Wednesday 4th May 2011 Abbécourt- Jussy. 21kms 10 locks

Moored boats at Chauny

A very cold night down to freezing, sunny with clear skies but chilly, fleeces on until mid-afternoon. Two loaded boats went past before we were out of bed at eight. An empty called Bonsaï went past heading uphill at 9.05 a.m. closely followed by Belle Orchidée, also empty.  We set off at 9.15 a.m. winded and headed uphill. The canal changed its name in Chauny to the Canal de St Quentin. Alizér, a loaded péniche came past heading downhill followed by a little VNF cruiser with two men in it who stopped at the site where they set to work doing some piling repairs. Anitjo loaded with sand went past at 9.35 a.m. A loaded pushtow pair of tankers called Calais and Samuur were waiting to be unloaded at a fuel pipeline in Chauny. 

Lock  gates 33 Viry. 

There were more moored boats along the left hand side on finger pontoon moorings than I remembered being there when we last came through in 2004, with a DB called Perseverance between them. The second of the two empty boats was still waiting to go up the right hand chamber of the paired locks, 35 Chauny (2.20m) while Les Deux (loaded) had just cleared the left hand side coming down. We realised the locks were automatic (Senior moment, had forgotten although we’d marked the chart in 2004) and saw that the left hand lock had refilled for Portland (loaded) to come down. The empty had cleared the right hand side chamber, so we got a red/green light indicating it was getting ready for us as we’d passed through a set of sensors. All around the lock was a high green mesh fence. 

Lock cabin at 31 Fargniers III

We were glad that they’d added a baffle plate to the water feed on the right, which always flows furiously into the canal from the Oise - that always used to shove the boat bodily sideways. Lifted the bar, gates closed and the noisy old electric motors opened the paddles. Above the lock on the left were several little houses; the end one (painted red) had Val Pariso on the gate and a péniche mast with flags in the garden, an ex-boatman by any chance? 1.5kms to the next lock. Just above lock 32 there was an arm and a lock with a liftbridge which leads on to the river. Now there were no entry signs, but the house still looked inhabited. Our old chart indicated that there was a large factory loading quay on the river. 

Loaded peniche Chrismi above lock 30 Fargniers II

Through a set of sensors 200m below lock 34 Senicourt (2.0m) as the intinerant VNF man in van drove past us heading downhill on the towpath. He waved. Up lock 34, noting that there was a water tap by the house on the right hand side with a notice saying “Batellerie” on it. As the lock had a big green mesh fence surrounding it there was no way for us to use it. We had enough water to last another week but were noting where the taps were now located as the one in Chauny on the quay by the car park had long gone, although its sign was still there. 2.3kms to the next lock. Loaded boats Bertha and Manna were moored in the pound by some houses. The VNF man in a van went back up the towpath. Three men were strimming the grass below lock 33 Viry (2.40m). 

Part of a family of lizards living in lock cabin 26 Jussy

Up lock 33 then 2.6kms to the next, lock 32 Targnier (1.4m). The van was parked by the next lock but no sign of the driver as it was getting close to lunchtime 11.45 a.m. The right hand lockhouse had a pen with three peacocks in it, all loudly squawking as we locked through. 900m to the junction with the La Fére branch. Carthage and Zen, two empties, were moored on the junction, doing some painting. A large no entry sign below lock 31 (2.90m) Fargniers III’s left hand chamber indicated we should head for the right hand one. Sensors on the left hand side activated the lock and we went in and up. The next three were linked and worked as we approached them. 970m to lock 31 Fargniers II (2.90m) and we went up the right hand side again. Above it a loaded boat called Chrismi was waiting for us to exit. 500m and we swapped sides to go up the left hand chamber of lock 30 Fargniers I (2.60m). 

Old house at Jussy

The gates had closed behind the downhill péniche but had reopened for us to go up. I made some sandwiches for lunch, which we ate on the 3.6kms pound to the paired locks at Liez. Idefix, another loaded boat, was just leaving lock 28 Voyaux (3.0m) as we passed the sensors. Noted that now we were out of the town of Tergnier there were no more green mesh security fences enclosing the locks. As we left 28 another loaded boat, Samarinda from Marchienne, was coming round the bend so Mike passed on the left to give him room to swing into the lock we’d just left. 600m to lock 27 Mennessis (3.30m) Water was pouring over the top end gates and we noted another water tap, this time in a brick built box with a green mesh front, also with “Batellerie” written on the notice. 

