Thursday 3rd July
We left Joinville on Wednesday and did not see a lockkeeper until lunchtime when a VNF van drove down the towpath and the guy called out something about the next lock (!). At the next lock we found a student lockkeeper who would accompany us through two manual lift bridges after the lock, so that was all right. In the afternoon we arrived at Chamouilley without any delays to find a smart new quay with landscaped gardens, electricity sockets and water taps. However there where no bollards or mooring rings and no electricity in the sockets, nor water in the taps.

New moorings at Chamouilley

I didn't know fishing was a spectator sport

Today as we travelled towards St Dizier there was another manual swing bridge to negotiate. No lockkeeper appeared like yesterday but from the lock before it we could see that the bridge was raised. As we approached we saw scaffolding on a floating pontoon was blocking the canal and we could hear drilling noises. We managed to attract the workmen’s attention, with the help of a passing cyclist, and then they had to finish some welding before moving the scaffolding for us to pass by the bridge. We carried on past St Dizier to stop at Orconte, a rural mooring but with all services, including bollards.

Waiting for the workman to move their scaffolding

Miko factory at St Dizier

Orconte

We were planning to start up towards Toul tomorrow but on checking the VNF website found the canal had sprung a leak just where we wanted to moor and was closed till Saturday. So that will be two nights at Orconte.

Monday 7th July
We have finally reached the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. On Saturday the VNF website had not extended the closure notice but it did not say the canal was open and as it was wet and windy we decided to stay put. In the afternoon another Piper boat, Archangel, arrived. We had not met Niki and Tony before but had heard about them from other barge owners. Their cat had set off the barge horn in the middle of the night (a distress signal) and woke up not only the other boats but as it was a town mooring local residents as well. They had seen Tesserae when they were having their barge built and chose the same exterior colour scheme. They clearly have good taste but you hardly notice the paintwork as the barge is truly a floating garden; puts our geraniums to shame. We met the infamous cat.

Archangel

Yesterday morning the weather was better so we set off. The forecast was for storms in the afternoon with gusts up to 75kph.  We thought we would make it to Vitry-le-Francoise at the end of the Canal Champagne et Bourgogne but after only 4.5 km and 2 locks the weather started to deteriorate and we moored up again.

Storm approaching better moor up 

Rain almost here

Rain here

After the storm

This morning the weather was fine and the locks were turned on early so we were on our way at 8:30am. This last section of the canal was very weedy and so many weeds caught around the propeller that D. had difficulty stopping the boat in one lock. Also the locks are full to overflowing, which is a bit awkward, at the last lock the bollards were underwater. We entered the Canal de la Marne au Rhin just ahead of a commercial barge, which was lucky as they travel very slowly on small canals. 10km up the canal we met another commercial coming downstream. The canal was so narrow and weedy we thought there was going to be a collision but D. steered Tesserae clear (or perhaps the commercial skipper knew what he was doing!). We reach Pargny sur Saulx by 3pm, we had spent a few days at the quay here in 2012 but today there was no space, boats were already moored two deep and the official nature mooring is full. We create our own nature mooring, the ground is so hard we could only get one pin in so we are tied to a couple of fences and a picnic table but we can reach the electrics. The commercial that was behind us came past at 5.45pm, we are very glad that we were in front it.

Overflowing locks

Too much weed

At least someone likes the weed

Commercial approaching!

Tuesday 8th July
The rain returned last night and it continued all night. In August 2012 this was a very picturesque spot overlooking the town, now there are big earth works as a dam is being built on the R. Saulx to prevent flooding and water contamination. One of the engineers is living on a big cruiser at the moorings.
A German moored on the bank behind us asks to share our electric cable as he is even further away from the main mooring. Soon after we set up the double cable the electrics go off, we must have overloaded the system. D went to investigate and found out that the electrics are kaput (a term that is the same in every language) for the whole area and will not be reconnected till 5.30pm.  It is still raining.

Nature mooring at Pargny sur Saulx

Pargny sur Saulx 2012

Pargny sur Saulx 2014

Silver horseman? no motorbike cover 

All eclectics off. Back to working the lock by hand.

Wednesday 9th July
It is still raining and the forecast is for it to continue raining for the foreseeable future. The rain extends over most of northern France and we watch Chris Froome fall off his bike in the poring rain and pull out of the Tour de France. Why aren’t we on the Canal de Midi??