Monday 18th April 2011 Rolampont – Chaumont. 29kms 15 locks

Loaded peniche Avalon above lock 12

Another chilly night. Sunny until late afternoon, a cloudy spell then back to sunshine. Mike got the boat ready to move. Had a text around nine from Floan, they were coming up lock 16 with Avalon in front. The VNF went past on far side before we left. Winded and set off at 9.30 a.m. I did a few chores before we arrived at lock 10 Prées (3.40m) which was ready for us with both gates open so I stepped off and closed a gate for our VNF man, who had arrived in a VNF van sporting a flexible “Danger men at work” triangular sign on its roof. (Very rarely used. Ed). 1.6kms to lock 11 Thivet (3.60m). We had one gate open to go in, but he had to open two at the bottom end as there was uphill traffic due. They were expecting three or four boats, he said. Mike called Floan on channel 10 VHF and was answered by Avalon’s skipper who said George had a bad head after drinking too much wine the night before and had stayed at lock 22. (We knew he was fibbing as we’d already had a text from Helen!) 

Chatting on VHF - Floan off to the Rhone
with a load of petrol-coke

I made a cuppa as we continued down the 2kms to lock 12 and passed the first boat, Avalon, loaded heading uphill. Into lock 12 Vesaignes (3.40m), which was electric, but no longer automatic as it was operated by the keeper. He introduced us to our new keeper, Jocelyn, a lady keeper with a cement mixer powered car. She whizzed off to get the next ready. 1.9kms to lock 13. En route we passed Floan, who’d just come up lock 13 Marnay (3.30m). Said hello as we passed and flung a bag of books to Helen, which she deftly caught. Lock 13 had a lovely house and an even lovelier garden, which was having its grass mowed. We carried on chatting to Helen on VHF as we went on down the 1.3kms pound to lock 14. Abyss from Antoing was coming up in 14, Pommeraye (3.30m). The lock was mechanised and had an empty lockhouse. 

Our lady lock keeper, Jocelyn 

I gave Christelle a ring but got transferred to voice mail. I left a message to say I’d call her later. 1.5kms to lock 15 Pré-Roche (3.4m), which was manually operated, and Madame Jocelyn had two young assistants a teenage boy and girl. Christelle rang back. We arranged for Mike to collect Maeva the following evening from Demanges-aux-Eaux. They were leaving Wednesday morning and going via Vitry and Condé to Noyons and Pont l’Evecque where they were due to perform for three weeks in May. 1.4kms to lock 16 Biochaulle (3.4m) which was mechanised. I made lunch on the long pound. 3.1kms to lock 17, Foulain (3.7m). Jocelyn waved au’voir as she drove back up the towpath. 

Another lady keeper

When we arrived at 17, we had a new keeper, a young lady on a VNF moped to work our locks for us. The lock house at 17 was lived in. Below the lock on the 600m pound a DB was waiting, called BRU 21 with Kaat Mossel Tholen on the back. The Dutch crew waved and said hello. Into lock 18 Pécheux (3.70m) as a double ended goods train came trundling up the railway track alongside the canal. Mike took photos for Glyn. Both engine drivers hooted and waved and so I had to hoot back, which sent our young lockie into a tizzy. She started to attempt to run around the lock to open the other gate, we managed to stop her before she had taken more than a few strides. Apologised and told her we were only replying to the engine driver (now she thinks we’re mad). 1.7kms to lock 19 Luzy (3.20m). 

Loaded peniche Sperwer

Our girl on a moped scooted off to the lock and was chatting with the guy from the house when we arrived, so I hopped off and closed the gate behind the boat. Below the lock was a vertical liftbridge that the keeper operated from a cabin. 2.9kms to lock 20 Val des Ecoliers (3.90m). The lockhouse was occupied and had a long verandah across the front of the house. A new sign for a tap was on the lockside and so I went to look see if there was one. I couldn’t see one and the girl said there would be one on the site somewhere. I read a bit more of Pillars of the Earth for Mike. We passed loaded péniche Sperwer from Rhoon on the 1.5kms pound leading to lock 21 Foulon de la Roche (4.00m) A man with a little girl chatted to us in English. 1.3kms to lock 22, Chamerandes (3.80m) I made a cuppa. 

Loaded peniche Melvy

It was getting warmer so I gave our lock girl an ice cold can of Zero. The lady at the lock house was sitting on the steps so we waved and she came over to chat. (We came down the locks to Rolampont with her and her husband in their cruiser) She said her husband was working on the boats down in Chaumont. Suddenly there were people everywhere, fishing or walking the towpath as we were getting closer to the town. On the 2.9kms pound to lock 23 Choignes (3.60m) we passed the next loaded boat, Melvy from Gent. The lock house was occupied. The 1.6kms pound to lock 24 started off in a shallow stone lined cutting just wide enough for two péniches. Into lock 24 Val des Choux (3.00m) our last lock of the day. 

Mooring at Chaumont

Its house was lived in and a very grand a palatial residence it was too. Passed the Port de Plaisance with its Capitainerie then a moored converted péniche houseboat and a group of campervans, beyond that was a little basin where the man from lock 22 was working on his boats. He came over to take a rope. Mike asked if there was anywhere we could park the car and he said to park it in his place, which was very kind of him. It was gone 5.00 p.m. We set the TV up and fetched the moped off the roof using a plank. Mike went to collect the car from Rolampont; he was going to take it on to Froncles, but decided against it as it was already late. When Mike returned we put the bike back on the roof and I cooked dinner. We watched The Dales (George and Helen’s nephew Ben Smith was producer and director; she’d sent us a text to say his next project was the Dordogne and he wanted to know about working boats on the Garonne. I sent one back to confirm that the tankers stopped working a long time ago)