July 31                           Monday

Joigny-sur-Meuse to Chateau Regnault - River Meuse (Canal de l’Est Branch Nord)

This starts a new week of the log - readers may (or probably won’t) remember that we had tied up nowhere in particular on the Sunday night, a trifle shaken - after careering at enormous speeds, over the ground, down the Meuse when - all unbeknownst to us - the section we were poured into at Charleville Meziers as we shot out of it’s deep lock was very much at the peak of it’s flood.

(In case you think we were damn silly to start off in the first place from Pont a Bar, you could be right - the flood had only peaked the evening before).

Back to to-day:-

Disturbed night - the boat was extremely carefully and tightly tied up, with double upstream springs, and ladder to keep her out.

But the flood started to subside at about midnight and the land side of the boat sat on the bank, so that we quickly developed a heavy list, in spite of the ladder.

Rain had stopped by now, so quick run around loosening moorings and forcing ladder down to push hull further out from side got boat floating comfortably and safely.

Back to bed, setting alarm for 0330.

Roused then, checked everything, and although flood was still dropping - we had markers down - all was well, no action being necessary!

Up again at 0700, sat around drinking coffee.

Morning thick mist, but sun came through and burnt it up.

Decision time - do we go on, we were out of bread and the local village was hung over with it’s delayed Bastille celebrations, and wouldn’t supply us, and also we were not over flush with water.

Bright warm sunshine improved morale - so "to hell with it" time had arrived.

Off down the river again after U turn across current - hate it!

How different everything was to-day - everything looked dreadful yesterday in the rain. To-day it is a question of what was all the fuss about.

Found lock about 4 kms (and 8 minutes) down, recovered breath whilst lots of other boats fiddled about.

The joy of these locks is they have a long cut above upstream, where boats can escape the current and organise themselves.

On another 2 or 3 kms to advertised good mooring pontoon at Chateau Regnault. Sure enough, there it was, with another further upstream with only water and no access from the land side.

Had a look at the latter - and spoke a Dutch Barge who told us there was insufficient space for him on the proper moorings, but we may get in.

Sure enough, there were 3 boats on the mooring, but well and closely tied up, leaving about 8 meters at the upstream end.

Carried out U turn approach again, across current, under watchful eyes of boat owners. Boat came in nicely with back end neatly missing bows of end boat, and front end off pontoon in willows, assisted by Dutchman from next boat grabbing centre line - customary courtesy! Also means he can tactfully protect his boat.

Quite reasonable moorings, although overlooked by high bank which acts as side of road and pavement, with sundry park benches facing the Post Office.

Settled down, watered, looked round, ate last crust for lunch - it was Monday, and nothing opens on Mondays!

Spent rest of day doing not a lot - short of sleep last night so enthusiasm for sight seeing muted, and warm day encouraged somnolence.

Cycled through to next town - Montherme - in the afternoon to get cash and to look around.

We are now thoroughly in the Ardennes, and the scenery is truly remarkable. Great high sides to the valley, completely forested, with cliffs and rocky outcrops showing through the trees. In the sunshine, absolutely stunning.

However, the towns in the bottom of the valleys are not so jolly, with lots of 4 and 6 story blocks of council type flats, and rather seedy environs. Is this a result of unemployment resulting from the recession?

The problems of this surfaced in the evening, when the steps, seats and water point of the moorings were filled with raucous youngster showing off to each other, and pretending to throw stones at the boats. Completely spoilt super moorings.

Managed to put chairs out on pontoon, and sit for a bit in the evening - but not much fun when overlooked by faintly moronic teen-agers. Rather sad, this is the first time (except Montoche near Grey last year) that we have met this sort of thing in France.

However, in all fairness they did push off at bed-time.

We were more than ready for bed.

 

 

 

August 1                                         Tuesday

Chateau Regnault to lock 41 Romery.

Result of lots of thinking, discussion, etc, is that conditions - on this occasion - are a bit much for us and Albert.

Everything and everyone has performed splendidly, but being worried and nervous as to whether we are doing the right thing, and as to whether we are out of our depths (another nasty pun) is not really fun.

So at about 10.30, in glorious warm sunshine, we abandoned intention of going down to Belgium border at Givet - 59 kms away, and set off upriver.

Further on we note that we covered 29 kms in 9 hrs going back upstream. Givet to Pont au Bar is 92 kms - ergo it would have taken us a hell of a long time to get back! say a week?

