2000
August 8
Sunday
Vendenheim to Schaffouse-sur-Zorn.
Again log suffered from anti social behaviour of computer driver in company.
Heavy rain in morning.
F&P off on bikes.
Storks in field
Paul went for a walk, and watched a naked lady chasing a budgie.
Nice evening - but rain in middle of night - once again the chairs were out
on the bows!
Bugs bad!
August 9
Monday
Schaffouse-sur Zorn to Lock 27 between Savernne and Lutzelborg.
Day of disasters:-
Started early with breakfast on the hoof, to get on a bit.
Making nice steady progress when on entry into a lock found we were
permanently in forward gear. Fortunately no one else was about or involved,
found quickly that problem was cable linkage, not gear box, and S. drove boat
through and out of the lock whilst self stood on the engine changing gear direct
with the gear lever itself.
Assumed gear cable broken , and blessed decision to buy new spare from Crown
Blue Line at Saqrrebourg - even though they robbed us.
Moored up in shade to carry out major engineering operations, but on
investigation found that the end nut had come off the cable, so leaving the
handle in the boat cockpit disengaged from the gear box in the engine hold.
Replaced, and having wasted early start time saved, continued.
Decided to try and complete shopping in Savernne S.M. Floss and Paul took
bikes down, only to find that Paul's back tire was "invalid", having
apparently melted in sun.
Floss and Paul to buy bread and get rly times on foot, self to S.M. on foot,
S. to look after boat.
Whilst looking after boat, peniche passed at speed, tore temporary pegs out,
dumped one in canal, and passed on.
Paul's bicycle tire blew up with a bang.
Returned from S.M. to find S. making with magnet.
Eventually found pin.
Continued into Savernne intending to meet P&F at Town Lock. Not there.
Went on foot up to Lock, leaving S. and Albert in marina, awaiting P&F.
Eventually S. + Albert came through to Lock, with P&F, who had had
reasonably unsuccessful time walked a million miles in the heat but no bread and
no tyre!
Went through Town Lock last of 3 boats - very gentle 5.43 metres - with side
sluices in wall.
Were asked to hold back by Nichols employees, as following locks "too
small" for 3 boats. In fact, problem was new boaters, but held back anyway
- even so caught them up after each lock, as they were taking so long to go
through.
Gave it up between 27 and 28, moored up at quiet spot, in the shade at about
1730, but an hour later an ignorant creature with a large hire/trip boat full of
noisy children decided that although there was 200 to 500 metres of empty canal
and bank on either side of us, he needed to tie up 40 feet ahead of us.
Many small children, supervised by very strange adults, made lots of noise,
as did the adults moving furniture about the tin boat
Boss adult fired catapult at water - thrilling.
Who breeds these people, and why are they permitted to continue?
Nevertheless, we had pleasant supper in the open beside the boat, but
eventually driven in by threatening rain.
Later, youths took up station on the seat - several times we have told
ourselves "never moor up next to a seat". Once again we were proved
right/wrong.
Then the children's' boat load ran their engine - ?showers(?)
In fact, we could hardly hear the engine, it stopped very quickly, and the
youths were driven away by the rain quite soon after arriving.
August 10
Tuesday
Lock 27 between Savernne and Lutzelborg to Hess.
Once again, we decided to start early with breakfast on the hoof.
This appears to be fatal, as the day invariably fills up with drama and the
extra time saved is wasted recovering from them.
On the other hand, as we have had more drama in the last 3 days than in all
the rest of the trip, and during those same three days F&P have been with
us, statisticians could argue that drama, in fact, follows or is caused by them
We set off at 0800, to go up to lock 27, where we would phone to get us into
the system. (This flight of 12 locks and the inclined plain is a
"chain", where each boat is on a computer and locks are -
theoretically - readied without any action on the part of the staff or the
boater, except raising the blue rod when in the lock and ready to go up or
down). It is a very clever system, but totally unsuited to non-cognoscenti - in
other words, out of season, and used by people who know what they are doing, and
who don't want to stop and shop, or sleep over, or picnic, and who speak
intelligible French down an unintelligible loudspeaker/phone thing, it is
undoubtedly very good, but at the height of the season one incautiously operated
lock, or one boat pushing into or dropping out of the chain leaves locks with
wide open gates facing the wrong way, and frantic boaters from the other
direction waggling tirettes up and down, and confusing the system further. Each
waggle indicates, to the computer, another boat dropping or rising in an empty
or full lock respectively - tricky)
Anyway, I took the boat too far forward, ran aground trying to avoid a
fisherman (who shouldn't have been there), and in getting off drifted across the
mouth of the lock in a cross wind.
At that moment lock gates opened to reveal 1 small hire boat in the front
(our end) and 2 very large cruisers in the back end. Far too much boat for the
lock, and just what one is asked not to do.
The hire boat was forced out by the big boats, instead of waiting whilst I
pulled myself to-gether and got out of the way, was caught by the same cross
wind and back wash that was giving me grief, and we connected, with the result
that the hire boat was turned directly across the mouth of the lock.
