I didn't post yesterday mainly because I didn't know what to say. Things were still very much up in the air.
Wednesday started well. We went to the harbour office and spoke to the lady there who said that the canal was closed today, but would definitely be opened tomorrow. This was just the news we wanted to hear. The not so good news was that we couldn't get very far today, but it would be a help in trying to go to Toulouse tomorrow. So we phoned the Marina in Toulouse town centre and they also heard that the canal would open, so they took a booking from us for Thursday and Friday nights. At the same time we made reservations for dinner at a Michelin 2 rosette restaurant for Friday night.
After a quick shop to top up the fridge, we set off. We got to the next lock quite quickly and went through without any problems. We then had part of the long 18km stretch without any locks that we hoped to do the other day. We then got to the town of Grissoles. This was where we had been advised to stop on the basis that the next lock was closed and there are no good stopping places before then. Really there is nothing here in Grissoles. The mooring station is just a short wall with a few bollards. Nothing else. There is what they call a commercial port, but it looks awful with high walls and no other amenities. So we moor up to the mooring station. We decide just to have lunch first and then phone VNF to see what they say about exactly where the canal is closed and when it will open. Their news is not good. They say the canal closed very close to here and may not open until Friday! Despair sets in. Had we known this was going to be the case we might not have left Montech. But then it is nice to have a change of scene. Montech was convenient, but hardly a place one would choose to spend 5 days!
We take a walk in to the town. There is not much of it. A market square and a couple of streets with basic shops. There is a funny little museum in an old house with a very eclectic collection which we to go to. Very cute and free! But there is not much else to do so it is back to the boat. When we get there we find that a French couple we had seen in Montech have moored in front of us. They are also on a sailing boat with their mast on board and obviously doing exactly what we are. Then a cute little narrow boat moors up. It turns out to be a couple from the north of England who keep their boat here. They too have heard that the canal may not open until Friday. We also find that the marina in Toulouse have been ringing us about our booking, because they too have heard that the canal may not open until Friday.
So we are in the middle of nowhere with no place to go. We cheer ourselves up with the last of the Pineau and then drink one of our bottles of claret- the Margaux, and very nice it was!
This morning we tried to ring VNF at about 8:30am. If the canal is open we need to start off in good time. But of course they do not open until 9, and even then we can't get through. I guess everyone is trying to find our what is happening. At 9:30 we finally get through and---THE CANAL IS OPEN! So we dash off. We have to go about 20km and do 12 locks before 7:00pm when everything closes. We have also been warned that if you can't get to the marina in Toulouse, you shouldn't stop on the canal in the city because there are shanty towns on the edge of the canal with suspect people and it isn't safe. We note the French couple managed to get away just before us!
Well, to make a long story short, we made it! Despite 4 out of the 12 locks we went through not working properly and our having to call out the VNF to sort them out, we are now in Toulouse and we have left the Canal de la Garonne and are now in the Canal du Midi proper. We have found the three Canal du Midi locks we have been through today much less turbulent than the Garonne ones. So we have now travelled 194km and done 56 locks. We have about two more weeks to go another 240km and do 60 more locks! Let's hope there are no more hold ups and that they continue to be less turbulent. Also, we will reach the summit fairly soon and everyone says it is much easier going downhill.
We had a quick walk into the city this evening. It is a really nice place with lots of old buildings including ancient town houses (Hotels), cathedrals and a spectacular town hall called the Capitole. We shall have a proper look tomorrow.
Tonight we shall sleep the sleep of the just!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Tuesday 25 June
I have not written anything for a few days because there is nothing to say. We are still stuck in Montech because the canal is still closed. When we went away to Montauban we hoped they would open the canal on Monday. However after our massages on Sunday and lunch in a sweet little restaurant, we returned to hear the news that it would probably not open again on Monday. Later in the day people in other boats started talking about Wednesday and one person said next Sunday! Had we known we would be stuck here this long we might have taken the boat to Montauban, but then it is a lot more locks.
So on Monday we decided to make the most of it and get domestic things done. We found a launderette and washed everything we could find that needed washing on the boat. I even got the iron out and used my ironing board for the first time! Then we found a large Intermarche and did a big shop. We even managed a bit of walk on the canal.
Today the weather was much improved. The trip to the capitainerie did not result in good news. VNF say they have been working day and night trying to clear the fallen trees from the canal, but now don't think they can open it until Thursday or Friday. We could get 14 km further on, to a place called Grissoles, but it only has a canal bank with rings and no facilities. That would be fine for one night, but I don't want to take the chance of being stuck there until Sunday! So we will wait to see if tomorrow brings any more definite news.
We walked around the canal today and saw the big sight which is the water slide called the Pente d'eau de Montech. It was used to push larger boats up to the town without using the locks. It was supposed to save 45 mins on the trip to Montech. It is no longer in use. According to the harbourmaster in Moissac it never worked properly and was condemned a couple of years ago. Anyway, it is an interesting piece of industrial archeology.
We thought we might be able to go to the cinema tonight because there was a flyer showing a local cinema playing the Great Gatsby in English. However it turns out the cinema is 14km away! We also tried to find out if there was a bus to Toulouse. But there is none. The only way out of here is by car and there are no car hire firms in the town. So, still stuck as I have said.
This evening we decided to use the time to try the local wines. We drank our less expensive bottle of Fronton. It was quite quaffable. We also tried a sweet Gaillac, a local wine we tasted at dinner in Montauban, to go with the last of our foie gras. Also very interesting.
