2000
BACK
TO CALENDAR 2000
-
- July 10
Monday
In Meaux.
Still constant heavy showers.
Dentist in morning - first one gave appointment at
16.30, the 2nd one once again straight in.
Super x-ray machine, showed X-ray on dirty great
computer screen for all to see. Personally not good at interpreting picture,
but v. pleasant girl dentist with pony tail seemed to understand it all -
although English even more primitive than my French.
Put stuff on sore place, lectured about going to
dentist properly, gave more pills - finish. No cost!
S to other dentist in afternoon - "pas
grave" - just ground off filling where bit of tooth broke off.
Excitement in evening - current very fast past
moorings and at right angles. 2 cruisers came in.
First one collected jetty and burst a fender - second
one’s crew had mooring ropes in complete heap and couldn’t pass them, so
he had to reverse very fast out, but managed OK second time round.
Jimmy and Margaret from Yorkshire Maid for
drinks after supper.
Y.M. a Sagar cruiser
built 1991 to Jimmy’s design.
July 11
Tuesday
In Meaux
Seemed to be lots to do in Meaux, so decided to stay
another day and do them.
Found S.M. Another wrong side of tracks type
establishment up beyond Canal de l’Ourq, which we biked across.
Took bike trailer, but only bought my sort of things,
as one of us had to watch bikes all the time!
Beer (2), brandy, gin, (developed a taste for G &
T) lemonade, tonic, ginger ale, loo paper, engine oil. Trailer totally full.
S got ants about diesel. Measured tank, showed 22
galls = 18 days, + further week in jerricans.
Found service station at limit of possible range for
collecting with bike and trailer.
Poured in 2 jerricans (bad temperedly), refilled at
service station, having turned trailer over twice with empty cans whilst
climbing pavements diagonally, job no less pleasurable than last time, so
desisted from getting any more.
Albert’s diesel
tank is fatuously small at 40 galls.
Slightly improved weather, but
not bloody much.
July 12
Wednesday
Meaux to St Jean les Deux Jumeaux (The 2 twins)
Quite happy to see the back of Meaux - nice town, nice
moorings (free incl electricity) but traffic noisy, and staying moored up in a
large town is not what boating is all about.
Slow but steady progress up stream all day, against
varying current.
No canalised sections - all river.
We reckon each barrage has it’s own idea of how much
water to let through, so each pound varied, along with water depth, width,
bridges etc all affecting the issue as to strength of current.
Anyway, managed 33 kms without trouble, but little
countryside seen due to thick tree lines along side of river.
Stopped off on the extended up stream lock moorings,
now a very useful place to moor, but not all the locks have them, and they
are only on the upstream side.
July 13
Thursday
St Jean to Charly sur Marne.
As yesterday - steady progress against current, with
little to see except trees. River getting gradually narrower, and last 2 locks
manual.
We are still ringing ahead when we judge we are about
1.5 to 2 kms away. They understand us - at least we always have the right
gates open - but they assume we understand them, and a long complicated
conversation ensues, with complete lack of understanding at this end.
Managed 33 kms.
Rained all day without let up.
Country side finally opened out into nice open valley
with no trees at last.
Found extremely good moorings on long jetty above
waiting jetty for lock.
Found S.M. within very close bike distance just round
corner of track right out in country. Finished S.M. shopping that beyond the
tracks S.M. in Meaux precluded.
Quite suddenly in open vineyard country - acres of it.
It is, of course, champagne country.
L.K. - a slightly ordinary gentleman - arrived at
19.30, after we had been moored up for 2 hours, to say we had to move straight
away - fishing competition to-morrow from 0800 to 2000. Agreed to move at 0800
- not before - to-morrow, but still very peeved - he could easily have told us
as we went through lock, or when we were on the phone - especially as told him
intention was to moor on waiting jetty.
Come to think of it, perhaps he did, and we didn’t
understand.
The significance of it all is that to-morrow is
"Bastille Day", and it is one of the few days in the year when,
throughout France, no lock - or in theory, anything else - work, therefore,
where one moors on the 13th one is moored on the 14th, with little chance of
improving situation!
