Saturday 10th July 2010 Moret to Abv Episy lk. 6.26 kms 3 locks

Overcast and very muggy. Sunny spells and light showers of rain later. Mike found the casing from the firework that exploded next to the boats the night before. It was by our bedroom window in the grass, and it wasn’t a penny banger, this one had a diameter of about 25mm. Must have been youths who hid in the car park. We were going to move on anyway. Trucker, who had ballasted the day before, set off at opening time 8.00 a.m. Charley went up first (too tight a fit in Freycinet locks to travel uphill together) at 9.30 a.m. we left at 9.50 a.m. Lock 18 Bourgogne (2.20m) was automatic and activated by sensors, two pairs on each bank below the lock. It emptied and gates opened, we got a green light and went into the chamber. I lifted the rod (heavy) and the gates closed behind us and the lock filled slowly. We rose ropeless, with camera surveillance from the lock below. I made a cuppa. 2.7 kms through Ecuelles to the next lock. 

The boats that went past the day before were moored on the stumps above, opposite the Carrefour Market, a large Dutch cruiser, a large Austrian cruiser and a tiny wooden British yacht. (Nick told Mike earlier that the last boat downhill the night before, which had come past us then backed up round the bend to moor, had tied behind Charley to wait for lock 19 with an engine that was smoking so badly the smoke was curling up over his roof – Nick asked him to turn it off as it was filling his cabin with smoke, he said he couldn’t he was waiting for the lock - so Nick said why didn’t you tie on the empty quay opposite?) The big Austrian boat, Carrière a/Donau started untying and followed us. Mike called him past as we were passing the silo quay and a cement works in Ecuelles. 

Diana called on VHF to say the next lock was keeper operated and manual. Followed the big cruiser, slowly, into lock 17 Ecuelles (1.30m). Mike hopped off to close the tail gate on our side and when the lock was full he opened a top end gate for the keeper. The cruiser steerer had one rope out, close to the stern of his boat, so the water shoved his bows over to the far side. The boat was not much smaller than the full width of the lock (5.20m) so it just rolled on its fenders. Then he got his rope stuck and took a few minutes freeing it. He’d coiled two loops round the bollard which had tightened and locked as the boat came up. As he left I said the keeper that’s it’s always a mystery to me how someone with such a boat could know nothing about locking. He said he thought the same. 

Very strange. Perhaps it’s a timeshare and he’s just arrived! 2.9 kms of nice placid winding canal through Episy up to Episy lock 16 (3.20m). There were two péniches converted to houseboats moored right below the lock on the left and the cruiser was waiting below the lock next to the péniches. We could see the stern end of Charley still in the lock, just about to leave. It took some time for them to exit and a Snailly hireboat was coming down. It was 11.35 a.m. so I got off with a rope and walked up to the lock to help speed it up a bit. Gave the keeper (a young bloke with glasses) a hand with the gate. He wouldn’t let me wind a paddle down, he did it because he said it was dangerous - as he allowed it to spin down while standing in line with the fixed windlass. I agreed, yes that’s very dangerous. The other two boats, the large cruiser and the little yacht we passed earlier, had caught up too. The little wooden yacht, to my great surprise, came in alongside us, there was just enough room. I shut a gate and the keeper started the lock filling then came back to the tail gates and wound the one I’d shut one extra click on the capstan just as the gates went clunk as the water pressure shut them. Dope. He went back to the top end and carried on winding the paddles. Mike had a stern line out to stop us running forward and chatted with the yachtsman as the lock filled. I held the centre rope to stop us leaning on his wooden yacht. Opened the gate and away we went following the other two. Charley was moored just around the corner next to an old stone quay with bollards on the non-towpath side. No shade (it was still cloudy) but OK for TV and quiet as there would be no passing bikes and walkers. We moored behind him.