Having been here for 5 days now we were running short of water. There is a water tap on the next berth, but our hose can't reach it. We looked in Intermarche for another hose, but they only had very large unwieldy ones. In the end we borrowed the capitainerie's hose and managed to fill up. So we showered on the boat and did a bit of cleaning. Great excitement! Someday we will get to Toulouse!
So on Monday we decided to make the most of it and get domestic things done. We found a launderette and washed everything we could find that needed washing on the boat. I even got the iron out and used my ironing board for the first time! Then we found a large Intermarche and did a big shop. We even managed a bit of walk on the canal.
Today the weather was much improved. The trip to the capitainerie did not result in good news. VNF say they have been working day and night trying to clear the fallen trees from the canal, but now don't think they can open it until Thursday or Friday. We could get 14 km further on, to a place called Grissoles, but it only has a canal bank with rings and no facilities. That would be fine for one night, but I don't want to take the chance of being stuck there until Sunday! So we will wait to see if tomorrow brings any more definite news.
We walked around the canal today and saw the big sight which is the water slide called the Pente d'eau de Montech. It was used to push larger boats up to the town without using the locks. It was supposed to save 45 mins on the trip to Montech. It is no longer in use. According to the harbourmaster in Moissac it never worked properly and was condemned a couple of years ago. Anyway, it is an interesting piece of industrial archeology.
We thought we might be able to go to the cinema tonight because there was a flyer showing a local cinema playing the Great Gatsby in English. However it turns out the cinema is 14km away! We also tried to find out if there was a bus to Toulouse. But there is none. The only way out of here is by car and there are no car hire firms in the town. So, still stuck as I have said.
This evening we decided to use the time to try the local wines. We drank our less expensive bottle of Fronton. It was quite quaffable. We also tried a sweet Gaillac, a local wine we tasted at dinner in Montauban, to go with the last of our foie gras. Also very interesting.
Having been here for 5 days now we were running short of water. There is a water tap on the next berth, but our hose can't reach it. We looked in Intermarche for another hose, but they only had very large unwieldy ones. In the end we borrowed the capitainerie's hose and managed to fill up. So we showered on the boat and did a bit of cleaning. Great excitement! Someday we will get to Toulouse!
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Saturday 22 June
Despite being able to lie in for a change, we wake early. We have a nice breakfast and then pack to go away for the day. The weather seems improved. It is much brighter and the sun even comes out at one stage, but it still isn't very warm. The sun here is very hot when it comes out. But when the sun is not out, the air temperature isn't much above 19C or so.
We order a taxi to take us to Montauban and for a change it works and they turn up. The hotel is in a converted Capucine convent. The rooms appear to be created out of two or three cells. It is all around a courtyard, which was obviously some sort of cloister. The decor isn't very imaginative. Very plain and modern. But it is all very comfortable and there is a bath. I don't usually have baths, but after 5 weeks of public showers a nice bath sounds like heaven.
First stop is to the spa where we book massages for tomorrow morning. Then we take a walk in to the town. It is a very lovely ancient town. We have arrived at lunch time so the Tourist Office and most of the shops are shut. We therefore just have a little wander around and find a cafe with outside chairs to have a bit of lunch. I have a huge salad gesiers. Too much to eat as we will have a big dinner tonight. In our wanderings we find a hardware store. It is closed until 2:00pm so we continue to wander. We find the main central square which is lovely and probably where we should have had lunch. Anyway, we get Richard a coffee ice-cream.
Then we make our way back to the hardware store. Richard wants to find a mallet to use to bash our new spikes in. We find that, but while wandering around we find something better to use for spikes. I have no idea what their real use is but they are metal spikes about 18 inches long with pointy ends, which will make them much easier to get into the ground. Now we just have to carry this lot around all day!
When we get to the tourist office it is open. It is in a wonderful old building. They give us a brochure in English to take a walking tour of the city. We have already done some, but we do most of the rest. We stop in the Ingres Museum and see the works by Ingres. Not his most famous works, but nice to see. The weather is now very pleasant. It is on and off sunny and not too hot, which is a delight. By the time we do the bridges, Neuf and Vielle we are tired and make our way back to the hotel.
Now we hit the spa. Quite a change from this morning when no one was here. Now it is heaving. There isn't even room in the men's changing room for Richard to put his clothes. So we spend nearly an hour there, in and out of the Jacuzzi, the steam room and the sauna, finally even sitting out by the swimming pool sun bathing!
Now back to the room to get ready for dinner. I have bought one of those fizzing bath bombs in town and run a bath to use it. It is a bit of fun, but I don't think they are worth what they cost. Anyway it makes the bath water a beautiful blue colour. I even blow dry my hair. First time I've done that for ages.
So we have dinner in the gourmet restaurant. It is OK, but I think a bit of a disappointment. The food is fairly straightforward and the portions are minute. The foie gras was only a finger sized piece less than 2 inches long! The other problem is that we have ordered the wine flight to go with the meal. As small as the portions of food are, this is not mirrored in the size of the wine portions. We thought we would get 3 medium glasses of wine plus a small glass of desert wine. Instead, we get four large glasses of wine plus desert wine! As we have had an aperitif I am pretty squiffy by time the meal is over.
So roll into bed. Nice to be in a large proper bed for a change.
We order a taxi to take us to Montauban and for a change it works and they turn up. The hotel is in a converted Capucine convent. The rooms appear to be created out of two or three cells. It is all around a courtyard, which was obviously some sort of cloister. The decor isn't very imaginative. Very plain and modern. But it is all very comfortable and there is a bath. I don't usually have baths, but after 5 weeks of public showers a nice bath sounds like heaven.
