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| Irate swan below Cumières lock |
13.6ºC Hot and sunny, white clouds later in the
afternoon. Cold gusty wind (kept us cool). Péniche Tchiki-Boum, now loaded,
went past heading upriver at 8.55am. Mike chatted with the lady who drives hotel
boat’s van – taking the tourists on days out and getting their supplies
of food and wine. Mike asked her about the hotel boat listing so badly, she
said it had one fuel tank which had been built into its port side and
causes it to list as the tank empties and she agreed with Mike that it’s enough
to put their
guests off. It is a new boat and it will have to be sorted when it
docks next winter. They winded and set off again downriver at 9am as the
cruiser in front of us, Dolfyn, also set off but going in the same direction as
us. We set off at 9.30am, slowly, knowing that we had a loaded boat and a
cruiser in front. 2.5kms to the first lock. We hadn’t gone far when a cruiser
went past heading downstream. A man and two small children in a rowing boat
paused under trees as we went past. Fishing? No, just out for a trip on the
river. Beautiful day for it! The kids waved and wished us bon voyage. Lock 1
Cumières has sloping sides and a pontoon to tie to. The resident keeper came
out to have the zapper back – another VNF operative constantly on the phone. Up 1m and after
a short canal section we were back on the river and another cruiser went past
going downriver. The last river reach is navigable up into Epernay, but we’re
not going there today. Through the road bridge and yet another downhill
cruiser. We waited below lock 15 Dizy after turning the hanging pole (not easy
with the wind and the flow from the river weir). A
Norwegian yacht came out of
the lock and we went up 2.5m after Mike lifted the blue rod (I couldn’t get it
to move) and I attached a side rope to the pole in the wall. A crew of three
VNF operatives, one woman and two men, were hedge cutting at the lock house.
Hotel boat Panache was moored above the lock. On the Canal Latèral à la Marne
now, the now un-navigable river flows alongside the canal. Yet another cruiser
went past, this one edging a bit too far towards the reedy bank for my liking,
it’s not deep along the edges! The mooring quay in Dizy was
completely full, a
large DB with fading red paint turning pink, a small yacht, a
small cruiser and a lived on DB, no more room. On the following long straight
we could see cruiser Dolfyn just leaving the next lock 2kms away. A short wait
while lock 14 Ay emptied. It had been fenced off to keep the children and
vandals (do they really have them here?) away from the lock. There were
handlebar height hoops and fences on the towpath/cycle-path. Mike had to lift
the rod again, I couldn’t shift it. The wind was blowing the boat off the wall
so we rose ropeless another 1.8m.
Midday and 4.5kms to the next. Two spaniel
dogs were swimming in the canal and trying every now and again to get out, but
couldn’t as it was too deep at the piled edges, so we stopped and I got off
with a rope to hang on to the boat while Mike went back with a boat shaft to
get them out. First thing they did was shake themselves and get him soaked.
Then they both squatted for a pee before taking off along the towpath then into
a field. Both had collars, we hope they found their way home safely.
Mareuil-sur-Ay, like Ay,
was crammed out with moored boats. Two resident
péniche houseboats had the prime position, two small cruisers were tied on the
sloping edge of the layby, the finger moorings were filled with yachts and
cruisers (including Dolfyn) and DBs took up the rest of the quay except for a
péniche length with bollards at the end. The campervan places were full too. Beyond
the moorings there was a lovely chateau facing the canal, Lock 13 Mareuil was
full, I turned the pole and we waited while it
emptied then went up 1.8m. Again
Mike did the honours with the blue rod. The work vans were lined up outside the
VNF workshop above the lock, including the hedge cutters’ van (recognisable by
its smashed back window) having lunch. 5.1kms to Tours. First we had the swing
bridge at Bisseuil to contend with. It worked just like the locks, twist the
hanging pole then the bridge worked automatically. Lock 12 Tours was also
fenced off from the public. This time I actually managed to lift the blue rod
and set the lock working. A feed
paddle was permanently open, so the lock
started filling before the rest of the gate paddles opened. Up another 2.1m in
the last lock for this trip. There was a crowd of people walking the towpath –
it looked like a guided tour. It was getting hotter and hotter, 33ºC outside.
4kms to go. I made us some cold drinks. We could see loaded péniche Tchiki-Boum
about to go up lock 11 Vraux, as we turned left by the silos at Condé. The pontoon was vacant, but so was the place
by the piling, so we left the pontoon for the passing boats and tied up at
3.20pm by the old gantry.
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| Extension slider (in case of flood water) for floating pontoon in lock 1 |
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| Above Cumières lock - note height of antenna |
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| Paddlewheel trip boat in Cumières |
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| Vineyards around Cumières |
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| Riverside decor in Cumières |
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| Hoop and swinging gate to force cyclists to get off and walk by the lock |
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| Moored boats at Mareuil |
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