July 14
Friday
Charley Sur Marne.
Knock on boat at 0745 heralded arrival of fishermen.
However, very polite gentleman (good negotiator) agreed that L.K.’s
management ability left something to be desired, and we were all great people,
but the competition was a sort of fisherman’s celebration of Bastille Day,
and they really must have the whole jetty, but we only need move after 1 and a
half hours, and they would be finished and we could come back by mid-day!
(so-much for L.K.’s 2000 - suspect he was trying to stir it.
The competitors were arriving thick and fast, but they
were several cuts above normal river bank side anglers. Well dressed, good
cars, and all of them leant against each others’ cars and had a good gossip.
By the time we pulled out, there was not a sign of a rod anywhere, although in
all fairness they had put the station pegs out.
Assured populace that peg no 4, opposite Albert
would undoubtedly be the luckiest peg of the day.
Drank morning coffee in very relaxed atmosphere,
followed large Dutch G.W.W. (privately owned) 300 metres up river, where we
found a defunct yacht club, and moored up for the morning.
Breakfast, then bikes (oiled them yesterday) up into
town/village to see how Champagne Country was celebrating Bastille Day.
All businesses and shops were open - but closed at
1200 (which they do anyway.
6 French fighter jets did a lovely loose fly past -
very low, and a Hungarian marching band complete with oompahs and a dozen
girls in tight short costumes and twirly things did their thing, lead by the
mayor in a car with a yellow flashing light on the roof. The Sappeurs and
Pompiers were supposed to be doing something as well, but couldn’t find
them.
We paraded round town on Bromptons, and turned almost
as many heads as the Hungarian girls.
Went on up the hill behind the town into the
vineyards. Beautifully neat and tidy.
Up a hill - the lower part - and looked back over the
Marne valley. All vines, thousands of acres - or rather hectares (2.471 acres
to a hectare - an acre is 70 English yards X 70 yards, and a hectare is 100
metres X 100 metres - now you know - and anyway this jewel of information
appeared in last year’s log) over complete rolling hillsides - a most
satisfying sight.
Yesterday it was only on coming round the last corner
that we emerged from the damp, dark and dripping forest of the last 2 days -
since Meaux.
Now it is a wide alluvial valley, small bits of
forest, and agriculture (meilies and badly lodged small grain) and, of course,
N, S, and E hillsides solid vineyard.
Weather slightly improved to-day - it rained most of
the night, but the river has dropped a bit.
Just as we were moving the boat back up to the
moorings at lunch time we were hit by mother and father of rain storms -
almost hail - and tried to cower under bridge.
Current and wind contrary, so merely put off evil
moment of getting utterly soaked - no time to put rain gear on - anyway, only
going 300 metres.
Snoozed afternoon after G & Ts.
Fireworks to-night, right opposite mooring on other
side of river.
Later - fireworks
were good, totally professional, and a spectacular show.
The mooring was exactly opposite the display, which
was well attended from 3 village/towns.
Some lads started lighting their own fireworks right
beside the boat. When one rocket fell over leapt ashore with
fire-extinguisher, but perpetrators totally amenable to reason, handshakes all
round, and off they went.
July 15
Saturday
Charley Sur Marne to Mt St Pere.
Got away at our usual prompt 10.30.
Weather still poor to diabolical - sharp heavy
rainstorms preceded by very strong cold wind, and all followed by more or less
incessant drizzle.
However - the scenery is good to spectacular.
Through Chateau Thierry - one of the "Champagne
Centres" and quite a large town - nice one too - wide sweep of river
through attractive parks and buildings. Children not so nice.
Large notice board outside hangar/godowns on water
side advertising Crown Blue Line, and all boating services, including diesel,
water, electric, hire boats, mooring, etc, etc, etc. All that is left are a
few rings in the quay side. So moored up to the rings - in a short burst of
sunshine - and had lunch!
Apparently Crown Blue Line closed here 5 years ago!
Got diesel - 2 cans from service station very near
moorings at far end. Esso Stn quite convenient just across road, so walked
over.
