Wednesday 15th June 2011 Péronnes to Antoing. Back in the water. 1 lock kms

Using the forklift truck to start the trolley moving
back down the slope.

Sunny with lots of white clouds. Mike went to post some forms in Antoing that he’d had to sign for the moped insurance and park the car there. He took Anne and Woody with him so they could walk back with him. More tidying up. I did more washing, bath mat, kitchen mat and the seat covers, then I did the ironing. Lunch. Vacuumed the carpet and had a good tidy up. Marjorie came round to oil the tracks and sprayed WD40 around the pulleys. Mike sawed off the trunks of the small willow tree that was growing in line of the back spreader of the trolley. Marjorie’s forklift driver turned up around 5.30 p.m. and it was all systems go. He used the forklift as a battering ram to get the trolley moving; he had to give it half a dozen hefty bumps before it moved - then it was a high speed whizz down the rails back into the water. 

Back in the water at Peronnes-les-Antoing

Mike bled the fuel system as he’d had the injectors out, which only took a few minutes. Olly untied WS and they moved off; we had to transfer the big thick ropes back to the uprights; they were wrapped round the edge of the trolley which we’d used to attach the port side to and stop the boat slamming into the uprights on the trolley when we launched. Mike did the one at the bows then I walked the stern one down our port side as we backed out. Had to attach a couple of our ropes to it as the wind was blowing and we needed room to manoeuvre back to the post on the trolley to attach it to. Once we’d done that we backed off into the lake to follow WS. Suddenly, we had no power and the engine sounded like a bag of old nails. Mike tried bleeding the system again, we’d got loads of black soot on the water below the exhaust pipe indicating partly burned diesel. Had to call Olly on VHF to come back and collect us, which he did. 

Back in the water again after the slide down the slope.

He’d already called Péronnes lock 2 and the lady keeper said we would have to wait. We trundled across to the lock. A big commercial left Péronnes lock 1 and was heading for Péronnes lock 2, which was full with its top guillotine gate up but red lights on. A péniche had just set off from Plaquet’s too. Confusion reigned and none of us could hear what the keeper was saying on VHF. We thought we were too late and she was closing. Checked the time, it was 7.20 p.m. and the locks close at 7.30 p.m. The big commercial moored on the dolphins immediately above the lock and the péniche followed us. Olly steered us into the chamber on the left hand side. He did very well considering  the fact that he was steering looking directly into the lowering sun. We were on the left of WS so Mike and I did the ropes. The péniche tied up against the big barge and the gate came down behind us. We dropped down in the chamber, changing the ropes from one recessed bollard in the wall down to the lower ones as they became exposed. Off down the last of the canal on to the Escaut. Olly turned right but cut it a bit too close to the bank (but still quite a long way from it) and we were stemmed up. Quick reverse and we were soon on our way again. Olly rang Francis (who had checked our injectors for us) and Mike had a talk with him. Mike had already done all the things that Francis suggested. He said he would be coming to see us the following morning around 8.30 a.m. to offer his help. Anne found us a drink and we chatted as we went down to Antoing. The ride on the trolley had shaken lots of things in the cabin on to the floor and opened all the drawers and cupboards on the port side. My orchid was on the carpet and the plant water jug had fallen off the side of the sink so there was a big puddle on the parquet. Also, I hadn’t thought about closing the side doors and hatch as we left the lock and water was pouring out of the lower guillotine gate as we left so the side steps and mat were wet - another puddle on the parquet! I went in to clean up. The weirstream at Antoing was full! Luckily for us the crew of a Leeds & Liverpool shortboat called A40 waved for us to come alongside them. We tied alongside and straight away Mike started on the engine again. He took the front plate off the exhaust manifold to check that he hadn’t cracked it as he had run it without connecting the water supply a couple of times in the past which meant it had got hot and then he’d connected the water which was cold – so it could be cracked. Luckily it wasn’t. I cooked dinner. Olly gave moral support and kept him company while he worked. I put the TV on and watched Desperate Housewives. It was midnight when he finished all the checks he could do. We ate a very late dinner before turning in.