Moored on the silo quay at Jussy

A couple of fishermen were sitting fishing on the left just above the lock. 2.6kms to the next so I read Mike some more of Pillars of the Earth. The left hand chamber was working at lock 26 Jussy (3.00m) and the old “greenhouse” lock cabin had become home to a large family of lizards. It was 2.00 p.m. as we left the last lock of the day. Into the low cutting that crosses from the valley of the Oise to the valley of the Somme. A large enclosure along the right hand bank now contained goats, big brown ones with black horns. We tied up at the end of the silo quay at Jussy. It was 2.40 p.m. Mike fetched the bike off the roof easily as the cabin roof was level with the top of the quay. He went off to collect the car.

Tuesday 3rd May 2011 Abbécourt Day off VNF strike

Sunny with clear skies but chilly. Still no boats. We both did work on our PCs. At 2.10 p.m. a cruiser came past, an ex hireboat called Cordial, whose skipper told Mike the strike had finished. No point setting off now, too late in the day to get to a decent mooring. An empty pushtow pair of tankers called Nicole and Namur came down the locks backwards and reversed to the junction with the Abbécourt canal and then winded to carry on down the Latéral canal, another thirteen loaded boats came down during the afternoon, Fugase, Maltic, Isabelle, Roger, J.P.P.H, Marsellais, Aqua-Mundo, OVNI, MyLady, Dereadt, Valinco, Luxor and one with fresh paint and no name – the last at 7.15 p.m.

Monday 2nd May 2011 Abbécourt Day off. VNF on strike.

Sunny and warm with a chilly breeze. A boat went past at 7.20 a.m. and we thought, oh good no strike. It was the only one and probably had set off from Chauny heading down to lock 1 St Hubert, which was almost certainly closed. We decided we needed to do some shopping first and went to the Carrefour Market in Autreville, just a short distance away outside Chauny. After lunch I gave Mike a hand to get all the stuff out of the engine room so he could get at the engine and drive train plus the batteries to do the usual monthly checks.

Sunday 1st May 2011 Abbécourt. Day off. May Day National Holiday

Sunny with chilly wind. Up at 8.30 a.m.  Mike set about fixing the trip kilometre recorder in the car as it wouldn’t reset. Took the speedo out to work on it in the boat. I set the laptop up and the antenna out on the roof to get the Internet the signal got better it was 3G so I did some catching up. 

Saturday 30th April 2011 Longeuil – Abbécourt. 30kms 3 locks

River Oise, peniche overtaking.

Sunny with white clouds and a few grey ones, but no rain. A chilly wind made us keep our fleeces on until just before we moored up. We were up at 7.30 a.m. The first boat past had been at 7.00 a.m. and there had been a procession past of around one every ten to fifteen minutes. Wiped the roof and sides down and got the boat ready and then winded and set off up the canal at 8.45 a.m. Shortly after we set off two loaded push-tow pairs went past, Phil-Ange (missed the name of the pushed boat) followed by Tahiti pushing Aloha. There didn’t seem to be so many retired boats at Longeuil as we remembered, perhaps they’ve had new lives and gone back to work. Among the few retirees was a push-tow pair for sale. Iso, a single loaded péniche went past heading downhill. Portland, running empty, was fast catching us up at KP31. Mike broke his best green Polish tea mug, and tea went all over the slide, map, GPS, etc. 

Peniches waiting for lock 19 on the canal du Nord
at Pont l'Eveque 

Leaving the paired locks, 2 Pont l'Eveque, same time
as an empty peniche

Maeva was doing some school work first thing but changed to composing a song using my keyboards. When we arrived at lock 3, Bellrive (2.98m) the big lock - right hand chamber – was full, but the keeper emptied the little lock on the left and we were soon in it, centre rope attached to the recessed vertical bar in the wall and the lock was full in minutes. Nouvel’R, a loaded boat went into the big lock. Loads of boats were moored above the lock, among them was Rose des Sables a 57m long barge. Further on there were more boats moored by Ribecourt bridge, Traveler (loaded) Risque (loaded) Delcacia (empty) and Pionier a loaded 450 tonne Dutch boat. Beyond that was an old pusher pair slowly rusting away, their names obliterated. We came to the end of the large chemical works, that stretched along the left hand bank from the lock, and there were big fields full of bright yellow flowering colza before the village of Pimprez. There were two more dead deer floating in the corner where the old loop had been stanked off. A pair of sandpipers flew in front, stopping, then taking off again for hundreds of metres before turning to fly back the way they came. Near the bridge at Chiry-Ourscamps two péniches were fast catching us up. Empty péniche Fugace overtook us at KP23. At 11.15 a.m. we went past the junction with the Canal du Nord at Pont l’Evêque. We could see four or five boats moored abreast below the first lock on the Grand Gabarit, probably waiting for the lock. Lots of boats were moored around the junction. Beyond the junction the locks were now péniche length but still paired. Lock 2 Sempigny (1.52m) was just past the junction. The right hand chamber was empty so we went in and I threw a rope around a bollard. 

