Saturday 7th April 2018 Contrisson to Fains-les-Sources 14.5kms 14 locks

9ºC Sunny and hot. We set off just after 10am, a strong chilly wind blowing the boat off the bank,

Peniche Feeling waiting to load at Arcelor Mittal

I had a hard job hanging on to our centre rope while Mike untied the boat and getting back on board. The locks were now very close together, often less than a kilometre apart. Through the last set of sensors which set lock 56 in motion and we were soon up Braux. The two péniches who passed by the day before were at Arcelor’s factory, Fantagaro unloading coils of steel (we think) and Feeling waiting to load finished articles. This is as far as most of the commercials go up this canal. Next lock 55 La Haie Herlin was the first of the zapper operated locks. After all the previous locks having water pouring over the

Peniche Fantagaro unloading at Arcelor Mittal

top end gates, this was the first one that had no water over the gates. Mike took photos of the lock house and the goat, one of two that live on the lockside. The water level above 55 was down by about 6”. Lock 54 Damezelle worked perfectly but the post below lock 53 Notre Dame de Grace didn’t work. Mike phoned Bar-le-Duc control centre and within minutes the red and green lights came on and the lock gates started to open. On our left across open fields the houses and factories of Revigny appeared. Had to get very close to the receiver post at lock 52 Revigny before it would accept the signal from the

Four-legged grass cutter at lock 55 La Haie Herlin

telecommand, but it worked OK, lock empty. It was getting hot, so off came the jackets as we worked through lock 51 Bois de l’Ecuyer. Wood anemones and ladysmock were in flower along the towpath leading to lock 50 Petit Fraicul. As we were approaching the next lock, 49 Grand Fraicul, a VNF man in a van went past heading for our lock to work it for us, must be faulty. He worked the next too, lock 48 Neuville also faulty, he said one paddle was slightly open on both locks which upset the automatics. Brimstone butterflies were

Lockhouse at 55 La Haie Herlin

skimming over the towpath grass as we carried on to lock 47 La Doeuil, which worked OK. Our man in a van had gone on to lock 46 Mussey to raise the liftbridge for us. Did the lock ourselves. Our VNF man bid us au’voir as his section finished but not before quizzing us as to where we were going today and at what time we would be setting off tomorrow and to where we were going next. A pair of storks flapped across the canal. Lock 45 Chacolée, OK, lock 44 Varney was full so we had to wait while it emptied and Mike took photos of passing freight trains right alongside the canal. Strangely the railway was built at the same time as the canal back in the early 1800s. Rather surprised that the canal was ever built at all. Up lock 43 Rembertcourt. Lots of

Freight train passing by lock 44 Varney

motorbikes went past on the road below the canal embankment and suddenly there were cyclists about on the towpath. Round bends with woods on the slopes to our right on our way into Fains-les-Sources. At the start of the houses we saw the first fisherman since we left Condé! Tied up at 3.10pm next to piling before the official port (pay) in Fains below lock 42 Fains (The three boats moored there filled the concrete key and looked like they had passed the winter there). Set up the TV and Mike

And one going the opposite way

went to sleep watching the Bahrain F1 qualifying session.

It was only a malicious rumour. (Ed)  

Moored at Fains