Before departure we were able to pick up Poste Restante mail - the P.O. at Chateau Regnault got it re-directed from Fumay - another 30 kms downstream - last night - this was a "good show" on part of Poste. (Also on part of English sender, who sent it last Friday!)

Did the "mad dash for the boulangerie" before breakfast, so had bread to eat, and paid a visit to the little S.M. just across the road.

The flood level had dropped a couple of feet, but speed of flow was still very fast, and the Dutch and Belgium cruisers were lapping the conditions up, playing at "ships of war", with enormous bow waves, and very high downstream speeds.

We found that keeping as far as possible out of the current, we made extremely good time, the engine ran quiet and cool, and we had a most enjoyable run in lovely weather - just enough breeze to keep us cool (but we still put the brolley up), and through lovely scenery.

Granted, it took us almost 3 times as long going up, as going down, but at no time did we feel that we were overwhelmed, and made good steady progress, even having time for a lazy lunch on a low grass bank at Nouzonville.

To our amazement we made Charleville Meieres at about 1700 - the lock keeper who messed us about on the way down, and has a bad name, put us through (it is a 3.5 metre lock) on our own, totally professionally.

We trotted off down the downstream branch of the river from the lock for about 1 km to the P. de P. P.

It was long, big, in the full current, and totally full of boats , probably about 35 - in some cases 2 deep.

We went back upstream (one cannot expect Dutch cruisers to let an English Narrow Boat breast up to them - it wouldn’t work), and for some reason this was the slowest part of the whole trip.

Carried on right out of town, and eventually finished up in lock cut - perfectly comfortable, but no shade and a steep bank.

22 kms in about 9 hours of motoring!

Even so, with the scenery and weather, it was quite one of our best days this summer.

 

 

August 2                                         Wednesday

lock 41 Romery to Pont-a-Bar (Canal des Ardennes).

In spite of superb day yesterday, it rained in the night, and the day was cool and largely overcast.

Set off at our usual prompt 10.30, still slow upstream, but by no means distressingly so.

Like yesterday - lots of boats about - nearly all Dutch, and nearly always in pairs!

Into Pont-au-Bar at lunch time. Tied up, again, below first canal lock.

After lunch went to see chandlery/workshop re diesel and getting engine filters changed. Spoke to them on our way down, perfectly friendly then - but positively deliberately unpleasant this time. Left them to it, but although diesel even more expensive then last lot - it would save physical hassle later to get some.

Cleaned boat in remainder of afternoon, and gossiped with next door boat - Dutch.

Replaced booster switch on control board - I broke it with a fender last week!

Best pork chops ever, this evening, from a butcher who - according to his bags - also specialises in horse meat!

CD player playing up again, but we have found the Overseas Service on Medium Wave on the boat radio (the radio out of my Volvo!)

 

August 3                                         Thursday

Pont a Bar to la Cassine on the Canal des Ardennes.

Bread run on Bromptons first thing - splendid exercise.

Tidied up, got ready to start, then biked back to zapper post to actuate lock, as we were tied up between post and lock.

Watered in lock, then drove very slowly past chandlery/diesel point. Not a sign of anyone - saw unpleasant boss-creature in bowels of American boat - body language all round uncomfortable.

Great pleasure to be out on canal in rural France again.

Stopped off for lunch on nice shady comfortable mooring - just finishing when rain re-arrived. Hard, short shower.

Snoozed. Set off in dilatory fashion bout 1530, and fetched up, as planned (for once) on the la Cassine lock mooring at 1700.

Object is to see "Spectacle" on Saturday night.

Unfortunately, found 3 boats already on mooring.

1 pushed off and went through lock. Dutch cruiser eased up, and eventually gave us more room than he had himself.

3rd boat - a hire penichet - will probably go to-morrow, unlikely a 6 day hirer will spend 3 nights on 1 spot to see a "spectacle".

More intermittent heavy rain showers.

Settled in and cycled up to village to book our seats and suppers at the "spectacle" - people most helpful and village most rural - spent most of time admiring a couple of 6 week old foals and their dams. Ardennes work horses - very squat, strong, but short legged.

 

August 4                                             Friday

Still moored up at la Cassine on the Canal des Ardennes.

Fine weather - strong feel of Autumn in the cool breeze.

This is a very pleasant mooring - open all round, with nice views of field, woods, but - except for the lock - little sign of habitation. Very quiet.