Above lock 1 St Hubert paired locks

The keeper came out to ask where we were going then he started the lock filling. Mike had asked Maeva to go and ask him about the strike, so she crossed the bottom end gates and went up into the lock cabin. He was very helpful, the strike (which was about the Government plans to raise the pension age for functionaries - civil servants) would be on Monday, but he wasn’t sure about Tuesday and Wednesday. (No one had mentioned Wednesday!) He knew nothing about the Canal de St Quentin which was not his canal. Movimento went uphill in the left hand chamber, he left, the keeper emptied the lock and then Valinco came in and went up. Maeva returned and we followed Valinco, but not for long, it was soon a dot in the distance. A Dutch cruiser called Ichthus from Rotterdam went down in the left hand chamber as we left (first private boat since leaving the Aisne). It was 11.45 a.m. as we left the lock. Mon Rêve and Portland were moored side by side above the lock on the left. Beyond them was a wreck of an old DB, a rusting half of a tanker push pair called Trans Navi (418T) On the right were some more old boats, then the VNF yard with a brand new small fast cruiser tied up outside the offices among all the pans, workboats and tugs. 9.2kms to the next lock so I made some sandwiches for lunch while Mike chased more sandpipers. I had to get on the roof to sling a rope around a bollard in lock 1 St Hubert (2.49m). We went up in the right hand chamber and the keeper, a cheerful chatty bloke, came out of his cabin to ask where we were going. He said the locks were closed tomorrow for the holidays but Monday was a bordel (mess, chaos), depends on the lock keeper as to whether he works his lock or not! So we may drive up to Chauny on Monday morning to find out. Another péniche was approaching the locks to come up as we left. In the woods I could hear the distinctive call of a golden oriole and more sandpipers flew in front of the boat. It wasn’t long before OVNI (French for UFO) from Bethune, empty with bows high in the air, came past us just after the bridge at Quierzy. Nice paint job, the crew had recently painted the hull as far as the water line. Noted there was nice quay with bollards and room to park the car should the quay at Abbécourt be full. An adult on a scramble bike with a child on pillion, plus two young boys on small-sized scramble bikes went down the towpath on the left bank (there’s a No Entry sign by the road bridge, but this is France!) Nobody moored on the quay, one fisherman at the downhill end and a campervan half way along. We winded at the junction with the Oise à l’Aisne (where we would have come out if the canal hadn’t been closed for lock repairs, it’s taken us four days to go round when normally we’d have done it in two). We tied up at the top end of the quay with only one bollard at the stern, Mike had to bang stakes in for the bows as the bollard had been taken away. It was 2.35 p.m. Portland (empty) went past us (again, he went past earlier but we overtook him when he was tied up) to test our mooring ropes. All OK. Alize went past a little later. Maeva rang her Mum, she said her Dad would be about four hours (she’d already packed) as he had to visit the Mayors at Noyons and Pont l’Evêque where they would be playing in a couple of weeks’ time. Set the TV up and Mike and Maeva watched snooker. At 4.30 p.m Jaël (loaded Dutch péniche) went past again (we’d seen him last Wednesday running empty up the Lat à l’Aisne). Maeva’s Dad and brother arrived around 7.30 p.m. had a cup of tea then they set off taking Mike with them back to Condé to collect our car. Mike phoned at 11.30 p.m. to say he was leaving Condé after having a coffee with Christelle and Jean-Max. It took around two hours and he was back around 1.30 a.m.