The 2 cruisers shouted at him - they were, of course, German - to get out of
the way, which is difficult when you are sideways on across the canal and
haven't driven a boat before. He got into a panic - there were millions of
people on board telling him what to do, and backed into the protecting timbers
around the mouth of the lock - no visible or apparent damage.
He got sorted eventually, and set off - amidst many apologies from us - down
the pound, followed by the 2 idiot Germans, who each tried to add their two
pennyworth. I spoke them not fair.
Phoned "control" who organised lock in our favour, and got
ourselves up the next 6 or 7 into Luxelbourg without incident.
Luxelbourg village has 2 locks, one at each end, and is an utterly charming
village out of season. In season it is a mass of boats and boaters all speaking
some form of German.
There was a 2 boat (+ us) queue for the first, waiting ages against 2 red
lights.
Finally, after half an inexplicable hour we went through, to discover an even
longer queue at the second - about 5 boats below and same above. Lights were red
on both sides, and top gates were open to a full lock with 3 boats waiting in
it.. No-one understood what was going on, but the L.K. - with his van engine
running - was in the cubicle (van was outside, of course). Asked him, but got no
reply, then watched him fiddle with control board. It was obvious he did not
know how to do it, or what he was doing.
Eventually he guessed the right combinations, gates shut, lock emptied, gates
opened and 3 boats escaped.
S brought Albert in, with 2 other boats following.
As soon as they were more or less in, someone pulled tirette - apparently a
gongoozler with no connection with lock or boats. Albert was in front of lock,
so took full force of entering water whilst still not secured. (It is vital to
secure boats in the front of a rising lock, although in the back no turbulence
is perceived). Pulled emergency stop lever very forcibly and loudly, and told
L.K. what I thought - regrettably in English - not enough French for that sort
of occasion. Gongoozla apologised, but felt L.K. was responsible, and should
have supervised properly. Generally sorted the shambles out (sad call from Floss
on front of Albert - "never mind the arguing, will someone please take my
rope" - could have been a serious accident - and let L.K. re-set the lock,
and start again - this time satisfactorily. Reckon L.K. was a summer student who
quite genuinely did not know what he was doing, and was totally unsupervised!
Up the rest of the flight in peace and quiet - had the word gone around that
one should avoid the English Narrow Boat?
Impressed P&F with the inclined plane - and ourselves, even though we had
done it before, and so along the top to the 2 tunnels, and into and through Hess
to sleep over on a proper country quiet bush mooring - first for about a
fortnight.
Blissful - no traffic, other boats, Germans, tourists, children, seats. Just
rain.
August 11
Wednesday
Hess (p.k. 240) to Lagarde.
A memorable day, but not much from the boating point of view.
It rained - heavily or lightly - virtually all day.
Motored peacefully along through and from the etangs, into the very canalised
section passed the cement factory at Xouaxange.
Were now meeting quite a few boats - say about 10 - mostly private German,
but some hire as well.
Round blind corner met a fully laden peniche, with 2 private cruisers - both
German, overtaking him right in our teeth, followed by about 5 more, making like
destroyers.
Second one stopped, but first one came on.
Felt philanthropic, after yesterday's hate against Germans, so did best to
get him in in time, and when he made it gave him a thumbs up!
Peniche crew gave big wave, and there must have been at least 10 more boats
behind him, waiting to pass - where did they all come from? From 0900 to 1100 we
must have past some 30 boats, not a club outing, or apparently connected in any
way - NEVER have we seen such a concentration of boats going 1 way - EVER.
On to the deep, deep lock (the 15 metre one) with "Masquerade" (Tom
and Sanrdy) who had wandered back into our orbit (see in Strasbourg, and sharing
going down from Lutzlebourg), which (the lock) happily was virtually waiting for
us. 5 minutes just to finish filling and outloading a couple of A.C.C., and
"come on quick" calls the L.K., "want you through and out before
the eclipse".
However, the importance put on conversation triumphed, as we asked him about
the holidays next week - yes the V.N.F. is working normally, and please could we
have a 2 way zapper, and yes the weather was vile, and we wouldn't se the
eclipse!
However, whether or not he actually had any control on the speed of descent,
once we started down it was a bit like a lift.
Wandered out over the etang exit, and realised that deepening gloom wasn't
only due to weather, but that it was coming up to eclipse time (12.30 here) and
it was now 12.15.
A short break in the total double cloud cover, and we were able to see the
sun like a new moon.
Then a real thick grey thundercloud came and moved over us, going West (we
were going East), so tried to work boat speed so that we emerged from below grey
cloud into area which only had high cloud at moment of complete eclipse.
It worked! We came out from below thundercloud, and were just able to see sun
through high cloud (with one or 2 short breaks when it actually shone through)
getting thinner and thinner.
Finally, we actually saw disc on disc of the total eclipse.
Very weird - no wonder the ancients used to sacrifice virgins and what not to
their gods. The light in general got more and more dim and when the sun did
shine it was weirdly orange.
Over the actual eclipse it did, for about 3 to 5 minutes, get totally dark,
to the extent that driving the boat - quite slowly by now - from the back Floss
on the bows totally disappeared (if eclipses only happen every 75 years, this
could add a certain permanence to her existence). A hire boat at the next lock -
idiot - put his head and nav lights on, and they with the lock lights (also red
and green) totally confused an already bemused crew.
