12 October Warmbrechies to Leers Noord

22 kms, 12 locks, 6 mobile bridges

Today was a bit of nightmare – and this was the part we were looking forward to most of all:  The Canal de Roubaix.

We had a very early start at 8.00 and woke to leaden overcast skies.  When we left the mooring it was not fully light yet, but fortunately not as cold as it has been lately, about 7C.  Fortunately the navigation lights work!

We used the telecommande to get through the first lock at Marquette and arrived at the Marcq en Baroeul Lock at 8.50, 10 minutes early.

Our “equipe itinerante” (mobile team) arrived just after 9.00.  They were very friendly, helped with our lines – most of the locks are too deep to reach the bollards at the top and there are none set into the lock walls.  Not long afterwards is started to rain, and got colder.

Maintenance work, leaving a very narrow to pass through

Rain

More maintenance

At the third lock we started to encounter some weed, and from lock 3 to lock 6 it got thicker and thicker.  

At each lock Ian cleaned out the water filter.  

Weed from the water filter

7 locks climbed up to a plateau, including 5 in a staircase sequence, climbing a total of 20 metres.  The canal is quite delightful, narrow and beautiful. 

The lock keepers stop for lunch from 12.30 to 13.30 so we stopped at a convenient place at the top of the flight of locks just before noon and I made a pot of soup for lunch.

The town of Roubaix, not the most beautiful part of the canal!

This little urchin was rather cute

A squatter camp?

There was no weed on the plateau but as soon as we started descending the weed got thicker and thicker and we noticed the exhaust temperature going up and the amount of water coming out of the exhaust was less and less.  

At the top,not so much weed.  Looking down the flight of locks

Farid, one of our Eclusiers.  Great guys, very helpful.

Thick clumps of hairy weed

The strainer at the hull inlet had become completely blocked. This was a serious problem and we limped our way through the last couple of lift bridges and lock, turning the engine off to let it cool a bit then moving another hundred metres or two before drifting for a few more minutes. Very stressful - we even thought this might be the end of our cruising! And to crown it all Ian is still feeling very unwell.

Eventually we made it to the pontoon at the Leers Noord lock.  Ian put an endoscope down the inlet tube and we could see a mass of vegetation in the valve.  So he closed the valve, disconnected the tube and made a tool to poke through the valve and strainer.  Then he turned the valve back to open and poked and prodded. At first there was very little water coming into the boat but as he cleared the weed away the water flow got stronger and stronger, all going into the bilge of course.  At last he got it clear enough (not perfect but that would be an underwater job!), closed the valve, put the tube back on and pumped out the bilges.  Started the engine and it ran sweetly with water gushing out of the exhaust, and the temperature came down.  Relief!

This is the first lock on the Belgian side of the border and the beginning of the Canal d’Espierre.  There is a highly recommended little bar/restaurant here called “La Maison du Canal” and we were planning to have dinner there tonight, our one and only dinner out on this cruise, but more disappointment: no food tonight! Oh well, spaghetti carbonara for dinner instead.

The pontoon above Leers Noord lock

We would love to come back to this canal and take a lot more time.  There are a lot of places to stop, with free water and electricity.  At the first lock our wonderful “equipe”, Farid and Said, presented us with an information package (in English with British flag on the front) with plans of all the towns, information about the canal and its history, a booklet of the birds of this area and 2 little jars of local honey.  What a wonderful welcome.  However, next time we will come early in the season and hope to avoid the dreaded weed.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring!