Tuesday 10th May 2016 Vanne-Alcorps to Givet. 21.4kms 6 locks

Wispy clouds below Fepin

13.6° C Rain, drizzle and more rain, stopping well after we moored, then a pleasant evening. A duck was paddling about by the lock surrounded by newly-hatched ducklings. Mike was ready to move long before the lights came on at nine, zapped from where we were moored and it worked! Down 53 Vann-Alcorps and noted that they had constructed two new concrete piers in the weir stream. Brolly up as the drizzle got worse. Misty clouds were hanging in the valley. No

Peniches moored below Trois Fontaines

boats moored at Haybes, but there were seven campervans. Aircraft noise (military) rumbled down the valley all morning. Down 54 Fépin, work progressing on the new weir. Made a cuppa as we headed downriver. A long river reach then a long lock cut to the next lock. Weir undergoing modernisation. Mike said is that a lupin growing in the grass on the sloping bank up to the towpath, nope, it’s an orchid. There were lots of bits of bare tree branches (beaver

Unloading pontoon boxes for weir construction use.

snacks) by lock 55 Montigny. A sandy haired VNF man in a van arrived by the lock and was followed by a little Jack Russell as he scooped tree debris from the lock mouth. A large Dutch cruiser was circling below the lock waiting for us to leave the chamber. Five minutes later a pénichette from Pont-à-Bar went past heading upriver, just upriver from Villers-Wallerand. A large navy blue cruiser was moored by the electric boats, it had no flag or name visible, but had Liege on its stern. New weir in progress at the start of the lock cut to 56 Mouyon. The woodyard on the corner was giving out a strong odour of newly

Peniche Paraguay moored at upstream end of quay at Givet

cut wood. Rain started to pour down again as we went into lock 56. VNF vans and few cars were parked outside the office, but no signs of life. The gate paddles still squealed loudly as they closed. The rain eased as we passed the statues at Aubrives. The weir by the start of the lock cut was being rebuilt. Under the liftbridge over the flood gates and into the lock cut leading to lock 57 Ham. A German cruiser went past, crew waving cheerily. The usual young lady lock keeper was in the cabin and worked the lock for us then set off down to lock 58 in her VNF car as we trundled off to Ham tunnel.

Moored at the downstream end of the quay in Givet. Quieter here. 

I made a cup of soup to warm us up as we’re back to winter again. Having the brolly up because it was raining was useful to keep the drips off us in the tunnel. A large German cruiser was coming up in lock 58 Trois Fontaines. Down the lock and the young lady keeper came out of the cabin to tell Mike to beware of the area below where the red cans were as it was very shallow. Hmm…. she has to tell everyone. Two empty péniches were moored on the new quay, My Way and Pirate, and a low loader with two black metal boxes (floating boxes to make work pontoons for weir construction) was by the quay and a JCB getting ready to offload them. On downriver. The rain stopped. Paraguay, another empty péniche, was moored at the upstream end of the long quay in Givet, where we usually moor. Mike had already said he was going to moor at the far end of the quay this time. Another German cruiser had been up to the top end of the moorings, winded and gone back to the designated area for pleasure boats by the main road bridge and cafés, a noisy mooring. The downstream end of the second quay (marked for commercials) was empty. We tied a side rope to the last ladder and dropped fore and aft ropes around the wooden fendering. It was 1.15pm Mike went to retrieve the car from the car park at the other end of the quay. On his return loaded the bike in the car and went to drop the car at Pont-de-Loup again. It rained very heavily and he was soaked when he returned on the moped.