Wambrechies to Leers-Noord: The Canal de Roubaix.

Monday 5 October 2015

Our plan was to be up bright and early in order to meet our team of lockkeepers (an ‘equipe’)  who would follow us through the 22 kilometers of locks and swinging/lifting bridges (12 of the former, 9 of the latter) down the Canal de Roubaix to Leers-Noord, just inside the Belgian border where we would have dinner at the much mentioned Maison du Canal restaurant which is right on the canal.

We had arranged to meet up with Mike and Rosaleen Miller on their home-constructed 17m ‘ship Aquarelle at the first lock at 09h00 when the lockkeepers had said they would meet us. Mike and Rosaleen are an Irish couple but who now live aboard in France permanently.

Under grey skies and into a chilly morning we set off down the Deule river past the abandoned Abbey the demise of which was discussed at length,

so much so that we overshot the Canal de Roubaix turnoff and only 1.5kms further was the error realised. A prompt about turn and full speed ahead until we reached the first lock where we saw Aquarelle exiting; only belatedly did I think to call Mike to tell him what had happened and to ask that he wait for us at the next lock as he was with the ‘equipe’. Fortunately he did hear me and called from the 2^nd lock and, after being held up by a commercial trying to pass another commercial in the narrow waterway,

A tight squeeze!

we eventually joined up with the group.

Aquarelle leading the way

I had really been looking forward to traversing this small waterway which had only been re-opened in 2011 and together with the short Esperries Canal links the Deule and Schelde (Haut Escaut) commercial waterway systems.

Pretty it was indeed

although we were somewhat bogged down in mud just before the third lock so some more dredging is required. The locks were small and between 2 an 5 meters deep;

Lockkeeper's house.

Only abot 250mm to the lock door.

there was also lots of duck weed which eventually caused our engines to heat up a bit too much. Unfortunately the canal also passes through some of less salubrious parts of some towns with plenty of drunkoids and hoboids around.

Apart from the duckweed we had Aquarelle dropping a linkage and ramming one of the lock doors causing them a dent on their bow,

Ouch!

a bridge, the hydraulics of which were leaking which caused it to malfunction,

The bridge she is brokken.

and our port gearbox ATF level being too low resulting in a partial loss of thrust right at the end of our journey. And of course the delay in Wambrechies meant that today was Monday and are Belgian restaurants open on Mondays? Non!

But otherwise it was a most interesting cruise with the scenery and water quality improving the nearer we traveled to the Belgian border

A mini Tower Bridge

and we eventually tied up at 17h00 

tired but somewhat elated at having managed our first set of small French locks without incident. Mike and Rosaleen suggested that we pool resources and meet aboard Aquarelle for dinner but we cried off, preferring to let the adrenaline ebb and have an early night.