Sillery to Berry-au-Bac, Canal de l’Aisne a la Marne.

Through Rheims - vast lines of peniches and private boats all hugger-mugger round P. de P.  Motor way right opposite - but noticed on way through that there are one ort 2 places quieter and more private, if one has the chance to look around.

Past the steel works, all looking very dead - don't know if they are all still working - - it's Sunday, sdo difficult to tell.

Very fine and hot. Country side now vast plains of small grain crops, currently being harvested, or tobacco.

Locks all automatic, and at least half did not work, so L.K.s had to be called.

Covered ground desperately slowly - but we don’t actually have to be anywhere, so it didn’t really matter.

However, if we have to be static - better in the shade than in blazing midsummer sun with no breeze!

Finally got to Berry-au-bac at 17.30, at least 2.5 hours after should have been there.

Turned right at tee junc (wrong way for us) and moored under trees beyond fertiliser works.

Not all that a clever mooring, square sides, trees for secure tying up, short grass and clean, but little or no shade until sun crossed canal at about 1830, and everything cooled down.

Berry-au-bac to Bourg-et-Comin, Canal de l'Oise a l’Aisne

Retraced steps to tee junc, and dropped through lock into Canal de l’Oise a l’Aisne.

Expecting to find all peniches tied up everywhere yesterday - Sunday - to be roaring around doing peniche things.

Not a sign - dead as a dodo.

Quite different atmosphere to other canals we know. No cleaning or tidying up has been done for years - yet this is a busy canal carrying commercials to Belgium, and waterborne tourists from Holland, Belgium and NW France,

The little halt - 40m with water & electricity - was in good fettle, grass around mown short, but no shade except under a very ancient rusting dredger up on blocks at back of grassed area.

Arrived to find little run-about, and French yacht moored up. Tied up exactly level with back end of jetty - leaving 4 metres between us and yacht.

During afternoon and early evening several boats "had a look", and eventually one of them, a very large white cruiser, did close-up-and-give-me-some-space signs. Squeezed up and left him with last 2 metres of jetty. He was German married to a Dutch lady from Maastricht. Quite amusing - and after doubling up on electrical supply for them, were good for beer for the rest of the evening.

Temperature in cabin, by Grandfather’s tent thermometer, reached 98 F. Running the old Pateni workshop fan (it lives in whatever corner of the storage space is available and should have broken down years ago) makes an enormous difference, but although consumption is low, it is really a bit much for our batteries, so in hot weather a mains supply is almost a must.

Very hot - clear blue sky, and almost no air movement at all.

Bourg-et-Comin to Soissons. Canal de l’Oise a l’Aisne.

Had hoped to find nice bush mooring, fully shaded where we could - quite literally - chill out for the day.

Not so easy - this is river, and the banks are thickly wooded or bushed, and are shallow at the edges.

Found nothing even possible, let alone suitable. Went back up river to have a look at Vailley-sur-Aisne, but just a jetty - complete it has to said - at the bottom of a steep launching ramp, at the side of a bleak and parched picnic area.

Turned straight round, and carried on, till - well into the afternoon, reached Soissons - a large town.

Lock moorings above Villeneuve 9 lock - at entry to Soissons complex - had big "Halte Nautique" signs -  but although white bollards and picnic tables had been installed  the bank was so steep, high, and badly mown, and the water so shallow, and full of stumps, there was no way we could even getthe boat in, let alone get off it and moor up. The ones below the lock were well sanded - and again much too high to get on and off the boat, and ended in a weir outlet just waiting to sweep us into the river.

The main town mooring - advertised - was a long town jetty with Capitainerie boarded up and vandalised, right opposite a hideous silo.

Gave it a go - it had turned cool, and started to rain in earnest - cycled full length to next lock, to see if we could find better, but no joy. In fact, we were reasonably comfortable and if we had looked we would have found water - but no electricity. Neither were promised!

In view of rain, really had no choice - so moored up and chained boat to steps railings!

The evening was enlivened by a motor scooter being driven 10 times from end to end of the jetty at about 22.00 and kids doing handbrake turns on the car park over the river opposite.

In fact, we were in no way interfered with, and plenty of promenaders stopped and gossiped. A group of about 12 youngsters at a nearby picnic table were completely orderly and well behaved, so although we moored up and stayed in some trepidation - in fact it was a good stop.

