Over the Continental Divide.

Day 33. Monday 16th July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 19 Kms to wild camp at pk 108.5 Chaumont. Now rowed 458.9kms Driven 605.1 miles Cycled 171 miles.

Day 34. Tuesday 17th July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 21 Kms to wild camp at lock 14 Pommeray pk 130. Now rowed 480kms, driven 623.5 miles and Cycled 184 miles.

Day 35. Wednesday 18th July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 19 Kms to pk 149 and drove around tunnel Balesmes. Now rowed 499 Kms, Driven 653.6 miles and Cycled 190 miles.

Day 36. Thursday 19th July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 12 Kms (15 locks) to Camping pk174 Dommarien. Now rowed 511 kms, driven 665.9 miles, cycled 190 miles.

Day 37. Friday 20th July. To Martigny. Sun 30 degrees then thunder storm. Rowed 18 Kms (12 locks). Now rowed 529 Kms, Driven 690.8 miles, Cycled 196 miles.

Day 38. Saturday 21st July. Cloudy 20 degrees. In Martigny campsite (No WiFi) rest day.

Today is Saturday 21st July and we are happy to be installed on the remote, run down campsite of Martigny. The weather broke yesterday morning with a half an hour of thunder and vicious squalls ( but thankfully no rain) the wind strong enough for me to put full weight on the oars and barely make way. Knowing more was to come I kept pulling hard and for the first time since we started helped by a small bit of current so was able to pull out and tow Oggi to the camping by 3pm. By early evening we were sitting out torrential rain/ice, constant lightning and all the trimmings of full on storm.

That said, far too much has happened since I last had time to update our experiences to be covered in this necessarily brief update. Suffice to say considerable progress has been made with the most important being that although not yet reached the halfway mark we have finally crossed the Continental divide where water flows South rather than North. Haute Marne connects into Cote d'Or by way of the 5 km plus 6km approach of the Balesmes Tunnel through which it is considered too dangerous for me to row so unfortunately we must add another 11 Kms to the distance to be made up when possible.

The last few days to the tunnel were strenuous but fast, commencing with an interesting contre temps with an irate eclusier who suggested that we had broken his locks. We think it turned out to be some sort of electrical fault so once it was sorted out in true French fashion, he directed that we should be accompanied by a VNF worker for the rest of the time in his area of command. We feared the worst, but the next day we were introduced to a charming group of students VNF had taken on for the holiday period. They were a joy to be with and worked enthusiastically to give us an easy passage. Some, though willing, gave every indication of being unused to the heavy manual labour involved in opening sluices and gates by hand. My rowing was also tested to the full keeping up with two motor boats between locks for some of the journey. Fortunately they were both understanding but their exhaust fumes at the bottom of the locks were choking.

From the exit of the tunnel it is 64 Kms to the Petit Saone river, passing through 42 locks and dropping overall 153 meters. The first eight locks drop 41 meters in just five kilometers. Quite an experience with fantastic views over open countryside.
Sara is kept very busy dashing back and forth activating sensors at each end of the locks, taking my lines and using the operating handle in the middle for much of the time. On other occasions I do it myself when access is difficult for her, she is shopping for supplies or performing some other essential service. I then have to make sure I leap back in to Oggi before she sinks down into the void. At least half the sensor boxes are home to colonies of wasps which can make life very interesting!

We have to keep the canal control informed of our location at start/ stop/ finishing times, as do all other craft. Again, what a nice co operative bunch they are. We are immediately entered into their computerized systems and if everything goes according to plan chains of locks can be programmed to be prepared for your arrival once Sara has telephoned them. For the most part everyone complies, but there are a few like the German gin palace yesterday which ignored the red light from the lock I had just left and only a desperate hard astern saved him from being crushed by the closing doors. Then there was a Swiss 40 footer who made a dash for the lock I had already set in operation and it's wash pushed Oggi away from the lock side just as I was getting in.

It is not all laughs though. In one lock I was asked to help the frantic resident of the lock house to search around for her 3 month old Boxer puppy, missing for the past couple of hours. Sadly I did not find him.

We should be into the Petit Saone river by Monday and still don't have permission to use the locks or any response from our email so it could get challenging next week. I am sure we will find a way around it somehow!!

Uploaded on 3g. Pictures will follow when we have WiFi.

Telecommande Woes!

Telecommande Woes!