Friday 29th April 2011 Vic-sur-Aisne – Longeuil. 28kms 5 locks

Vic-sur-Aisne lock in the mist

Grey, damp and misty until we stopped then the sun came out, thunderstorms later. Mike went for bread, 1,15€ each. Ab Ovo, a loaded péniche, went downhill at 9.00 a.m. We winded at 9.20 a.m. and went down to lock 12, Vic-sur-Aisne (1.13m) zapped and the gates opened. We went in the lock and I lifted the bar, nothing happened. The DB Parelion, which had been on the mooring above overnight, had winded and set off for the lock. Mike called him on Channel 10 and asked if he wanted to come into the lock with us. He said no. The lock wouldn’t work and the VNF man who was stood on the bridge over the top end gates said the man in the van was coming (he has three locks to look after). 

DB Parelon disappearing into the mist below
Vic-sur-Aisne lock

Called the DB again and after correcting their adding up - 2,10m plus 4,20m is definitely less than the width of the lock 7,80m so they came in alongside us. The van arrived and the gates closed behind us. Hallelujah, we’re getting through this lock at last! The Swiss-German crew of the DB said they would wait for us at the next, 6.6kms down river, but Mike told them not to wait as they would be faster than us. They went off first and soon disappeared from view. Below the lock péniche Anita was getting ready to load at the silo. Maeva asked if she could use my laptop and the Internet. We passed the mooring we had intended to use the previous night, a floating pontoon at Attichy. It was empty, but only just long enough for us. The mist seemed to be getting thicker as we ran down to lock 13 Couloisy (0.67m) and after searching for the sensor and couldn’t see it until we were level with it we went into the chamber in the middle and the automatics worked OK. 

Lock cabin at lock 13 Couloisy

No signs of the DB. Dropped down the shallow lock and set off on a 5.7kms reach to lock 14 Herant (1.35m). Past a large chemical works and a péniche houseboat tucked under the trees called Clairbois. We arrived at the lock just as a VNF van arrived. The lock worked perfectly and I took photos of the old and the new lock cabins. Another VNF van was parked by the house, must be lunchtime. 11.40 a.m. I fished a new tennis ball out of the river as we left lock 14. Rain, but only a short, light shower. I made sandwiches for lunch on the 7.5kms pound to the lock on the river. Maeva was working on her website for her parents theatre boat. The lock, 15 Carandeau (1.54m) was not automatic. We arrived at 12.45 p.m. and although the lock was full the gates were closed. 

Flood marks on the lock cabin at Couloisy

We tied on to a VNF tug/workboat called Sanglier and waited. Only a few minutes passed before the gates opened so we went in. A young man leaned out of the lock cabin window and asked for the telecommande (zapper) so Mike trotted up the steps with it and answered all the usual questions; where did we start from, where were we going, etc, etc. He spotted a notice that said the wearing of lifejackets was obligatory – we hadn’t and no one said anything! We left the bottom at 1 p.m. 2.5kms to the junction with the river Oise. The DB Parelion was moored on the little quay at Choisy-au-Bac. They had said they were going to Compiègne and then north. We could hear loads of commercial traffic on the Oise calling on Channel 10. Under two new bridges that were not on the chart or our newish maps. 

Old lock cabin at lock 14 Herant

Tug Ebene and an empty pan with Veolia Proprete (therefore probably a rubbish collector) written on it were moored at a loaded chute by the second bridge. Turned sharp right on the Oise (the Petit Oise according to the VHF radio traffic) heading up river. It was 1.30 p.m. It was quiet for a while as we ran upriver slowly against the flow. The first boat past was a pusher pair of péniches called Jessy and Priscilla from Douai, loaded with chipped stone, down river by the Continental tyre factory. Next came Match, a loaded péniche from Pont l’Evêque at KP102 just downstream of the island de Janville. There was a large sign for up river traffic to keep left of the island. A tug called Pegase from Rouen (long neglected by the look of it) and a load of empty pans were moored either side of the end of the island. 

Rubbish boat near junction of rivers Aisne and Oise

Beyond that were more derelicts. Cameline with no cabin, then a lived in retired péniche called Nous Deux was moored by the start of the houses on the islands. Upstream of the bridge Ma.Jo, an empty péniche was moored at the start of lots of other boats including a pusher pair called Why Me and Why Not. The locks on the Canal Latéral à l’Oise are paired, a big one (91m x 5.6m) next to a small one (péniche sized 38m x 5.6m) and as we approached lock 4, Janville (3.33m) the gates were open on the small lock and we got a green light. The keeper controlled the two locks from a cabin situated on the island between them. He indicated we could tie to the vertical bars in the lock wall. We did, with our centre rope. Within minutes the lock was full, the gates were opening and we were on our way again. Mike had already decided to find a mooring among the retired péniches in Longeuil as the passing boats go slower past them and the route we are now on is very busy up to where the Canal du Nord takes most of the traffic north at Pont l’Evêque. 

