13.2°
C Grey, overcast breezy and wet. The Dutch barge Nora and empty péniche
Eidelweiss
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| Lock cabin at Moulin Brule |
were still on the quay and, for a change, it wasn’t raining when we
set off from Lesdins at 9.35am. The sensors to detect boat movement no longer
work as the zapper activates the automatic locks now. Back to lifting blue rods
as there is no bassinée button on the telecomand for the locks down to Chauny.
All the paddle gear is mechanically driven, not hydraulic, and is very noisy.
The top two locks were still linked as before. I lifted the rod and we dropped
down 2.10m in lock 18 Lesdins. An empty Belgian péniche, called Celeritas, was
waiting below to come up and the next lock, 19 Pascal, had set itself for us
and we dropped down another 2m. A first burst of drizzle hit us as we travelled
the 2kms to lock 20 Omissy. The new zapper wouldn’t work along side the sign
that said zap, we had to get much closer – then the signal took up to five seconds
to register. Down 2.30m and another 2kms pound to lock 21 Moulin Brûlé. Two VNF
men in a big van towing a little open boat on a trailer went past, waving,
heading downhill on the towpath. When we got to lock 21 they’d launched their
little boat and a man in small van had arrived to work the left hand
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| Mechanically driven paddles |
chamber
for them from the lock cabin – they were either inspecting or de-weeding the
lock walls. We passed an uphill boat, a Swiss cruiser, followed by a small DB
on the 2.2kms pound leading to lock 22 St Quentin. As we were getting closer to
the big town the towpath became busier with runners and dog walkers. There were
three VNF men in the lock cabin. One was in full uniform complete with life
vest – he came out and demanded I put a rope on a bollard, so I put the centre
rope on and left it slack,
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| VNF inspecting/weeding Moulin Brule lock |
just to make the point that it wasn’t at all
necessary, not that he noticed. Made a cuppa as we went down the long pound 7.3kms through St
Quentin, past the park where there were lots of runners and walkers. The big
car park next to the quay Gayant was almost empty, which was unusual. I’d read
somewhere that the port-de-plaisance had closed down, but there seemed to be a
load of moored boats still in the arm, including a little old Dawncraft cruiser
(we had one of those back in the early seventies and
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| More inspection work, under a bridge at St Simon |
loved it). Soon out of
town. Lots of weed and floating bits of tree debris in the canal. Empty péniche
Bergen was getting ready to load at the silo at KP54.5, pumping out ballast
water. Down another 1.9m at lock 23 Fontaine-Lès-Clercs, 4.4kms to the next.
The canal was very tranquil through green woodlands. Into our last lock 24
Tugny and another drop of 2.8m. 7kms to Jussy. Tjalk Elizabeth J was still
moored at the junction with the (closed) link to the Somme at St Simon. Loaded
boat Jama (we came through the tunnel with it) was moored at the silo quay in
St Simon. A team of ten men in
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| Moored by the silo in Jussy |
dayglow suits were working on the next road
bridge. They had a lorry with a vertical crane with an arm that swung under the
bridge deck. They all waved and shouted hello. Looked like the bridge really
was in need of repairs and painting. It was 1.20pm when we moored in the corner
of the silo quay (long disused) and the rain was pouring down again. Glad to
get inside and get dry.
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