A word here about our hostess, Mieke, she was the personification of easy, friendly, first-class accommodation. She cleaned, served, attended and chatted (very knowledgably) about food, wine, cheese, and locale and was always at the ready with coffee, cocktails and ‘nibbles’.

Another of the ships crew was Xavier Villette, or as we dubbed him, Johnny Depp du Canal. Xavier was the first mate, guide, driver, translator, and all around go-to guy and when he spoke English, it was musical.

It took several days to become accustomed to such a slow pace, and then mind boggling to imagine that time would pass so quickly as we nary lifted a finger. As parents of two boys, our vacation time is typically filled with sports and activities. This time we were surrounded by adults, in pursuit of adult conversation and past -times, and we rediscovered the best parts of our marriage. With only six passengers on board, the barge never seemed crowded. Nonetheless, bedrooms were very inviting, with dark wood, plenty of natural light, comfortable beds and abundant pillows, Provencal linens and bath products, fresh flowers and luxury chocolates.

Our intrepid captain Rupert was always available to give us a brief history lesson, and as a resident of the area, insight into the local culture. Rupert was the quintessential captain: capable, well versed (in multiple languages), easy-going, and elegant. The ultimate expression of his capabilities came on our last morning. We are quite competent travelers, and moving from one continent or town to another on local transport is not intimidating to us. However, Rupert drove us to the train station in Narbonne, before sunrise, and made sure that we chose the fastest, most direct train to Paris.

This was an incredible holiday on the Anjodi. We have been the envy of our friends who are considering this as a holiday option. Though trips like this are rarely duplicated, the fabulous memories make us hope to return to the Anjodi someday in the future. Once again, Thank you European waterways and GoBarging.

Visit Steve's Anjodi Photo gallery

Scottish Highlander is out of the water again up in Corpach, North West Scotland and jolly cold it is too.

We noticed the rudder needed some work during the season hence the haul out and fortunately because the yard had covered premises, we can work in the dry with an extra opportunity to get some more paint on to keep Scottish Highlander bright and shiny.

The Scottish yard also look after the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries which visit the islands all the way up Scotland's dramatically beautiful West coast, so we know the work they do is first rate. A big thank you to Sandy and the team up there.

We received some nice feedback from June Simeth who cruised on Highlander from July 11 th to July 18th this year. June wrote; 'the interior of the barge was very beautiful and my room was extremely comfortable. The scenery was beautiful, of course, and the places selected to drive to were very good and interesting.

Your crew on this barge was simply outstanding, and I cannot say enough good things about them. Captain Geoff was extremely personable and made everyone feel comfortable by his demeanour. He made each day interesting and took an interest in each person individually throughout the trip. He also did a wonderful job navigating the barge.

Our Hostess Davina was always willing to please and made us feel right at home. Both Geoff and Davina had a smile to go around all day long for everybody. Davina was one of the most cheerful and uplifting persons I've had the occasion to meet. She was a true hostess.

Kirsten was our driver from Australia and she too excelled at her duties. She always had a pleasant manner and tried to accommodate special requests wherever possible. She was very conscientious about finding the right sights for people to see and the places she took us to suited us very much.

Chef John was unsurpassable in his occupation! I have never tasted such delicious food. He even made haggis as an appetizer and no one left a crumb on their plates. You have a veritable treasure in him! This superb crew worked so smoothly together that it seemed as though they had operated as a unit for years. They are responsible for making the trip what it was.

I found the locks at Fort Augustus very interesting, and some of the towpaths I walked were simply lovely. My favourite excursions were the Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, and Fort Augustus.'

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The Nivernais Canal ( 111 miles -119 locks) passes through western Burgundy, crossing the Yonne Valley and from time to time merging with the Yonne River itself. North of the summit at Baye, the River Yonne serves as a navigation channel for most of the way between Auxerre and Clamecy.

