Monday 30th March 2015 Berry-au-Bac to Bourg-et-Comin. 20.2kms 1 lock

Canal bank covered with spring flowers at Berry

7.8° C Sunny with white clouds, strong westerly wind. The banks where we were moored were covered in flowers, cowslips, violets, daisies, speedwell and red dead nettle. Four empty péniches were moored on the quays plus one below the lock and a Swiss-flagged Dutch barge. When Mike walked into the village for bread, the boulangerie was closed and the mini-market that I thought they’d built recently was a figment of my imagination. He came back for the car keys and went to the

Four storey house at Maizy

boulangerie in Guignicourt. Worth while going as the bread was a good price 1,10€ for a 400g pain. On Mike’s return, I went to see the lock keeper to tell him we’d be at his lock in about ten minutes, OK, and I asked him if there was drinking water still available here, yes. I went back to the boat to hang on to the centre rope while Mike used a wrench on the mooring pins to extract them. Winded at 11.50am and went into Berry (Aisne) lock 3. Mike refilled the water tank while I became human mooring

An old farm shed

pin again as there was no bollard on the lockside for our centre rope. The keeper came out of his lock cabin to take our licence number and he gave us a zapper for the next lot of automatic locks. Once the hosepipe was back by the tap and Mike was back on board, the top end gates closed and we dropped down on to the long pound (20.5kms) to lock 4 on the canal Latèral à l’Aisne. The Dutch barge that had been there when Mike returned with the bread was no longer there moored behind péniche Logica. We both said we’d got a good

A mistletoe tree

idea where that’s gone, fully expecting it to be on the pontoon we were heading for. The very strong west wind was right in our faces and trying to rip all the flags off the masts. Not long after we set off two empty boats, both named Poulebot, but one from Nancy and one from Dunkirk, went past heading for Berry. Ten minutes after that a third boat, Tonga, followed them up to Berry. I made some sandwiches for lunch which we ate on the move. A lovely new house, a three storey wooden chalet with balconies all around it had been

Sugar works and silo quays at Oeuilly

built right into the hillside at Maizy, a splendid village sprawled out along the banks of the canal. La Paix (empty) was moored on the silo quay at Oeuilly having some work done as there was a van belonging to a maintenance company parked next to it. On the opposite bank the sugar works quay was empty and silent (and, thankfully, odourless), we debated whether the screw type gear was for loading or unloading boats. Our fears of having nowhere to moor at Bourg were unfounded as the pontoon on the junction with the canal Oise à l’Aisne was vacant except for one small cruiser and a sheeted up speed boat,

Pontoon mooring at Bourg-et-Comin

both looked like permanent moorers. Gave Mike a hand to unload the bike and he went to collect the car from Berry. Pleased we’d managed to escape the forecast rain as it started to cloud over with grey ones again around 5pm and before long the rain was pouring while the gale force wind howled.

Wednesday 25th March 2015 Courcy to Berry-au-Bac. 12.2kms 9 locks

Battered car in a field at Courcy

4.1° C Grey skies and damp, a few spots of rain. Mike took photos of a car that had gone off road into the field opposite, a recovery vehicle was attempting to retrieve it. He was sure he had heard a noise around 1.30 am. We set off at 9.30 am, winding and turning the pole to continue the descent to the Aisne valley. Lock 9 Courcy is chained (linked) to the next three locks (8 Noue-Gouzaine, 7 Fontaines and 6 Loivre) so as one empties so the next one fills to get ready for us.

