Half way to Nancy

There are a number of very informative documents published by the VNF who control the French waterways. One – called the Carte des Chomages should be read by everyone planning a trip on the canals and rivers. It is an important document and amongst other things, lists the planned maintenance and subsequent closures of canals and ecluses (locks).

We have found out the importance of reading this document the hard way. We are on the canal de la Meuse and arrived at ecluse 34 - l’Alma on the 24^th October, to find the power down and the ecluse shut. Marg went ashore and found out from two workmen that the canal is closed from here to almost the Moselle River. Yes, we checked the document and, yes it was planned.

All we could do is go back to Mouzon where we had spent the previous night and wait until the 15^th November when the section opens again.

This quaint building dated 1749 was a dovecote attached to the abbey. It is now the town tourist information bureau.

Our story does not really start here, we left Boom after a most enlightening stay. The shipyard worked on Matilda, surveying the hull for integrity and thickness - adding some extra plating as needed and replacing an old and leaking fuel tank with one almost twice its capacity. It had to be built in place in the engine room.

We learned a lot about handling Matilda as well. Being on a tidal river and moving often to accommodate the comings and goings of other vessels, we became more precise with our manoeuvring. Steve and Alison will recall us trying to turn Matilda in a running river, it's now a piece of cake to turn the old girl in her own length. 360 degrees if needed.

On Friday, 12^th October we left Marintec in Boom, on the start of our return to Nancy. We left the Rupel river, into the Brussels-Schelde canal and away. Belgium is a fairly small country and we found the canals and waterways extensive but very commercial. Old structures interspersed with modern facilities with equipment to rapidly handle bulk products such as stone, gravel, scrap metal and rubbish as well as containers.

These are pressed cubes of scrap aluminium.

We came to Brussels and passed through without seeing anything worth a mention. We know Brussels has some beautiful areas, well worth seeing but they are not on the canals. It was only when we were out in the country that the attractive scenery returned.

We were now in the Brussels-Charleroi canal and found some more interesting structures.

This is the inside of Ecluse Ittre. It is 90 metres long, 12 metres wide and 14 metres deep. 15 million litres of water every time it empties.

The next structure was a completely different lift. The Plane Incline de Ronquiers.

This one has two lifts like bath tubs. They run on wheels up an inclined plane.

The inclined plane is nearly 1.5 kilometres long and lifts a barge 67.5 metres. And it basically uses no water.

We were approaching another heavily industrialised town when we saw a small ship we recognised. “Tara” with Jackie and Bob on board passed, going North. They were on their way to a winter mooring in Bruges, Belgium. We are not sure of their route but hope they were going via Mons thus avoiding the tidal rivers we used.

We passed through Charleroi and on to the Sambre Canal.

Massive steel mills and other heavy industry lined the banks and the canal was full of working ships.

This one passed us just as we were about to start one morning – she was going backwards. The canal was too narrow for her to turn around. We were committed to following her for almost an hour – 5 kilometres – until she backed into an area where she would load cargo.

We eventually moved out of industrial areas and arrived at Namur. Here the Sambre Canal branches off the Meuse River. We passed quickly but it will be worth a return visit another day.

The countryside became prettier and prettier

We moored in Dinant for a night. Dinant is famous for a number of things. Home of Adolf Saxe who apparently inspired these plastic things on the town bridge by inventing what we know as a Saxaphone which he patented in1846.

That great military engineer, Vauban had a hand in the design of the massive fort overlooking the town in the 17^th century.

We made a quick trip to the fort and realised why it was there. A great vantage point with view up and down the river.

Some would say the most important thing to come out of Dinant is:

Leffe beer has been brewed in an abbey on the outskirts of Dinant on and off since the 12^th century and a museum in a local hotel bears witness to the process.

Leffe is currently brewed by Interbrew (Inbev) in their Stella Artois brewery in Leuven, Belgium.

Next morning, off and further into the Meuse valley. The mists turned to fog and we were reminded of the changeable autumn weather.

This house, in one village bought to mind the song “If I were a rich man” and Peter has had an earworm ever since.

A few kilometres before we crossed into France we passed another ship we know. Nilaya with Kevin and Isabel was moored at a small village. Nilaya is a small hotel barge and they had just fare-welled their last guests for the season. They were relaxing before heading to Ghent for the winter. Matilda spent last winter in Nancy moored alongside Nilaya.

 Mouzon is a lovely little town that has already shut for winter. We are moored near the centre of the town but as the “season” has finished all facilities are shut down and no one can (or will) do anything. We are ok, the generator charges our batteries every day and our water supply of about 3000 litres should last us to Nancy. A very welcome 400 litres of red diesel acquired in Boom will come in handy. Thank you Harmonie.

The town is the centre of a busy felt manufacturing industry which has dwindled but is still the major employer. The little town museum says that more than 90% of the wool used here came from Australia.We will have things to do preparing Matilda for winter and might do some touring in the surrounding country. The towns of Sedan and Verdun are close and both very historic.

There will be more to tell soon so we will keep in touch.