Sillery to Bisseiul

31 kms, 12 locks, 1 tunnel (2.3 kms) and 1 swing bridge  

A very eventful day, but to start with the mundane:

We paid a visit to the supermarket to buy a new bottle of gas and a fresh baguette.

Ian hauling gas

As promised yesterday, a pic of the laundry in a car park

By 9.30 we were on our way, we had to ascend 3 locks to reach the summit before entering the tunnel of Mont de Billy and descending 8 locks in the space of 7 kms on the other side.

This lock needs a face lift

But at the final upstream lock we had a problem.  After entering the lock, as Ian put the engine into reverse to slow down, we hit something with the propeller.  The engine stopped with an almighty “thwack” and the gear box locked.  We were still travelling forwards at perhaps 2 or 3 kms/hour so Ian grabbed the aft mooring line and got it around the only purchase point available (a ladder) but the line got caught up in the bimini and that gave way and collapsed!   

Fortunately there was a VNF employee right there (possible a gardener, not a lock keeper) and I threw him the bow line to put around a bollard (we were going upstream and the bollards were 3m above our deck level). So we came to a halt without hitting the lock gates, thank goodness. 

The lock was activated and when the lock gates opened 2 VNF employees pulled us out and we tied up alongside the canal so we had time to find and sort out the problem.

First off Ian went into the engine room to see if he could free up the gear box.  He feared a seized gear box, damaged propeller or bent prop shaft, etc,etc.  It could have been horrendous.  He managed to turn the prop shaft enough to get the gear box into neutral.

We moved all heavy items from aft to forward to bring the stern higher and Ian opened the coffer to examine the prop. 

His first reaction was “it looks like cloth, towels, I hope it isn’t a body" (because it smelt rancid).  He started cutting it away with a knife but the smell was so bad he quit.  But how to get rid of it.  He put the engine in gear (forward as opposed to reverse gear when the engine stopped in the lock) and the body of a buck shot out from the prop.  All mangled by the prop.   So, so sad.  But thank goodness it was so simple to resolve.  Then he had to sort out the bimini which had collapsed.  Fortunately that turned out to be a simple fix, the screws into the track had pulled out and just needed to be screwed back in.

An hour and a half later we set off again and I checked emails. 

There was a rather astounding one from our house sitters, subject GONE, announcing that they had left the house and abandoned our car at the airport with the key in the ignition.   What a relief, we have had trouble with these people from the day they arrived. Fortunately we have many really good friends who have stepped into the breach, our car was retrieved within a couple of hours, the cats taken care of and we have decided that I will fly home from Paris to hand over to the new house sitter.  Yes, it caused a few ripples, but I feel a stone has been lifted from my shoulders now they are gone.

In need of a face lift

Entering the tunnel at Mont de Billy

... and coming out the other side

The fields of rape are coming into flower

A commercial barge and a narrow canal

A small gauge railway engine used to pull barges through the tunnel in days gone by 

The sign telling you to get ready to activate the pole. All these locks are automatic and are activated when you twist the pole

Tours-sur-Marne

I must admit a lot of the process of descending from the height of the Mont de Reims area into the valley of the Marne passed me by as I kept up with WhatsApp messages to our friends back home.  I cannot express the gratitude we feel to have such wonderful friends.

Chrissie, Tanya, Nathan, Mac : you are wonderful.  Heartfelt thanks to you all.

At 4.00pm as we approached the last swing bridge before our destination, it failed.  We had already twisted the pole twice – rien de tout (nothing).  So we tied up, Ian went on an inspection and found a call button at the bridge, so I explained our predicament in my best French. “D'accord, Madam, il arrive”  That means someone is coming to take care of it.  30 minutes later a VNF van pulled up,  a lockie-lady jumped out, activated a box of tricks at the bridge head, the bridge opened, and we were on our way to the pontoon just 100m past the bridge.
A few views of the town

So it was an eventful day!