Left St Jen de Losne in search of shade as the pontoon was in full sun and the boat soon up to over 35 degrees by mid morning. Still not found any by 5.30pm. The Saone is very meandering and wide and the sun’s position is contantly shifting. The banks are shallow and depth markers often out as much as 40m from them. Erosion and flood damage has taken a good deal of the banks out in many places. (Ski boats and Linsens doing over 20 knots don’t help!) Where there are trees and shade, there is no depth beside the bank.

ETA Well that was a bit of excitement we could have done without. The engine began overheating wildly so we had to cut power and drift in to the bank. It is full of rocks and very shallow, there is nowhere to get a line off to stop us drifting so we are at the mercy of the wind (non-existent) current (slight) and the dratted ski boats. We’ve hoisted the red distress flag but no one has taken the slightest notice; in fact, when MWNN gesticulated at one of them, he came right up to us and, having heard our problems and his part them, apologised and roared away again. It is an unwritten rule of the river (written law of the sea) that boaters must stop and offer assistance to another boat in distress. MWNN is at present up to his armpits down the ijnspection hatch, cutting weed from the propeller. Hopefully, that’s the cause of the overheating; otherwise, changing a fanbelt in these conditions could prove tricky. It couldn’t be done until the engine has cooled right down anyway and, at these temperatures, that’s about 3 am tomorrow.