First stop is to the spa where we book massages for tomorrow morning. Then we take a walk in to the town. It is a very lovely ancient town. We have arrived at lunch time so the Tourist Office and most of the shops are shut. We therefore just have a little wander around and find a cafe with outside chairs to have a bit of lunch. I have a huge salad gesiers. Too much to eat as we will have a big dinner tonight. In our wanderings we find a hardware store. It is closed until 2:00pm so we continue to wander. We find the main central square which is lovely and probably where we should have had lunch. Anyway, we get Richard a coffee ice-cream.
Then we make our way back to the hardware store. Richard wants to find a mallet to use to bash our new spikes in. We find that, but while wandering around we find something better to use for spikes. I have no idea what their real use is but they are metal spikes about 18 inches long with pointy ends, which will make them much easier to get into the ground. Now we just have to carry this lot around all day!
When we get to the tourist office it is open. It is in a wonderful old building. They give us a brochure in English to take a walking tour of the city. We have already done some, but we do most of the rest. We stop in the Ingres Museum and see the works by Ingres. Not his most famous works, but nice to see. The weather is now very pleasant. It is on and off sunny and not too hot, which is a delight. By the time we do the bridges, Neuf and Vielle we are tired and make our way back to the hotel.
Now we hit the spa. Quite a change from this morning when no one was here. Now it is heaving. There isn't even room in the men's changing room for Richard to put his clothes. So we spend nearly an hour there, in and out of the Jacuzzi, the steam room and the sauna, finally even sitting out by the swimming pool sun bathing!
Now back to the room to get ready for dinner. I have bought one of those fizzing bath bombs in town and run a bath to use it. It is a bit of fun, but I don't think they are worth what they cost. Anyway it makes the bath water a beautiful blue colour. I even blow dry my hair. First time I've done that for ages.
So we have dinner in the gourmet restaurant. It is OK, but I think a bit of a disappointment. The food is fairly straightforward and the portions are minute. The foie gras was only a finger sized piece less than 2 inches long! The other problem is that we have ordered the wine flight to go with the meal. As small as the portions of food are, this is not mirrored in the size of the wine portions. We thought we would get 3 medium glasses of wine plus a small glass of desert wine. Instead, we get four large glasses of wine plus desert wine! As we have had an aperitif I am pretty squiffy by time the meal is over.
So roll into bed. Nice to be in a large proper bed for a change.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Friday 21 June
The summer solstice is today and it is the longest day in the year. So here quite far south one might expect a lovely long sunny day. Well, that is not exactly what we got. The day started with a hint of brightness, but that very soon went away. When we left Castelsarrasin it was just dull, but by the time we got to the first lock (only 500m away) the rain was threatening. So on again with all the waterproof gear. The locks here are quite close together. The plan is to go as far towards Toulouse as we can. There is a long 18km stretch without locks and we would like to finish that. We will just find any place to moor the boat even if it is just one of the waiting pontoons for a lock. Then we hope to get to Toulouse tomorrow.
We are told that the good marina in the centre of Toulouse needs to be booked in advance. Richard didn't get around to phoning them before we left our berth, so I ask him to do so while we are under way. That is when we get our first shock. The lady Capitaine says that she is full because the canal is closed between us and Toulouse. She suggest we speak to one of the local capitaineries to find out what is happening. Richard tries to ring Montech, the next proper port, but can get no reply. All that happens is the line goes dead. We had heard a rumour about this yesterday. We were speaking to a Brit who had emigrated to South Africa on the boat next door and he said that he heard that a bit of canal just before Toulouse had been closed. We spoke to the Capitanerie at Castelsarrasin about it and after going on the computer they said there was no warning about such a problem, so we assumed that whatever had happened had been fixed. We were wrong and the office at Castelsarrasin obviously did not make proper enquiry. I am not happy about pressing on only to find that we might have to go back to where we started. It is bad enough doing all these locks without having to repeat any three times!
We get to the next lock and find the VNF man who helped us through the last lock yesterday. He is very nice. He confirms that there is a problem. The canal is fine until Montech, but after that it has been closed because there was a mini tornado and the way is blocked by fallen trees! He cannot say when it will be cleared. He says we will need to ask at Montech. So that is plan A ruined. We shall just have to go to Montech and stay there.
We press on. The weather is getting worse and worse. The rain is persistent and steady. We are OK in our waterproofs, but this was not what we expected. There are 8 locks between Castelsarrasin and Montech. The last five are in a chain with each one 500m from the last. I am dreading this. Five locks to jump on and off and tie up all in a row are going to be hard work. As we get in the last lock before the chain there is a notice on the machine that works the lock to say you must ring up to go through the next 5 locks. Richard understands that I need a piece of paper to write down the number so we can ring them but he can't go below to get them because he is fully occupied keeping the boat from smashing against the lock wall. (The way it works is like this. We are going upstream. When the lock gates open we take the boat into the lock. The crew then goes up a ladder to tie the boat up and to press a button to set the lock sequence in motion. The gate behind us closes and the sluices in the gate in front of us open, letting in a surge of water. At this stage the water in the lock is fairly shallow so the surge produces a wave that comes down the lock. When it hits the gate behind us it bounces back. Each time it passes the boat is flung back or forwards with considerable force. For the first couple of minutes, until the water gets to about half way up the lock, the skipper needs to keep the boat off the walls of the lock - sometimes quite an effort.) Finally I take over holding one of the mooring lines, he gets paper and pencil and I get the number and jump on board. I don't know what you are supposed to do if you have no mobile phone!
