Thursday 15th July 2010 Episy to Nemours. 11 kms 3 locks

Nice cool night – needed the duvet! Warm sunny day, blue skies and white fluffy clouds – a few grey ones later. La Nauve went past heading downhill, loaded, at 8.50 a.m. Had a text from Helen with info about moorings. Sent one back to say thanks and tell her we’d just seen La Nauve. Set off at 9.30 a.m. following Charley after Mike had been to see the lock keeper at Episy for him to tell the next keeper we were coming. He said he’s not there until next week! Joker. Didn’t tell him about our car being robbed right by his house. Up Berville lock 15 (2.0m) together, which worked OK except the keeper was a student (studying level 6 Maths, he had his books out on a table by the lock) lifted the wrong paddle first which blew Barley off the right hand wall. As Charley is not far off the same width as the lock it didn’t have far to go and Diana soon got it back against the wall. 

Two downhill cruisers arrived, one Dutch one French, as we left the lock. 2.3 kms to the next. Followed Charley up to lock 14 Bordes (1.9m). Below the lock a gang of men were doing some piling using a JCB to push the piles in helped by a high speed vibrator. They’d only just started, they were pushing the third pile in, but they stopped and went away in a van as we went up the lock. It was only 10.40 a.m. The keeper was a middle aged chap. He told Nick as we left that there was a loaded barge coming down. Nick slowed right off when a very smart péniche called Adria, a German boat from Hanweiler, came round the bend. Mike called him on VHF to ask him not to stop (not a good idea to go too slowly either,  needs some way on to keep steerage) as we’d have no room to manoeuvre. 6.3 kms to the next lock. I finished defrosting the ‘fridge and refilled it, made a cuppa and went to sit out as we were going through the flood lock, 13 Fromonville and onto the river Loing. 

On the stretch of river going into the town there was a pontoon mooring, which was still empty. An ex hireboat and the hotel boat Absoluut2 from Douai were moored under the trees by the car park. We went up the lock, 12 Buttes (1.5m), worked for us by a young lady and a young man (more students). It was midday as we banged pegs in the gravel and concrete on the old quay beyond the moorings as they were full. We had intended to carry on after lunch but decided it looked OK and stayed. Mike rushed off to buy a loaf then I made sandwiches for lunch. Gave him a hand to get the fizzer off the roof, easy as the quay was halfway up the cabin and he went to get the car from Episy. Mike came back (with a 15€ tin of mastic to do the front deck) and we put the bike back on the roof after a group of French people had come up the path especially to have a chat (there is no exit beyond the quay where we’re moored as there is now a builder’s yard at back of it which is fenced and gated). The water and electricity were free so we ran leads out – and Mike had to change plugs to use all the long leads. More boats arrived.

Wednesday 14th July 2010 Abv Episy Day off – thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Cooler. Dry morning with grey clouds, distant thunder, wind followed by torrential rain in the afternoon. Sun out again later. Mike started work on replacing the pipe to Arsene’s casserole (raw water filter). After lunch the wind and rain started. I gave Mike a hand to finish off the solar system cover, bolting two hinges to keep the two halves together which will enable them to be stored under the panels on the roof. He went back to work in the engine room. 

Tuesday 13th July 2010 Abv Epizy Day off

Cooler. Grey clouds and the odd shower. Sunny spells. Traffic busier. Trucker went downhill loaded early, as did Noedo mid morning, and shortly after that the first hotel boat we’d seen on the Loing went up, Fleur – a Dutch boat from Zwijndrecht. Several cruisers went up and down later. I did some more washing and did the chores while Mike took Nick with him into Nemours as he wanted to get some wood from the Brico and Mike bought some pipe to replace the water cooling pipe that had started to leak where it had rubbed against the swim. When he came back he told me someone had been in the car and had stolen his small toolbox, the small ice box, his specs (not sunglasses), a large torch and the round tin out of the glove box which had change for parking, etc. They hadn’t taken the jump leads, first aid kit, safety warning triangles or reflective jackets, nor my map light. Strange? They must have had keys as the got in through the back without breaking anything. I walked back to the car with him to check if anything else had gone. After lunch when Mike had calmed down, his nerves were all over the place after finding the car in such a mess, he went back to Nemours to Roady to replace the tools that had been stolen and spent over 60€. This is the first ever experience of thieving in France in all the time we've been here (now our 18th year of cruising sur Le Continent). Sad day.

