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- August 21
Monday
Condé sur Marne to Cumière (Canal lateral
á la Marne and River Marne)
Much rain in night, and early morning.
Neighbours in halte pushed off - unregretted - at about 0800, leaving us in
peace to go back to sleep.
Two great things about Monday and being retired. Firstly, one can go back to
sleep when everyone else has gone off to work at the start of the week, and
secondly one doesn’t have to share all one’s "toys" - canals,
locks, moorings, etc - with the rest of the so-called human race.
We met 1 peniche and one cruiser all day, to-day.
First thing, found engine compartment had about 1 - 2" water on it -
the automatic sump pump that I have fixed and re-fixed so often appears to
have given up the ghost finally and irrevocably. Bloody thing - have to
replace it at St. Jean de Losne, or boat will probably sink in winter.
After yesterday’s planning session, worked out that before we left down
the Canal de la Marne a la Soanne we would have to be totally full with
diesel, food, water, etc, as there is no-where between Vitry-la-Francoise and
St Jean de Losne to get anything except the occasional bread.
All these things are promised in Vitry according to the Navicarte, but it
has been so wrong so often about this sort of thing, that we cannot risk it,
so decided - as we have plenty of time in hand - to go back to Epinay, now
only about 15 kms away - and visit the big S.M. with the fuel just on the
river bank over 1 road that we visited in the middle of July.
Very gentle slow run back up the canal that we came down exactly a month
ago.
Once again, found this very rewarding - as always, going back up a canal is
a new canal experience where one knows the dodges.
Stopped for lunch at Mareuil-sur-Marne. Last time we tied up here it was
full of the great unwashed - mostly Brits - in yachts (as well as being
intentionally offensive, this is also literally true - they depend on public,
municipal or halte fluvial with showers, their boats don’t have ablutes).
Inspected the hedge that tripped me up, and brought me crashing down on my
elbows (still hurt - shaaaame) and was delighted to see it is still well
damaged.
On in the afternoon - re-enjoying the Champagne vineyard country. The
vineyards somehow look better, neater, and greener than when we last saw them
a month ago. Extra seasonal growth, with extra unseasonal rain?
Out onto the R. Marne again to find it quite energetic after last night’s
rain, it runs off the vineyards very quickly.
Went down about 3 kms, and U-turned to tie up at the Cumieres Halte.
Enthusiastic German waited to take lines (his boat was at the downstream end
of the pontoon, so he had a vested interest) but Albert behaved
perfectly.
August 22
Tuesday
Cummieres to Epinay to Condé-sur-Marne. (Canal lateral à la Marne).
Up early - fairly, but not very - and up against current to large S.M. on
road canalside just before Epinay, where we shopped before.
Massive food, drink (beer on offer, so 4 cases) and diesel shop.
Boat left distinctly deeper in water, full diesel, full food, beer once
again being used as foot-stool in cock-pit (avoided this practice since we had
a case stolen in Besançon last year, but now well wrapped up) and weather
nice.
Headed back to Condé, somewhat hassled by fishermen.
This is very much a tower block area, with all the villages along the canal
having blocks of flats somewhere, and the people seem to have a dislike of
boats. (We don’t like fishermen, much, either.)
Nice run, intended to moor to the bank, and sleep in the bush, but fishermen
at every possible site pushed us on back to Condé, where we spent Monday
night.
Weather fine and very hot - trips back and forth with diesel and food in
chariot wearing and sweaty.
August 23
Wednesday
in Condé-sur-Marne. (Canal lateral à la Marne).
Had the same position on jetty as Monday, neat, tidy and secure, with water
and lekistry.
Feel, in a way, that we have finished another phase of the trip - i.e.
Roanne to Paris, Paris up River Marne to canal des Ardennes, canal des
Ardennes to River Meuse, River Meuse to l’Oise a l’Aisne, and then back
down to the R. Marne, so general domestic re-vamp necessary.
Bright sun in morning showed just how filthy boat has become in last 2
months of poor weather, so settled in, cleaned and polished roof, cleaned and
polished RHS and brass.
Long hot sweaty job!
Washed clothes, and hoovered.
Sat in shade of 3 small bushes and read through the heat of the day!
Met Alan & Mary Philby - Norlander - moored up down at silo. Much
helpful information and advice received - some of it a little overpowering.
Also saw just how dirty Albert’s engine has got with constant rain
and harvest dust having seen Norlander’s.
Hot sunny day all day. Went for drinks to Norlander, and managed
to turn boat in evening - unable sooner due to 3 fishermen who sat in blazing
sun all day (at least 8 hours) on corner of halte.
August 24
Thursday
Condé to Almost Challon en Champagne. (Canal lateral à la Marne).
Spent morning finishing cleaning, polishing, and watering.
Very hot, sunny, again, but pulled out at mid-day
The land is the wide river valley of the Marne, and is very flat, resulting
in to-day’s run being 12 kms, 2 locks, and not a bend or curve in the canal.
