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| Quay at Lamarche-sur-Saone River Saone |
Warm and sunny but a cold north wind again. It was noisy early with a loud tractor and trailer filling a water tank with river water from the quayside immediately behind the boat, plus the noisy fishermen again. We’re amazed that any of them actually catch any fish. French fish must be deaf! Mike went into the village to get a loaf (1,03€) before we set off again upriver at ten. I made tea as we ran up through Pontailler-sur-Saône. There was a newish looking toilet block at the top of the stepped quay (the latter had mooring rings) before the road bridge then there was an offline port-de-plaisance with a very posh Capitainerie. It was also a Canalous hire base. A small cruiser was suddenly in view going the same way as us, it must have just left the port.
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| Heuilly lock cabin, not in use as lock now automatic. River Saone |
A few more long winding bends took us to lock 18, d’Heuilley (2.00m) our last river lock and we could see the lights flashing on the top of the post on the lockside, which meant the cruiser had just left the lock and the top end gates were closing. I twisted the hanging tube to activate the sequence for us. The lock emptied and we were up 2m in no time. I took photos of the control rods and the old lock office, which used to be a control point. The keeper was doing some gardening on the lockside. He picked up a clipboard and took the boat name and SSR number. I asked if the stoppages on the d’Heuilley canal had finished, he said yes. We turned left just above the lock on to the Marne à la Saône canal. I had to laugh at the two elderly fishermen on the corner as one said “I’m not fishing for fish, I’m fishing for a branch!” Okay, a new sport? The first bit of the canal ran dead straight for several hundred metres.
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| Lock 43 Chemin de Fer and zapper dispenser. Canal de la Marne a la Saone |
The bottom lock was empty and the gates open but the lock lights were off. It was 12.15 p.m. so it must be lunchtime. We attempted to moor on the right by an old unloading gantry and came to a stop in the mud, so Mike backed off and went on the left, still having trouble with shallow bits but managed to get alongside some piling and pushed a stake in to tie the centre rope to. I made lunch while Mike took a walk up to the lock. There was a dispenser on the lockside for zappers and a number to call. Mike took note of the number and came back to the boat. At 1.00 p.m. when there was no sign of the lock lights coming back on, I telephoned the number. Couldn’t understand everthing the guy was saying and he said he would send someone. I got on with the chores while we waited. Not long after the lock lights came on and we had a green light on lock 43, Chemin de Fer (3.10m). Set off into the chamber and I lifted the blue rod.
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| New electric posts (token op) at Maxilly Canal de la Marne a la Saone |
A VNF lady keeper in a very smart uniform came to take the boat name etc. She said there had been a stoppage so the water levels were lowered and asked our draught. When I told her 60-70cms she said OK, it was about 1,40m but stick in the middle. I asked where the stoppage was and she said lock 40, there had been an accident and the lock was damaged. She called the office (by the top lock at Heuilley Cotton) and they activated the dispenser for us to get a zapper. She was on the phone as we left. A short pound lead to lock 42, Maxilly (3.10m) which worked perfectly. Noted that both lockhouses were now derelict. (A young lady used to live in the top lockhouse and cycled back and forth to work the locks when they were manually operated, in fact most of the locks on this canal used to have lady lock keepers riding mopeds along the towpath to work three or four locks.) Above the lock on the right was a mooring quay at Maxilly that we’d used before. We decided as it was well after 2.00 p.m. that we would stop. Brand new water and electric posts had been installed but they were token operated. We elevated the solar panel to maximise the charge rate. A large steel cruiser went past, heading uphill and the lady keeper returned in her 500cc diesel car that sounded like a cement mixer. She wanted to know the usual stuff, when we were going and where. Mike was vague about our next stop as he said we would stop to watch the F1 in the afternoon and would stay put on Sunday. OK. She went off to trail the cruiser.
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