Sunday 23rd April 2017 Plaine de Charmes to Nomexy 13.3kms 8 locks

Moored at Nomexy
 - FB always shows the first picture - I know it's out of order
but in future I will make sure it's the pic I want to see on FB
Sorry for the rant!

-0.4°C Sunny and much milder. Mike did several repairs that have needed doing for ages - the drinking water tap for one. I chatted with (my old UK boating and shopping partner) Yvonne on Skype as usual. We decided to push on to Nomexy as the weather was so much improved. Set off at 12.40pm. Again all today’s locks had a 3m lift. Up lock 32 Plaine de Charmes with a black kite circling, looking for dead or dying fish. On the next pound we passed an Eau Claire hire boat going the opposite way. 1.6kms to the town of Charmes. Up lock 31 Charmes where there were far more

Boats moored at Charmes

campervans than boats. The layby before the bridge was full, two large DBs (one offering B&B – Chambre d’Hôtes) plus a couple of cruisers. Among the campervans was one that could easily do the Paris-Dakar rally. A short pound took us to lock 30 Moulins de Charmes. It always happens – a man and his dog watching proceedings from the bridge across the tail end of the lock and, as Mike reversed to slow down and stop, the wind picked up enough to blow the bows across to the other wall. No way of hooking the brackets supporting the

A few of the campervans at Charmes.
One on the end is an all-terrain vehicle - wouldn't like its fuel bill

rods to pull the boat back to the correct side as too many have been damaged by people putting ropes around them, so VNF have changed brackets for square blocks flush mounted on the lock wall. No real problem though, I just shoved the bows back over to the pole using a short boat shaft. As we left lock 30, on an unusually long pound (2.5kms), we passed a DB called Dolfijn heading downhill, its crew waving as we passed. There were quite a lot of dead trees (I think they were elms) along the canal near Vincey. Cyclists were out in force heading towards lock 29 Vincey, including one who we thought must be in training for the

Loads of dead trees along this canal

Tour de France as he was dressed in lycra for it and was shouting to move others aside so he could go as fast as possible on the tarmac cycle piste. Not appreciated much by the families on bikes. Up lock 29 then 2kms to lock 28 Portieux, still lots of Sunday afternoon cyclists. The sky was full of aircraft con trails, plenty of people off on their foreign holidays – or coming back! A short pound to 27 Fouys – Mike nearly lost his wooden seat in the lock as his jacket caught on the edge and flipped it

Lots of old quays too like this one

overboard. He paused to fish it out with a short shaft. Lock 26 L’Avière had had a new lock wall, just the one side was new concrete, there were masses of gongoozlers around the lock. Mike went up the ladder with the centre rope. There were three families – they all said bonjour but didn’t offer to make conversation, he was most disappointed. Up lock 25 Nomexy, another one with one new lock wall in concrete - our last lock for the day, and we moored on an empty old quay with little bollards and old rings, plus a picnic table which was occupied by one young man, his loud radio and his dog –

Moored on our own at Nomexy

we went to the furthest end. Set the TV up then got the moped off the front deck. A man who lived opposite the quay was walking his little French bulldog and he stopped to chat while we put the bike together. Asked him who he thought would win today’s first round of the Presidential election – Madame le Pen we asked? No, she’ll come third he said. After quite a long conversation, Mike went to get the car and Monsieur said he would guard his wife (me!) for him. Best offer I’ve had in years! Sorry, nice to meet you, but I can't stay here chatting all day - I’ve got “work” to do – and he said au’voir and continued his walk with the little dog. I went indoors and did the photos and log ready to blog.