Monday 12th July 2010 Abv Episy Day off

Woken early by heavy rain and distant thunder. The rain poured and the thunder rolled round all morning. Sun reappeared after lunch. Mike went to Carrefour Market in Nemours to get some odds and ends. I got on with the usual chores. Lunch. After lunch we went out in the car to check out the moorings in Nemours and beyond. A gang of small boys were setting off bangers by the lock then walked up the car park alongside the river. The pontoon was still there, empty, no water and the electricity was activated with tokens, if it worked. A park area had been made by the pontoon with seats and paths that the local kids were riding round on bikes. Above the lock on the canal the old quay was now the port de plaisance with water and electric on tokens. There were five cruisers moored there and it was full. The high quay further on was down a hole (no TV) and opposite a busy boules court. Think we’ll pass on Nemours especially as it’s Fête National time (14th). We also had a look at Bagneaux. The quay now had a housing estate alongside it and a stadium opposite where there was to be a firework display on the 13th.  The police municipal were just putting up signs to say no parking from 7 p.m. until 2.00 a.m. Back through Nemours and headed home. Had a discussion with the neighbours and decided to stay put until the 15th. (Canal closed on the 14th, confirmed with lock keeper, who also recommended the firework display at Bagneaux as superb). 

Sunday 11th July 2010 Abv Episy Day off

Sunny but slightly cooler and a better night’s sleep. Mike put the reflectors in the sunny side first thing. He painted the solar panel covers. After lunch Mike watched the F1 race from Silverstone. Later he watched Spain beat the Netherlands in the World Cup final after extra time. He said neither side really deserved to win and that the Netherlands should have been playing with only  nine men not long after the kick off, maybe even down to eight men before the end.

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.

Friday 9th July 2010 Moret Day off

20.4°C minimum outside overnight. Rain! Grey clouds and raining first thing. Heard distant thunder but nothing close by. The rain stopped late morning, then back to sunshine but not quite so hot as the day before. Mike and I went shopping (by car) at C4 Market in Ecuelles by the next lock uphill.  Didn’t need much. Checkout assistant was silent and surly. I packed all the groceries away and made lunch. After lunch I did the chores then gave Mike a hand to hold down the wooden covers for the solar system while he cut the edge pieces down so the covers would fit under the panels when not in use. Killed a cleg (horsefly) trying to bite my elbow! Put the boards on a picnic table while Mike planed the edges. Spotted several strange insects I’d never seen before. One was a fast runner, six legs, white with black polka dots and another was similar but navy blue with light brown bits. They were larvae of lacewings (I think) and a seven spot ladybird. An empty péniche called Trucker came up the lock as we were clearing up and moored opposite on an old high quay. So much for the kid at the lock saying the day before that there was no more péniche traffic through here! Glad to see he was wrong. I put the inverter on and did the log before starting to catch up on blogging, etc. Far too hot. A very loud bang got all of us outside at 12.30 a.m. A whiff of smoke was drifting across the car park by the boats and Mike found bits of cardboard on the roof and bank near the rear window. Diana spotted two people on the far bank beyond the moored péniche. Someone had set off a petard (banger) right by the boats. Nick thought it was on his boat, so did we!

Thursday 8th July 2010 Marolles to Moret-sur-Loing. 22.4 kms 3 locks

Cool overnight, but getting even hotter during the day. Set off at 9.45 a.m. Commercial traffic up and downriver had been busy since 7.00 a.m. opening time. The lock, Marolles lk 13 (2.82m), was full with gates open and a red light. Called the keeper on VHF, got a green light and we were soon through the lock. Loading gravel at the first quay were two pans, Zouc and Tan-Go and tug Dockland, plus Mackenzie was on the inside under the chute loading. At the next quay there were two big pans, Biguine, Raga and 45m pusher Frantz (with a posh shiny satellite dome on the cabin) being loaded by JCB digger. As we passed Momtereau we could see the same boats were on the pontoon, a wrecked yacht and a wooden cabin cruiser. 

The same line of houseboats, péniches and cruisers were moored downstream of the bridge. Just before we arrived a commercial coming upriver sweeping fast through the bridge and on to the Yonne had made the water choppy for a few minutes. Lots more péniches were moored on the quay at KP69.5. On round the bend and through the railway bridge. Traffic was catching us up as we approached Varennes lock 1 (2.62m). Pusher péniche pair Go-Ahead and All-Right (loaded at Bray the day before) overtook us. Cruiser Atlantis from Wachtebeke also caught up and hovered behind us and Charley while a lockful of uphill traffic left the lock. La Rose (péniche loaded with sand) and Twister (empty péniche) were moored on the lock approach above the lock.

