2012 Centenary Cruise Week 2 Péronne to the Meuse (Mouzon)

After enjoying the sunshine of Péronne we set off once more on Monday with a less encouraging forecast. Half a dozen locks, one tunnel and 45 km brought us to Noyon at the junction of the Canal Latéral à l'Oise. Here the gas ran out. Changing from UK Calor to european gas means changing the pressure regulator, but as luck would have it we were moored next to a garden centre that could provide all we needed by 0930 the next morning.

Tuesday brought cold and rain, and we were stuck at the first lock for over an hour waiting for commercial barges to go through. By 1300 we had completed only 3 locks and 350 metres, so by evening we had completed only 28km, mooring at Guny. The consolation was that we were now in the much smaller and attractive Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne. Suddenly there were kingfisher, heron, buzzard and jay everywhere, and although the weather was still uncertain, we pushed on to the halte nautique at Bourg et Comin (just a pontoon by a field but at least there was free electricity). By this time we were beginning to have some problems with the 24 volt alternator, which meant trying to conserve our service batteries, not using the bow thruster or autohelm, and leaving the fridge off until we could reach mains electricity.

The direct canal route south passes through champagne country and Reims, but repairs to locks in this section meant taking a longer diversion either via Paris or via the Ardennes. Leaving Paris for another trip we set off up the beautiful Canal des Ardennes. The canal is much narrower, winding through dense woodland, climbing into the Ardennes hills, giving a real feeling of isolation. By 1900 we were one lock short of the village of Chateau Porcien when the lock system closed, leaving us tied up alone for the night once more.

A lunchtime halt

The next day was a little brighter and warmer. We stopped at the small town of Rethel for fuel from a garage (transported in 20 litre containers balanced on our bikes) and supermarket provisions. These included a bottle of Champagne to toast (rather belatedly) 500km completed on the trip so far. Evening found us in the Halte Nautique at Attigny, eating at a Pizzeria run by a most peculiar and grumpy couple. This theme, incidentally, was continued by the stroppy waitress in Bourg et Comin and the unhelpful camp site manager in Sedan. In an area which is clearly facing hard times, you might think that tourist income would be welcomed, but we repeatedly found that basic information was not provided and elementary services were closed. French tourism take note, although it must be said that most French people we met were friendly and helpful, and admired our boat.

As the Canal climbs into the Ardennes there is a steep flight of 27 locks in less than 10km, some of them only 100 metres apart. Nick stayed with us for this day so that we could have one crew member ashore to handle lines and activate lock mechanisms. The flight took us over six hours (meeting a commercial barge on the way down at lock 23) but by nightfall we were at the small village of Chémery sur Bar, sharing a beer in a bar straight out of a horror movie, featuring France's last remaining toilet without a seat, a landlady with no teeth and a display of pornographic videos for hire. We did not linger.

After days in the forest we were looking forward to reaching the Meuse, partly because we would finally turn south, and partly because the city of Sedan offered luxuries like showers, electricity, fuel and a meal out. The last few km of the Canal des Ardennes were idyllic: gentle rural scenes of “mists and mellow fruitfulness”, before meeting a lunatic hire boat careering round a blind corner which resulted in the loss of our fresh herb planter. At Sedan, Edwards-May in “Inland Waterways of France” suggests both the town quay and the berths at the camp site which we had used in 2007. Well the town quay was silted up and unusable, and the pontoons in the camp site were closed. Apparently no boats are welcome in Sedan after 15 September, and boats of any size are not welcome at any time (the pontoons being much too light for our 30 tonnes).

Mouzon Boulangerie - note the bikes outside

So it was that our week ended 15km further on at Mouzon, where the halte nautique was also closed, but the electricity was still on, even though the toilets and showers were locked, and the water taps were dry. But the lady in the boulangerie was delightful, and at least our route had turned inexorably south, towards Verdun, the Moselle, and the Saône.