So Richard rings the number and they tell him it is fine for us to go through the locks. It turns out that these locks are not automated and we have a lock keeper at each one. Also the locks are set up in such a way that all we need to do to safely secure is to get a single line from the centre cleat on to a long pole in the lock. Easy peasy. So with someone else working the lock mechanism, and only having to fix one line we get through the locks in record time with minimal stress or effort. Were it that all of them were like that. The only bad thing is that the last lock keeper says that the canal past here will not be open before Monday!
So we get to Montech. As we expected it is rather full. I guess there are a lot of others in the same position as us. Also, most of the berths are stern to without anything to hold the stern off the stone wall. Richard won't moor in one of them. We are about to go back to a bit of municipal wall, which we saw on the way in. It doesn't seem to have any amenities, but there are bollards to tie to. However as we are about to turn around, a boat next to us shouts asking if we are English and saying they are just about to leave (going the opposite way from us) and we can have their space. It is an odd berth. It is a wooden jetty about 6 foot wide. There are bollards on the land at the back (a long way away). It isn't ideal for our shape boat, but at least it is somewhere to stop. There does not seem to be any electricity, though apparently there is water, because the boat leaving is just doing usp his hose. We have arrived just after 12:30, and the office is closed until 4:30! So we just decide to take the space. At least we have somewhere to stop. It takes us quite a long time to work out how to tie up to this arrangement, but we are now safely in.
However, I am not happy. I guess we will be able to use the port showers and toilets, but the thought of being here 3 days with no electricity and in bad weather is not what I want to do. I suggest to Richard that when the office (which is also the tourist office) opens we enquire about hiring a car and go away. However, he has a better idea. His nose is in the Michelin guide and he has found a top rate hotel and spa with a one rosette restaurant in the next town. Before I know it he has booked us a room, for tomorrow night and got us a reservation in the restaurant. They are also going to try to organise getting us appointments for massages! So that will take up most of the weekend and hopefully we can move on Monday.
We hang around the boat until the office opens. The weather is getting worse and worse and the rain is getting harder. When we get to the office we find that we are in one of the port's official berths and there is electricity. We have paid 21 Euro to stay for three nights with power. I guess we can't complain about that.
Despite the rain we decide to have a little wander in to the town. On the way we find a workshop that claims it does metalwork. We stop to ask if they have anything we can use for mooring stakes. They find a long heavy metal pole. They saw it in half for us and give it to us for free! The only problem will be that the poles don't have pointy ends to push into the earth. However, for the moment everything is so wet I would guess they could be pushed in using a hammer. We will try them out and see what happens. We also find a nice little cave and buy two bottles of the local wine. It is called Fronton. It is an appellation, though we have never heard of it. We buy two bottles, one in the top range - 11 Euros and the other average, 6 Euros! It is supposed to go well with Cassoulet, the local dish. We have a tin of that to eat, so maybe after our gourmet weekend out!
On 21 June it is tradition in France for there to be a music festival. We see they are doing one here tonight. We get the details, but the weather is so awful, we don't have the energy to go out. Maybe next year on the coast!
We are told that the good marina in the centre of Toulouse needs to be booked in advance. Richard didn't get around to phoning them before we left our berth, so I ask him to do so while we are under way. That is when we get our first shock. The lady Capitaine says that she is full because the canal is closed between us and Toulouse. She suggest we speak to one of the local capitaineries to find out what is happening. Richard tries to ring Montech, the next proper port, but can get no reply. All that happens is the line goes dead. We had heard a rumour about this yesterday. We were speaking to a Brit who had emigrated to South Africa on the boat next door and he said that he heard that a bit of canal just before Toulouse had been closed. We spoke to the Capitanerie at Castelsarrasin about it and after going on the computer they said there was no warning about such a problem, so we assumed that whatever had happened had been fixed. We were wrong and the office at Castelsarrasin obviously did not make proper enquiry. I am not happy about pressing on only to find that we might have to go back to where we started. It is bad enough doing all these locks without having to repeat any three times!
We get to the next lock and find the VNF man who helped us through the last lock yesterday. He is very nice. He confirms that there is a problem. The canal is fine until Montech, but after that it has been closed because there was a mini tornado and the way is blocked by fallen trees! He cannot say when it will be cleared. He says we will need to ask at Montech. So that is plan A ruined. We shall just have to go to Montech and stay there.
We press on. The weather is getting worse and worse. The rain is persistent and steady. We are OK in our waterproofs, but this was not what we expected. There are 8 locks between Castelsarrasin and Montech. The last five are in a chain with each one 500m from the last. I am dreading this. Five locks to jump on and off and tie up all in a row are going to be hard work. As we get in the last lock before the chain there is a notice on the machine that works the lock to say you must ring up to go through the next 5 locks. Richard understands that I need a piece of paper to write down the number so we can ring them but he can't go below to get them because he is fully occupied keeping the boat from smashing against the lock wall. (The way it works is like this. We are going upstream. When the lock gates open we take the boat into the lock. The crew then goes up a ladder to tie the boat up and to press a button to set the lock sequence in motion. The gate behind us closes and the sluices in the gate in front of us open, letting in a surge of water. At this stage the water in the lock is fairly shallow so the surge produces a wave that comes down the lock. When it hits the gate behind us it bounces back. Each time it passes the boat is flung back or forwards with considerable force. For the first couple of minutes, until the water gets to about half way up the lock, the skipper needs to keep the boat off the walls of the lock - sometimes quite an effort.) Finally I take over holding one of the mooring lines, he gets paper and pencil and I get the number and jump on board. I don't know what you are supposed to do if you have no mobile phone!
