Decize to Fleury-sur-Loire

15 km, 4 locks, approx. 3 engine hours

Problem day!  We left the town quay at 9.20, no problem.  We entered the first lock just 2 kms away, no problem.  I activated the lock, Ian went into reverse to secure the boat at the pole (4m rise, pole set into the lock side instead of bollards), but when he tried to go forward to stop the backwards momentum – nothing.  No forward gear!  The boat was still going backwards, the edge of the swim platform hit the lock wall, Ian was using his hands against the wall to try to slow us down, then a ladder came within my grasp and I hung onto that for dear life and Ian managed to gently push us away from the lock gates before we hit them.  Meanwhile the lock had started filling.  I was still hanging onto the ladder but couldn’t reach any of our lines, and then Ian came forward and secured us.  My heart was going pitter-pat!  Fortunately it is a very gentle, slow lock so Ian had time to take a look in the engine room.  The cable from the gear lever to the gear box (forward gear) had broken.  But it was still possible to change gear manually at the gear box so I had a quick lesson and we continued on our way with me in the engine room and Ian outside shouting Forward/Reverse/Neutral as required and me pushing and pulling the lever.  We had to get through another lock just 400m or so away then turn sharp right onto the canal Lateral a la Loire where there is a quay we could tie up to while Ian searched for and replaced the cable. 2 hours later it was all done.  Whew, I didn’t fancy spending the rest of our cruise in the engine room.

The temperature was climbing and the thought of cruising on in the blistering heat didn’t appeal so we decided to stay put until tomorrow.  But a stream of hire boats passed us heading back into Decize Marina where there is a hire boat base.  And that could only mean a new lot of novice skippers would be heading out tomorrow morning and heading the same way as us.  The thought of being held up at every lock while they work out which way to turn the wheel and how to get in and out of a lock was painful.  Worse than cruising in the heat.  So we set off again in the 32C stifling heat and finally got to our destination at 4.45. 

And, no, I did not think of taking any photos!

As the sun set it got a bit cooler and I went for a walk.

Ian took this photo from the bridge at Decize.  We are there, the tiny white dot against the quay.

One of the returning hire boats.

Wild mooring at Fleury-sur-Loire.  Just the other side of the bridge there is a Halte which costs €9 per day, including water and electricity.  

Ancient Romanesque church, but it was locked and there was no info about it.

Fleury is a tiny village, but it does have bakery, a post office and a snack bar at the Halte.