After the town the river Marne valley opened right
out, and the left side to us (technically the right bank - la rive droit
- always so whether travelling up or downstream - very technical and
confusing) right up to the top of the slight alluvial ridge is plot after plot
of vineyard.
The effect is marvelous - they seem to have planted
the vines in incredibly straight rows - up and down the slope, in little
"fields" of about an eighth of an acre. Even where 2 plots are
contiguous - level on the contour, or above and below, the rows, whilst
immaculate in the plot, never line up with the neighbouring plot. Is this
straight French noncomformism - maybe the plots are owned by different
growers, or what?
We did see one area planted on the contour, and it
looked a right mess. They have tractors like spiders for maintenance, but the
harvesting is all done by hand.
Where does all the labour come from? Some areas are
immaculate, others not so good, but it usually takes as much labour to do the
job badly, as to do it well. On the tea estates we were about 1 to the acre,
and it is difficult to see that they need much less. Even, for the sake of
argument, quarter it, and 36,000 has require an awful lot of people. (readers
are encouraged to see yesterday’s log and work out the arithmetic for
themselves)
Already on the mooring was a very large Dutch Barge, Merwede.
We remembered him, he had tried to moor up behind us at Charly, but the L.K.
saw him off.
When we had tidied up, came and gossiped - 3 teen-age
and just below kids. Used to own narrow boat and butty at Bull’s Bridge. Had
barge (the Dutch refer to all barges as "ships"; so do we - easier)
for 3 or 4 years, but only on the Continent since last June. Gave him all the
bumph about Roanne winter moorings.
Meantime - mooring very pleasant, although raining
most of the time precluding sitting out.
Got quite cold - the shower is now set almost to max
winter temp, and engine is running cooler!
July 16
Sunday
Mt St Pere to Reuil. 31 kms.
Morning started badly - when pricking eggs, one
collapsed in hand - what a mess.
Then the milk jug turned on it’s side in the fridge
- bloody thing. Any
chance of being relieved of breakfast jankers? Probably not.
Re-visited by neighbour Merwede. More info
about Roanne. Only thing is, if it becomes too popular price will go up, and
moorings hard to get.
Continued up river in sporadic showers - even saw the
sun for about 3 minutes, but on the whole cold and rainy - tans fading fast,
trousers order of the day.
On through champagne country - super, in spite of
weather.
Met first sloping sided lock - these are
the general bete-noir of the whole system, as there is - quite literally -
no-where to moor safely to inside the locks, and the L.K.s on these locks - there are 3 on the
Marne, and 5 or 6 on the Yonne - have a name for being unhelpful.
In fact, there was a floating pontoon in the lock to
tie up to, the L.K. was a motherly type of female, and all was perfect joy.
It has been our custom all the way up the river with
these enormous locks to ring the L.K. on the mobile and tell him/her of our approach
from about a km away. This worked a treat - everyone is, in fact, totally VHF
dependant - boats and locks rabbit endlessly, but the L.K.s do have the
locks ready, and in these fast running waters that is a great bonus when going
up-stream.
There was nearly a nonsense at 2nd sloping lock - no
tel was available, so were not expected, so had to lie off bleating
plaintively on the horn in raging current, whilst sole communication tool was
miss-used to discuss Antipodean population explosion. Came right, though.
Getting late, and entered situation of "for
heavens lets stop, never mind how good the mooring is"!.
Found a good vertical bank, good view, and just coming
in when saw a village about 400 metres up-stream.
Decided to go and have a look first, and found a jewel
of a halte nautique. Brand new 20 metre pontoon, electrics, water, reasonably
quiet, no-one else there, between 2 villages called Reuill and Oeuilly - how
do you pronounce them?
Moored up hurriedly, got bikes out, and went on voyage
of exploration in one village.
Every 3rd house was a seller of champagne direct to
the public, with big fancy notice boards, but still a very nice little town on
the "Route Touristique Champagne". Every 3rd car a Mercedes.
Couldn’t find the boulangerie, but found an epicery.
See about bread to-morrow morning.
S. shut my finger in back door of boat when reloading
bikes - einah. (Careless)
