Boissise le Bertrand to Saint Memmés

35 kms, 3 locks

Last night we discovered that this lock has been closed for 4 days for repairs, hence the large number of commercial barges waiting.  Yesterday I received an “avis de la batellerie” (notice to boatmen from the VNF) to say the “small lock” will be open from today, not realising that this was a special event and it had taken them 4 days to get it into service to replace the “big lock”.  I really don’t understand why they are called the small and big locks because they both seem to have the same dimensions (except the gates to the small lock iare a lot narrower) but the small lock is a lot older than the big lock.  As we discovered!

For 2 hours from early light we watched the queues of boats entering and leaving the lock (of course there were just as many waiting upstream).  At 9.30 there was only one barge left plus a dumb-barge that it was pushing in front of it so we fell in line behind it, only for a new commercial to appear behind us.  We waited forever for the boats coming down to exit the lock – and we were gobsmacked: there were 4 peniches (38m commercial barges) plus 3 pleasure cruisers including a narrowboat.  So much for a small lock!  And the last peniche to exit took forever and day – when we stopped later I found a new “avis” instructing commercial boats going downstream and lying close to the gates to take extreme care with their engine power because the gates are a bit delicate and there is big chance that this back-up lock will fail too! Great, we will be coming back this way in 10 days time.

Well, we entered the lock and were horrified to find sloping sides, how on earth do we tie up and we really need to tied securely fore and aft with two commercial in front of us.  The lock keeper was telling me to throw him my bowline (but we were 3m down and 3m from the quay) when the captain of the commercial in front said I must throw the line to him and we could secure alongside his boat.  How kind and thoughtful was that!.  

Tied alongside the barge and having a conversation about lock opening hours tomorrow which is VE Day, am important holiday in France, but apparently lock hours are not affected.

The sloping sides of the lock

So what we expected to be a total nightmare turned out to be the easiest lock experience we have had.  We just tied off our lines and he and his missus did all the work against the lock side.  They had two delightful little boys.

After that all the locks were straightforward and we were the only passenger.  They went like clockwork but being extremely large locks (185m x 12m) they take a long time to empty and fill.

The Seine Amont - a big wide river, but really rather attractive...

...with more and more impressive homes.

This one even has a boathouse with roll-down garage door.

And a chateau of course

We arrived at Saint-Memmés in searing heat (31C) at 15.45.  First of all we tied up in the entrance to the Loing Canal:

 But is was so hot and breathless there.  Ian went for a walk and discovered that the Port de Plaisance is not open but there is great pontoon available:

So we moved but right at that moment the camera battery went flat!  It is a much nicer place to stop, in the breeze for a start.  There is supposed to be a capitainerie here offering water, electricity, showers and wi-fi.  But it is all closed up, maybe later in the summer.