Friday 15th June Mouzon to ecluse alma

Trip 9 Kms Departure 2pm Locks 1 of 102

Had i drunk too much? There was a strange hammering in my head. "i would if i were you, it will only take a minute, i think you should" I heard it again. It was only 6.30 and I was suddenly wide awake.

Bugger, bugger, bugger, It was chucking down. I leapt out of bed to find soaked cushions under the forward hatch, puddle on the wheelhouse floor and sodden upholstery around the door. I knew upstairs would be a horror story. I also knew the crew would be mentioning the previous nights sage advice.

I checked my e-mails for any news of Robin, Carol had sent to say the 3 hour op had been a success and he was in good shape. The day had suddenly got much better. I

It rained and rained until about 11 when we strolled into town to the boulangerie. I had asked the the lady proprietor the previous evening what time she opened. 5oclock, she replied with a devilish smile, but 8 for you. She glanced at her watch and raised an eyebrow as I ordered my gros pain. Quel temps I offered meekly but accepted this may just be a day for humility.

We managed to negotiate the recharge of my French phone credit at la poste but not without the help of the kindly postmistress. Nothing to do with tele communications is straightforward in this country if you are a non fluent visitor. Best policy is definitely ask someone to do it for you.

I left my glasses case in la poste so we strolled the town twice via the huite 8 store where I topped with beer and vittals. The day was brightening and at 2 pm I suggested we move 9 Kms up river to find a small picnic halte for the night. We readied just as Irish returned from town. They talked and chatted and talked a bit more. I did not want to be rude but it was now 2.30 and if the small halte was full it would mean a further 2 hours to Stenay for a mooring. " we best crack on" I suggested and started the engines, the smoke would do the trick. We wished the nice Irish well and agreed we were bound to see each other again and pulled away from the dock. I immediately noticed in the corner of my eye a white hull coming down the main river. Unbelievable, not a boat all day, I was forced to hold position in the cut as he drifted by. It was that sort of day.

I let him get a fair bit ahead and we sat back and enjoyed a particularly scenic reach with the red tiled roofs of the village of villamontry perched high on this lush green hillside with wisps of smoke spiralling lazily from a chimney, despite it being a warm day. We watched a sheepdog chivvy a herd of cattle down from the top corner of a huge field and laughed as one old heffer showed great reluctance in making the effort while the young calves bounded down for feed. Been there seen it done it attitude sort of slow Lumber down.

We reached the lock and were surprised to find it open with the Dutch waiting for us as they were about 5 minutes in front of us by now. I thanked him for waiting but he quickly pointed out that he had not waited but there was a problem with the gates and he had phoned to get it sorted. Fair enough!

It was a pretty remote spot but the vnf van arrived within 20minutes, just time for a phone call home, a bowl of fresh peaches, banana and Greek yoghurt and a nice cup of tea.

The lock was the start of a 500m cut off of the main river. The new picnic halte was just 250m away and I watched rather hoping the Dutch boy would slip straight past. Yes!

The halte was still being developed. They had put a couple of picnic tables a lovely brick built BBQ which appeared to have been used once and was loaded with fresh charcoal.

A German flagged yacht came past and we waved. They got 200 m past and turned around to come back. Would we mind as it was such a nice halte. There was room for 3 more boats so it was lovely that they asked. I liked them already. Their boat had a 1.5 metre draft and we could not get them right alongside but he was happy with his mooring position.

We went for a stroll, watched a huge water rat struggling to find a way through through the the steel sided canal walls back to the river just yards the other side.

A herd of cows heard us near the lock and the whole herd wandered over thinking we were there with feed.

We took in the sluice gates where the cut joins the river. One side looking so calm and peaceful but the raging torrent dropping through the sluice was an insane amount of water coming down the river every minute of every day. It was mind boggling, where does it all come from we pondered?

Got back to Doucette, rheinhart and Elga were playing poker which inspired us to sit on the poop with beer and bubbles and have a couple of hands of crib. The day was getting better. I won convincingly with some unbelievably lucky turn ups. Rheinhart had enquired about the football seeing me tinkering with the satellite so I invited him over to watch the England game after we had dined. He accepted gratefully.

I phoned Robin who sounded absolutely fine and was on top form and a little impatient to join the lads down the village for the footy. He was not going to drink he promised. It was nice to hear him so well.

We had steak new potatoes leeks and courgettes for dinner and I started a new bottle of merlot. Rheinhart came over for kick off at 9 refusing any wine as he had already had too much. Chatting with him whilst we watched helped relieve the stress of going 2-1 down, but a 3-2 win and a suddenly empty bottle of red made a day that had started badly end with a very contented skipper.