Saturday 27th June 2015 Bellecourt Arm to Auvelais R Sambre. 46.2kms 6 locks

Even the big boys get caught out - jammed rope in Gosselies lock

15.6° C Overcast and cool start, then sunny spells, warmer but breezy. Mike went to the Capitainerie to say thanks and au’voir to Arthur at nine. We finally set off at 10.30am. All the cruisers that were moored on the water point had already gone.  A loaded pusher pair had gone past on the main canal just before we set off so the water was very disturbed for quite some time so he couldn’t tell if the rudder adjustment had fully corrected the pull to the left (it had, more or less done the job). A loaded 1100-

Steel works at Marcinelles lock

tonner called Lucky-Way went past just before Pont-à-Celles, followed a bit later as we were almost at Luttre by an empty 50m cement carrier called Alpha. Mike started scrubbing the white panels on the cabin side with some Ciff, found it worked extremely well and did two panels plus the back cabin doors. He called the first lock down, Viesville, on VHF and got no reply. There was an empty 80m boat in the middle of the quay above the lock, its car hoist dangling – crew away for the weekend or on holiday? We went to the end of the quay nearest the lock and waited a short while. Two cruisers came up the lock (the second was a Nichols hireboat) and then we dropped down 7m with our centre rope round a floater by the centre sliding gate. Mike hung on to the string while I made some lunch. We just about had time to eat lunch before we arrived at Gosselies lock. A short wait for an empty called Elvis to come up. Slight change of tactic, we did fore and aft ropes on the floaters either side of the sliding centre gate. Down another 7m. Mike took a photo of a big rope that had been hung up in the lock when it had caught between metal plates on the lockside – even the big boys get caught out! An empty 80m called Gwenci went past near Roux as we were passing under the flightpath of the Ryanair jets

Boat load of scrap metal waiting to be unloaded at Marcinelles lk

taking off from Charleroi airport. Noisy. Above Marchiennes there was an empty boat called Corma-B moored (80mx9.5m 1515 tonnes) and a loaded boat called Nebraska (70mx7.2m). Down another 7m. Mum was amazed at the piles of stuff at the recycling port as we passed several kilometres of piled broken glass, metal scrap, plastic and wood and rubble and sand, the glass piles looked pretty shimmering in the sunlight. I made a cuppa en route to Marcinelles lock.

Unloading scrap metal at Marcinelles

Turned left under the railway at the end of the Brussels-Charleroi canal and turned left on to the river Sambre in the middle of the steel works. A tug and pan called Infinity II was waiting to unload his cargo of scrap metal as Helena was at the scrap berth being unloaded. We moored by the lock and Mum was fascinated by the unloading of scrap from a boat using a peeled onion grab while Mike went to see the lock keeper (he was miles away - reading a book) to get the lock ready for us. I took our rubbish to deposit in the lockside bins then hopped back on the boat as it came into the chamber and

Below Marcinelles lock - sliding gate closing

slung our centre rope around a bollard. Down only 3m this time so no floaters. Into the city of Charleroi in a concrete sided chasm bordered by office blocks and houses and hotels. Nothing moving but us as we sped through the city. Martigny was ready for us, the top half of the chamber full with gates open and a green light on. I made another cuppa and Mike held the rope as we descended 2.2m. An old retired péniche called Vage was moored in the corner of a layby before Pont-de-Loup. At Vankerkoven’s chantier

River Sambre in concrete chasm in Charleroi

there were still lots of old boats moored, including a very badly converted little Luxemotor in need of much TLC and a very nicely painted Belgian péniche. We were doing well since removing all the weed and mussels on dry-dock, with engine revs set at 1300 (which did 6.5kph before) we were now doing 7.5kph and not assisted much by the flow of the river. Before the new sand berth there was an empty moored boat called Monitor (85mx9.5m 1381 tonnes) and a loaded boat at the sand berth called Cutty Sark

Carrefour and Aldi at Tamines - high quay wall

(61mx7.24m 698 tonnes) was waiting to unload. Mike called Roselies lock and got an answer. The lock was ready for us and we dropped down another 3.7m. Below the lock was a new recycling plant called Sedisol which looked like it was processing dredgings (from the smell of it!)  It was - click to have a look at the Belgian firm's technology The sloping concrete banks of the river were now colonised with lots of wildflowers, mallow and purple loosestrife. An empty called Cursor (85mx9.5m 1607 tonnes) was moored at a silo

Moored above Auvelais lock

(Brichart) at Farciennes. Shortly after a loaded boat called Muscari went past, loaded with soil (more recycling?) followed by a little German yacht without masts called Patty from Duisburg. There were lots of people sitting on the wall in the sunshine along the high quay in Tamines by the Carrefour Market and Aldi. Counted the EU flags on the road bridge at Tamines, there were 26 plus the Union flag. There were lots of Canada geese swimming, they must be spreading upriver from the Meuse. We tied up just after seven on the quay above the lock at Auvelais. Just a few dredging pans were tied up there, plus a little pusher tug moored in the middle of the mooring half way down towards the lock.