So Richard rings the number and they tell him it is fine for us to go through the locks. It turns out that these locks are not automated and we have a lock keeper at each one. Also the locks are set up in such a way that all we need to do to safely secure is to get a single line from the centre cleat on to a long pole in the lock. Easy peasy. So with someone else working the lock mechanism, and only having to fix one line we get through the locks in record time with minimal stress or effort. Were it that all of them were like that. The only bad thing is that the last lock keeper says that the canal past here will not be open before Monday!
So we get to Montech. As we expected it is rather full. I guess there are a lot of others in the same position as us. Also, most of the berths are stern to without anything to hold the stern off the stone wall. Richard won't moor in one of them. We are about to go back to a bit of municipal wall, which we saw on the way in. It doesn't seem to have any amenities, but there are bollards to tie to. However as we are about to turn around, a boat next to us shouts asking if we are English and saying they are just about to leave (going the opposite way from us) and we can have their space. It is an odd berth. It is a wooden jetty about 6 foot wide. There are bollards on the land at the back (a long way away). It isn't ideal for our shape boat, but at least it is somewhere to stop. There does not seem to be any electricity, though apparently there is water, because the boat leaving is just doing usp his hose. We have arrived just after 12:30, and the office is closed until 4:30! So we just decide to take the space. At least we have somewhere to stop. It takes us quite a long time to work out how to tie up to this arrangement, but we are now safely in.
However, I am not happy. I guess we will be able to use the port showers and toilets, but the thought of being here 3 days with no electricity and in bad weather is not what I want to do. I suggest to Richard that when the office (which is also the tourist office) opens we enquire about hiring a car and go away. However, he has a better idea. His nose is in the Michelin guide and he has found a top rate hotel and spa with a one rosette restaurant in the next town. Before I know it he has booked us a room, for tomorrow night and got us a reservation in the restaurant. They are also going to try to organise getting us appointments for massages! So that will take up most of the weekend and hopefully we can move on Monday.
We hang around the boat until the office opens. The weather is getting worse and worse and the rain is getting harder. When we get to the office we find that we are in one of the port's official berths and there is electricity. We have paid 21 Euro to stay for three nights with power. I guess we can't complain about that.
Despite the rain we decide to have a little wander in to the town. On the way we find a workshop that claims it does metalwork. We stop to ask if they have anything we can use for mooring stakes. They find a long heavy metal pole. They saw it in half for us and give it to us for free! The only problem will be that the poles don't have pointy ends to push into the earth. However, for the moment everything is so wet I would guess they could be pushed in using a hammer. We will try them out and see what happens. We also find a nice little cave and buy two bottles of the local wine. It is called Fronton. It is an appellation, though we have never heard of it. We buy two bottles, one in the top range - 11 Euros and the other average, 6 Euros! It is supposed to go well with Cassoulet, the local dish. We have a tin of that to eat, so maybe after our gourmet weekend out!
On 21 June it is tradition in France for there to be a music festival. We see they are doing one here tonight. We get the details, but the weather is so awful, we don't have the energy to go out. Maybe next year on the coast!
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Thursday 20 June
We don't move too early today. We are not going far. We will go the Castelsarrasin which is only 4 miles away, but does involve 7 locks. My new French mobile has more or less run out of credit. Richard tries to top it up (Recharge in French) on the internet, but has no luck working out what to do. We have finally worked out what is going on with the holding tank. It is full, the lights have just stopped working. So before we go we have to use the pump out here. There is a large barge parked in front of it, so we can't use it until they move and they aren't going until 10:30am. As we have found that we have an extra half an hour we go in to town and manage to top my phone up via the ATM at LCL.
The pump out is complicated and we need the capitain. With his help we do empty the tank. He confirms that most people don't have a tank at all, so I don't know why we are using it. I think I will just forget about it.
The weather is still rotten. There are bright bits, but the clouds are dark and threatening. I start out without my full waterproofs, but by the second lock it looks like heavy rain, so I put the full kit on. As it turns out it doesn't actually rain. However every time the sun comes out and I take off my jacket, the clouds come over and I have to put it on again!
The locks come fast and furiously. They are in groups which means only 5 or 10 minutes between them. The most infuriating part is that the ladder keeps moving from one side to the other. I have spent the whole morning madly moving fenders and lines to be on the correct side to get off. They also keep moving where the ladders are and they seem to be in the most inconvenient places. In one lock I just can't get off, but luckily an English walker is watching and helps us with the lines and pushes the button, so I didn't have to get off at all. By the seventh and last lock I have had enough. So I am very pleased to see an VNF man on the wall ready to take our lines. He starts to chat to me. He says the weather is terrible all over. There has been bad flooding and dozens of houses in the Basque country have been destroyed. He doesn't seem optimistic about the future weather either. Ugh...
We arrive at the port in Castelsarrasin. It is quite attractive and there are pontoon berths. So we berth up without much trouble. I couldn't jump off the boat, but instead managed to lasso a cleat! I am getting more adaptable. We have arrived just as the capitainerie has opened. The mooring fee with two showers is 12 Euro. Not bad. They also have washing machines and a dryer. I am getting desperate about laundry so we will do that later.
