Friday 5th June 2015 Valenciennes to Antoing Belgium. 31.6kms 3 locks.

The weir and the moorings above it 

12.6° C Very hot and sunny until late afternoon, then the weather turned bad with torrential rain, howling gales and a cracker of a thunderstorm. The Capitan was not about at nine and there was still no water so we couldn’t pay him. The Capitan turned up and told us everything was free until Monday and used a swipe card to activate the water and we filled up and then Jill started filling MR’s tank. It stopped so Mike had a word with the guy at the Capitanerie again. Charges seem a bit steep, under 18m it costs 15€ a night, over 18m it is 26€, the far bank, rough with bollards and no

Old steel works Anzin

facilities is 20€, and water and electricity must be extra – obtained by using a card which can be topped up using a machine by the Capitanerie. We set off at 12.15pm, reversing to the main canal and winded, then had a short wait while an empty 80m boat came up in Folien lock, then we went down 3m on to a short pound, 2.8kms, leading to La Folie. Took a photo of the weir at the end of the weir stream (where we had been moored) from the canal end. Three loaded boats came flying up the canal, Manu

Junction with the disused (too shallow) Canal de Conde-a-Pommereoul

55m long, Tous-Nerfs 61m and Osma 58m, the latter so well loaded that his name on the bows was half under water. Through the city, passing a derelict steel works with new buildings in the distance, on our way to the lock, which was ready for us, so

Mooring at Mortagne at junc with R Scarpe

we went in and in no time we were another 2.9m lower (no floaters on any of these last three locks so I had our centre rope on a bollard, first on the lockside then swapping it for a bollard in a recess in the lock wall further down. Three more boats were coming up the cabnal, all loaded, two péniches - Shalendo followed by T-D from Vitry, then a 57m boat called Eclipse, all haring up the canal to La Folie. A Dutch cruiser from Amsterdam called Tomboy was not far behind them and another loaded Dutch péniche called Vania from Amsterdam. Two empty 80m boats were moored at either end of the next quay, Leughenauer at one end and Cervantes (formerly Scheldenkade) at the other. As we passed a container dock Mike shouted to the crane driver “I’ll take two!” but then said “Perhaps not, one might sink us!!” He laughed. A loaded pusher pair Saturne-un and

Bye bye sunshine!

Saturnin went past as we came to the end of the 6.3kms pound. Above Fresnes, the last lock in France (or first depending which way you’re going) there was an 80m boat loaded with scrap called Betharrum. Just us again to go down and we slowly dropped down 3.1m on to the long run to Antoing, 14.5kms to the Belgian border then another 8kms to Antoing. The heat was building up, over 34° C and not much of a breeze to cool us down. No traffic for the first couple of kilometres. Took a photo of the junction at Condé-sur-Escaut of the Condé to Pommereoul canal, the short route to Pommereoul (constructed for the very big boats) which has been closed for over 15 years ever since the Belgians

Old Belgian customs post at Bleharies

removed the lock at Antoing which made it too shallow for navigation. Today, as always, it was being enjoyed by masses of swans, ducks, geese, coots and cormorants. Both banks for most of the distance were lined with willow trees making it feel very remote from the industry and agriculture surrounding it. Loaded péniche Octopus went past at KP34, Pont de Santeau. Then a large Dutch cruiser called Companion went past, all its crew out on the side decks trying to catch as much breeze as possible. Two loaded péniches went past, Heerenschip NL and Picardie Belgian, they were followed by an empty called Bonita which went past at the road bridge by KP38. An empty French boat called La

Two Polish 80m boats moored at Bleharies

Proue from Dunkerque (72m long) went past. Dutch loaded boat Nadenos from Nijmegen overtook us near Rodignies, as loaded boat Henriette from Gent went past heading for Fresnes. Dark clouds were gathering in front as we approached Mortagne-du-Nord and two more loaded French boats went past as we went through the bridge, Furious from Douai and Maryland. A little masted tjalk was bravely moored at the junction with the Scarpe, where a new quay had replaced the pontoon mooring. Loads of buoys marking the channel around the bend indicating the lack of depth. As we crossed the border into Belgium at 4.20 pm Mike swapped courtesy flags as loaded boat Canberra went past. We could see the edge of a weather front approaching. Two 80m empties Notec and Odra (named after two Polish rivers that we have travelled on - their

Mooring at Antoing (site of the old lock) when the rain stopped.

skippers were Polish, but the boats were registered in Gent) were moored side by side at Belharies as were two péniches, Bona-Fide a loaded boat who was moored alongside an empty. Neptunia’s bunkership went flying past then we passed two loaded Dutch boats, Mazzel followed by Franto by the junction with the Peronnes-Blaton-Ath canal, just as it started to rain. We could hear thunder rumbling, then saw flashes of lightening and the wind picked up to gale force. Mike had put the brolly up but the wind was threatening to shred it, so we hung on to it until the wind calmed down a little then Mike folded it up,  by which time we were both soaked to the skin, but getting cooler. I changed my sopping top for a vest and put a waterproof jacket on then took another waterproof out for Mike. It lashed down as we approached the mooring at Antoing. Just one cruiser was moored at the entrance to the basin, we followed MR in and tied to the quay wall. It was 5.30pm and we were dripping wet. Got dried out, hung all the sodden garments on the front deck and found dry clothes, then Mike and Graham went to retrieve Graham’s car from Valenciennes.