Soissons to Vic-sur-Aisne. Canal de l’Oise a l’Aisne.

Before departure quick look for bread. Discovered Soissons - apart from probably the best boulangerie we had visited - was a good shopping centre, and Wed was market day.

Market was superb, well organised, lots of stalls selling fresh produce, butcher etc in covered marked, and a very painless food shop ensued. Also able to bring carte vertes up to date in book shop.

Set off eventually, in cool weather, deep river, so Albert behaved like a destroyer. Bit concerned since yesterday that electrical charge show on panel very low. Tightened fan belt last night, but little difference seen. Remembered trick from 3 years ago was the charge correct, and the panel misbehaving? At a lock, turned motor off, and jiggled all connections on back of panel. Charge shown shot up, and all was joy!

Arrived at Fontenoy lock at 12.30 to find it open, set for us, and deserted.

Couldn’t remember L.K.’s times on this waterway, but reckoned it was probably his lunch break. Had own very comfortable lunch, pleasantly and stress freely moored in lock, until 13.30, when cars arrived, and life galvanised. Gates shut, and down we went. Hurriedly finishing off lunch.

Target had been Vic-sur-Aisne, where nothing except ponton-fixe was promised. Passed enormous camp site in trees on our right (rive droigt) with Denise and Alan from Back o’ the Moon waving at us - they must have looked up at just the right moment.

Further down found Vic sur Aisne mooring, mooring - water and electricity and Back o’ the Moon herself.

Pleasant gossipy evening, before they went back to camp site - slightly enlivened by eruption of car load of fisherman, who ran around like ants, shouting and yelling.

We thought maybe we had occupied their favourite spot - we weren’t on the actual mooring, which was only 2 boats long, and already full, but on a grassy bank 20 metres up. However, when we offered to move, all was joy, and they were quite happy where they were - probably just a bit over-excited.

Vic sur Aisne. Canal de l’Oise a l’Aisne.

Day off.

Moved boat onto mooring proper so we could couple up electricity.

Cleaned inside and out.

Thought about next phase of trip, tried to plan it, but one cannot really plan anything on the waterways except in very general terms.

Ate too much - to S.M. to replace that eaten.

Vic sur Aisne to Janville. Canal Lateral de l’Oise and Canal de la Sambre a l’Oise.

Early get up - there are always so many things to do before actually leaving, from getting bread to topping up water.

Got away at 09000 give or take, and bimbled down river.

Slightly featureless - thick forest both sides, no question of bush moorings, odd dwelling, ponton-fixe at Attichy, then Henley type settlement on right bank, lovely house and gardens down to the river.

Had promised ourselves a visit to the Railway Carriage in which the 1918 armistice was signed, but absolutely no-where to moor, let alone leave the boat safely, except 1 short jetty (probably too short to be safe for us - occupied by Flojita, whom we had met at St Mammés. They probably were doing the site seeing, as no-one about.

Slid into Carrendau Lock at exactly 12.30. Superb piece of timing. Able to use the lock for lunch, buy fresh eggs off the L.K. and alto-gether have a peaceful time.

After lunch, off to the junction with Canal de la Sambre a l’Oise or lateral a l’Oise. Big time canal - part of the main route between Paris and the NW of France and the Low Countries.

Heavy commercial traffic from the junc up - as soon as we turned into the canal, right behind was a fully loaded peniche, looking like a crocodile creeping up on us.

Map shows Janville with an island, around which the traffic flows keeping right. Off it is shown the main river, and we hoped for a quiet mooring out of the rush up there.

Large arrow at end of island said keep left. We went right and right. Wide waterway, but ran into soft mud after about 75 metres. Very embarrassing, and potentially disastrous. However, Albert came off, with much huffing and puffing, and non desire to turn round, or even reverse straight, and we got out and returned - somewhat chastened - and once again telling ourselves "never mind what the book says, follow the canalside instructions - lots of VNF and pilotes haven’t read the book".

Took ourselves up main channel to 300 metres below lock. Designated moorings (large white P on Blue) to our right - very high concrete revetments, and one peniche moored up. On our left (rive droigt) line of different craft - including 3 plaisanciers, moored up. Not quite such high concrete topping, but still really too high for narrow boats, in that we fit under underneath and our coach sides take the bashing.

