressed, I went out to check the boat. It took a few moments, but I finally determined the issue. The DBA guide had warned the downstream end of the quay could be shallow at times. I had been fine the night before, but morning had come, the canal opened at 9 AM, and two sets of boats immediately locked downstream out of the port, obviously cycling the downstream lock twice. That served to let enough water out of the pound between the two locks (that served as the port) to dropthe water level. The bang and shudder was Desormais’ stern end settling and then shifting on the bottom. I was stuck!
I finally got some relief late morning as the upstream lock cycled several times. I had moored where I did as I was late into the port the day before. With boats now moving and the stern raised a bit, I was able to move the boat up the quay to a deeper spot, resolved to avoid bottoming
Tonnerre is large community that climbs up a steep hillside. At the top of the hill is the Eglise Saint-Pierre (Church of St. Peter) constructed in the 9th century and extensively rebuilt following a fire in 1556. There is historical evidence the area was already settled in the late Bronze Age, and was also the location of a Roman administrative center in the Roman Gaul period. Much of the reason for settlement in this location is the Fosse Dionne, a large karst spring that will be covered separately.
The view from the church: 6A346059-FCD0-42E7-B729-51111C84226C
The Armencon flows through the lower portion of the town, and bridges over it connect the heart of Tonnerre with the port area on the canal.
In addition to the Eglise Saint-Pierre, on the way up the hill there is the Eglise Notre-Dame de Tonnerre. Built in the 12thCentury, this church was heavily damaged in WW II but is still used for services.
One other building of historical note is a massive structure, the Hotel-Dieu Notre-Dame des Fontenilles, or the Old Hospital. Founded in 1293, it was the first and largest hospital in Medieval France. It could treat up to 40 patients at a time. (Note: Hotel-Dieu is the term given to any Medieval hospital, of which there are a number of note in France, including the hospital in Beaune, which Suzanne and I visited in September, 2016)