Above the paired locks at Janville. River Oise.

There were signs to say mooring was allowed for eight days maximum, but nothing was moored there on either side of the canal, which has roads and houses along both banks. Loaded péniche Diligente (ex Hydra) from Arleux went down the canal. On the right hand side the line of moored boats started, a wreck of boat then Dei-Adjuva-Nos (an empty) then a gap so we winded and moored. It was 2.50 p.m. and the sun had just decided to shine, briefly, then we had a thunderstorm and torrential rain. A dead deer went floating past. Moshulu went past uphill, loaded, followed by Rei-dia from Douai, both loaded. Maeva played on my keyboards, composing a song for Gaétan to sing and said she would record it for U-Tube. She and Mike had a disagreement over music scales, she said the notes were doh, ray, me not C, D, E, this was for children! Mike had an e-mail from John P in which he said that the VNF were going on strike on Monday and Tuesday! Waah, we have to stay put Sunday because of the Bank Holiday and now it looks like we’ll be stuck for three days! Maeva phoned her Mum. Christelle knew about Monday but not Tuesday. Change of plan for Maeva, they will pick her up next day at Abbecourt when they come to collect Mike to go back to Condé for the car. Flashes of lightening, peals of distant thunder and then heavy rain. Later Mike and Maeva watched snooker, she said she would like to learn to play.

Thursday 28th April 2011 Vailly-sur-Aisne - Vic-sur-Aisne 37kms 6 locks

Automatic staircase locks at Celles

Grey, overcast and damp. A péniche went past just after eight, before we were out of bed. Set off at 9.10 a.m. A VNF van went past as we went past the quay by the road bridge. 2kms down the canal to the last canal lock. Surprised that staircase locks 7&8 Celles (2.5m & 3m) were now automated. Took a few photos of the cabin over the bottom chamber and then set off on the river Aisne on a 12.75kms reach. Maeva was busy doing her school work. Loaded péniche Relicat went upstream at KP57, empty Kurum from Nancy followed it at KP58. There was a silo at KP58 where Anex was loading, Yukoncity was already loaded and Canberra from Seraing was waiting to be loaded. 

Loaded peniche Relicat heading upriver at KP57

The next loaded boat, Mardi, went past at KP62. We arrived at lock 9 Villeneuve-St-Germain (1.4m) at 11.40 a.m. The rods to activate the locks were now painted green not blue. And we had to be careful to pass close to the entrance sensor, if we didn’t the sensor wouldn’t “see” the boat. I made lunch on the 4kms reach through Soissons. There were three cruisers moored by the electric boxes but not plugged in (they were operated by tokens, therefore probably expensive) and a péniche houseboat was moored on the opposite bank of the river in the town where a camper van was parked. Into lock 10 Vauxrot (1.5m) and we entered the lock chamber on the side opposite to the sensor so the rod didn’t work, backed up to the sensor then went back in and it worked OK. 

Moored on the silo quay at Vic-sur-Aisne

On the 10kms reach we passed three private boats all heading uphill; a Dutch yacht called Arger with its fairy-lights on at KP74,  an ex-Carribean called Octavia with a UK flag at KP75 and a Dutch cruiser called Kievit at KP79. Into lock 11 Fontenoy (1.95m) and dropped down with no problems. It had been raining but it was easing off. The quay at Vic-sur-Aisne was full; a Nicholls cruiser, a Swiss flagged DB called Parelion and a British replica DB called Linda from Sheffield. We went down to lock 12 Vic-sur-Aisne (1.13m) zapped and the gates opened but not fully. It sat with the red and green lights on. It was 3.05 p.m. Shortly afterwards loaded Belgian péniche Yukoncity arrived and he telephoned the VNF to come and clear the gates. 

Barragiste at work on the ancient needle weir
Vic-sur-Aisne

We waited half an hour then gave up and retreated upriver to moor on the old silo loading quay in Vic. We were only going to go another 5kms down river anyway. The VNF came and cleared it shortly after and the péniche went down. Mike went to reconnoitre the village for a boulangerie and was astounded to see the locals answer to no parking signs – they park on the footpaths, completely blocking the pedestrian passage, who have to use the road to pass by!