Cambrai to Honnecourt

Sunday 10th April

We intended to set off at 9 this morning but the day dawned with thick mist over the canal and at 9.00 it was still too thick to see a barge coming around a corner, and only 3.5 degrees.  

By 10 the mist had cleared and the temperature had risen to 7, so off we set. 

Our first venture onto the St Quentin Canal: 92km long, 35 locks and 2 tunnels.

Daffidils alongside the canal

We had no idea how far we get today, it would all depend on how much time we lost in the locks.  As it turned out we lost very little time in the locks – with the remote control we could activate the lock as we approached, 

cruise straight on in and be stationary just 5 minutes or so while the lock filled (all small locks, a little over 2m rise, and they fill fast).   There were almost no other boats moving on the canal on a Sunday, except one commercial barge which had to wait for us!  It was called Broomstick – now there’s an inappropriate name for a barge!

Broomstick waiting to enter the lock after we exited

With the mist gone, we were left with vast blue skies, brilliant sunshine and rising temperatures.  At last I could get rid of a few layers of clothes, namely long johns and the second pair of socks.  But every now again clouds would move in and as soon as the sun was gone it felt cold again.

Everyone in France seemed to be out enjoying the sunshine.

Lotsof sculls

A fishing competition

Terrible picture but couldn't resist these cheery folk: a barbecue at the fishing  competition

Lots of flowers appearing too

Locks number 9, 10 and 11 were manned. At number 9 the lockkeeper gave us a new remote control and took back the old one.  He asked us when we intended to go through the tunnel.  The tunnel, Riqueval, is 5.67 km long and boats may not use their engines inside the tunnel so a convoy forms which is pulled through by an electric tug.  I have read that it takes over 2 hours.  When the canal is busy the convoy operates at specific times, twice a day in each direction.  The southbound convoy leaves at 7.30 and 15.00 and the northbound convoy leaves at 9.30 and 17.00.  We were delighted to be asked what time suited us and we chose 9.00 on Wednesday, thinking we would take a leisurely meander up the canal stopping at 3 places on route. 

No, not so easy.  There are very few places for small pleasure craft to tie up; lots of places for big barges but the bollards are too far apart for small boats.  Originally we had planned to stop between locks 10 and 11 (at a village called Les Rues des Vignes), but the lock keepers (2 of them) discouraged it.  When we passed the quay it really didn’t look too bad at all, so we are not sure what the problem was.  Possibly, being a manned lock, someone would have to come out to open just one lock for us tomorrow!  No problem, there was another “halte” just 3 km further on at Vaucelles.  But when we got there the very small quay with rings for small craft was completely taken up by fishermen!  

We stopped right at the extreme edge, tied to one bollard and a barrier, thinking to move to a better spot when the fishermen were gone.  But there were absolutely no facilities there, i.e. a town. After a half hour or so we decided to keep moving.  The next stop marked on the chart was at a town called Banteux, but the bank was in poor condition and the canal too shallow on the edge.  So we kept moving.  

Each lock has a sign with the distance from the start of the canal at Cambrai, the end at Chauny, the previous lock and the next lock

At last, at 16.00, after 23km and 14 locks, we have stopped at a quay in Honnecourt, just 5km from the tunnel!  It has bollards for barges, too far apart for us to use 2 of them but it has a grassy edge so we hauled out the stakes.

There is a small town – but that can wait till tomorrow. 

A word of warning to other cruisers:  the walls of some of the locks are on poor condition, crumbling away at the high water mark, deep enough for fenders to disappear into and leave our precious newly painted hull at risk of nasty scratches!

This really is a lovely canal but it would be even better to do it in smaller chunks, and enjoy more of the small villages.