Where the canal is artificial, the Yonne serves as a feeder. Opened in 1843 after sixty years of chaotic work, the Nivernais Canal was built to transport firewood from the Morvan forests to Paris. From the 16th century, the Yonne was used for flottage de bois, i.e., a system for floating logs. As the firewood demands increased, there was a need to transport logs from further away.

The Nivernais Canal was first proposed in 1708 but abandoned due to opposition from the Duke of Orleans who, not coincidentally, was proprietor of the nearby Loing Canal. At the end of the 18th century, a project was started to extend the "floatable" part of the river towards the forests of Bazois by building a little channel under the hills of Collancelle. However, since this was the era of canals, instead of a small channel for floating timber, a navigable canal was built. Work started in 1784 (based on a plan devised in the 17th century) and was finally completed in 1841. The wood trade was the region's main source of income until the 1920's, even though timber had to be carried on barges when flottage was outlawed in 1881. Although originally built for commercial use, the canal saw the last of its merchant traffic in the 1970's. A shallow draft and small gauge locks limit the size of barges that can use it.

Now the Nivernais Canal is known for its peacefulness, its beautiful valleys and hills, and its historic and picturesque villages and vineyards. Its path through the hills of Morvan, the wild valley of the Yonne, and the green meadows of Bazois makes it one of the most beautiful canals in France. For canal enthusiasts, the Nivernais is a showcase for a great variety of lock gates and paddle gear.

At the junction of the Canal du Nivernais and the River Yonne, Auxerre is a beautiful city and a pleasant port, with elegant buildings gracing its waterfront. Auxerre was an important spiritual center and a big market town for timber and wine. The River Yonne made Auxerre's fortune. When rivers were the only viable means of transport in Europe, a good navigable river flowing towards interesting markets was the secret of wealth. Its town center has a pedestrianized main square, timber-framed buildings and a 15th century tower with a richly-decorated 17th century clock. Cobblestone streets line the old quarter, and an open-air market beckons. Spires of three churches form an impressive skyline. The Gothic Cathedral St-Etienne was completed in 1560, taking over three centuries to build. The interior is lit up by 13th century stained glass. Flying buttresses lend support and architectural interest. The Musee St-Germain houses an exhibition of Gallo-Roman finds. It occupies a 12th century abbey founded by the wife of the first Christian king of France. The crypts are decorated with the oldest frescoes in France (9th century).

visit our Auxerre gallery for some fantastic photographs of Auxerre and the Nivernais canal.
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In last month's Lockkeeper, to help celebrate our new Actief photo galleries, we had a new cruise prize to offer.

To win a cruise on Actief in 2005 we asked you to visit our Actief galleries and then answer some simple questions about Actief's route and what Actief has to offer as a luxury cruise on the Upper Thames.

Lots of people entered this fabulous competition, but find out who the lucky Actief cruise competition winner is here.

November book competition

This month, we thought we'd try something a little bit different...

We have two books to offer in our competition. Not just any books however, these are two fine titles.

Provence: the Beautiful Cookbook comes from an award-winning series which offers an exquisite region-by-region taste tour filled with culinary specialties and surprises. Included in each large-format volume are gorgeous food and landscape photographs.

Paul Strang's 'Languedoc-Rousillon: The Wines and Winemakers' covers Languedoc-Roussillon - one of France's oldest wine regions. This illustrated book explores the terroir, traditions, winemaking practices, laws, personalities and wines of the region.

Chapter by chapter the author identifies each of the region's most important wine-producing areas, exploring their local grape varieties and influences on wine growing. He then highlights the winemaking methods used in each area and profiles the producers and their wines.

The book includes maps detailing rivers and roads, main wine towns and villages and where each producer can be found. The colour and black-and-white photography illustrates the diversity of the landscapes and personalities, while fact boxes offer information about the climate, soil and grape varieties in each area

Enter the November wine and cookbook competition here.

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Go Barging presents one of the most attractive events in Venice: the Historical Regatta.