Stopped in shade against revets, and chained up comfortably - there is a
modicum of peniche traffic - say 5 a day, but nothing like the l’Aisne, but
it is still necessary to moor properly against them.
Mosquitoes very active - any movement on or near the tow path brings them
out in clouds, and if mooring up, inclination to try and smack them with a
steel mooring pin, or the clunk hammer is met with a lethal result - not to
the mozzies.
Since just after Condé the towing path is either being done up, or has
already been tarred as a cycle track, and is well used by family parties and
mature cyclists. No head down and go flat outs seen at all.
1 French Couple stopped and gossiped for a long time, eventually very kindly
inviting us to their home in Challon en Champagne to-morrow to see their
garden.
August 25
Friday
Almost Challon en Champagne to Challon en Champagne.
A whole 3 km trip to-day.
Were met on towing path at boundary of Challon en Champagne on way to lock
by Pierre Thebault making sure we were coming along. Unfortunately, we were
already in lock "trimatage" so couldn’t moor up, and there was a
peniche, and 25 metre plaisancier in front of us, so had to wait about an hour
for the lock.
Got list of stoppages from L.K. - amused that I was getting it at 2nd hand
from him, via the telephone and the back of an envelope, when there was a
perfectly good fax on the desk.
Suggested we use it, and got official list from the horses mouth!
Just above lock found vast pleasure park and gardens, still in the course of
development, but some of it old, and just under the Cathedral.
Moored up on it’s edge - the park, not the Cathedral -, just outside the
lock, on bollards and pins.
Bit dicey, there was technically 1 metre of water, but the top 40 cms was
just liquid mud.
Finally made it to the Thebaults late morning.
Utterly fascinating, to see how a well established professional lives in
France. Large house and garden, right in the city - albeit a quiet area - 4
pieces of garden - all immaculate, with veg, fruit, flowers, lawn, tarmac for
tennis and basket ball, outbuildings for storing and drying of vedges, dried
flowers, freezers, etc. quite extraordinarily well organised life and home.
One has to admire - whilst being appropriately grateful - the friendliness
of a people who will invite total strangers who do not speak their language
properly into their homes.
Decided after lunch to stay, and do chores.
Paid Itineris telephone bill at la Poste (1289.88)
Pharmacy for medicines and anti mosquito cream.
Visited Cathedral - quite the best yet. Very old - 12th and 13th century,
but big and light and airy with fabulous stained glass and other windows.
Maybe we are missing something, but all the cathedrals we have seen obviously
needed money for fabric and structural repairs - or like Reims and Nevers for
re-building after war damage - and are equally obviously getting it, without
enormous fuss, and fund-raising hoo har aimed at the tourist. Seem to remember
at either Eley or Peterborough we even had to pay an entrance fee to look at
the establishment!
August 26
Saturday
Challon en Champagne to Ablincourt. (Canal lateral à la Marne).
Long straight - completely - canal.
Very harsh sun, very hot, windless, brolley up all day.
Canal so straight that it is questionable whether far end has disappeared
down the curvature of the earth, into a lock, or into the heat haze.
When we saw a peniche - even he was battling, with his boat wandering all
over the canal as he fought ennui.
Albert quite happy at about three quarters full throttle.
Canal-side mooring - this time had learned about mozzies so put agent orange
on before mooring up. Even so, bad.
Complete hatch of some kind of flying ant on kitchen window after dark. No
other window was affected, and the window was on the water side of the boat.
Must have hatched out of the water.
Dreadful mess.
August 27
Sunday
Ablincourt to Vitry la Françoise. (Canal lateral à la Marne and onto the
canal de la Marne au Rhine).
Woken by tel - favourite son on motorcycle with wife and hell’s angels in
vicinity.
Promised to meet at Couvrot in 60 mins.
Set off, breakfast on the hoof, only to discover that we were not as far on
as we had thought last night, so hastily changed meeting to Soulanges - nice
halte, easy to find - hurrah for mobile phones with message facilities.
Duly met up - 4 motor bikes, 7 people, splendid cession, much talk, then off
they went at mid-day leaving us feeling quite empty.
Had balance of breakfast with lunch and beer, then on to end of Canal
Lateral à la Marne at Vitry-le-Françoise.
Had previously decided to stay over at advertised haute nautique in Vitry,
but most unimpressed with town, canal, moorings, halte, and everything, so
having moored up, decided to leave.
Peniche arrived and tried to use exact piece of water we were in to do a
"U" turn.
Fascinated, but as we were much the smaller boat, we left, just avoiding
getting stuck in the canalside shallow mud by transferring weight of crew
forward, quite quickly.
Down a short section of the canal de la Marne au Rhine, right out of town,
400 metres before first lock, and tied up with chains to piling.
Comfortable mooring, deep water, wide grassy towpath, but 42 million
mozzies.
Rain came down with vengeance.
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