We walk in to town. I am fed up with cooking. We haven't been out to eat for over a week. I deserve a break. There is no Michelin recommended restaurant, but the Capitainerie (which is also the tourist office makes a recommendation. We walk in to town to suss out the restaurant. It looks OK, so we book for 8:00pm.
We then start the laundry. Well, that is a saga. The problem is that all they have are domestic machines and they are just not big enough or fast enough for me. I overfill both machines but still can't do all the towels; I have left a hugh bag of clothes in the boat and heaven knows when they will get done. One problem is that I have to finish everything before the office closes as 7:30. By 6:15 is is obvious that I will not get the second load of washing dried. So I ask Richard to take it to a commercial laundrette (which we would have used had we known it existed before we started here). The problem is that he has locked the boat and I haven't brought a key! So I am locked out for nearly an hour. But in the end we have washed our underwear and all the dirty linen, so that is another problem off my mind.
With very little time to spare we dress to go out to eat. I even put on a dress and makeup and feel halfway human for a change. The meal is fine. Not sophisticated, but very tasty. So back to the boat. We have a long way to go tomorrow. We are determined to make it to Toulouse by Saturday!
The pump out is complicated and we need the capitain. With his help we do empty the tank. He confirms that most people don't have a tank at all, so I don't know why we are using it. I think I will just forget about it.
The weather is still rotten. There are bright bits, but the clouds are dark and threatening. I start out without my full waterproofs, but by the second lock it looks like heavy rain, so I put the full kit on. As it turns out it doesn't actually rain. However every time the sun comes out and I take off my jacket, the clouds come over and I have to put it on again!
The locks come fast and furiously. They are in groups which means only 5 or 10 minutes between them. The most infuriating part is that the ladder keeps moving from one side to the other. I have spent the whole morning madly moving fenders and lines to be on the correct side to get off. They also keep moving where the ladders are and they seem to be in the most inconvenient places. In one lock I just can't get off, but luckily an English walker is watching and helps us with the lines and pushes the button, so I didn't have to get off at all. By the seventh and last lock I have had enough. So I am very pleased to see an VNF man on the wall ready to take our lines. He starts to chat to me. He says the weather is terrible all over. There has been bad flooding and dozens of houses in the Basque country have been destroyed. He doesn't seem optimistic about the future weather either. Ugh...
We arrive at the port in Castelsarrasin. It is quite attractive and there are pontoon berths. So we berth up without much trouble. I couldn't jump off the boat, but instead managed to lasso a cleat! I am getting more adaptable. We have arrived just as the capitainerie has opened. The mooring fee with two showers is 12 Euro. Not bad. They also have washing machines and a dryer. I am getting desperate about laundry so we will do that later.
We walk in to town. I am fed up with cooking. We haven't been out to eat for over a week. I deserve a break. There is no Michelin recommended restaurant, but the Capitainerie (which is also the tourist office makes a recommendation. We walk in to town to suss out the restaurant. It looks OK, so we book for 8:00pm.
We then start the laundry. Well, that is a saga. The problem is that all they have are domestic machines and they are just not big enough or fast enough for me. I overfill both machines but still can't do all the towels; I have left a hugh bag of clothes in the boat and heaven knows when they will get done. One problem is that I have to finish everything before the office closes as 7:30. By 6:15 is is obvious that I will not get the second load of washing dried. So I ask Richard to take it to a commercial laundrette (which we would have used had we known it existed before we started here). The problem is that he has locked the boat and I haven't brought a key! So I am locked out for nearly an hour. But in the end we have washed our underwear and all the dirty linen, so that is another problem off my mind.
With very little time to spare we dress to go out to eat. I even put on a dress and makeup and feel halfway human for a change. The meal is fine. Not sophisticated, but very tasty. So back to the boat. We have a long way to go tomorrow. We are determined to make it to Toulouse by Saturday!
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Wednesday 19 June
As asked by our neighbouring boat we set off at about 8:30 am. It has finally stopped raining, but it is very grey and threatening, so we put on our full waterproofs to be prepared, unlike yesterday. It is not too warm so we are quite comfortable although all kitted out.
We don't get very far because the first lock is only 15 mins away and they don't start to operate until 9:00am. So we wait 15 mins on the waiting pontoon and the light goes on and we are off. We are not going far in distance but we do have to 5 locks. They are pretty close together. All goes quite well during the morning. There is no rain and we cope well with the locks until we get to the last one just before Moissac, where we are headed. I note that there are no lights on the lock and there is another boat moored to the waiting pontoon. This must mean the lock is not working. I am right in my fears. When we approach the other boat they tell us that there is a power cut in the area and the lock has no electricity, so it cannot work. A little later a VFN man comes along and confirms that is the problem. He tells us it will take between 1 and 1 /2 hours before we can get through.
There is nothing we can do. So we tie up to the banks of the canal. That was a bit interesting. In many places the banks of the canal are lined with low concrete barriers. Some of these are in poor condition and have gaps between the tops and the sides. We have seen people moor to these before by putting lines through the gaps and tying them. So we try it. I protest that there is no way I can climb off the boat and balance on a concrete slab about only 1 foot wide and tie a line. But I do just that and we are secured to wait out the repair to the lock. It is after noon so we just have an early lunch.
We thought that the time estimate would not be met, but bless them VFN came down to us at 1:30 and said we could now go through the lock. We go through with the other boat we first saw. There are three other boats behind us.
