Fontainebleau to Nemours

21/9/2012

Today:                 8 locks

We set off in good time, with a planned fuelling stop in St Mammes just before going into the Canal du Loing (advised not many opportunities to refuel directly - as opposed to walking jerry cans back from a garage – so we’re not going to pass this chance up!).

Into the Canals

Going from the Seine into the Loing is like coming off the motorway straight onto a B road – with cars parked on both sides to boot. And there, parked facing us was our Dutch friend with his double barge – how he got it there, and turned around, is anybody’s guess, but represents quite a driving feat.

We arrived at our first manual lock as a boat was coming down through it, so went in as soon as it was free – to be told to enjoy our lunch as it was closed for the next hour! Pleased to have the fly bridge, as instead of staring at slimy walls while we ate we could admire the surroundings. Very helpful lock keeper when he returned, although he thought us wearing life jackets was rather quaint and said not to bother from now on as long as we could swim!

The next lock was automatic, with sensors activating the cycle as you pass them, and a bar to lift when you’re inside to close the gates behind and send the water – a bar covered in slime by the way. On exit we had to hit the deck sharpish as a very low bridge came up – only as fast as we’re driving, but pretty sure even at 7kph a concrete head butt hurts!

We had to wait at the next lock for another boat to catch up, which was unfortunate as it meant we were right at the front, taking all the wash, while they hung at the back in total tranquilité! They were definitely old hands at this canal boating lark, so a cunning plan to be exploited by us sometime soon hopefully!

The next lock was nearly a disaster, when one of the three wasted students in charge started letting in water before we even got a line on, but disaster averted and we trundle on upstream.

In all we did 1 commercial Seine lock and 7 smaller (39m) manual and automatic locks in a 6.5 hour driving day (numbered, starting at 19 and working down but no lock number 13 by the way!). We moored in Nemours in driving rain and ready for an early night! Our lock friends moored on the same pontoon, and advised that the town market was the next morning – bonus!