Currently Carmen is moored at Deinze in Belgium.

Since leaving Carmen's winter mooring Flandria at Brugge, Belgium I have been cruising single handed in company with Piedaleau (think French) for the last month in western Belgium.  It has refined my single handed skills and has been great fun.  Jenny doing a blog has caused me to resolve to restart mine again.  Adrian's advice has helped me to considerably improve my internet connection.

It has been an interesting cruise so far staying two weeks in Ypres and visiting, among other towns, Diksmuide, Veurne and Nieuwpoort.  This area is of course the location of much of the trench bound fighting of the 1914/18 war.  It has been very interesting to look at the museums but it is quite horrific and I found I could only take so much of it in a short time.  Ypres buildings look old but are in fact all rebuilt after that war, it having been completely flattened during the fighting.  I had an uncle called Ypres Mons.  I wonder what his father went through?

My previous cruising experience of Belgium had been on the larger canals so I was pleasantly surprised to explore some of the smaller ones.   Single handing it has been great to meet up at the end of the day.  I will miss my pilot barge ahead, arranging the bridges and gathering up any stray plastic boats into the locks without delaying Carmen.  There has been considerable "lurking" though in front of some bridges.

Discussion of toilets is never far away with barge people.  Piedaleau has been dealing with an 'orchestral' toilet so Carmen not wanting to be left out after seventeen years of good service, flooded her front toilet.  This happened just after I had serviced it, when fortunately it was only full cleaning chemical and water.  Again fortunately the guy who sold us the toilets all those years ago, is now retired to his own barge 90 minutes car drive away in France and was able to diagnose, find the spares necessary and refurbish it.  It's ready to go another seventeen years even if I won't.  I wonder if thet do it for people?  Apparently I had cleaned out the calcium that was all that was keeping the shaft seal sealed.

Unfortunately the uncertainty of when cruising could resume lost me my next crew.  I have decided to profit from that to undertake some well needed maintenance work.   The most important being to paint, before they all go seriously rusty, the new emergency stern ladder and larger bollards that I had made and fitted last year at Vankerkoven's after the TRIWV recertification.

Last year was not easy.  After ten years of cruising I returning to Auxerre where it all started for me. Perhaps one shouldn't go back in life for it was disappointing.  Friends had moved on, or even died and I didn't cruise Carmen at all in 2014.  However she has a beautiful mooring in Auxerre.

The view from the wheelhouse or terrace .............

can be  very mellowing as the sun goes down....particularly with a glass of Chablis.............

the heron is walking on the weir.














Friends have convinced me to cruise again this year and my enthusiasm is growing.   We are almost certainly going to go up the Nivernais.   Originally it was for a rally of Les Amis du Canal du Nivernais, which has sadly been cancelled.  However we think we are going anyway.  That's only for two weeks and I haven't yet decided whether we return or go on over the top through the tunnels.   Why not help me decide?.......

Lyon to Saint-Jean-de-Losne

The crew for this part of the return to Burgundy were Lenny (fourth) and Anni (third visit to Carmen)

We began with a bus-top tour around Lyon

When we got going, encouraged by the wider river Lenny decided to try steering.  She got so good I had a job to get the wheel back

However it was not all hard work - we explore Jassons-Riottier

We next moored at Port d'Asnières, attracted by the restaurant and the scenic location.  However it had a difficult access being surrounded by sandbanks.  Mooring depth was supposed to be 1.6m but when we got in we found it was only 1.2m, leaving just 15cm under Carmen's rudder.  It was very hot and a pause was called for.

We were visited by a horse and cart.  However when the 130m long cruise ships passed, often at night, Carmen was pulled about a great deal because of the shallow water, and I became worried about possible damage to the pontoon.  Passing ropes around the the vertical pyons (known as duc d'Albes) obviated the problem and in the end gave us a quiet night and left the pontoon undamaged.

Mission Completed - It took me five days to go down the Saône to Lyon but with Lenny and Anni it took only four to come back against the current.  So relaxation just above Saint-Jean-de-Losne on the river Saône was called for.

The Rhône

Almost all of the 2013 season has been preparing for this adventure.  Historically the Rhône has been wild and dangerous but has been partially tamed recently with new canalised parts added to the locks and power stations inserted.  Nevertheless it is to be approached with extreme respect.  Carmen waited in Beaucaire for the right weather and to make final preparations.  Beaucaire is on the route north but as a result of the changes made to tame the Rhône there is no longer access there.   One could however assess the Rhône from the very bridge that would soon take Carmen a day and a half of navigation to pass under.

By mid July I judged the flow rates and weather to be reasonable and on 19th July François joined as crew.  On the 20th we took Carmen down to below the St Gilles lock that opens onto the Petit Rhône and on the 21st we locked through to start the adventure.

After two hours heading against the current on the very pretty but tricky Petit Rhône travelling at about 11km/h through the water we nevertheless only achieved 8.5km/h over the land.  When we entered the Rhône proper that immediately dropped to just over 5km/h.

There are twelve very large locks on our planned route including the famous 23m lift Bollène.  Carmen is shown below entering it.

to be continued

Toulouse to Frontignan

François came with his brother in law to get me started.




Later we moored at Saint-Eulalie (PK89.5)

Much more to be added soon

Batten down the hatches for the gales

Just after the return to Toulouse the gales hit.  Warned by Sylviane the Capitaine at St Sauveur I was able to drop the summer wheelhouse and rope it on.  It was not too early and many other boats lost their biminis and other parts.  However it did mean crawling in on hands and knees.  Saturday morning however all was calm again and we returned to normal.  Next week I must wash the tent wheelhouse, find some volunteers to get it down and put the fixed wheelhouse back (It takes at least three tall people two of which need to be strong and one tall.

From Carcassonne to Toulouse

Lenny and Anni came to crew again, to get me partway to Toulouse.  However their enthusiasm was such that they crewed all the way.

A secluded mooring just the Toulouse side of Trebes

Bram just after dawn

 Port Lauragais

Who said the French have a different sense of humour to ours?

Multi- chambered locks are taxing but were well enjoyed by my crew.

The crew divided their work to Lenny on fore rope and Anni going ahead to the locks to set them our way and then place the ropes on the bollards when we arrive.  On one day from Bram to Castelnaudary we did 18 locks, not exceeded for many years.

 The girls totally took over the provisioning and cooking.

Later, locking completed the girls were able to relax and enjoy the many live-aboard barges and craft moored on the run in to Toulouse.

 The Fresinet conversion of the Canal Du Midi to 38m long was never completed so part of it has locks of only 30m length.  This has necessitated cutting 8m out of 38m barges so they can navigate the canal.  We found particularly fascinating the ingenuity that people were able to excercise on the 8m box so removed (photos from Lenny).

Just sealed at the ends

With added terrace

With sophisticated bow and stern added.  Is that the original barge behind?