For this special occasion, our cruise program will slightly change, to offer the possibility for our guests to admire the Historical Regatta from the sundeck of our barge on the Canale della Giudecca in front of Saint Mark’s square, Venice.

The Historical Regatta takes place on Sunday, September 4th 2005.

During the Sunday there will be a special program, including a very typical Venetian menu, and during the week it will be possible to visit a traditional boat building craftsman and see how a gondola is made out of wood and word-of-mouth know-how. We’ve outlined below some of the historical information regarding this exceptional event…

Every year, the first Sunday of September (Sept 4th in 2005), the Regata Storica comes back in Venice, the most traditional among the Venetian events, which took place for the first time on the 10th of January 1315 under the rule of the doge Giovanni Soranzo. The sumptuous event, organized in the Serenissima times to celebrate the military victories or to honour the foreign dignitaries, today is made up of two different parts: the historical parade and the rowing boat races.

The festival starts out with the colourful procession on water, formed by the Bissone, the Bucintoro and the boats of the Venetian rowing clubs; the event commemorates the Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, coming to Venice, which marked the beginning of the Serenissima rule over the Mediterranean island.

The historical parade has now just a picturesque significance, a memory of the distant economical and political greatness of Venice on the seas, while the regattas represent still today the climax of the agonistic season in the world of the rowing "alla veneta": winning that day for the rowers means to become a part of the history of this sport and, to a certain extent, of Venice.

To those who are going to be present for the very first time to this ancient event, we give some basic information about the races, so you know what’s going on.

The first race after the historical parade is the Youngster Rowers; one, or two-oared "pupparini", very technical boats that challenge the ability of the promising young men.

Then it's the turn of the Women's race on "mascarete" (the name comes from their head looking like a mask, the " bauta"), these are light two-oared boats used in the old days by the courtesans.

The third race to start is the Men's Race, on heavy six-oared "caorline", these are river-transportation boats almost out of use nowadays that were often furnished with a sail while travelling through the lagoon.

The climax of the event is the champions' race on two-oared 'gondolini', light boats shaped as a very slim gondola. Unlike the regattas on the most popular lagoon boats, these competitions show off the rowers technical abilities more than their strength.

This is the challenge that is most anticipated by the rowing people, the one that lights up the Venetian fans and has been strengthening in time the myth of the Regata Storica from an agonistic point of view thanks to its main protagonists: Strigheta, Ciaci, Crea, the Vignotto brothers, Super D'Este... Winning in "Canalasso", as natives call the Grand Canal, is still today the most aspired wish of every racer, besides being the impossible dream of many Venetians that are still rowing "alla veneta".

As the tradition of this sport goes, the first placed is awarded the red flag , the following three the white, green and blue flags, these are the awards that in Venice take the place of medals. Together with the symbolic prizes, there were traditionally also some “in kind” awards until a few years ago; the most famous of them was a little living pig that would parade on a gondola of its own in the historical parade. Its passing along the public ranks was like a thermometer of the Venetians reaction to the city government; when it wasn't satisfying, the pig would be acclaimed with whistles and screams such as "here's the mayor, long live the mayor". The pig ceremony has been abolished since a few years ago, officially after the protests of some animal protection organizations!

The last technical note is about the race route that goes from Riva degli Schiavoni, where the start is, to Punta della Salute where, after the "cavata" (the start sprint), the public waits impatiently for the first boat entering the Grand Canal, since often that is the winning one. Then (except for the race on pupparini ending up in front of Ca'Foscari) the boats go up the "Canal Grande" to the train station where the turning pole is, then they go back towards the finish line in front of the "machina" ( the floating stage reserved to authorities and built for this occasion on the Grand Canal in front of Ca' Foscari ).

When the various usual accusations of incorrectness and protests are over, in front of the "machina" the prize-giving ceremony takes place.

It’s a great start to an amazing week and places are strictly limited on La Dolce Vita, Italy’s only hotel barge!. Contact us for more information on the Historical Regatta cruise

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