However, there was a line of concrete fencing on the road close to the side of the canal, offering unlimited combinations of mooring points, so we lifted our fender planks and dully tied up, with every last piece of rope we had - where possible doubled or duplicated. This is one busy waterway - indeed we had only just finished when a double laden peniche came down, a fully laden single went up, and 2 unladens, trying to overtake at the same time, also went up, all racing to beat the Friday evening lock deadline of 7 p.m.

Steady stream thereafter, but we seemed to be OK, so pushed off up to the lock (footbridge over) to see what went on.

Fascinating! 2 locks side by side - one long enough for double or pusher peniches, the other shorter.

Also fascinated by the antics of a large Dutch Barge with lee boards wandering up without a care in the world by 2 gentlemen who could not have looked less like boaters, newly painted, bumping all the way up the waiting key, the lock sides, and the peniche awaiting him in the lock. Completely incomprehensible - as he advanced on whatever he was going to hit next he took absolutely no avoiding action - such as spinning wheel, increasing revs, reversing engine, forwarding engine, what so-ever.

Watched avidly for some time all the activities going on - Janville is the name of the lock, but the village is Longeuil-Annel, and seems to be a major peniche centre, with boat yards, workshops, and lovely lines of decorated cottages - a lot with peniche masts and flags in the gardens - along the canal.

On way back from lock "discovered" a boatman’s museum. 2 floors of displays, models, and a few relics, and a complete peniche called - of course - Freycinet - moored opposite in the canal. Shown a couple of short films on the life and history of the canals, and of the people. Very interesting, all in French! The peniche was fascinating to us - the hold was full of well laid out displays, well lit - and was huge! We could see into the wheel house, and into the living quarters, but unfortunately weren’t allowed in. Saw the engine - 8 cylinder in line diesel.

Back to the boat, to find mooring lines all loose, but everything totally happy. Reckon the lines stretch after mooring up - especially as it had rained quite hard while we were in the museum.

All traffic stopped by about 2000, except for a couple of late movers. Don’t know how they get through, but every night there are 2 or 3!

Quiet night.

Janville to Languevoisin. Canal Lateral de l’Oise et Canal de la Sambre a l’Oise, Canal du Nord.

Left at sparrows - didn’t want to be bounced in early morning rush hour.

In fact, there wasn’t one, and we had the canal and  lock all to ourselves.

Tied up immediately after on the left and went back and bought bread, then off.

Slightly dull, wide canal, well wooded on both sides up to Pont l’Eveque, where we entered the Canal du Nord.

Decided to look at the P. de P. at Pont l’Eveque - much too early to stop, really, but if it was nice perhaps we could have enjoyed another day doing very little. It was out of the flow of passing traffic, but otherwise was reasonably ordinary, being just the other side of the village street, without electricity or trees.

Left it, and went back up the Canal du Nord to the first lock. They are all double length, and down this end 5 to 6 metre rises, with creaking guillotine gates on the downstream side.

Had to do a bit of waiting, but lined up with a peniche. Regrettably, got into his propeller wash (too close behind) on the way in, and careered all over the entry pool. However, caught it in time, and went up comfortably - bollards set into the wall mean we can alternate ropes going up, so remaining tied up safely, whilst driving into them to keep boat straight.

Peniche driver walked back at the top to comment on our having lost it on way in, explaining that he had had to do a quick rev up to keep straight through the incoming by-wash. Suspect he was part apologising, and part teasing us for incompetance.

Country changed to very impressive wide open land with views for ever. Being built as a major route, it was designed - presumably - with min number of locks, to keep commerce flowing, so a lot of the canal is above the surrounding countryside.

Most impressive - and would have been better if the rain had held off - it pissed off and on all day.

After long day - 40 kms - (there is no question of bush moorings with this sort of traffic, and with shallow sloping canal sides) - we settled into quite comfortable moorings "port publique" just before Languevoisin Lock, in front of a large silo with carefully tended lawns.  Hugh McNight reckons it is a proper port - no,  it is just a widening of the canal, but wide enough to get one out of the battering from passing traffic.  As the book says, there is a tel kiosk, and a rubbish wheely bin, and water, if you can get at it for the peniches moored up across it. 

There were 4 or 5 peniches on the mooring,  including a couple of Dutch ones - beautifully presented - with complete families on board.