Monday 19th June 2017 Joinville to Chamouilley 23.5kms 11 locks

Weed gathering machine below lock 48 Curel

11.7°C Very hot and sunny. I phoned Vitry control to tell them where we were going today, (not knowing if any of the liftbridges still needed VNF staff to work them, as it happens they didn’t) as we set off from Joinville at 8.45am. Already getting very hot. There was a new mooring, a halte nautique with water and electric a bit further on, a cruiser and a Belgian DB were moored there. About 100m further on there were four boats moored by a restaurant,

Moorings at Joinville from lk 45 Rongeant

two pointing uphill and two downhill. Into lock 45 Rongeant (3.20m) which was already full. The lockhouse garden was full of faded gnomes. 1.9kms to the next, lock 46 Bussey (3.20m). The canal was getting even more weedy. Lock 46 was empty and it was the first lock we’d come across without any rods to lift (we’d taken to using the “bassiné” button on the zapper anyway instead of the rods as there are bollards in the right place on the opposite wall to the rods. Suddenly there were lots of clegs (horseflies), so out came the swatters and the repellent with deet. Strangely, there were no

Liftbridge at Autigny

more of them about for the rest of the day. Less weed on the 2.2kms pound to lock 47 Autigny (2.80m) the lock was full and again had no rods. The lockhouse was lived in but the front door facing the lock had been bricked up. 2.4kms to lock 48 Curel (3.10m). A liftbridge had been automated, operated with a hanging pole to twist, the road crossed the railway to our right and the Marne to our left. The bridge was very slow to close after we’d passed through it. The liftbridge just before lock 48 worked automatically with the lock. There was quite a gathering

Collapsed barn by lk 49 Breuil

of men on the lockside, VNF, other workmen and police. Below the lock a VNF man was driving a weed cutter, he had a very sensible parasol to keep the sun off. 1.9kms to the next. Getting very hot 34°C before 11am. Lock 49 Breuil (2.90m) was so full it was overflowing on to the grass. 2.1kms to lock 50 Chevillon (3.30m) DB Domingot was moored below the lock with an “A Vendre” (for sale) sign on it. Looking very smart, it was moored for years near to Condé in the layby before Billy-le-Grand tunnel at Vaudemange. 2.4kms to lock 51, Fontaines (2.70m). The liftbridge above 51 at Sommeville was under re-construction. 2.3kms to the next. Below 51,

Sommeville bridge undergoing reconstruction

the first liftbridge had gone and the second was automatic and worked in conjunction with lock 52 Bayard (3.4m). Lunch on the 3kms pound to lock 53 Bienville (3.5m). The lockhouse was bricked up and used as the local youth playground as there was rubbish everywhere. Again the lock was so full of water it was overflowing the lock sides. 2.3kms to the next, lock 54 Euville (3.50m) also overflowing. 1.3kms to the next. We passed an uphill boat, a cruiser with noisy engine. Down lock 55, Chamouilley (3.10m) our last of the day. We moored on a

Patton tank at Euville museum

long quay that had been recently refurbished and used to be a hirebase (Locaboat if we remember correctly). There were two boats moored, a large old Dutch DB from Meppel and a Swiss cruiser.

Canal-side bakery at Chamouilley

We landed gently behind the cruiser at 2.40pm. Later, another cruiser arrived and moored in front of us. Plus another a bit later.

Moored on refurbished quay at Chamouilley