Megane (55.9m x 6.67m 700 tonnes), pusher péniche pair Antinea and Atlantide and empty pans Paso and Mambo pushed by tug Langeudoc left the lock, then we followed the downhill pusher pair into the chamber. Charley came in behind us and Atlantis on the left hand wall behind the pusher. The crew on the pusher ignored us, as did the keeper in his concrete tower. Invisible again. A small wedge shaped speedboat cruiser was waiting below, he had the whole lock to himself. Charley overtook us then the cruiser overtook both of us, the latter without a word. At KP73 an empty péniche called Mirja went past heading upriver, the skipper had his back to us - so no cheery wave from him either. He was followed by a little Dutch cruiser called Flipper and an empty péniche pusher pair Mano and Luma from Gent - whose skipper waved! Hooray! We’re visible again! Risque from Thuin was waiting to be loaded at the grain silo chute at KP75.5. Péniche Cupidon was being unloaded of his cargo of scrap at the quay downstream of the empty private commercial offline port. 

Round a long right hand bend past the EDF power station Richardiéres, mostly hidden by trees. The old lock La Madeleine was full of old boats, mostly wrecks including several old concrete shells, plus a few commercials that might be waiting repair as it looked like a boatyard. A trip boat went uphill as I was making a cuppa. Just before St Mammès we passed a houseboat on the left which had its own private beach – a big pile of imported sand. A dog was paddling up and down in the edge “biting” the waves. Empty péniche Bambi went past heading upriver, then empty péniche Forez, as we passed a row of ex-hireboats (Nichols and Connoisseurs) all moored sterns to the bank – they leapt about in the wash of the passing commercials. We paused at the bunker station and I stepped off with notepad and pen to get prices of diesel, 250 litres of red for us and 100+ litres of white for Nick. The lad said he’d have to phone the boss for the price of red, 74.4c/litre and white was an eye-watering 1,27.6€/litre. Mike had hovered by the quay, we said we might as well top up, so Charley winded and tied on the higher quay to have his white diesel. The pump was by our bows for the white and the red was on the high quay! Two boats, a cruiser and a yacht arrived to take on white and moored on the high quay. The lad said they’d have to move off as a big boat was coming in. Mackenzie arrived as Nick finished tanking up and paid, so he took off and went over the other side of the river. The big boat only stopped to pick up his missus who had been shopping and he also had a big roll of hose and another of rope! Then we moved round on to the high quay and the lad handed Mike the filler to top up our central heating tank with red diesel ready for next Winter. He spoke reasonable English and I asked him to shout out the numbers (of litres from the pump) for us as we couldn’t see it and I couldn’t get off easily (not in a skirt – no ladder either). A British yacht had moored behind us and a large Belgian cruiser called Savannah was on the low quay filling up. Charley had moored on the quay opposite and was having lunch. We went to see if we could find Gil’s boat, Tigris. There were loads of boats moored at the bottom end of the Loing. As we approached the railway bridge the Belgian cruiser Savannah went past, no one spoke. Found Tigris with another péniche moored alongside, so we couldn’t just bang on the hull to say hello – gave up, and headed for the lock. Savannah was messing about by the moorings, Mike asked if they were going up the lock and got no answer – they reversed towards the last mooring spot on the wooden landings, we had to take avoiding action or his stern would have rammed our bows. Ignorance. We went into the empty lock chamber and I went up the ladder with our centre rope. Looped the rope around a bollard and went to find the keeper. A sign on the little lock cabin said “sonner” so I did and a loud claxon went off. The keeper, a young lad, came from a house beyond the trees at the back of the cabin. He pressed buttons to work the lock and Mike held the rope. I sought shelter under the trees as it was getting very hot. Went back to ask the lad if we were OK to moor on the quay above the lock, maybe a couple of days. No problem. When we got to the quay it had a notice saying Halte de Pugant Payant and a phone number. I rang the number and a recorded voice said they were closed until Oct 2009 and gave another phone number. Mike walked back to the lock to ask the keeper. He said it was OK. Saw Charley coming up to the lock on the keeper’s CCTV and he asked Mike if it was his boat. No – we’re moored above and just asked about the pay sign?? Must be the heat. Charley came up and moored behind us. Temperature on the roof had soared to 44°C and it was 38°C in the cabin. I made a late lunch at 2.45 p.m. and we put the reflectors in the windows to try and keep the temperature down a bit. Gave Mike a hand to get the bike off the roof and he went to get the car and collect his new tyre (30€ ouch!) from the bike shop in Bray (he also had a new spark plug (4,90€). I started on the log but gave up after I’d done about half as I was making too many typos. Sweltered and dozed. Put the fan on and drank loads of water. It was gone seven thirty when Mike returned, he said the guy in the shop had had a long conversation with a customer and then another one on the phone. Gave him a hand to put the bike back on a blisteringly hot roof. No cooking, I was already dissolving. Mike heated some cassoulet for his dinner, I passed and had a glass of coke. We watched the rolling News and French weather (thunderstorms due, well I never would have thought it).