Saturday 16th April 2016 Remilly to Pont à-Bar. 17.4kms 4 locks

8.9°C Grey skies, sunny spells, cold wind. a few spots of rain in the morning, turning to heavy showers after lunch. Winded and set off downhill at 9.30am. Zapped and went down 3.6m in lock 36 Remilly. I did a few chores and put some washing in the machine as we sped along the 5.7kms of river into Sedan. We noticed that the pontoons were missing and there

Sedan from the river

were two boats moored next to the quay where the pontoons are normally, a cruiser and a pénichette from Pont-à-Bar. When we got to the lock, 37 Sedan, Mike went into the chamber on the wrong side for the sensor which was on the left while the rod was on the right. I lifted the rod, it wouldn’t work so Mike backed up to the sensor – just as a man-in-a-van turned up and the pénichette hireboat from Pont-à-Bar. We went back into the chamber almost to the bottom end gates and I threw our centre rope around a bollard recessed in the lock wall and the German-crewed hireboat came in behind us. The VNF man operated the lock from the graffiti covered cabin. Down 1.80m then the hireboat followed us down the short 2kms river section and into the lock cut leading to 38 Villette. As

Unusual building in Sedan

we were almost at the lock another hireboat from Pont-à-Bar appeared, an Eau-Claire this time, heading upriver. No sign of the VNF. Mike lifted the rod and we dropped down just one metre. The Germans were only going as far as Charleville and then back to base on Monday morning, so they followed us again. 3.7kms to Donchery. Into 39 Donchery, the rod was placed further up the lock chamber so the Germans had the job of lifting it. There were three of them on board, all men in their late sixties. The first 50cm emptied slowly then "someone" pulled the plug out and the rest of the water vacated quickly. Down 1.70m then just over 3kms downriver to Pont-à-Bar. Surprised to see double reds on the uphill end of lock 7 Dom-le-Mesnil, the first lock on the canal des

View towards  Pont à-Bar

Ardennes, and a Dutch-flagged yacht was anchored below the lock entrance. The Germans went on downriver and Mike did a pirouette and dropped me off on the tiny concrete (very muddy) quay by the backpump that lifts water from the river into the canal and I went to find out what was happening. I took a hand-held radio with me so I could keep Mike informed about what was happening as he went slowly sideways downriver. The wind was blowing quite strongly upriver but not hard enough to combat the flow. The top end gates were both open. I tried the intercom on the lock cabin, which rang, then beeped. Tried it again, same thing. OK. I went in search of a phone number. Nothing on the cabin or the many notices. Spoke to the man from the house who had just

Moored at  Pont à-Bar, view towards the river

arrived in his car (lunchtime) he wasn’t VNF but he had a search for a number to phone. I walked down towards the river and in among the lock working times was a free-phone number for commercial craft to book the locks. I relayed it to Mike and he rang them. At first they didn't know what he was talking about, so he told them again lock 7 was en panne and the guy said he would send someone. A few minutes later two men in a VNF van arrived and went in the cabin. After thanking Monsieur and Madame from the old lock house for their help, I went across the lock to ask the VNF

Another stunning sunset at Pont-a-Bar

itinerants for their phone number. It was OK, they said, to ring the "Green" (free) number as the team there would contact them as they had just done. The Dutch yacht came in and took a while throwing a rope up to the VNF man. Mike brought our boat in behind. OK. And the guys worked the lock from the cabin filling it slowly. I’d told them we would be staying over the weekend in the bottom pound then off downriver to Belgium next week. When the lock was full I went to tell the two Dutchmen not to wait for us at lock 6. They didn't understand much English. Eventually got it through to them and one said they were only going up to  Pont à-Bar Services for diesel and would be coming back shortly. We tied up next to the steep grassy bank, Mike knocking pegs in behind the piling. It was 1pm.