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Wednesday
2004
This Weeks "We-think-we-are-here-map". (Our estimated position at the END of the week.


The Map is a "thumbnail", click on it for full size whilst still connected to the web-site
N.B. The "pink" waterways are only shown as such because they are waterways not run and controlled by the Voies Navigables de France.

9 August 2004 Monday Bataville, C. de la Marne au Rhine to Lock 1, C. des Houilleres de la Sarre

Gently along that section of the canal well remembered to us from the eclipse, the almighty rain storm that accompanied it, and Paul's fox. Nice views of agribusiness country through the trees - mostly at our level, or at times below.

Weather was grey to sunny, very hot, muggy, and hazy.

The canal level, throughout from when we entered it last week, was great - plenty of water - none of the tedious running aground every time the canalside was approached.

The grass was well cut, green, and lock environs reasonably neat and tidy, but no actual maintenance appears to have been done since our last visit - sheet piling revetts that were falling into the canal are either still falling, or are held to-gether with wire rope! However, in all fairness, if it has taken 4 years only to go that far, it will do for many years yet.

Up the 15 metre (deepest in France) lock with 2 cruisers - bit tight, but our choice. We let a Belgium with a Broom cruiser with only 1 of his 2 Perkins working in front of us - guilt complex??

Lunch in one of the waiting bays on top. Although we are surrounded by lakes and water - this area is a mass of lakes, National Park, and leisure areas - principally used by Germans - we could actually see little due to the high canal banks, reeds and tall grasses. Advisedly say on "top" - we are on the summit between the Marne and the Rhine.

Into Canal des Houilleres - little difference until turned first corner, and saw moorings by garde portes. Mass of small craft at short pontoons - as said, this is a centre for water sports, especially the Germans. Indeed, the locals speak German as their first and only language, as far as we could see.

Decided Garde Portes moorings not for us, and went 2 to 3 km up to first lock in flight of 15 manuals downwards. Horrified to find another mass of boats moored along canal for about 1 km from lock. Everything from hippies to good old fashioned Dutch Barges to hire boats - and millions of German cruisers.

However, found good site and settled down.

It appeared that, like us, every one was booked to go down at 0900, although this lock starts at 0700 I think.

In spite of crowds of people and boats - and a youth club boat next door - all was actually quiet!

10 August 2004 Tuesday Lock 1, to Mittersheim, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre

Lock opened at 0700, although booked 0900, only aware of 1 boat going through early, so went off at 0830, to find everyone still asleep - not a soul moving, except large German cruiser in lock watering up.

Joined him, decided to water as well, and stood around gossiping. Still no other boats moving.

Bread van arrived - gossip increased, what feelings of urgency remaining finally disappeared, and we

started dropping down in a relaxed fashion with plenty bread and water at 0930.

Country lovely dark cool forest. Weather - like yesterday, hot, humid and hazy.

All locks manual, and at this season each manned by student. All had been trained to follow the book religiously, so it took all day to do the 1st 13 to Mittersheim - trifle frustrating, but when dealing with Germans one can only go religiously by the book.

Plenty moorings available at Mittersheim, along with weak electricity, but within 2 hours bursting at the seems - 17 boats overnighting, and 3 more opposite.

Charcuterie van in the evening, and bread van in the morning.

Very heavy rain overnight. Had to get up and drop bimini - it was designed to shelter us from sun, and we did not build in adequate rain shedding properties.

11 August 2004 Wednesday Mittersheim to Sarralbe, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre.

Completed flight - last 2 manual locks - by 10.30 - relievedly.

Still warm, but last night's rain improved mugginess no end - haze gone.

Lovely issuing out of the forest - open bucolic countryside of people run farms - big views from canal which runs above surrounding country, and has cleared sides.

Also lovely being in and using automatic locks of latest and simplest kind. Just point zapper at box about 200 metres before lock, press button, and flashing light starts on box, to show zapping correctly carried out, and yellow light starts flashing beside lock lights, showing lock knows one is there, and is doing it's thing.

Lunch at Harskirchen, proper moorings complex, but a bit seedy and ordinary, so decided to continue and look for a nice bush mooring before industrial complex of Saaralbe.

