Much cooler overnight, but getting hotter again during the day. We’d had replies from Snail (yes very interested in a trip to Poland) and one from Helen (they’d delivered in Reims and loaded again in Chalons). Replied to them and to Ron Thomas in Oz. Mike went for bread, then we had some lunch. The little cruiser Atlantis from Wachtebeke had come back downriver and moored by the boat in front. Set off after lunch at 2.20 p.m. with Charley following us. Pusher pair Go-Ahead and All-Right was loading at the public port. On the end of the quay Jeanine was loading from a lorry with a tilting container on the back. Tug Pacifique and 52m pan Goyon (964 tonnes) were waiting on the quay we’d tied to when we first arrived at Bray just over a week ago. Another empty was moored, waiting, on the quay with the spiral loader, Phocea (57m x 7.2m 670 tonnes). Yacht, (67m x 7.2m 917 tonnes) was loading grain at the new silo in Vieux Mouy. Empty péniche Pen-Duick was lurking under the trees waiting his turn to load, while on the old silo quay (which we thought was out of use!) tug Europeen had almost finished loading two big pans with grain. Tug France went past heading upriver pushing empty pan Saumon. All getting very busy now the grain is being harvested. La Grande Bosse was ready for us, full with gates open and a green light. A man strimming the grass stopped to ask if we’d been up to Nogent and enjoyed our stay there.
The keeper, another young lad, leaned out of the window of his concrete tower as we left and I told him we would be staying above Marolles lock for the night. Below the lock Winnetou, an empty (80m x 8.2m 1,053 tonnes) was waiting to go up as we left. Went past an arm into a gravel pit where a pan was lurking. A little later we looked back to see a tug come out into the river, attach to the pan and drag it out. We went round a bend and expected the pair to come past us but saw no sign of them. The river was straighter and there was no breeze so it became very hot. Heard a yellow hammer singing from a tree top as we went past. Through La Tombe and under the bridge. Sterne an empty 60m barge was coming upriver. An empty called Diamond ( 85m x 8m 1,300 tonnes) was not far behind him. A tug and a pan of gravel were just leaving the gravel quay and Adoque (70m x 7.25m 89 tonnes) was moving into the loading berth, the chute was over his hold and running before he’d put ropes off! Esturgeon was loaded with gravel waiting for a tug to take it downriver. Followed the tug Largo Winch and his pan Largo Winch II down to Marolles. He went into the lock and we tied up behind Charley, finding a gap in the trees for the satellite so Mike could watch Germany v Spain and I Desperate Housewives.
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