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| 19 kms, 5 locks, 4 hours |
With the
first lock nearly 2 kms away we left the mooring at 8.30 and the lockie lady
had just arrived and was preparing the lock as we arrived. It was another grey cloudy day with spits of
rain from time to time.
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| Ever wondered how they empty bottle banks? the bottom opens and they all fall out. |
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| Canal-side whimsey |
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| A view of the Loire river, wide isn't it? |
11 kms and 2 locks later we turned off the Canal Lateral
a la Loire onto the Canal Roanne a Digoin.
At the first
lock we found a pull rope to operate the lock and were surprised to see a
lockie waiting to take our lines (just one centre line in our case). The gates of these locks open slowly, like molasses
on a cold winter’s day. Perhaps with a
touch of impatience Ian entered the lock quite fast, which turned out to be a
good thing because there was quite a vicious side current just at the entrance
to the lock, and then we remembered that Shaun had warned us about it!
Looking back
to take a photo of the slowly closing lock gates we noticed a sign warning
boats exiting the lock about the strong side current!
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| Another canal-side decoration - a table set with glasses and bottles of pastis, etc. Not for use though. |
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| Last lock of the day - 6m high |
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| On our way out |
We have
stopped a “halte nautique” in the middle of nowhere, apparently called the Halte
Nautique de Croix Rouge (the bridge just below the quay). It is a free stop with a borne for water and
electricity, €2.00 buys you 8 hours of electricity, or 20 minutes of water.
This is the
last stretch of water we will be cruising before arriving at our new “home port”,
Roanne, where we will be leaving the boat when we fly back home for the
summer. Yes, our spring cruise is coming
to an end!
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