La Ferte-sous-Jouarre to Charly-sur-Marne River Marne

Fine and sunny - in spite of last night’s half dozen drops of rain.

Both other boats on moorings left ostentatiously early - we seem to have lost the knack of it, landing ourselves with bread etc to buy before departure.

River unbelievably quiet - no commercials at all, and only 2 privates, one of who was last nights (French) neighbour.

Lock zapper received at Mery-sur-Marne - that’s a new one on us here - they are quite big river locks, and surprised to be given free run of all next 8 up to Cummieres.

Mery saw us entering - quite suddenly - wine country - whole hill-sides almost like tea estates, with vine rows cut to a table.

Late lunch and night time moor-up at Charly, all of 20 kms to-day!

Lots of populace fishing or just wandering around - there is quite a good restaurant virtually on the river side - but apart from very few, they didn’t want to talk. Fishing line ahead and astern, but no gossip.

Charly-sur-Marne to  Mont St-Pere River Marne

Pleasant uneventful day, through vineyard countryside interspersed with forest.

Horrified at agriculture - vines - being planted up and down very steep slopes - but they’ve been doing it an awful long time - so who are we to criticise. Certainly, their planting alignment is immaculate.

Stopped at Chateau Thiery for half an hour to transfer 4 cans of diesel into main tank - we were down to 8 gallons - after transfer dipped at 26 gallons.

Bought 4 cans - 80 litres - 18 gallons from Esso station just across road within easy walking distance. Transferred further 3 cans during evening, so it would appear we have used 7 cans, 31 galls, 140 litres, since end June/beginning July. The cans were full on July 1st, but the tank could probably have absorbed 2 cans - didn’t bother to measure it!

So in 22 days, we have used - say - 5 cans @ 20 litres, 4.5 Galls - or 100 litres, 23 gallons. Say 1.25 - 1.50 gallons, or 5 to 7 litres per day. So what - we’ve got to go!!

Mont St-Pere lock - second of the new "apper" put up 2 red lights on our arrival - "sytem fault" according to the instruction sheet, normally followed by iminant arrival of (human) lock keeper. VHF Emergencies channel unanswered, and mobile phone had no signal.

Hopped ashore at horrendous steel péniche bollard entirely surrounded by great steel protrusions waiting to open us up like a tin of sardines. Wenmt up to the office/workshops (Mont St-Pere is supposed to be VNF HQ of some sort) and found 2 very pleasant overalled gentlemen who tried their damndest to get system going by pressing ever button on the "master" pannel. S. said it looked like a son et lumiere display from the boat, but basically nothing happened. Found blacksmith’s hammer in workshop, and suggested that was what the needed. All agreeed, including the lady LK who eventually appeared from under a stone somewhere. She was relegated, however, and the men decided to put us through manually from little panels down near the gates at each end. All very strange!

Boat after us came through properly, but noticed subsequent boats being put through by the men.

Late lunch at Mont St-Pere lock mooring - some 200 metres beyond the lock.

Note - the 2 moorings marked in the village don’t exist. The lock mooring is properly organised - bollards, short grass and shade but no facilities. High but comfortable, and quiet!

Sat in shade, read, fell asleep, ate, fell asleep, did oil change, fell asleep, gossiped with promenaders, fell asleep. All outside, under tree, in our chairs - find sitting in the boat in fine weather - even too hot or too cold - difficult.

Mont St-Pere to just beyond Oeilly and Reuil River Marne

Nice run.

Lunch hidden in bushes and shade just before abandoned river swimming complex, beside narrow fenced path at Port-a-Binson - proper P de P horrid.

Experinced first of sloping sided locks with pontoons in them. Very adequate - proper bollards, and water hose pipe laid on.

Meant to sleep over at pontoon mooring installed complete last year, but fully occupied by semi-permanent Dutchman.

Probably stay there for his whole holidays - free mooring and electricity!

Passed about 300 metres and found a bit of bank with bush completely cut back - some of it only done to-day. Ground well worn by feet.

Moored up in some trepidation - expected who ever had done the clearing to come and claim it for what-ever purpose he had cleared it for.

