Thursday 21st June 2018 Meaux to St Jean-les-Deux-Jumeaux 33kms 2 locks.

VNF work boat loading dead trees

12ºC Grey overcast with a cold wind, only 17ºC when we set off at 9.50am. Brighter later, but the wind was still cold. Lots of boats set off in the same direction as us, upriver, before us. Avalon from the port, plus a cruiser, another cruiser came up the lock and a DB called Fijke set off from the boatyard opposite. There were good views of the city and its cathedral as we went further upstream. Noted the water level had gone down about 25cm overnight as there were mud banks all along the edges of the

Old diving platform at Trilport

river. The VNF workboat we saw the day before (Massabielle) was unloading tree trunks on the bank where there used to be a lock at KP128.5. DBs Minoche and Queen, both French-flagged, went past heading downriver just below Trilport. Mike took a photo of the old diving platform in Trilport and the bridges. The wind picked up and was quite chilly – fleeces on. Lots of boats were moored at the back of the island at Poincy. A kingfisher flew in front then disappeared into the herbage. Upstream of the island there were lots of felled trees – more work for the VNF

Loading staithe KP115.5

team. We were under the flightpath to Charles de Gaul airport and planes were passing one a minute. The canal d’Ourcq was on our left but hidden by the trees, it follows the river for quite some distance. A German cruiser from Potsdam overtook us at KP120 and another was catching up fast. As we went around a U-shaped bend there were chalets between the canal and the river and lots of geese. The cruiser overtook at K118 – it was the one we came up the first two Marne locks with (French registered but

Under the flightpath

no name or flag) a woman on board asked where we were going. There were a few houses in the woods at KP116 and one had a treehouse very high up in a tree with a large area of decking supported by posts one of which had sagged sideways. The wind was blowing hard and water from the needle weir was flowing across the face of the lock at 11 Isle-les-Meldeuses which made getting into the lock a bit tricky. Put our centre rope around a vertical bar and the keeper worked the lock from his cabin up on high. There were

Noé, now empty nr Tancrou

 rods for automatic DIY use on the lock edge but they were not active. Barge Fijke was moored on the quay above the lock. On to a 12.5kms reach. More islands with the Ourcq still alongside the river. The trees were further back from the river and there were big fields of barley just before Mary-sur-Marne. Between the two bridges in the town there was a pontoon which was filled by a large DB, washing drying in the cold breeze. There were nice gardens and some smart houses along the waterfront. We passed Noé, now

Moored at St Jean-les-Deux-Jumeaux

empty at the sand quay opposite Tancrou, no signs of life. The rail bridge below our last lock was still in use. Mike called the lock 10 St Jean-les-Deux-Jumeaux several times on the radio and got no response. However, the lock lights changed to red/green and it emptied. A VNF man was on the lockside and he handed Mike a zapper and pulled the rod on the lockside – they’ve extended the automatics, lock 7 Charly was the first automatic last time we were here. He didn’t look a very happy chappie, no idea why. We tied up at the far end of the lock waiting area. It was 5.20pm. The German boat Avalon was moored further upriver on a new pontoon. Gave Mike a hand to get the bike off the roof and he went to get the car from Meaux – only 9kms by road when it had taken us 33kms by water. I got on with the log and photos. At 6pm loaded péniche Forez arrived and moored behind us on the quay. Another arrived fifteen minutes later, T-D from Vitry. Mike parked the car upriver by the pontoon mooring. I gave him a hand to get the bike back on the roof.