BACK TO CALENDAR 2000

June 27                                                          Tuesday

Melun to Champrosay (Ris Orange) - (on River Seine)

Decided to try and water in P. de P. during lull in wind.

Dead successful - Albert behaved beautifully, we were able to turn end for end and come out forwards.

Lunch on "prive pontoon".

Horrid moment on one of the big locks.

Waited as normal on waiting pontoon.

Boats issued out, L.K. left red light on, and re-closed gates at once.

Moved up a bit, to ensure it was clear we wanted to go in.

Push-tug with 4 barges lashed 2 X 2 came out, and we were far too close to his stern, so his wash picked us up and threw us against jetty side, which was the sort of concrete that we fit completely under, and lie against our cabin walls.

Fortunately we had our new plank fenders down in right place, so although the back one was completely smashed, the only damage to Albert was wood scratching of name panel, largely cleanable off with tee-cut.

Insisted on picking up fender from water, before going into lock, and L.K. tried red light and gate shutting again.

Charged in with horn peeping furiously, so that either we would have broken her gate (it was a she), or jammed the boat in the shutting gates. Was cross by now.

All worked out O.K. except for 4 children trying to get into lock compound across fence, and whined at us continuously and incredibly monotonously for a ride. L.K. finally chased them off.

[Even nastier moment has occurred while writing this. Bleat "why don’t you finish your beer before throwing bottle away - now there’s beer all over the carpet!"

Discover:- 1: I hadn’t thrown it away, as it wasn’t finished, and 2: it had been stolen and thrown away without my knowledge or will.]

Found reasonable night mooring spot - they are not abundant on rivers - to moor up for the night. Concrete revetment with almost enough water to float straight in, and nice trees, including an enormous willow.

Supper and bed, then 23.30 incredibly loud and very amateur drumming started just outside back cabin door. First 1 native type drum, then everything from tin cans to bits of wood.

Ghastly noise - very disturbing.

About 0030 loud clatter which I reckoned at time was somebody fiddling with boat. (thinking about it after, I may have been wrong. Shot out of bed (immaculately dressed in purple pyjama trousers and a Sunsail tee shirt) with very powerful torch but no-one to be seen, they were actually inside the willow.

Crisp conversation, when they politely asked us if we minded them "practicing" their "music".

Assured them we didn’t so long as they left the boat alone.

Very polite, no drinking, no girls, and virtually no shouting - the trouble was they were not musical - especially when somebody tried a piano accordion.

We went to sleep - believe it or not, but woke when they packed up at about 1.30.

 

June 28                                                                             Wednesday

Champrosay to Pont des l’Anglais

Abrupt wakening at 0545 (just 3 hours since we got to sleep) by an enormous ship pounding up river too close to our bank at about 15 m.p.h.

Bounced us badly, but no damage - apart to morale.

Went back to bed, and slept for further 3 hours.

Took bikes up to road, to look for bread, etc, and found small neat S.M. about 300 metres from mooring.

Heavy commercial boat traffic - by our standards - all day

River banks now lined with large rich houses like Thames at Pangbourne and Goring.

After previous dramas, quiet and orderly day - almost boring.

Lunch against a wall below a block of flats.

Got a good mooring in the evening on a disused lock approach - a few fishermen, and a few picnickers who left.

Bridge with appropriate name looks just like a scaled down Tower Bridge

Quite quiet, although now well into the Paris environs.

 

June 29                                                                             Thursday

Pont de les Anglais through Paris to Villeparis.

Early start, b’fast on hoof, ready to go when chance showed - did not want to be first in line of boats waiting for lock.

Saw peniche waiting to go in, so quick unmoor, and formed up behind with an English yachty.

Covered remaining distance to centre of Paris - up to junction with Marne, turn left for City Centre by 10.30.

Surprised by incredible surge waves that appeared in the river, not necessarily immediately as result of passing traffic, or business of waterway.

Not nearly as busy - just 3 or 4 peniches!

Found pontoon for turn off to Canal St Denis, and the "Arsenal" P. de P.

Talked to disembodied voice from pedestal on pontoon, who apparently had us on TV.

Into Arsenal through lock without visible person about, but floating bollards will obtain forgiveness for any and everything.

Had look round, booked onward passage through tunnel to Canal St Denis and Canal de l’Ourcq.

Tried to book mooring for on our way back, but not possible - said they would always fit us in somewhere.

Up through 4 sets of double rise locks - very efficient - floating bollards permit proper tying up, and fast water inlet - to Canal St Denis.

Into l’Ourqc - 1st lock totally automatic, and even had a narrow floating pontoon to tie up to whilst rising.!

Long straight stretches of industrial or pleasure park or flats - low interest.

Stopped just short of Motor Way Bridge beyond Villeparisis.

Awkward area - heavily populated, many fisherman (albeit different to English - they know how to greet politely and smile when doing so), also small gangs of children, who, except for once last week, seem totally harmless, and vast numbers of walkers, cyclists (there is a 28 km cycle piste alongside the canal) and roller bladers.

 

June 30                                                                                         Friday

Villeparis to Trilbardou (Pumping Station)

Warm and clear to overcast - breezy, but able to have brolley up most of the time.

Progress now very slow against strong current - perhaps 4 kms hour.

Canal is the size of English canals - indeed it would be easy to mistake it for the Shroppy on some of the wooded bends.