So a bit late, but still at about 2:00pm we get into Moissac. It is very nice. We are directed to a good space on the quay right near the Capitainerie and the toilets. The Capitain is English so we can communicate really well for a change. We get in touch with the Weymers and they will come to dinner. To make the boat presentable we spend the next hour or so washing it down and it now looks almost presentable. We then shower and feel quite human.
We have a couple of hours before the Weymers will arrive, so we go into the town. It is famous for its church and especially its cloister, which is what is left of a Benedictine Monastry. So we go to see that. The church is interesting, not least because of its age (11th to 14th century). The cloister lives up to its reputation, though it reminds me a lot of the one in the Mont St Michel. We then do a bit of shopping to get enough to eat over the next few days. I am still waiting for my dinner out, but must be prepared with something to eat.
Back to the boat and prepare dinner. The Weymers arrive a bit late, but we are now relaxed. We are doing a BBQ. The weather was very threatening a while ago, but the dark clouds passed and the sun came out. But with our luck, just as we put the meat on the BBQ the rain starts. Richard is cooking the meat under an umbrella on the foredeck. But it all works out fine and dinner goes well.
We have bought 2 Euro worth of WIFI and are using as much as we can. I am now listening to online Radio. I have really missed Radio 4.
We don't get very far because the first lock is only 15 mins away and they don't start to operate until 9:00am. So we wait 15 mins on the waiting pontoon and the light goes on and we are off. We are not going far in distance but we do have to 5 locks. They are pretty close together. All goes quite well during the morning. There is no rain and we cope well with the locks until we get to the last one just before Moissac, where we are headed. I note that there are no lights on the lock and there is another boat moored to the waiting pontoon. This must mean the lock is not working. I am right in my fears. When we approach the other boat they tell us that there is a power cut in the area and the lock has no electricity, so it cannot work. A little later a VFN man comes along and confirms that is the problem. He tells us it will take between 1 and 1 /2 hours before we can get through.
There is nothing we can do. So we tie up to the banks of the canal. That was a bit interesting. In many places the banks of the canal are lined with low concrete barriers. Some of these are in poor condition and have gaps between the tops and the sides. We have seen people moor to these before by putting lines through the gaps and tying them. So we try it. I protest that there is no way I can climb off the boat and balance on a concrete slab about only 1 foot wide and tie a line. But I do just that and we are secured to wait out the repair to the lock. It is after noon so we just have an early lunch.
We thought that the time estimate would not be met, but bless them VFN came down to us at 1:30 and said we could now go through the lock. We go through with the other boat we first saw. There are three other boats behind us.
So a bit late, but still at about 2:00pm we get into Moissac. It is very nice. We are directed to a good space on the quay right near the Capitainerie and the toilets. The Capitain is English so we can communicate really well for a change. We get in touch with the Weymers and they will come to dinner. To make the boat presentable we spend the next hour or so washing it down and it now looks almost presentable. We then shower and feel quite human.
We have a couple of hours before the Weymers will arrive, so we go into the town. It is famous for its church and especially its cloister, which is what is left of a Benedictine Monastry. So we go to see that. The church is interesting, not least because of its age (11th to 14th century). The cloister lives up to its reputation, though it reminds me a lot of the one in the Mont St Michel. We then do a bit of shopping to get enough to eat over the next few days. I am still waiting for my dinner out, but must be prepared with something to eat.
Back to the boat and prepare dinner. The Weymers arrive a bit late, but we are now relaxed. We are doing a BBQ. The weather was very threatening a while ago, but the dark clouds passed and the sun came out. But with our luck, just as we put the meat on the BBQ the rain starts. Richard is cooking the meat under an umbrella on the foredeck. But it all works out fine and dinner goes well.
We have bought 2 Euro worth of WIFI and are using as much as we can. I am now listening to online Radio. I have really missed Radio 4.
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Tuesday 18 June
It rained very hard all night and in the morning it is still chucking it down. We really can't face going on in this. Although it is a thoroughly grey day with torrential rain, it is fairly warm and we don't want to have to wear our full waterproof gear, if it can be avoided. The weather report is for it to turn showery this afternoon, so we will stick it out for the morning and see how things get on.
The weather does not really improve. At about 1:30, it has stopped pouring with rain although it is still very grey and threatening looking. But we decide to set off. We really want to go to Moissac, which has been recommended to us by a number of people including the Gees. But it is rather far and the weather forecast for this afternoon isn't good, so we will go instead to Valence d'Agen. The book says it has all facilities. The photo looks attractive and shows there are pontoon berths. The book also makes the town sound attractive and it has a Michelin recommended restaurant. It isn't very far, 11.4 nautical miles and there are only three locks to do.
When we set off when it is dry but grey. Very soon it starts to rain. The rain is pretty light and we manage with an umbrella and me in my walking pacamac and Richard in his old jacket which is not entirely waterproof. We get on OK, except that the second lock is broken. It doesn't record that you are there when you turn the handle and despite there being no one in the lock it shows two red lights. We tie up to the waiting pontoon and Richard walks the 200 or so yards to the lock. It turns out there is another boat on the other side having the same problem. There is a button to push to call for help, so they do that and an VNF man comes after about 5 minutes and puts it right. He thinks it was an electrical problem. So the system is not foolproof. Anyway the VNF man stays in the lock and takes our lines so that I don't have to climb out of the boat on this one.
