Cambrai to Valenciennes

Thursday 19 May 2016

 

35.5kms, 8 locks, 6 hours 40 minutes

A long but enjoyable day.

After topping up with another 120 litres of water, buying some Dremel bits from the Lidl-Thursday-special bin, we cast lines at 09h30 sharp and proceeded through the five small automated locks 

serving the pretty canal

Bouchain

and into the big commercial L’Escaut (or Schelde as it is known in Belgium). At the first big lock (144m long x 12m wide with a 5m drop) Sian called in and we were told to wait for the barges which were in the lock to exit after which we could enter – it seemed like we would have the whole thing to ourselves! How they fitted those three boats in is beyond me as they were cheek to jowl and virtually scraping the paint off each other’s sides.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, the radio beeped into action and we heard the lock talking to another boat and the words ‘plaisance’ (pleasure boat) was mentioned. Sure enough, around the corner behind us came an 80 meter commercial headed straight for ‘our’ lock. Sian jumped into the conversation and inquired whether we could go in first or whether we had to wait for the commercial. “Vous primerier” (or words to that effect) and that is how it was for the three very big locks ahead – Elle and Njord tucked right up in the front of the lock, away from the propwash, with the large Vaya Con Dios behind. Way to go!

 Nearly seven hours after departing Cambrai we entered the canal side arm adjacent the Folien (entering from the south) tried unsuccessfully to do a U-turn against the quite strong current,

and moored up on a sparkling new finger, one of many of 12m and 9m in length,at the newly opened Port of Valenciennes (http://www.tourismevalenciennes.fr/sortir-se-divertir/se-mettre-au-vert-ou-leau/port-de-plaisance).

A section of the Port looking toward the captainerie

 For dinner it was butter chicken curry aboard Njord and off to bed.