At Chaussee sur Marne. Canal lateral a la Marne

Shopping in village - very quiet village, but everything needed - small alimentation, good (very good) baker, etc etc.

Fine, sunny, but windy.

Cleaned boat, but really did very little else, except enjoy sun.

Alert, with Ian and Helen, wandered up about lunch time, pulled straight in to the mooring, and we carried on yesterday’s gossip where we had left off.

Cycle ride in afternoon, and once again amazed at different outlook and view when only a few yards from canal. Attractive countryside - flattish, of course, this is the Marne alluvial plain - but climbing a relatively low and painless hill rewards one with splendid views over countryside. Regrettably, the farming here is very much "agribusiness", huge fields given over to small grain and sugar beet but none the less, rural and pleasant. Even the odd factory, mill, and frequent silos seem to be largely hidden in trees, and there is plenty of forest about.

Ian and Helen for drinks, which extended into combined supper in Albert.

Now too cold - late in season - to sit out for very long, but fine in mid-day sun.

Chaussee sur Marne to Vitry-la-Francois. Canal lateral a la Marne

Beautiful day - 9.00 start, leaving Alert to follow "in due course". Can’t share locks - they are 22 metres.

Next thing saw them just behind, and at same time Helen rang. Loaded peniche was on their tail, and they didn’t want to lose their place. (They are heading for and along Marne au Rhine, whilst we are going up and over the Marne a la Saone, leaving each other at Vitry - just up this canal!.

Into Vitry mid morning.

Having advised One Chance where longer boats like us and them can moor, of course they were there, and we couldn’t use the spot. However, went into minute P. de P., watered up, all moored every which way, then turned and moored up properly in short entry cut. Supposed to be very shallow - probably is, but bottom very soft silt and slurry. Anybody who really wanted to get in could do so - as was proved by a "Snaily" hire boat later on.

Now a hard half day’s work.

4 trips into town on Brompton towing chariot trailer. 2 trips diesel (2 cans, 40 litres, 9 gallons a trip), 1 trip gas cylinder, 1 trip beer and wine and shopping. Hard work, but most successful - helped by completely smooth road and road junctions, so trailer remained vertical as did bike and rider.

Late afternoon by the time we finished, so supper and bed.

Vitry-la-Francois to Orcante Canal Marne a la Saône.

Did washing, and explored town - very nice town indeed, when seen in sunlight, completely different to first impression given by canal and working docks and boats all along it. Very smart, neat, and tidy town centre, parks, ands shopping district.

Left 11.00, but kept waiting under railway bridge for 2 hours for traveling L.K. This canal is one of those that still has traveling L.K.s. i.e., 1 or more boats (a lock full) are allocated a L.K. who travels alongside them on the towing path, and is either passionately keen on getting the boats off his patch so he can knock off early, or is equally passionately keen that the boats should moor up early, so likewise he can knock off early.

First time this season - these are slowly being replaced by automatic locks, but it will be some years yet, and meantime, staff habits - however bad - are totally entrenched.

Were "teamed up" with Aphrodite - very large cruiser - under railway bridge. Shared locks uneasily from then on. Really much too large a boat and much too awkward to share with us. Very wrong - even dangerous - of L.K. to push us into this situation. Unfortunately, if one refuses, one receives enormous ill will, and can be left high and dry on the canalside on unsuitable - or even dangerous - moorings, until to-morrow awaiting to-morrow’s shift of traveling L.K.

Weather fine, unlike 2 years ago, last time we were here, and, apart from above moan, this canal is very pleasant and picturesque indeed, and very enjoyable.

At some time in the past someone keen on his pines, has planted every imaginable variety - incl all the ugly misshapen Scots ones - as canalside shade trees along the top pound.

Pulled into Orcante mooring after excruciatingly slow trip. Aphrodite is a very "big" boat - although only just over 15 metres - Dutch style cruiser, all sharp prows, bow thrusters, flags, ropes and fenders - and they loved their knitting. Everything proceeded at a slow rate of stop. Exhaust fumes were intolerable!

Patriarch with Derek and Pauline pulled in later - also after 2 hours under rly bridge, and all 6 of us - Terry and Carole (Aprodite), us, and Patriarchs finished up drinking cheap red wine at picnic tables in extreme autumn cold amid much hilarity and long and tall stories.

Orcante to St Dizier, Canal Marne a la Saone.

Off at 0900 - teamed up as before - very slow on lovely day on a lovely canal. We had to spend far too much of our time concentrating on technicalities, instead of getting on and enjoying a beautiful run, in lovely weather, on a splendid canal.

In fact, we did a lot of that, too! It was not as bad as all that - just slightly impatient making!

At about 1500, arrived at St. Dizier, Aphrodite went into little P de P we stayed in 2 years ago, and we went on round to the town key in glorious isolation.

Went into town - very pleasant town - and looked around. Got hair cut (short, but not as short as soldiers and Skin heads - French for "skin head" is "skin head")

In about 1500 to VNF offices mooring in centre of town (last time "Double Ecluse"

Hair cut, more shopping, exploration.

Came back to boat. Aphrodite moored up just behind. Drinks aboard in evening.

St Dizier to Moulin Rouge at Chevillon Canal Marne a la Saône.

Still desperately slow and awkward in locks. Made conscious efforts to separate without making a thing of it.

90 minute lunch break - obligatory on this canal - all others 30 minutes, or none - helped with deliberate confusion and misunderstanding.

We were quite prepared to wait until to-morrow and separate, rather than grind on in current fashion. In fact, had lunch just short of L.K. operated lift bridge, and at 13.20, just as we were winding elastic, little white van arrived, drove half over bridge, reversed hurriedly, and put us through, called up roving L.K. and away we went.