2012 Centenary Cruise Week 1 Woodbridge (Suffolk)to Péronne

After a frantic week of preparation, Nigel Askew and David boarded De Jonge Jacob on Friday 31 August to undertake the sea passage to Dunkerque. The calm Saturday which had been forecast all week was changing, with the shipping forecast offering SW 5-6 for Thames, so we postponed. A flat bottomed boat like ours is not safe at sea (nor insured) in anything over a 4. Sunday showed an improvement SW 4/5, so we were hopeful for the Monday. In the event we both slept through the 0515 shipping forecast but a call to Lynne Askew showed SW veering NW 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first. Since it was almost calm at 0630 we weighed anchor and set off for Felixstowe Ferry.

Once at sea the promised force 4 arrived, producing an uncomfortable rolling trip past Cork Sand and Roughs Towers, and an even more lumpy sea with wind over tide down Black Deep. The plan had been to pass through Foulgers Gap, a narrow passage through Long Sand, but the building of the London Wind Turbine Array has closed this option, so we were forced to plod on to Fisherman's Gap, a further three miles, before easing away towards the Kent coast. As the tide turned the wind dropped and we had a sunny end to the trip, arriving at Ramsgate at 1900, in time for a Thai meal out and an early night. 51.7 nm run.

Next morning was misty and light and after a cooked breakfast in a cafe, Nigel and David set out along the Ramsgate channel past Goodwin Sand, heading for the shipping lanes. The sea fog had lifted though patches still threatened, and we saw little shipping for the first two lanes. After Sandettié light that all changed, with eight vessels on slightly different courses and speeds all appearing in 20 minutes. No AIS or or radar for us, not even a chart plotter, so it was hand compass bearings every five minutes and a delicate pirouette round a Maersk container ship rather than pass ahead of her. From there it was straight across the sand banks, watching the echo sounder, as the French coast appeared. We made the Dunkerque approach channel opposite the Western Docks, and we were a mile short of the Dunkerque breakwater when the engine overheated, causing an abrupt change of speed and a late entry to the port at 2030.Day's run 48nm.

Dunkerque Harbour

That evening we met Linda off the train, and Nick Brown who was to accompany us on his bike for the next few weeks. The four of us ate on board at about midnight. De Jonge Jacob had performed well at sea, and was now to re-enter fresh water, which is more her natural environment. As an inexperienced crew, Nigel too, has had a challenging experience, which I hope he enjoyed. He set off first thing to return to UK. Many thanks to him for stepping in at the last minute to crew a boat he had hardly seen a week before.

On Wednesday morning we motored over to Trystram Lock, the first of three locks into the French canal system. By 1520 we were through them all, with new provisions on board, heading for Watten, the junction with the main commercial canals. Nick travelled on board with us on this first day, undertaking a training course in rope handling and lock procedure. We saw our first kingfisher of the trip at 1545, and apart from a grounding in a shallow patch avoiding a push-tow (one 250 tonne barge pushing another) arrived at Watten 30km away. 

Watch what's coming out of the locks

Inland, distance is measured in km, not nautical miles, so the log is changed. There is little in the way of facilities in Watten although we found a pizzeria/crèperie. This area is generally industrial and lacking much charm. We saw only three pleasure boats in the next three days, but dozens of barges carrying animal feed, coal,aggregate, fuel, recycled glass and metal. Commercial traffic takes priority and stopping points cater for 40 metre boats, not 15 metre ones. Over the next two days we passed through industrial wasteland, chemical works, factories, closed coal yards around Douai, Lens and Bethune. The economic fortunes of the area are poor at best, worse still in the present climate. Gradually as we moved south the landscape improved – agricultural rather than industrial- and small military cemeteries appeared in the middle of fields that were hell itself in 1915-17. We were on the canalised Escault, where David's grandfather saw action (and won an MC) in 1917, and then on to the Somme itself.

Entering Ruyaulcourt Tunnel 4.3km

 Locks came thick and fast, all designed for the huge commercial barges, as well as the intimidating 4.3km Ruyaulcourt tunnel. This has a one way stretch at each end, with two way traffic for 2km in the middle. The big barges can only alter course by a burst of engine power, one of which forced us into the side with the loss of a fender. No question of going back for it.





By the weekend we had reached Péronne, an historic small town with moving exhibitions about the trenches, and even a band of Highland pipers. De Jonge Jacob has completed 355km from Waldringfield, the sun is still shining (close to 30 degrees on Sunday as I write),and we have a day off. We are on our way.