Lazed the day away, reading, intermittent boat cleaning, intermittent bits and piece adjustments, intermittent gossip, intermittent not doing very much, etc, etc, etc.

Tried to make plate for bottom of weed of weed hatch baffle - with the object of reducing prop cavitation noise - could neither cut straight or to size, nor shape to fit and baffled to get it to work, Put it away, and think again.

Lots of gossip with Jan & Cora of Issjel.

 

 

August 5                                         Saturday

Still moored up at la Cassine on the Canal des Ardennes.

Still on nice moorings - but had to squash up during day for a 4th boat somewhat urgent in his outspoken desire for space.

Strange couple - having got in, they then shut themselves up in their boat and made none of the customary contact with fellow moorers. It was hot and fine, as well. Dutch - but it seemed that he fell out with Dutch boats already on the mooring, or had fallen out with the N.Z. boat he was sharing locks with. We had no contact with him at all.

Evening heralded the object of our staying here.

In the grounds of an old ruined chateau with almost equally ruinous monastic buildings every year are held a number of public events, folk balls, concerts, etc, and in particular a "spectacle". No idea who is responsible, or even if it "commercially viable", but it is all run and done by volunteers - they cannot be local, there are only about 8 houses alto-gether in the village. Anyway, whoever they are, they are very good at it!

We had decided last week - partly on our own account, but also recommended by another boat in Pont a Bar - that we would go. Hence our parking ourselves here since Thursday.

First one has a proper dinner - or not as one chooses - for which one books (and pays), eaten in a very high, very large, very decrepit hall - the original monastery cloisters, apparently.

Then, at late dusk one goes and takes one’s seat in a large sloping stand, seats are also booked, but the places are ignored, and our party of 9 - 2 Dutch boats with kids and ourselves - sat 1 row up, along the front - choice seats!

The show was a form of play - this one based loosely on Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson saving the world’s History from being hi-jacked by "Mistaire Mad".

All was done in the open (to-night’s was first show without rain this year), with us covered in top and back.

The great difference from a play in a theatre - indoor or out - was that at each scene change the entire viewing stand took off - very slowly and gently - along rails to the next scene, hence scenes were run into each other or chopped off at the end, and in each case the scenery - minimal but great use made of trees, hedges, garden, etc, matched the action - or rather the action used the scene and scenery. VERY cleverly done.

Sound was very good - all voices etc clear and audible through loud speakers behind us. It was half way through before realisation dawned - the actors and actresses were being dubbed as they went along! Very skilfully, except Dr Watson lost the plot once or twice (also, no-one had shown him how the English wear their bowler hats, he wore his on the back of his head!) - but suspect he was a stand-in. Note that the French always have had a name for mime, and this was probably an extension - but very realistic.

At the end, when all was joy, and the goodies had won, and all the people of history were saved and put back into the History Book, there was a splendid firework display.

Noticed that several times quiet - and not always so quiet - fun was poked at the Americans, and at the Brits. Wonder if the French haven’t quietly developed what we have always called the British sense of humour over the last 20 to 30 years, whilst we have been whingeing and wheeler dealing in world politics, resulting in their concentrating their efforts, in turn resulting in their masterful position in Europe?

Got back to boats at 0100, after wading through long wet grass around the back of the chateau. The mobile stand’s last scene was only 200 metres from the boats, although we started about 1 km away.

 

August 6                                             Sunday

Still moored up at la Cassine on the Canal des Ardennes.

Commonwealth War Grave - only British grave in small local cemetery with "Commonwealth War Grave" sign on gate - 551172 Ldg Aircraftsman S.A.Maddox, Wrls Operator/Air gunner, died 11 May 1940 aged 19, son of Archibald and Alice Maddox, of Dunsterville, Huntingdon. Grave neat and tidy, in reasonably neat and tidy cemetery.

Put that in as a means of making sure the information doesn’t get lost - don’t actually mean to do anything about it, but someone out there may be interested. Early May was the German land blitz across Europe finishing up with Dunkirk.

After late night last night, woke late!

Decided that we didn’t really want to go anywhere or do anything, so did just that.

Both Dutch boats left midmorning - life is becoming real and earnest for the Dutch - they seem to be pouring up the canal (and down the Meuse) on their way home. Poor sods. They always seem to be in 2s - except the people we meet, who insist on travelling singly! Curious.

Weather continued fine and cool.

Day flashed past in in-activity, and retired to bed exhausted.

ck!)