Boat loading at Moustier |
14.7°
C Hot and sunny, nice breeze. Mike went out at 8.15am and crew off one of the
cruisers moored in front told Mike that if we didn’t go now then it would be at
least an hour before we could go through the lock, so he got the engine running,
untied and set off at 8.30am. I was still in bed, so I got up and was out in
time to help in the lock. Down Auvelais lock, there was a tug waiting to come
up and not far beyond it were two launches, one looked like a waterways
inspection launch and the other
a training vessel for young marines. At Solvay
an 80m boat called Escalda was loading white powder, a loaded 63m boat called
Calista went past heading uphill, then at the far end of Solvay’s wharves there
was an empty German tanker called Synthese-5 from Duisburg. A large blue-hulled
cruiser, called Cof d’Eau from Amay, that had been moored on a high quay wall
below Auvelais, was catching us up as we got closer to Mornimont lock, and it overtook us just before the glaciers de
Moustier.
A short wait above the lock
while loaded 95m boat Dego came up then we went down with the three cruisers.
What a load of messing about! It took them all about a quarter of an hour to
get into the chamber and the big blue one had slowed right down in the middle
at the top end of the chamber, Mike went in alongside the lock wall on the
right and I shouted to them to move further down (bags of space in the 112m
long chamber – the other two were on either side at the tail end) and I threw
our centre rope over a bollard. Mike had to get off and catch ropes for the
cruiser’s crew otherwise we would still be there now. Same kerfuffle to get out
– that took over ten
minutes after the gate had slid open. There was one small
cruiser waiting below to go up. The three cruisers sped off into the distance
in no time. Loaded Dutch boat Sadile went past by the first railway bridge,
followed by a very wide Dutch steel cruiser called Hummer which went past at
the next railway bridge. I took photos of wild flowers on the bank above
Florifoux lock (they looked like wild pinks). The lock refilled and the lights
remained red, something coming down behind us. Helena (which had been unloading
scrap up at Marcinelles lock) was heading back to the Netherlands. It went
into
the lock and we tried asking if we should follow them in but got lots of gestures,
none of which we understood. The lock keeper came out on his balcony to wave us
in. Plenty of room, but we did fore and aft ropes anyway. As the lock was
almost empty the lock keeper called Helena on VHF to remind him there was a
cigar behind him (we haven’t been called that in ages!) Another 85m Dutchman
Tamara, loaded with scrap metal, was waiting below to go up the lock as we
left. More Canada geese and lots of ducks. The river reach below Florifoux had
been lowered by about half a metre, they were dredging not far below the lock.
An empty called Le Meribel from Huy was sitting under the loading chute at the
refuse recycling depot, where loads of bright dayglow green dustbin lorries
were going in and out. A strange looking boat
with containers that were too
high to go under the bridges on its bows was tied to the bank with a crane arm
off to the top of the sloping bank (looking at pictures later, it was doing
bank refurbishing). San Remo, an 80m loaded Dutch boat from Maasbracht went
past heading uphill. We caught up with Helena who was waiting for Salzinnes to
fill. As the water level was down by half a metre already there was only a
metre drop in the lock. It was 1.30pm as we left the lock and followed Helena
down the last twisty narrow section of the Sambre into the city of Namur. What
a facelift the waterfront has had recently and there were no boats moored there
anymore due to the vastly increased size of the boats now using the river. Two
cruisers were moored on the left at the junction but they untied and headed
upriver as they saw us. A tripper went past on the Meuse heading downriver and
yet another load of scrap on board a Dutchman called Amore turned on to the
Sambre after we’d turned right heading upriver on the Meuse. The two cruisers
were stooging about by the moorings on the Casino quay, opposite the port de
plaisance pontoons. We ignored them and winded to moor on the quay upstream of
the last of three DBs. It was 2pm. After lashing to the bank I made some late
lunch.
Floreffe abbey (now a school) |
Wild flowers on the concrete banks of the Sambre |
In Florifoux lock with Helena |
Bank refurbishment done by a single boat |
Moored on the quay at Namur R Meuse |
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