Monday 25th April 2011 Condé – Sillery. 23kms 12 locks

Maeva, Christelle and Gaetan on the lockside at 24 Conde

Sunny and warm. The lifeboat moored in front of us set off around 8.30 a.m. Mike went to the dechetterie to dump some rubbish. They were setting up for a vide grenier in the village and he had some agro from a guy in a car when he got out to shift a barrier to drive down to the port - the guy waggled a finger at him, No-No! Cheeky blighter. He went on foot to the boulangerie to find a loaf now cost 1,28€, the dearest this year yet! Gérard took Jean-Max to collect his car from Bar-le-Duc and called in to say au’voir. Mike had asked if we could come back after the dry dock to do some work on the boat, the port was full but no problem we could moor again where we were. A British couple came over to chat as we were getting ready to move off. 

Lock 23 Coupe

They had a new DB replica called Celine, they were on their way to a DB rally at Decize but moored their boat over winter at Douai above the closed locks on the Scarpe. Maeva came back on board with a recipe book as a present for me and Christelle and Gaétan came to wish us au’voir as we set off at 10.10 a.m. twisted the pole and went up lock 24 Condé (2.6m) we chatted while the lock filled. Above the lock there was a moored péniche on the offside and we noted that the towpath had been given a layer of tarmac. 1.75kms to lock 23 Coupé (2.7m) The lock flight of eight were linked so no more poles to twist, as we approached each lock it started to empty for us. 

Port de Vaudemanges

Coupé’s lock house had been empty a long time. 1.35kms to lock 22 Isse (2.7m) There was a keeper in the cabin as we approached the lock, it emptied and we went up as normal except Mike put a loose rope on as the “jockey” was standing on the lockside. The VNF had added signs by each lock giving distances and a phone number, duplicating the info that was on the small sign in each lock cabin. I remarked to the keeper what a waste of money they were as we left, he just grinned! 700m to lock 21 Foss Rodé (2.7m) Mike put a rope on as the man and his missus from the lock house came out to say hello and ask if we were going to the Royal Wedding. What? That’s another world! They laughed. 650m to lock 20 St Martin (2.7m) The van went past us up the towpath but our shadow didn’t stop. 

Concrete slabs along the edge of the canal.

We went up the lock ropeless as usual. Maeva asked if she could have the laptop on with the Internet to do her homework. I went inside to set it up for her. She wanted to research something called The Triangle Trade – I’d never heard of it. Turned out it was the slave route between Africa, the USA and England following the trade winds. 750m to lock 19 Longues-Raies (2.7m) A couple with a van were on the lockside to watch us come up the lock, they were fishing above. The lock house had long gone. Mike noted that some of the sensors that they had put on the flight years ago had had their wires cut. They had added the sensors when they were having lots of damage done to the passerelles on the gates by péniches hitting them, so if they touched the gates the sensor would automatically cut the power 

Southern entance of Mont de Billy tunnel

(like lifting the red rod) and the VNF would go to see what damage had been done to the gates and issue a fine. 500m to lock 18 Champ-Bon-Garçon (2.7m) No house, no shadow but Mike still played with a rope as the lock filled. 500m to lock 17 Vaudemanges (2.5m) Top lock. Our shadow went off down the towpath in his van, he’d checked we’d worked through OK and was off for his lunch. Below the lock there were lots of pied wagtails, a cormorant came up with a fish in its beak and while it was turning it to swallow it a heron tried to steal it! It swallowed it and then saw the boat, disgorged the fish – which sank - and then dived to hide from us. Up the lock. Maeva was still doing her homework on the Internet. The house by the port was shuttered and lots of building material surrounded it as if it was being refurbished. A péniche that had been transporting dredgings, called N.D.L. II was moored by the house, its crew away for Easter no doubt.

Madame the tunnel keeper's new flight of steps
from her house to the cabin over the tunnel mouth

The port had been turned into moorings for what looked like permanent houseboats (they each had storage sheds beside them), first a large cruiser nearest the house moored along the sloping edge, then converted péniche Night & Day, followed by two DBs, one with no name and one called Sunamelia. Strawberries were flowering along the sunny banks to the tunnel as always. I warned Maeva that the Internet would soon go off as we went into the tunnel. A dredging tip had been constructed on the left just beyond the port, with two large diggers standing idle for the holidays, so I took some photos. I started making sandwiches for lunch. Took more photos of the concrete slabs they’d erected along the canal edge, the tunnel entrance and the new flight of metal steps from her house down to Madame the tunnel keeper’s cabin over the tunnel entrance. 

Trolley on rails for transporting materials into
the tunnel for repairs

She came down the steps as we arrived, waved and shouted hello, and then went in the cabin to switch the fans on – we already had a green light. It was noisy and chilly inside the tunnel, which was lit throughout with fluorescent tubes but had no fancy intercoms for breakdown or even numbers to tell you how far it was to either end. I finished making lunch. Mike called me to hold the boat by the towpath while he took photos up an airshaft accessed from a hole in the sidewall. We ate lunch on the move. Maeva carried on with her homework. At 2.30 p.m. we reached the top lock. Fishermen above the lock thought we were Americans, no English, then they asked if we were going to watch the Royal Wedding on TV! No chance, Mike said he’d watch the footie! 

View looking up one of the tunnel air shafts

Twisted the pole and lock 16 Wez (2.5m) filled. The lock house had a huge woodpile and the lock had a new fence surrounding it to prevent people falling in! 1.15kms to the next. There were fishermen below the lock fishing on both banks opposite one another. We had to steam through the middle. Lock 15 Beaumont (2.8m) still had two lock keepers’ houses side-by-side, dating from when locks were worked long hours and the keepers did shifts. 2.8kms to lock 14 L’Esperance (2.6m) The views of La Montagne de Reims were lovely across the fields. Above the lock there were two fishermen with long roach poles out, we went round them. The man at the lock house was chatting across the lock to some friends who’d just arrived in a 4x4. 2.2kms to Sillery (3.5m). 

Mooring below the lock at Sillery

Two DBs, (one was a replica called Fánóre from Dublin) were moored in the port and two very large cruisers, must still be a few people around with enough money to stay there! The lock had been fenced off so the public could only stand by the top or bottom end gates and there were loads of people out walking. We dropped down the lock and moored beyond the twist pole against the piling, well not quite, the boat was just sitting on the bottom. Nothing went past so we were OK. I did a Sunday roast of boned loin pork with all the usual accompaniments especially for Maeva, who said it was delicious.