Bethune to La Bassee

Thursday 12 May 2016

13 kilometers, 1 lock, 3 hours 10 minutes including Beuvry stop

After another ride into town and finally getting an Orange phone/data bundle (E30 for 1 month unlimited calls in France and 2Gb data) we set off just ahead of a 'gospel' barge, turn into the big canal and head off toward La Bassee. Just before the one and only lock before our destination we take a turning into the Canal de Beuvry hoping to find water and where we had spotted quite a few boats moored. It turns out that there is a reasonably sized marina (I counted 18 boats there but there were definitely more) with all the facilities but to fill up with water you need a key – and the VNF man is on holiday until next week. So off we go again, join the queue waiting for a space in the lock, get waved forward by the biggie in front of us, and (my worst) prepare to enter the lock already holding three 40-ish meter barges, all with engines running. We aim for the starboard side but get prop-washed across to the port side where we tie up and thankfully, everyone switches off their engines. All in all, a much less stressful event that I had been anticipating.

The lockkeeper confirmed that he did not have a waterpoint at his lock but we could get a key at Bethune or at Douai.

A short while later we are tied up to the pretty mooring at La Bassee,

just a short walk to the small but pretty town where Lynn went to do laundry while I did engine-necessaries. Tomorrow we meet up with Ian and Sian aboard Njord for two weeks of cruising together.