Sod's law - canal sides all the way to Saaralbe totally unsuited - indeed dangerous - for mooring to, and we ended up in the suburbs of the town - though not really terribly industrial looking, as described.

Found complete anomaly - short length - 30 metres? - of canal side with the sheet piles concreted in, with bollards - no shops, no adverts, no notices, no fishermen, no reason. Just there, complete with a dirty great German cruiser who only spoke German, but apparently knew his way around. - No meaningful communication - no shade, either, but you can't have everything.

Tied up, chairs out, tea out - found a little bit of shade under some bushes, and snoozed rest of afternoon away.

Into Saaralbe on bikes along tow-path in evening - but energy and enthusiasm very short. Probably lack of drink and salt, and too early light lunch.

12 August 2004 Thursday Sarralbe to Sarreguemines, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre.

Bright, clear, sunny and warm to hot - off about 0915.

But, by the time we started, already turning dull and cloudy.

First part of run down to Wittring very nice indeed - extensive views, rolling bucolic countryside, and little of the industry the books threatened us with. Most enjoyable.

Then from Wittring the canal was really not very nice. At Wittring itself there was an extensive set of moorings for small boats, with a section below the restaurant marked for boats of "passagies". Long

discussion as to whether they meant trip boasts only, or passing short stay boats only! Dictionary singularly unhelpful - interpretable both ways!.

Valley side closed in, closely forested, and canal ran in concrete trench - only half, if that, full - with badly eroded sides, great chunks of broken concrete sliding down sloping sides, or just missing altogether with wooden stakes driven into the mud, holding back tatty cloth revetment . Short lengths re-revetted with sheet piling rammed in behind the concrete, which remains in situ preventing any possibility of stopping.

However, it has to be said that the automatic locks - zapper initiated - worked beautifully, until the very last one actually in Sarreguemines. The zapper receiver was on the lock itself, and presumably had been switched off. Waited around, hooted horn, rang number given on canalside - there was no parlyphone on wall as there is everywhere else.- so used mobile. Got answer phone!

Eventually stopped VNF van, and extremely helpful and apologetic gent - who had nothing whatsoever to do with the lock, went and kicked the L.K. out of his office, where he was dossing. He had switched the lock off to stop boats going through whilst he was sleeping, as it was a control lock where he had to note the details of each boat passing.

No sooner switched on, than we were in - howling gale by this time - and our friend from the Mauvage tunnel hove into site. Entered lock with us, then insisted on buying diesel from lockside, so we had to wait still further!

Eventually out, and onto moorings in the town - admittedly busy, but as it came on to pour with rain as soon as we had tied up, no chance of going out to look! . It was quite astonishing how, as soon as we came out of the lock into the river how Albert quietened down, speeded up, and sounded really happy. This, of course, is nonsense, he/she is a canal boat, but she has always preferred wide deep going in the rivers, or big wide full canals. This season, with the full canals, happiness has been the order of the day, although in some sections that needed dredging - especially these last few kms in the bottom of the concrete trench - she has complained a bit.

The town moorings are slightly sleezy - except the actual club moorings that are very nice. Whilst maneuvering to turn boat round into wind friend from Mauvage Tunnel once again demonstrated his boating skills by "nipping" under our stern while we were backing into and quite near to the river side! Got sorted, connected electricity - part of the deal, €11.00 with or without - and found it didn't work. Girl in office rushed about and found little man, who fixed it by resetting circuit breaker (most moorings leave circuit breakers exposed - if you overload it your trip goes out, you reduce the load, and re-set it).. Had seen little crowd of vociferous Germans hanging round, fiddling with tape, wires, and testers just before, and they had plenty of advice - like pulling my plug out and saying it was the wrong type - so presumably they had shorted it, and used one of the others for themselves.

Eileen, from l'Etoile du Sud, came over and gossiped. Been slowly catching them up for some weeks, and in contact with phone and text messages.

13 August 2004 Friday In Sarreguemines, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre.

Quiet night - although our mooring is close to public seats and a very well set up playground, heavy rain storms yesterday kept people away, and gave us tranquility!

