Tuesday 20th June 2017 Chamouilley to Ecriennes. 29.4kms 12 locks

Liftbridge and old railway swingbridge at Marnaval

13.2°C Very hot and sunny again (Max 36.7°C outside and 33°C in the cabin. All the cruisers that had stayed overnight had gone before we started getting ready to move. Chatted with the guy off the DB who was staying for a month to get some work done on his boat. Left at 8.50am. I phoned Vitry to book us a lock keeper, I asked if we needed one today, the lady said yes, for the liftbridge at Marnaval. Lock 56 Güe (3.10m) was empty, so we

Reflection in the gymnasium window. St Dizier

had a short wait while it filled. There was an interesting Z-bend under the railway which has traffic lights at the far side for uphill traffic so that they didn’t meet downhill traffic on the blind bends. Jets taking off from St Dizier’s airbase were very loud as we travelled the 2.1kms pound to lock 57 Marnaval (3.20m). Two cruisers were coming up so we had a short wait until they cleared before we went down. A young lady with a VNF van worked the black liftbridge below the lock from a cabin. Beyond it the railway swingbridge remains forever open to boat traffic. 4kms into St Dizier. A narrow (abt

New waterfront in St Dizier

3.5m beam) Belgian-flagged tug went past heading uphill. St Dizier’s waterfront had had a makeover with all new buildings facing on to the canal, new shops and a cinema behind the quay, where the cruiser that had been moored in front of us the night before was now moored. Opposite was a new sports centre and Mike managed to take a good reflection photo of the boat in the gymnasium’s big windows. Lock 58 St Dizier (3.20m) was very slow emptying. 1.8kms to the next past a large factory, YTO on the chimney – on

Site of marina in St Dizier

the gate it said Yanmar Tractor (Case Tractor’s smelly factory used to be where the new sports centre is) and next to it was a foundry, Focast, which was making a right old pong. Down 59 La Noue (3.10m) and turned sharp right on to a long, long straight section, 18kms before the first bend! To our left was the empty basin which used to house a pretty good marina many years ago. The perimeter fence of the air base was right next to the canal for about 2.5kms. 1.8kms to lock 60 Hœricourt (3.20m) a large Dutch steel cruiser was waiting below to go up. 2.3kms to lock 61

Anti-aircraft lorry at air base in St Dizier

Hallignicourt (3.20m) Mike took photos of a camouflaged lorry with a rotating radar dish (and a German symbol on the side of the lorry) which looked like some sort of surface to air anti-aircraft missile launcher. 1.5kms (and yet more foul smells) to lock 62 La Garenne (3.10m). The lady of the lock house said bonjour from the shade at her front door. 62 was also very slow to empty. The afternoon Eurofighter take-offs were pretty loud. 2.4kms to lock 63 Perthes

Donkey dozing in the heat.

(3.30m). Three adolescent lads in swimming shorts were playing about around the lock, sitting on the lock gates as they opened. One asked me a question and I didn’t understand him, so I asked him to repeat it – still couldn’t fathom what he was asking. He gave up. So did I. Below the lock there were parked gypsy caravans, so that must be where the kids came from, wondered why they weren’t at school. 1.4kms and checking for moorings but finding nothing, not even pilings with deep enough water. Down lock 64 Sapiginicourt (3.20m) and the canal became weedy after seeing none

Tonga unloading below Orconte lock -
 commercial activity again at last!

since before St Dizier, in consequence there were lots of dragonflies and damselflies and a Kingfisher flew past – hadn’t seen one for ages and then a tern diving for fish, not seen one of those either. I made sandwiches for lunch on the long 3.4kms pound. Down lock 65 Bruyère and, after the gates closed behind us as we left, two red lights came on – en panne! Weed in the gates? 2kms to lock 66 Orconte (3.30m). A VNF pusher tug Neptunius was moored at the end of the (empty, and very nice but no satellite TV due to trees) quay

Moored above lock 68 Ecriennes

for plaisance, which had a large sign forbidding péniches from mooring there. Below the lock by the silo, péniche Tonga from Sens was being unloaded by diggers into bulk cargo lorries. 2.1kms to lock 67 Matignicourt (3.10m). A VNF van went down the towpath but didn’t stop. Lock 67’s house was all bricked up. A fisherman was fishing just below the lock. Another 2kms and we were at the picnic quay above lock 68 Ecriennes. Nice mooring, partially in shade, but one disadvantage – again no satellite TV. It was just after 4pm when we tied up. Three quarters of an hour later cruiser a cruiser that moors at Condé went past heading uphill, starting their holidays – they asked if we were on our way back to Condé. Yes, we’ll see you later in the year. Tonga, now empty, went past heading downhill at 5.20pm. Half an hour later, loaded boat La Paix went past heading uphill – the crew spoke in passing - they’d probably been past us dozens of times while we’ve been moored at Condé.