We awoke early on a drizzly morning. Lagarde lock was just 1 km away so no need to hurry. I was this gobsmacked to first hear the drone of deep throbbing engines and then horrified to see a huge commercial peniche round the bend behind a powerful bow wash. Uncanny. Have hardly seen a commercial and now just when we choose to moor with stakes, along one comes first thing in the bloody morning. Same thing had happened last year outside Reims. Quite incredibly unlucky.
I shouted the crew and we leapt steadily from the boat and held on to her. The barge skipped by and we got a wave from the cheery skipper who I suspect was in stitches before the peniches length was fully past a lurching Doucette. Chuffed to report that the stakes held and no harm done but I was glad we had put both big fenders on the mooring side.
Following that little incident, we settled. No hurry now dear, let's drink coffee and discuss politics while the barge buggers off.
An hour later we approached the first lock of the day at Lagarde. There was a hire Boat in it and ready to exit. Nice one. We waited, there was lots of furrowed brows and questioning from the ecluse incumbents. The bloody doors would not open. Bugger, was this gonna be one of them days! We moored and waited
Next lock we waited even longer but no sign. I nervously gave the order to initiate locking. Pleased that they never appeared. We drifted on all day having lock issues at 3 more locks. I was intrigued by the amount of sunflower planted fields we were now encountering. Was this a specialist area for sunflower seed oil, I pondered? Whatever, they were very pretty even in the overcast conditions! Back to our lock problems I was aware that we had more problems on this stretch than we had thus far been troubled by on the whole trip. Guess it is because They are older type gates which have been mechanised and seem to be very prone. Frustrating but we now appreciate, very much part of a waterways day and you just have to chill and have a drink whilst it gets sorted.
The weather had been windy and showery all day and it was drizzle as we left the lock at the industrial town of dombasle. Collette shouted at me as the gates opened, "viper"
Jesus Christ not again! I was horrified and motionless as I watched another viper swimming right across the front of the gates. I shivered as memories of my Jacque Cousteau episode came flooding back. Please god I never have to enter these dark waters again on this trip. They are alive with vipers.
I snapped a pic hurriedly and almost crashed the boat on the lock wall on exit.
But I like macho chickens with attitude!
The whole Peurto RICO company strolled down on their way to lidles. We chatted about lock problems, they had been caught at 5 locks, the first had resulted in a 30min delay, hence i had not seen them. They joyously reported that Monsieur Durrant had been sent for by the restaurant staff and although he had already eaten he had joined them for dessert and snifters. Nice story. We said our goodbyes and best wishes.
Collette returned with a huge array of goods. I had an absolute fit over the salad dressing. She had been after a bottle of the cheap dressing since the start of the trip. I like to make my own using oil and vinegars. I had needed olive oil desperately and was not allowed to get a litre bottle as it would not fit in the cupboard despite it being an essential I use practically everyday.
She had returned from a solo shop with a full
Itre bottle of cheap salad dressing. The captain went into one and frankly is still angry as he pens this event some days later. Quite unbelievable! It would last years!
we slipped back toward the embranchment and moored bankside with stakes, intent on rising early to keep a wary eye out for commercial invaders. We dined on compagne sauccise a sort of long twirly a la Cumberland sausage accompanied by a pan of my new favourite katofel. I drank merlot to get over the salad dressing nonsense!
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