18th April Pinon to Bourg et Comin

Such slow internet at Bourg et Comin that I couldn't post yesterday.

22 kms, 8 locks (4 up, 4 down) 1 tunnel (2.3 km)

My word was it cold this morning – 0C at 8.00 am!  We had an almost empty French gas bottle that we wanted to exchange today at the very convenient supermarket so last night Ian connected it to the cooker and lit a couple of the burners for about an hour to heat the boat, and I did the same this morning, except the gas ran out after half an hour.

Off we went to the supermarket and stocked up on heavy things (5 litre boxes wine, 1 each of red and rose, sparkling water, coke –no not the powder variety, the back liquid – coffee, potatoes and onions, and a couple of other things) then did a second trip to get the gas.  A mind boggling €30 for 13kg!  Ouch.  Oh, well, we’ve got to eat.

The mooring at Pinon

We had a short trip today so waited till 11.45 before we set off.  It was a bit warmer at 10C and with showers of rain from time to time (when we in the locks, of course), but in the early afternoon it started to clear and by the time we arrived at the pontoon at Bourg et Comin it was really rather pleasant in the sunshine, and when sheltered from the wind.

The Canal de l’Oise a l’Aisne is such a joy: narrow, windy (no,not the atmospheric windy the curvaceous windy), lots of trees hanging over the water, ducks and farms.

A lock keeper's cottage from times gone by

The modern equivalent - not quite as attractive

An aqueduct over the River Aisne

Quite a treat!

and one very slow moving barge. It was going in the same direction as us and when we caught up to it we sat behind it for perhaps 10 minutes, appalled that this would throw our time keeping out completely.  So I called him on the radio and with no preamble he said “Yes, you can pass me, no problem” so we did, again having to brush through the bushes hanging over the canal.

This is such an easy canal.  With the telecommande you press a button as you approach the lock, the light turns from red to red/green, the gates open, the red light goes out, you enter, push up a blue rod on the side of the lock, the aft gates close, the lock fills, the front gates open and out you go.  In all it takes about 15 minutes.

Activating the lock

There was also a tunnel, 2.3 km long, the Braye tunnel.  The “traffic light” was showing green as we approached so we just sallied on through.

Approaching the lock from the l'Oise end

Using our flood light in the tunnel

Almost at the end

The Braye Tunnels from the Aisne end

The locks coming down after the tunnel were even easier than the locks going up – no telecommande necessary.  As we approached the lock automatically prepared, the gates opened and we went in, but I still had to push the blue rod up to activate the lock.  By 15.15 we were tied up at the pontoon at Bourg et Comin. 

  It is free, and has free water and electricity!  Guess what – we’ll be getting the fan heater out tonight, it is supposed to get even colder than last night.
3 hours after we had tied up, Orca, the barge we passed early in the day, came passed us.  Much waving and thumbs up in greeting.

Ian walked to the Aisne aqueduct and found a barge passing through it

Curry tonight – even we don’t think this is Barbie weather!