Vouecourt 52320

Day 27.  Tuesday 10th July. Rowed 18.5 kms and 7 locks to wild camp pk 24 Halligncourt, Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne. Cloudy 24 degrees. Now rowed 375.4 Kms Driven 533 miles 

Day 28. Wednesday 11th July. Sun and cloud 25 degrees. Rowed 18.5 Kms and 8 locks to Bienville wild camp pk 42. Now Rowed 393.9 Kms and Driven 548.6 miles. Cycled 130 miles

Day 29. Thursday 12th July.  Sun and clouds 28 degrees. Rowed 20 Kms and 10 locks to wild camp at pk 63.5 Joinville. Now Rowed 413.9 Kms , Driven 568.3 miles and Cycled 147 miles.

Day 30. Friday 13th July. Sun and clouds 30 degrees. Rowed 26 Kms and 9 locks to Vouecourt pk 89.5. Now Rowed 439.9 kms, Driven 586.1 miles and  Cycled 165 miles.

Days 31 and 32. Saturday and Sunday Sun 29 degrees. In Vouecourt.

Ok, on our way again or are we! 3 Kms later at first lock the Telecommande didn't work. 

A young girl clearing weed there went through the labourious task of opening it manually and a replacement Telecommande was delivered to us. We proceeded on with this one not working either and made more call outs. We were told that we were not pressing the buttons properly, not waiting long enough, too low in the water, etc. Consequently a lot of wasted time, not much progress and to cap it all the only stopping place we could find turned out to be just a few hundred metres behind the trees from a military airport with jet fighters practicing bumps over our heads until late.

Wednesday turned out much the same as yesterday with us now on our 4th not working Telecommande. After St Dizier I moved into another region starting with a low lifting bridge in the charge of a smiling little chubby guy. He drove to the next lock to see me through and saw my Telecommande problems. He rattled it and immediately diagnosed the battery being loose (the previous 3 had rattling batteries too!). He gave me his and it opened the lock immediately just like turning a light on! 

We were just unlucky perhaps, but who knows. All I know is that I lost a day's progress, had a lot of frustration and sat in the sun on my sore bum in Oggi for several unnecessary hours.

That done though he informed me that a working peniche was coming through so I must wait and then follow him. It duly arrived after half an hour, locked through in another 20 minutes and motored away at 1.5 km/hr slower than my normal rowing speed causing us to have to wildcamp early due to the 6pm lock closure time. Our friendly eclusier realised his error and apologised.

He turned up at the 9 am lock opening time the next day and did his best to make up for his error by driving alongside all day thinking he was helping. With him watching me I felt obliged to plod along with enthusiasm and no breaks so as not to lose my cred. His only cock up was to insist on pulling me through a lifting bridge with a rope rather than letting me row and it came back down again before we got through, so the exercise had to be repeated with me rowing. We willingly forgave him for showing up and correcting the Telecommande problem. We parked for the night in the only place we could find under the high arches of a busy road bridge and then the cooking gas ran out, such fun!!!

On Friday we managed 26 Kms and 9 locks including a 40 minutes delay for manual opening on one due to maintainable and a portage over another blocked by 3 openings for boats coming the other way. All very m worth it though to the lovely camp site in the pretty village of Vouecourt which is normally very quiet except perhaps on this Bastille Day and could be even noisier tonight if France wins the footy World cup!

Near Disaster!

Luxemont- et- Villotte 51300


Day 23 Friday 6th July. Sun 30 degrees. Wild camped at pk 41 Juvigny Canal Lateral a la Marne. Rowed 16km Now rowed 309 Kms and Driven 464 miles

Day 24 Saturday 7th July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 20.6 Kms 5 locks to wild camp at pk 20.4 Vesigneul Sur Marne. Now rowed 329.6 Kms and driven 487.7 miles.

Day 25 Sunday 8th July. Sun 33 degrees. Rowed 27.3 Kms to Luxemont et Villote pk 5.5 on Canal Entre Champagne et Marne. Now rowed 356.9 Kms Driven 511.9 miles. Cycled 99 miles.

Just a very short update due to so many demands on our time. It looked at one time as if the whole project would have to be abandoned due to the lack of a piece of paper.

To start at the beginning on Friday we had to drive to the first bridge after the Billy tunnel through which I was not allowed (4 Kms needed to make up the distance). All went fine through the first lock but the gates didn't open on the second so had to wait for half an hour for the eclusier to sort it out. He then said we had to wait for a 50 foot Aussie boat to go through the rest of the chain of 5 to save water. Boom boom would have been proud to note the race pace I had to achieve to keep up. I finished clapped out but I made very good time and distance.

Saturday I also made good time which took me through the drab industrial area for several miles and then the attractive old town of Chalons en Champagne watched by crowds of tourists as I progressed through the locks.