Poured with rain - heavy - most of morning, starting at breakfast time, so did nothing. As both "felt tired" (why, we've done very little in last fortnight, with short days and good moorings) decided to stay put, at least for to-day, although moorings expensive, and do tourist thing.

Nancy had re-emphasised once again that to start mid-day or afternoon after shopping or touristing just doesn't work. (That's our story). Therefore, must stay here to-night - and even possibly to-morrow night!

Horrible accident just along from the jetty in one of the rain storms. We heard a terrible shriek, and afraid assumed it was the Germans squabbling. Actually, it was a boater who had been standing on the jetty (wooden, wet) taking rope of another small incoming boat who lost balance or slipped and fell across transom. Propellor mashed his lower midrif. People from from next door boat fished him out, and woman did the necessary - nurse? seemed like one - Sappeurs and Pompiers called, and took him off. Gather he was 3 hours in theatre, has lost his "bits", but is otherwise OK What can one say -

Lots of admin jobs during the day, shopping, etc a.m. and then the big ceramics museum in the old mill - huge - that was one of the main businesses of Sarreguemines, and one of the main producers of ceramic ware in it's time. Horrified - was in full production in the 1950s, but now half the outbuildings are resuscitated ruins, and the main mill (water drive, line shafting) is the museum, complete with the wherewithal to grind and make clay and slip from basic raw materials, standard workstations for slip casting - complete with molds, and unfettled and fettled work, decorating., and relevant kilns for biscuit, glaze and decoration firing. Outside they have a bottle kiln, which they claim is the only one left in Continental Europe. Query this, sure there is one up next to the Centrale - will check next time we pass that way. There are, of course, several in Stoke on Trent, but that's not Continental Europe.

All within our lifetime, and most of the kit familiar to us! One decorating section with all the tools and work on the benches (carefully glued down to the benches), looked just like Poole Pottery decorating studios, where we used to go on wet afternoons whilst on "home leave" to watch them decorate the ware - and spend a fortune buying lovely things for which we had no real requirement. The line shafting direct from the water wheels, with it's flat flapping belts that drove all the various machines, and which was standard in industry generally and tea factories in particular looked both familiar and absolutely horrifyingly dangerous to modern, and indeed now, to our eyes.

14 August 2004 Saturday Still in Sarreguemines, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre.

Total non day - it was raining a lot of the night, and so often, so hard and for so long in the day that we did and accomplished virtuaslly nothing except exist.

Hoovered boat, removed some of the rain-water from the engine hold - the rain was that heavy, messed about!

15 August 2004. Sunday Sarreguemines, Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre to Saarbruken, R Saar

Very dark still, when we arose! "Autumn", "days drawing in", "getting dark earlier", "nights getting longer" - all sprang to mind.

In fact it got a bit warmer during the night, and by the time finished getting-away-faffing, it was shirt sleeves again - although still long trousers.

To-day saw us out of France, and into Germany. Pleasant enough run - about 15 kms from P de P. of Sarregemines to the Club/P de P of Saarbruken. Price a bit different, though. €16.50 for night all inclusive, here.

Countryside down, steepish valley, high river banks, river flowing quite strongly, and millions of fuishermen on right - or German, bank. This is not an indication of sport's popularity in Germany - they mostly had French registered cars.

3 French Freycinet automatic locks (changed into shorts in the first one), the last one of which broke down, and 1 German one - same size.

Very busy, being Sunday, Bit rushed in locks - also change-over day - or first locks out, for the Connoisseue Cruisers in Saarbruken. Certain amount of shoving and muttering from private boaters sharing locks who should have known better. Was this people behaving like the Germans are reputed to behave because they, the miscreants, are now in Germany? The miscreants were not German, but were bloody discourteous!

Long cycle ride into and through Saarbrucken in evening. Sunday traffic kind, but 100s of pedestrians and cyclists. Some sort of "gig" going on in square with vans and cars selling drinks out of their backs. Super cycle routes on all pavements, and splendid route alongside river. Latter very busy with pedestrians, so not strictly fair to bomb along on bikes! The moorings in a slightly seedy part of town, with enormous security - fences, gates, razor wire, the lot - all round, and quite a long way from town.

Laid up (?) against the club bar/admin boat Narrow Boat Vector.