17 kms, 4
locks
The weather
was almost as miserable today as it was yesterday, but at least it didn’t
rain. There was a great deal of moisture
in the air but it wasn’t real rain, just a general misty moistness as you may notice in the photos. I went for a walk quite early, just for some
exercise and to enjoy the ancient-ness of the town, and to buy a fresh baguette
at the boulangerie. Then
Ian and I took a stroll to the lock downstream to organise a time to get underway
- 13.30, just after their lunch break.
Right next to the mooring there is a park with
a bare flat gravelly patch in the middle, not unlike a boule “terrain”, the
place where you play boules. So the
Cullens challenged the Carters to a match.
It was really rather cold but we had great fun and Ian and I won :)
At 13.20 we
untied our lines and headed into the lock, which was already open, and tied up
to the floating pontoons (again, all the locks today had sloping sides). The lock keeper appeared immediately to set
the lock in motion, even though his lunch break doesn’t end till 13.30. This lockie took us through two locks then
told us another lock keeper would take over for the last two. Mid-way between locks 2 and 3 we passed two
pleasure cruisers heading in the opposite direction and when we got to lock 3
it was open and waiting for us.
 |
| Manual locks, the lock-keeper earning his salary on a cold misty day |
 |
| Watching me watching you |
All ran
smoothly as clockwork and by 16.00 we were tied up at the long quay at Sens
with just one other boat.
Further downstream
the locks are closed for 3 days (Tuesday to Thursday) so we will be here till
Friday morning. We liked this town a lot
when we passed through last week and there is a great deal to see, so that is
no hardship.
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