Not a soul - but first part of evening hideously noisy with combine and attendant tractor trailer units screaming engines in field just across river.

When they went, nice quiet mooring and earlier worries unjustified.

Oeilly and Reuil River Marne to Ay, Lateral a la Marne.

Early start to try and get at good moorings in time.

Charged off up river full of hope - idea to go into Epinay (champange capital) do super-market and fuel, then go back 2 kms to nice pontoon at Cumieres, 1 night, then on up the Lateral a la Marne.

Saw Eclercie and Pelicaan - both from Roanne - on the new pontoon at Damery, had tried for and seen the pontoon at Oeilly and Reuil full of an enormous black cruiser - very evidentlly permanent, likewise at Cummiers, and got the message.

Stopped and gossiped with Bill and Nancy on Eclaircie, swapped news, nearly lost Albert (I hadn’t tied the bows properly, and the rope loop "fell" off the cleat) - also lost dignity, but re-covered just in time before a hire boat arrived. Looking back - one3 has to - in the light of this incident - question the rope loosing incident at Belleville!

Down Epernay arm to S.M. on way in, and pleased to see "no parking" sign outsiode obscured by nud, so tied up at foot of steps.

In spit of filling up at Esso station at Chateau Thirie, managed to stuff in further 3 cans into the tank, and with 2 existing empty cans, made 2.5 trips to diesel pumps, buying 100 litres @ .72€. Filled tank, literally, to filler cap, and now have 4 full cans. Am no longer interested in litres or gallons per hour, day, week, mile or km. Can’t go anywhere without it, and can’t seem to work it out. Let’s say 1.6666666 gallons per day on the river, where the engine works harder and more effectively pushing the boat apreciably faster for the same number of revs. Conversely, on the canal, the engine has to work harder because to not only poushes the boat, but also a large volume of water that cannot escape around the hull from between it (the hull) and the bank, and the canal bottom. So - there you go.

Having assembled selves, and enormous S.M. shop, back down Marne to junction with Lateral a la Marne. Went very slowly, as did not want to arrive at tirette and do things before we had finished lunch.

In fact, just as finishing, and starting to take things seriously again, a large Belgium cruiser appeared behind us. As is our wont on these occasions, we shot out of lock backwards to let him have the front. Chap was chock full of common sence, understood problem with only one hand wave, overtook us neatly in lock entance narrows, and within 4 minutes all tidy and tied up properly in lock. He even checked we were ready before pulling tirette. The boat’s name was Brook, and well done him - I owe him a bottle of red.

As before - wall to wall fishermen on this canal - but still fun with good views of vineyards, and Epernay itself across the river valley. Curious being back in a proper canal after quite a coupole of weeks doing "Greyhound of the Ocean" on the rivers.

Just coming out of second lock, saw Brit cruiser tied up on lock moorings. Splendid idea so we stopped and tied up too and met Peter and Caroline of Carioline II.

Ay, Lateral a la Marne to Condé, Canal de l’Aisne a la Marne.

Left Peter and Caroline to explore Epinay from bike saddles, and pushed on to Condé.

This is the tee junc betweek lateral a la Marne, to the Marne a la Saone and all stations South, and the de l’Aisne a la Marne, to the North.

P de P nearly empty - it was only 1230, so hesitated over which site to choose.

Bloke - recognmised him from last time - was the Capitaine - he lives on a small cruiser in the Port - waved us onto the most apropriate pontoon - full length for us, and helped us tie up.

Just drawing breath when 2 large cruisers arrived, then 2 more, then 2 more, then 2 more, till the Port was full, and the canal sides up to the lock were full! All Dutch, or German, or Belgium - only Brit boat tied up permanently and deserted.

Not often we are as lucky as this - especially as we did not want to go on. Onwards, in this case, involved a chain of 7 or 8 locks and a tunnel, that once started have to be completed.

Late liesurely lunch, dozy afternoon - including bike ride around village, then max use of electricity, for which we pay, anyway.

Condé to 2kms after Billy’s Tunnel, Canal de l’Aisne a la Marne.