As we leave the lock it starts to rain again. This time the sky is very dark and it looks like we could be in for more than the light showers we have had. We make it through the last lock before the bad rain hits, but as we are coming in to Valance, the heavens open. I have never seen such heavy rain, or at least not been out in it in inadequate clothing. Richard wants me to stay below, but I can't really because we are coming up to the port and he will need me to moor up. The rain gets even worse as we approach the port. And, there is no real space for our boat. We are at a loss what to do. There appears to be no one about (or they are all below keeping dry). We see one large barge that does have someone on it and try to signal to him to see if we can moor alongside. He is very rude and just tells us to go look at the port for a space. I have seen one other possibility. There is a motor boat tied up to a wall, with room next to it to fit our boat in. I suggest we raft out to that boat. Luckily, there are people on board and they are Australian and help us . By the time we have tied up the two of us are soaked to the skin literally. We are so wet it really doesn't matter how much more rain we are in. We can't get any wetter. We go below and strip off in the heads. We are laughing hysterically. It really is crazy the state we are in.
There are supposed to be full facilities here including toilets, showers and electricity. But as we are not in a proper mooring we can't see anything. The boat next door kindly says we can use our splitter on his electricity supply. Richard tries to do that, but can't work out which cable is his. He starts to use one and gets shouted at by the rude man on the barge, which apparently he lives on and has a permanent berth here. Now it is pouring with rain again! This is the most miserable and unwelcoming place we have ever tried to moor in. Not to be recommended. As for showers and toilets we find out that they are across the canal in a caravan park and are locked! We wind up in town at the public toilets. I can't get out of here soon enough. We are at least connected to electricity at last so we can charge up all our toys.
Next minor disaster, Richard phones the restaurant for a reservation and finds that they are fully booked with a private party. So we have to eat on the boat. We are down to tinned couscous, because when I went shopping I didn't buy anything special to cook, hoping to go out. Well at least we do have a hot meal!
After we eat and get through a couple of rum and cokes and most of a bottle of wine, rather late in the evening I remember that I have to get food ready for tomorrow. So I am now making potato salad and pepperanato. The boat next door want to leave at 8:30, so we can't get to bed too late. It is still raining! I have a BBQ planned for tomorrow. This could be interesting.
The weather does not really improve. At about 1:30, it has stopped pouring with rain although it is still very grey and threatening looking. But we decide to set off. We really want to go to Moissac, which has been recommended to us by a number of people including the Gees. But it is rather far and the weather forecast for this afternoon isn't good, so we will go instead to Valence d'Agen. The book says it has all facilities. The photo looks attractive and shows there are pontoon berths. The book also makes the town sound attractive and it has a Michelin recommended restaurant. It isn't very far, 11.4 nautical miles and there are only three locks to do.
When we set off when it is dry but grey. Very soon it starts to rain. The rain is pretty light and we manage with an umbrella and me in my walking pacamac and Richard in his old jacket which is not entirely waterproof. We get on OK, except that the second lock is broken. It doesn't record that you are there when you turn the handle and despite there being no one in the lock it shows two red lights. We tie up to the waiting pontoon and Richard walks the 200 or so yards to the lock. It turns out there is another boat on the other side having the same problem. There is a button to push to call for help, so they do that and an VNF man comes after about 5 minutes and puts it right. He thinks it was an electrical problem. So the system is not foolproof. Anyway the VNF man stays in the lock and takes our lines so that I don't have to climb out of the boat on this one.
As we leave the lock it starts to rain again. This time the sky is very dark and it looks like we could be in for more than the light showers we have had. We make it through the last lock before the bad rain hits, but as we are coming in to Valance, the heavens open. I have never seen such heavy rain, or at least not been out in it in inadequate clothing. Richard wants me to stay below, but I can't really because we are coming up to the port and he will need me to moor up. The rain gets even worse as we approach the port. And, there is no real space for our boat. We are at a loss what to do. There appears to be no one about (or they are all below keeping dry). We see one large barge that does have someone on it and try to signal to him to see if we can moor alongside. He is very rude and just tells us to go look at the port for a space. I have seen one other possibility. There is a motor boat tied up to a wall, with room next to it to fit our boat in. I suggest we raft out to that boat. Luckily, there are people on board and they are Australian and help us . By the time we have tied up the two of us are soaked to the skin literally. We are so wet it really doesn't matter how much more rain we are in. We can't get any wetter. We go below and strip off in the heads. We are laughing hysterically. It really is crazy the state we are in.
There are supposed to be full facilities here including toilets, showers and electricity. But as we are not in a proper mooring we can't see anything. The boat next door kindly says we can use our splitter on his electricity supply. Richard tries to do that, but can't work out which cable is his. He starts to use one and gets shouted at by the rude man on the barge, which apparently he lives on and has a permanent berth here. Now it is pouring with rain again! This is the most miserable and unwelcoming place we have ever tried to moor in. Not to be recommended. As for showers and toilets we find out that they are across the canal in a caravan park and are locked! We wind up in town at the public toilets. I can't get out of here soon enough. We are at least connected to electricity at last so we can charge up all our toys.
Next minor disaster, Richard phones the restaurant for a reservation and finds that they are fully booked with a private party. So we have to eat on the boat. We are down to tinned couscous, because when I went shopping I didn't buy anything special to cook, hoping to go out. Well at least we do have a hot meal!
After we eat and get through a couple of rum and cokes and most of a bottle of wine, rather late in the evening I remember that I have to get food ready for tomorrow. So I am now making potato salad and pepperanato. The boat next door want to leave at 8:30, so we can't get to bed too late. It is still raining! I have a BBQ planned for tomorrow. This could be interesting.
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