We were reasonably laid back about the whole thing - even disinterested - we
had no idea that we would be on the "total" line, to the extent that
we only realised that we were anywhere near it, or even that it was happening,
when a local Post Office gave S. some free post cards of the French
"eclipse" postal stamp, that consisted of a map of the relevant area,
within which we were.
Thus we ended up, without effort on intention, actually seeing the total
eclipse of the sun, and were able to work out that the 30 odd boats we passed
earlier in the morning must have been making a mad dash for somewhere that some
rumour monger had said was going to have fine weather. Don't think they had a
hope in hell.
Decided to try and make for Lagarde for the night, through the pissing rain,
but stopped on the exact spot that we had our second chill-out day with A&C.
Masquerade stopped there as well, but it was too difficult to communicate in the
rain, except that he had had an experience with the German navy and the peniche
similar to ours, but was most unforgiving and cross. But then he is a proper
sailor - off shore and all!
After all the excitement it was good just to wander down to Lagarde, fill up
with water at the heavy hose point - we were emptier than we ever have been -
tie up on the grass opposite the hire base - utterly empty, like a ghost town -
and knock off.
Out to supper by courtesy F&P at the Auberge in Lagarde. Good. Most
successful evening, except we had gone out with out macs, and it was raining
when we returned to the boat.
August 12
Thursday
Lagarde to Somerville.
Retracing steps never so dramatic as original trip, and little to say about
it.
Pleasant day's boating, in pleasant country, weather cool and overcast.
First lock refused to work, although zapped, but we are used to calling them
out over the "interphone" strapped to the L.K.'s cabin wall. Rather
nice looking girl came out in her little van, and she practised her English, and
we our French. Meantime another boat arrived and his zapping got the whole thing
moving again.
No more trouble down the line, and moored over at same spot as on the way up,
having stopped, fortunately, at Crevy to buy bread.
The sight of Floss walking around with 4 French baguettes tucked under her
arm, all naked and unashamed (the baguettes - Floss was suitably clad), you
seldom get your bread wrapped in France, especially in country districts) was
something to be enjoyed.
One more evening largely given over to the computer - bloody thing. Jules's
visit and so on.
August 13
Friday
Somerville to Nancy.
Weather pulled itself to-gether, and had a nice run through last 3 or 4
zapped locks, into manned ones from Dumbasle into Nancy.
Girl student running one lock was most upset at our habit of not tying up in
locks - especially descending.
Made us put ropes properly - quite amusing.
Took Treasures into Nancy direct - had plenty of time, but spare time on the
canal can be lost so quickly at wrong set locks with a string of hire boats.
Into Port de Plaisance, chappy with whistle tried to lure us in, but wasn't
interested when we said we were leaving after an hour. Wouldn't let us moor to
towingpath by water garden. Obeyed him, but he was probably talking nonsense, so
moored up amongst the dog crap under the bridge.
Saw Treasures off, went back to Jarville to S.M. and had lunch whilst waiting
for it to re-open. 1 tin of sardines was virtually the entire contents of the
food cupboard and fridge.
2 trolleys later, and all was joy.
Back into Nancy Port, and decided to pay up and take a mooring and look
pleasant.
In fact, a good decision as the e-mails and SMS shot back and forward.
Walked up to rly station - weather now cool, breezy and overcast - to get
info for Jules!
Drink at cafe in Stanislaus Square - fr 47 for 2 small beers and a lemonade.
Back to boat.
August 14
Saturday
In Nancy
Checked diesel - in passing - first thing, and slightly shaken to find only
10 galls in tank (+ 9 galls in Jerricans).
Decided, there and then, to go straight up to Total Service Station to
re-fill. Successful - put in 120 litres with same pipe system across towing path
as before.
Now measures at 35 gallons.
This works out at about 1.3 galls per day. Most of recent motoring has been
done on deep canals, at full power, so doesn't sound unreasonable. Price her is
about fr 4.75 a litre - we have to buy "white" diesel - red is only
for proper working boats, and heavy fines are dished out to transgressors/
Will re-fill at St Jean de Losne.
Decided to "take day off" and headed back for Nancy Port de
Plaisance.
However, things being as they are, the lifting bridge knocked off before 12,
so we just sat about for a bit - we have learnt to sit out these waits
completely painlessly - it is very easy to waste an hour or so, without trying -
and just got the same mooring back by the skin of our teeth under the jaws of a
big black German boat, who bought diesel just after us.
Tried to clean boat in afternoon - managed roof, but rain came on again.
Read books and dossed around, then went for walk in afternoon/evening round
an extended street art market - much erotica wrapped in sheets of plastic.
Rained off, visited mobile phone shop to try and find out about French systems,
but couldn't translate "infra red", so left it and wandered through
park
Quiet day, but not by any means boring!
Called on little Scots fishing boat that is wandering around same canals as
us, and who we have seen 3 times recently. They brought - quite literally by sea
- their boat from the Western Highlands, way up North, through the Caledonian
Canal, down the East Coast, to Calais, then through the French system, and are
heading for the Balearics!