Engine shed for the electric towpath traction mules

The only signs of life were a lone jogger and a man walking a Spaniel dog. We passed a loaded boat called Elvis from Flers below lock 7 and had to wait for an empty called Cartier from Maasbracht to come up lock 6 before we could go down. 2.5kms to the next two which were chained (5 Gaudart and 4 d’Alger). A further 3.5kms to the next, passing through the village of Neuville and the big factory which makes things out of concrete, like tunnel linings. The last three locks are linked

Dutch boat Cartier coming up in lock 6 Loivre

(3 Sapigneul, 2 Moulin de Sapigneul and lock 1 Berry (identified as Berry Marne on VHF as the control lock 3 around the corner on the canal lateral à l’Aisne is also Berry lock but identified as Berry Aisne). Mike called the keeper on VHF to tell her we were stopping in the “large” so she wouldn’t prepare lock 3 Berry for us. It was breezy and the water was swirling from our lockful of water plus the corner of the “large” is silting up, so it took us longer than normal to

No more lock keepers - empty lock house at Moulin de Sapigneul

get attached to the bank. 1.30pm and we were glad to get inside by a warm fire and defrost.

Moored in the corner of the large at Berry-au-Bac
(lock 3 Berry in background)

Tuesday 24th March 2015 Wez to Courcy. 27.4kms 7 locks

Leftover from Christmas - Beaumont lock

2.8°C Grey skies and cold north wind. 90% chance of rain forecast. Light rain all afternoon and into the evening.  It was 9.20 am when we set off and I twisted the pole to start the descent to the Aisne. Wez lock16 filled and a group of gongoozlers on the tail end bridge watched every move as we worked the lock. The house looked uninhabited, but was undergoing renovation, the exterior looked great and as there was a car and a scooter parked outside we assumed

Moorings at Sillery

that work was going on in the interior. A short pound lead to lock 15 Beaumont, turned the pole and the lock filled slowly. At the VNF workshops there was an empty pan and a large tug moored. As we entered the lock a VNF van and a crane lorry left, off to do more tree cutting no doubt. I went in the cabin to make a cuppa and sat out to have a go at doing my notes using the tablet. Had trouble using the virtual keyboard so I swopped it for the plug-in one. Better, but being a cheapish case and built-

The piling gang getting ready to start work

in keyboard sometimes the space key didn't work. On down to l'Esperance lock 14, twisted the pole and the lock filled. The chamber had new concrete walls and the old house looked well-lived in with a covered swimming pool in the back garden and loads of Christmas decorations still hanging on the front walls. On through the sugar works, quiet, no signs of life at this time of year. Mike took photos of the boats in the port at Sillery, not many spaces vacant there. Another pole to turn to activate

Lock house at Gare d'Eau lock Reims

lock 13 Sillery and more gongoozlers on the tail end bridge. A man walking along the path by the side of the lock paused to have a short chat. Out on to the long pound and I typed up my notes as we went along (I usually scribble notes but have moved on to OneNote which I can link to Word). 7.35 kms to Reims and the next lock. Boats Charles and Le Brisant that were moored at Condé over winter were just starting to do some piling work. There was a huge mass of graffiti on the bridge and walls before the silos. Taifun (the boat that followed us up the locks the day before) was waiting to load at the

A signboard at Flechambault - construction of a lock

first silo. Logica and Puppy were side by side and were loaded but still under the chute, the latter had an amazingly bright lime green and purple paint job on the bow and stern. Compaan from Rijwoude was moored beyond the silo and Follow Me was waiting to load at the second silo.  An empty called Kiev from Nancy was coming up the pound towards us. We paused at the Reims VNF offices and I went in to get a new VNF flag to fly from our mast. When I opened the packet back on the boat I found

Almost empty Port de Plaisance at Reims

it was one of the big ones that they hand out to péniches, so we’ll have to try again at one of the offices that still does pleasure boat licenses. Someone in fluorescent jacket driving a VNF scooter hooted and waved as we went past – the “jockey” (nickname here for the VNF roving lock keeper) off to his/her lunch. A catamaran with Plymouth across its transom was moored immediately above the first of the three locks down through the city centre of Reims and a campervan was parked alongside it. Another pole to turn and we went down Huon lock 12, the lock house garden

Someone sleeping rough under a bridge in Reims

was covered with flowers, a man walking his noisy long-haired dachshund paused to chat. The pound below was, as usual, busy with joggers on the towpath and loads of ducks all flying off in front of the boat. Two men were working underneath the tail end bridge using a cherry-picker that was lashed with ropes to the wall. Another empty came up the pound towards us, Roleta from Maasbracht. The lights on lock 11 Château d’Eau were red and we had to wait a few minutes before it changed to red and green and the gates re-opened. The fortified house alongside the lock was still lived in and