However, the locks are different, and are quite superb - best yet. Just stick our special key into special keyhole on door of pedestal, door slides open like in Dr Who, TV screen shows, but nothing actually has to be done - lock fills and then gates open completely automatically. Weird!

Not another boat seen all day.

Long day of "grinding" up hill, and it has to be admitted - minimal interest - canal was mostly dead straight and in a cutting. Thus all the interesting views etc to be seen according to the map are hidden.

Saw considerable storm damage from the "tempest" of last winter. Whole swathes of trees down, and the insides of small woods just jungles of fresh bush growth amongst fallen trees. One place 8 to 10 of the tall poplars by the canal felled against each other like dominoes, and 3 house next to them with tarpaulins over their roofs.

Stopped at 1500 - to think, but poor mooring.

Went on and stopped at 16.30 above pumping station - nice view, short grass - NO people, and fewer boats. Just like the Basingstoke - we are completely alone.

People arrived - but respectable and polite and interested.

Long talk with "Claudine" and partner!

 

 

July 1                                             Saturday

Trilbadou Pumping Station to Power Lines at P.K. 61.

Fine overcast to warm and breezy. Humidity threatens heat, but wind over-rides it.

Continued slow grind along what is meant to be prettiest canal in France.

It isn’t.

Neat edges, well kept environs, high banks well grown bush on them, but strong to very strong anti flow, level at least 15 cms down on given level (s.b. 80 cms - we draw 60 cms) make for hard work and slow progress.

Most of the day through suburbs and built up area.

Finished off through Meaux - pronounced Moe - which is a large nasty town with lots of high rise blocks.

Masses of litter and graffiti - 1st time in France.

Not nice - all locks and canal stuff securely fenced and locked in.

Last lock - St Lazare - did the dirty on us. Set automatics in motion, and it promptly forced open top gates, although the lock itself was empty of water.

Tidal wave of water, boat heaved about - was only holding it on centre line with engine cut to cool it off - and it rose about 2 feet very suddenly and abruptly.

Slammed emergence stop button, and gates quickly closed - good thing it and they worked.

Operated re-set button, and same thing happened again.

Again slammed emergency button, and this time re-set button didn’t work.

Phoned number on screen, got incomprehensible answer phone number to re-ring.

Phoned Sappeurs and Pompiers - 1st line general emergency number, and fire brigade. They sorted out a lock keeper, who arrived and did the same as me from his cabin. By this time, although the gates were now tangled up on the wrong side of each other, after 3 forced gate openings, the lock was well on it’s way to being full, and we were well able to handle the last 9" of tidal wave, and forth we issued, a trifle shaken, but glad to be out.

Pressed on for another 5 or 6 kms, but still very hard work, and as we do this for fun, beginning to think that maybe not worth it.

The canal is 108 kms long, and we have taken 3 days to do 54.

 

 

 

July 2                                                                                           Sunday

P.K. 61 to Van Eddes Lock, P.K. 65.

Decided last night that really not worth going on - we are just travelling against a strong current between high banks, well bushed over, and seeing nothing what-so-ever of the countryside.

Going back down we are going to have to "shoot" the bridges as they are very narrow, and current speeds up through them, and as some are blind, the fewer we have to do the better.

Since to-day is Sunday, there is a good chance of trip or pleasure boats lurking behind bushes behind bridge abutments, so we’ll go down to-morrow.

Made the last 6 kms to lock - very weird set-up.

Only got here at lunch time - 5 kms in half a day.

Did bike act to a passing village for bread (to-morrow’s Monday, and frequently bread unobtainable) and on return - biking in competition with fit bronzed young men in razor edged hard hats, yellow shiny shirts and multicolours shiny pants - found S. in a deep gossip session in English with a Dutch couple on bikes from a boat on the Marne just under this canal.

More than ever fed-up - that is just the view we should have, and that is shielded from us!

Sat on towing path and had coffee all round.

Then last bit into lock area, moored up and had lunch.

Managed to while away afternoon - partly by going through lock.

It is all manual, but has incredible array of interlocking keys - 5 of them, great big brutes - that prevent any one step being done out of time.

Lot of fun sussing it out, but eventually unloaded bike to speed up trips from top gates to bottom.

Got it eventually - you start with key A, that releases key C, so that you can unlock the paddles locks, unlock the paddles, open them, and let the water into the lock - but only if key D is in place locking key B, which keeps the actual gates locked.

Then you have to use keys B and D, and lock the paddles, then lock the paddles locks, unlock the gate locks, unlock the gates, and open them.

We must have got it wrong, because we have one key left over, but we got through without draining the upper pound.

It must be said here, that whilst we may poke fun at the Navigation Authority - in this case the city of Paris - their equipment is all in superb condition, it works - except for the odd idiosyncrasy - very well, is well maintained and looked after. and the people are nice, friendly and helpful (within the parameters of French enigmatism).

As we are the first boat for a long time - no one will admit to how long - and as the L.K. himself assured there would be no other boats on the canal to-morrow - seemed a bit like sledge hammers and walnuts.

Watered up, and patched paint in a desultory fashion.

Almighty thunderstorm in evening.

Bike ride to village just for fun, and found it was the same one as this morning’s bread village.

After thunderstorm sat in sun and watched the meilies grow.

Very relaxing.