Lommel Lock to Ravels

Such a beautiful day today.  We got up early, just before the sun came up.  It was still, warm for early morning, clear and bright, so we left the mooring at 7.40.  The first lock was only just around the corner and I called on the VHF but got no reply so Ian tied up at the waiting area just before the lock and, well, we waited.  

This was our first Belgian lock, very different from the Dutch locks which are operated remotely from some far off central office.  Here there was a lock keeper who came out of this office and walked to each end of the lock to open and close the water sluices.  It was also much smaller than the Dutch locks we have been through.

The next two locks were ready and waiting for us so we passed through all 3 quite quickly and turned onto the Dessel-Turnhout-Schoten Canal.  The first few kms were very pretty, much like the Beverlo Canal, but then we passed a very long section where there is major work going on on the bank.   

Ian had been sanding while I drove and we went through a long stretch where there were no workers so he thought this looked like an ideal place to stop and get a lot of work done that we could not do with other boats around.  We tied up to the unfinished quay and both of us got stuck into the sanding.  It took me back 30 years to the early 1980's when we built our first yacht together. Then Ian painted a primer coat onto the coach roof we had sanded.

The sun was belting down - hot, hot, hot!  I didn't think I would be saying that 2 weeks ago.  Lynn and Shaun had stopped behind us while they also did some maintenance work on their varnished hand rails.  We had tied up to the metal walkway but they had hammered stakes into the ground.  A big commercial barge came by that created such a pull on the water that it pulled their stakes right out of the ground.  Ian, Lynn and I were standing next to the boat so grabbed the lines.  Wow, what a lot of power! We could not do anything except hold onto the lines as the boat surged many metres along the wall.

Off we set again at about 2.00 pm.  There were 3 lift bridges

and a girl riding her horse (beautiful) and walking her dog, a Weimerana (don't know how to spell it, just as beautiful).

and at about 4.30 we stopped in small yacht club called Het ge Vaer near a town called Ravels. 

The club has only 49 permanent boats and a pontoon for just 3 visiting boats.  It cost us €8 per night plus €1.50 for electricity.  Water is free, included in the overnight rate.  There is a shower (unisex), €1 for 8 minutes so Ian and I showered together.  We were both full of dust and sweat from our labours and it was wonderful to use gallons of water to get clean.  It is a lovely little club.  The clubhouse is a barge with a tented area on the land 

and there are flowers everywhere, even on top of the pilings supporting the floating pontoons.

We might stay more than one night.