Palais de Congress Reims

had lots of children’s toys in the high walled garden. A short distance to the last lock, 10 Fléchambault. As we dropped down the lock I made some lunch which we ate as we set off through the city centre and it started to rain. 12.45kms to our overnight stop at Courcy. Took photos of the sports stadium, the empty Port de Plaisance and the Palais de Congress. Mike spotted some rags under a bridge which as we got closer appeared to be someone sleeping there. The old fuel depot site was now occupied by caravans, most likely Gypsies. There were a few boats moored at PUM besides St Joseph, a

Port Colbert, Reims

retired péniche who lives there, Apis – just loaded and closing his hold covers and Nobis who was waiting at the far end. Mike did a slight detour through the gare d’eau (a parallel channel where boats used to wait for loading) which is nowadays hardly ever used and is still about 1.4m deep according to our echo-sounder. Through the last of the outskirts of the city at La Neuvillette, a brief glimpse of the distant hills across the fields before entering the shallow cutting leading to Courcy. A young couple were walking two dogs and then the canal was once again deserted except for us. At the end of the cutting, as we rounded the last bend, we met another empty, Excelsior from Ternuezen, heading for loading at a silo somewhere along the canal. Two cruisers were moored at the little halte nautique (too shallow for us) and we carried on through the bridge to moor next to an old factory where the VNF had added some new bollards. It was 3.30 pm and we were glad to get indoors and get warm. Before long several more empty boats had gone past.

Monday 23rd March 2015 Condé-sur-Marne - Wez. 18kms 8 locks

Electric towpath traction mule, retired

0.2° C Sunny but still a cold north wind, clouding over later in the afternoon. Up bright and early at 7.00 am and got started on the jobs to do. Untied at 10.00 am and shoved off to twist the hanging pole and activate the lock flight. The postman was taking his dog for a walk down the non-towpath side and he waved and wished us bonne route. The locks were all empty (except the top one) so we had a very good run up the flight of eight. The new houses on the outskirts of the village were starting to look

View across the fields to La Montagne and Ambonnay village

very smart. The lady at the lockhouse at Isse was feeding her chickens and both her dogs came out to woof at us as we came up the lock. The lock house at lock 21 Fosse Rodé still looked uninhabited, the VNF were chopping trees down and shredding them. The flight above lock 21 becomes more remote and so wildlife becomes more apparent; brimstone butterflies, herons, wagtails and robins came out to play around the locks and a long legged buzzard flew off across the bar

South end of Mont-de-Billy tunnel and tunnel keeper's cabin

chalky white ploughed fields in response to Mike lifting the camera. How do they know? It took two hours to the top. Moorings at Vaudemanges were full with the same boats that have been there for years and a fisherman on the corner looked very surprised to see us. Into the tunnel cutting, which at this time of year was starting to flower, primroses, helibores, coltsfoots and celandines, plus lots more brimstones and bees – the latter get conned into landing on our pigeon box and

Tractor doing multiple tasks

Buckby can, attracted by the painted flowers. Half an hour on from the top of the lock, the tunnel keeper saw us coming and gave us a green light. As we entered the fluorescent lights and the roof fans came on, triggered by the sensors at the entrance. Mont de Billy is a dry tunnel through chalk and has a towpath with metre gauge rails for the electric mules that towed the traffic along this canal in times gone by (an old towing mule is preserved by the bottom lock) I made lunch and we ate it as we emerged from the tunnel. As we reached the first bend we saw an empty

Moored at Wez

péniche enter the tunnel behind us. More cheery fishermen at Sept Saulx and Mike took photos of a tractor pushing one agricultural implement in front of it and towing three more behind it, he reckoned it was doing it all in one, ploughing, harrowing  and planting. At 2.10 pm we tied up at Wez just in time for the empty péniche (Taifun from Saarbrücken) to come past to test our ropes.