Rain in the night, still raining when the alarm clock woke Mike at eight. Snored on until nine. An empty pusher pair went upriver. The rain had stopped so we set off at 10.45 a.m. intending to look at the quay in the old river at Cézy and if that was no good we’d carry on to Villeneuve. Followed Charley down river and on to the 2.5 kms canal section. Nick called on the radio to say there was a bumper boat coming through the flood lock. We hung back and waited for him to come through the bridge, which he did very slowly hugging the bank on our left, one person on the bows with a pole, plus headlight and fairylights on. Mike told them in English that they’d got their lights on and they switched them off, so they must have been Brits. Turned out they’d already been on the bottom by going too close to the bank when they let Charley go first through the flood lock gates, we saw the mud all churned up when we went through. The first bit of the canal was twisty and we said we were glad we hadn’t met a push-tow there.
Lock 3 St Aubin (3.10m) was empty and the bottom gates open so we stooged around in a cold and gusty north wind waiting while two Locaboats came up. The chamber walls were both sloping and there were two pontoons on rails in the bottom end left hand corner. Charley went on the one nearest the wall and we tied on the one behind them, overhanging it at both ends. Mike asked me to put our long rope from the stern around a bollard on the bank to keep us from going forward as the lock emptied and also keep some of the weight off the pontoon. As the lock emptied it became apparent that the stone steps that Mike was going to go up to retrieve our long rope were very badly eroded and covered in slimy silt. Not a good idea to try and climb that. He called the keeper on VHF before the lock was completely empty and asked him if he would detach the rope for us. He told us that during the winter when the navigation is closed they run water through the lock to prevent a build up of silt in the canal and the running water had badly eroded the steps. We had noted in other sloping sided locks they had built new sets of steps made from expanded metal, but not in this one.
It was 12.15 p.m. as we left the lock and turned left running up the river towards Cézy. As we turned a narrowboat came upriver. It was Oxford Blue again. The crew waved. The quay was a short stone one with bollards and picnic tables and two lads fishing. We motored on towards an old suspension bridge and passed another quay, this one had an ornate fence along it and a beautiful château behind it. Took photos as we turned to run back downriver. Decided that as the sun had just come out we’d carry on down to Villeneuve. 4.9 kms of tree lined river to the next lock, so we ran downriver slowly to be there when the keeper returned from his lunch break at 1.30 p.m. We arrived a few minutes early and tied on the wall on the left, Charley came alongside. The keeper, a man in his thirties, arrived in a car and opened the gates for us.
Both walls were vertical so we threw ropes around bollards on the right hand wall and slowly descended 1.94m. Paddles were still the old up and over lever type, manually operated, but the gates were press button electrically operated. The keeper told us there was a fishing contest before Villevallier and that the next keeper had two locks to look after. 4.6 kms of winding river to the next lock. The fishermen had packed up and were having lunch in a large marquee. A Locaboat was moored under the bridge at Villvallier also having lunch. We followed Charley slowly down to lock 5 Armeau (1.58m), another lock with sloping sides. The keeper was a chatty middle aged bloke. There had been two pontoons, but now one was broken and out on the bank, so we passed Charley in the lock and tied to the little pontoon and Charley came alongside. This time Mike put the long rope out, he doubled it back to the boat and as it happens this time the steps were good and not damaged. The lock keeper wanted to know if we were staying in Villeneuve and how long for, as he had to work both locks. We said we were having Sunday off and he said he would be passing so he would call and ask us when we’re going to continue. A new British replica Dutch Barge called Mallard was on its way to the lock as we left it.
Another 5 kms of river, past an old sandpit and we arrived in Villeneuve. French cruiser Lara was moored on the quay and Charley moored upstream of them, then Nick changed his mind and moved downstream as there was a car park right alongside. We were winding and came bows to bows with Charley and tied up. Mike checked the satellite and said we wouldn’t get a picture so we went where Charley had just come from, behind Lara. A small expo was in progress by the lock and kids were having rides on little ponies along the quay. A small girl aged about four tried to jump over a low chain between concrete bollards at the end of the car park next to the boat. She missed, tangled her feet in the chain and did a complete somersault landing on the back of her head on the gravely tarmac. Waaaah!!! First aid! Water and cotton wool to clean the graze and a bonbon to take her mind off it. Mike chatted with a British bloke who was with his wife (French) and the girl’s parents (all also French) and they asked the usual questions. Gave Mike a hand to unload the fizzer down a plank and he went to get the car from Joigny. I put the inverter on in the engine room and did the log. He returned as it started to throw down with rain. He told me that as he was tying the ropes to secure the moped in the back of the car when a Frenchman came out of the posh hotel, paused, and then asked him if he was cleaning his moped! Er, no! He didn’t know what else to say, why should the guy think he was cleaning it in the back of the car? That ranks alongside “Do you collect spiders?” (when he was photographing one) as one of the crassest comments yet. It started getting chilly - 11°C outside around eight p.m. - so Mike lit the Refleks but turned it off before we went to bed.
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