Left early - having watered and hoovered frantically, with the intention of clearing the 6 lock and tunnel automatic chain quickly.

As year before last - not a hope!

Shared with a highly professional hire boat (English, but resident in Spain) fromk 2nd lock on.

Third lock, peniche waitaing for broken lock to be repaired.

Pattern continued right up - dead slow behind peniche, L.K.s running locks manually/electrically.

Hot.

Many delays, eventually trailed through Billy Tunnel (Soutterain de Mont de Billy) 2300 metres, but very well lit.

Afternoon evening/ by the time we got out into the open, so stopped just beyond where we stopped year before last, clear view across the grain and tobacco fields to  the vineyards on Mont de Champagne. (A ridge, about 400 metres high, with vineayards completely covering lower slopes - top is still forest.

Tried to work out sun’s travel so we and boat could be in shade.

First time got it wrong so moved.

Second time much better, but hadn’t realised that although the canal was heading due north the first time, we wenr round a slight bend to head North West, so the lat evening sun crept round the trees onto us.

Moored up 4 pins, belted hard into hard chalky gravelly soil - trees were too far away, so just had to risk it.

Canal was alive with peniches - heaviest commercial traffic we have ever seen - as well as the Dutch and elgian navies - all going flat out, and far more disturbing than the peniches. In fact, our mooring held completely - due to very hard ground.

It is, of course, full harvest time.

Big Drama - Middle of night - heavy nudging - "I smell diesel".

Mutter, "not diesel in France - Gasol",     but then decide to take seriously.  Scrabble out of bed, up to cockpit under tarpaulinn, lift engine hatch.

Faint slightly spirity smell, nothing visibly wrong. Say so, very firmly and head back to bed.

Last flash of torch into engine compartment - floor reflects torch - unlikely.

Check carefully - yes there is colourless liquid about half inch deep on floor. Takes a long time to identify as diesel - supermarket and roadside car diesel must have had that revolting oily smell distilled out of it to a large extent - to reduce car sickness rate?

Tried to find where it was coming from - no obvious leak, but reckoned it must be result of filling tank ultra full in Epinay, to level above pump inlet (which was built as central heating offtake). This is a fancy arrangement - homemade - to enable fuel to be pumped straight from jerricans into main tank without pouring and funnels, and reduces unpleasantness of re-fuelling by 80%. However, it could be that whilst none of my reducing fitments and jubilee clips leak during re-fuelling, 20 minutes at the most, when subjected to constant pressure - even just an inch or so, they leaked over the 48 hours until we noticed it.

Decided to do nothing, except change pajamas - I had sat on top of the engine - and wash feet.

Cup of tea and back to sleep.

2kms after Billy’s Tunnel to Sillery P. de P. Canal de l’Aisne a la Marne

Early inspection of engine, and engine hole. Certainly diesel on floor, and certainly no more than last night.

Sponged up, but by now diesel level in tank below outlet - so hopefully any further leak unlikely.

This is a repeat of an incident 6 years ago, when - at that time - the outlet had not been blanked off by the boatyard, and we put about 3 gallons red diesel (more recognisable, but unavailable to private boaters in France) onto the floor of the engine hold.

Strange day - very hot, clear blue sky, no wind at all.

Canal very busy with constant too and fro of peniches.

Desperately slow, many automatic locks not working, and staff having to be phoned for - Saturday!

Made it to Sillery, and decided to give it up. It was still earlyish, so found a good berth on a full length finger pontoon - on with electricity, and on with the fan.

Still stewed - Albert in blazing sun.

Found tree, and cowered under it in the chairs - as peniche after peniche went past round the bend on which we were moored.

Fascinated with antics of fishermen, who insisted on fishhing off inside of bend, completely invisible to all boats, but particularly peniches, who cannot shift course or speed for fishermen!

Looked for hole-in-the-wall to get cash to pay phone bill failed, were assured there was no such thing in Sillery.

In fact we were later directed to a brand new Post Office, that happily gave me 250€, although we though there was a cap on drawings at one time in one day of 200€. Now all we need is an open post office, to pay it all back.

Drinks at a cafe/restaurant, but staff on summer holiday, so no food.