Sunday was the big come down. Again I had made good pace in the hope of getting into the Canal Entre Champagne et Bourgogne before finishing for the day. This is the longest canal on my route at 224 Kms and 114 locks operated by a Telecommande provided by the authorities. I made it, entered the first 3.8 meter lock with no escape route and received the traditional French 'non' sans papiers from a lady staring down at me from above. By imagination and resource we had persuaded her to let Oggi through if I was not in her. We portaged her over the next lock which involved climbing up a 2 meter quay and then hauling her up and carrying her over. Finally we arrived very hot and tired at a campsite 5.5 Kms south of Vitry le Francois.

Consequently Monday has progressed through every dimension from ''no, no never'' to a final ''yipee'' late this afternoon. I cycled back to Vitry and came back waving my vital piece of paper. One day I will perhaps have the time to tell the full story but many of the thanks must go to M Guillaume Fatras, sales manager of Nautiraid boats for all his efforts and negotiating powers and M Giroud of VNF for putting everything right to enable us to get back on the water tomorrow.

Hard work to and through Reims

Hard Work to and through Reims

Thursday 5th July.  

Val de Vesle.  51360

Day 17.  Saturday 30th June.  Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 21 Kms.  In Monampteuil. Now rowed 224kms. Driven 360.5 miles.

Day 18. Sunday 1st July. Sun 30 degrees. Rowed 16 Kms to pk 32 Maizy, Canal Lateral a l'Aisne. ( Including extra 3kms to make up milage lost from being banned from the tunnel) Now rowed 240 km, Driven 382.8 miles.

Day 19. Monday 2nd July. Sun 33 degrees. Rowed 12.5kms to Berry au Bac (confluence) Now rowed 252.5kms and Driven 397.7 miles.

Day 20. Tuesday 3rd July. Sun 30 degrees then thunder showers. Rowed 13 Kms (9 locks) to Courcy pk13 Canal de l'Aisne a la Marne. Now rowed 265.5kms and driven 409 miles

Day 21 Wednesday 4th July. Sun 33 degrees. Rowed 27.5 kms and 7 locks to Val de Vesle pk 40.5. Now rowed 293km and driven 439 miles.

Day 22. Thursday 5th July. Cloudy and afternoon storms.

Rest day. Spent the day cleaning and maintenance on gear and doing this blog.

We really have had a bit of everything over the past few days. Starting with the drive back to yesterday's finish and steady pull back to the camping at Monampteuil. Why did we bother? Did France win the world cup or something? There were large groups on the site making noise, shouting and letting off Sally frightening bangers until 2am so little sleep.

We are now in the canal world of the l'Aisne a la Marne with dozens of locks, all generated to larger vessels than mine. Let me explain. Firstly, we were supplied with an electronic Telecommande, which are brilliant when they work. Other locks just have an hanging pole on the approach which must be turned, but requires a serious acrobatic balancing act standing on the thwarts of a dinghy.

On entry a vessel must interrupt a light beam for 15 seconds to represent a large boat. I use a supermarket bag on a boat hook (difficult in a wind)

Inside, one ties up and pulls on a slimey steel bar which sets everything in motion. This has proved to be impossible from my unstable platform. If Sara is there and the lock is not fenced off its no problem but often neither applies so I tie the painter over my shoulder, climb a muddy ladder and operate it myself, watching Oggi fight the influx of water on her own. 

Once completed the exit gates open automatically and I depart waving my supermarket bag as before.

It is not just me with the problem. Sara and Sally have to find their way in remote areas down the narrowest of cart tracks then reverse out. Or she comes bumping down the tow path with Sally riding in the box on the front or enjoying a good run behind. In between times she has to set up and break camp, get the shopping, prepare an healthy diet for me and charm the authorities to prepare the way and so on. Who said women can't read maps, mine is brilliant!

Back to the rowing side of things though most of the time it is just 'slash, splash, splash' 26 to the minute cursing the plus 30 degrees heat and floating islands of weed and just keep going working out how to get over the next navigational problem, too many to mention in a summary blog such as this but enjoying every minute of it ( silly old fool!)

As previously said the route took us through idyllic countryside, noisy industrial areas, the historic city of Reims through which I portaged the boat because I couldn't reach the pole to trigger the chain of 3 locks,a host of pretty villages, and now the first vineyards. For two days I was fighting a 2/3 km/hr current and strong headwinds which really took it out of me. However yesterday with wind and current dropped I achieved a 27.5 km and 7 locks before the evening sit down and beer time. Today is a day of much needed R and R on a campsite rather than the last 3 days of wild camping.