Friday 22nd April 2011 Chamouilley - Ecriennes. 30kms 12 locks

Liftbridge and old railway swingbridge

Warm and sunny. Maeva got volunteered to take a walk to the bouangerie to get two loaves, while Mike did engine room jobs and I did a few chores. Set off at 9.35 a.m. and winded to head downhill. Down lock 56, Güe (3.10m) which was operated with the blue bar (all the rest worked OK with the bassinée button) 2.2kms to lock 57 Marnaval (3.20m). Our new VNF shadow was on the lockside chatting with the elderly man from the lockhouse whose black chickens were roaming free around the lock until the cockerel decided to round them all up! It started to get very noisy from loud jet planes passing quite low as it always does here. The shadow worked the liftbridge, pressing buttons in a new cabin. The railway swingbridge no longer moves from the look of it. 

Lockhouse at St Dizier

Down lock 58 St Dizier (3.20m), 1.8kms to lock 59 de la Noue (3.10m), another 1.8kms to lock 60 Hoericourt (3.20m) and we had lunch on the 2.3kms pound to lock 61 Hallignicourt (3.20m). At the latter two small boys were sitting on the top of the lockhouse’s garden gate making it swing back and forth with a loud CLANG! 1.5kms to the next. When the lock was empty the bottom end gates at lock 62 Garenne (3.10m) wouldn’t open so Mike gave them a nudge with the bows and that did the trick! (Except the gates are angled, so the sideways push broke the bow fender string) The planes were starting to get very, very loud as we went down the 2.4kms pound to lock 63 Perthes (3.30m) followed by a short pound 1.44kms to lock 64 Sapignicourt (3.20m). On to a longer pound, 3.4kms I made a cuppa. 

Looking back 3.4 kms to lock 64 Sapignicourt

The long straight pound had very clear clean water and we could see the bottom and the fish. The offside by the lake was very shallow and looked like the bank was being eroded away, needed piling. Maeva was amazed with Polarised sunglasses and how easily you could see the fish in the clear water. She’d done a very lifelike sketch of Mike so I found her some sketching paper. Down lock 65 Bruyères (3.10m) then 2kms to 66 Orconte (3.30m), where Mike was astounded to see a sheet-bending machine left outside to go rusty by the lock house. 2.1kms to the next. Down lock 67 Martigincourt (3.10m) then 2.4kms to the next. I got the call to tie up and we moored on a quay with bollards next to a lake just before lock 68 Ecriennes. It was 5.30 p.m. Mike went on the moped to collect the car from Chamouilley.