Pont l'Eveque to Peronne

48 km, 7 locks (4 up, 3 down) and a tunnel

31 degrees and 10.5 exhausting hours

What a long day.  There are days when things go your way and there are days when they don’t – this was one of those days.

We left the port at 8.00, we would have left earlier but the nearest lock just around the corner, only opens at 8.00.  We thought we would be early, the first punters of the day, but no, there was already a barge waiting to go upstream.  It was a “double trouble” (i.e. two barges in line, tied together, with just one driver) tied up alongside (probably been there all night) and waiting for a boat coming down in the lock. So we tied up and waited.  Meanwhile another barge, called Ski, arrived and eventually we entered the lock together and exited an hour after setting off – an hour to do less than 1km.  He was a great companion in the lock, came out of his wheel house to check we were OK and moved off very gently when the gates opened.

Waiting with Ski at the first lock

These barges were travelling slowly, 6 km/hr.  

Canal du Nord, a busy canal, but not unattractive

As we approached the second lock, the double trouble was exiting, but at the third lock, with double trouble closed inside, we could see the water boiling out at the bottom of the gates, i.e. lock emptying, when it should have been filling.  There was a lot of chatter on the radio, all in very fast French so I missed most of it, but I caught the words “in fact, the situation is serious” and the voices got more and more agitated.  So I jumped ashore and went to chat to the captain on Ski (we had both tied up).  Yes, he confirmed, the lock is “en panne” (out of order), someone is coming.  

Waiting for the techies to do their stuff

Duly, 3 techie guys arrived, walked up and down, hung over the gates to get a better look, disappeared into the lock-keeper’s house, came out and looked again, eventually they found out which buttons to press and hey presto!  The lock was back in action.  Last year when we passed this way each lock was manned.  This year when we wanted to come south on this canal in April it was closed for 5 weeks – now we know why.  They are now controlled by a distant “Centrale” and are (correction: should be) fully automated.  It seems they have not ironed out all the wrinkles yet.  It was after 12.00 when we finally made it through that lock, and we had only done 8.00 kms.

We also had a tunnel to negotiate, one way traffic only. Again we had to wait for a boat coming in the opposite direction.  We were not keen to follow behind a barge in a narrow tunnel in the turbulence from his huge propeller so we asked if we could go ahead of him.  No problem at all.  By the time we exited the tunnel is was after 14.00 and we had only covered 16kms.  

Waiting to enter the tunnel

Exiting ahead of Ski

We seriously did not expect to make it Peronne before the locks closed at 19.00.   The sun had come out and it was getting hot.  As the afternoon wore on and the sun slanted under the bimini it was just blistering. 

This lock has a 6m rise/fall

There were only 3 more locks, all going downstream, and we could  now move at our own pace.  Of course this did mean what we arrived at each lock a little ahead of Ski, but surprisingly he picked up his pace too so we made it through the last lock at about 18.15 and into the little port in Peronne at 18.30 – 10 and half hours after leaving Pont l’Eveque and a frazzling 31 degrees.  Now I know what a chip feels like that gets forgotten in the oven.

Before we could tie up the skipper from the boat in front of us, Athene, said he would be leaving early in the morning and suggested we swap places with him so he did not disturb us (the entry to the pontoon is very narrow).  Good idea.

Squeezing into the bushes so we can take Athene's place

This little port is attached to a campsite.  It cost us €11.90 per night including water and showers, electricity is extra but we don’t need it.  There is also a laundry at the campsite.

At last, after 19.30, I could pour a glass of cold wine, get out my trusty little blue air-conditioner (fan that blows mist) and relax with my book.

It was a long day, but until it got so hot, not unpleasant.  Waiting is just part of cruising.  We had a great rapport with our barge companion, even waiting for him to come by as we turned into the port so we could wave goodbye, and we got a great big smile and thumbs up from him in reply.