Diksmuide to Bergues: Meeting the French system.

Friday 6 May 2016

Yesterday was spent ‘in leisure’ with some shopping done at the Delhaize down the road, brake shoes purchased, Orval stocks replenished, chatting to our neighbours – the season has really just begun with many folk busy preparing their craft in earnest – sauntering around the old town, and generally just soaking up the culture and atmosphere and the warm and clear weather; it’s hard to believe that when we were here six months ago we were wrapped up against the icy weather and blasting wind, and here we are in shorts and t-shirts.

Sunrise, Diksmuide

Diksmuide main square

As an aside, at about 21h30 who should arrive in his outboard-driven dingy but Thijs from the boatyard Buitenbeentjie; we had forgotten to retrieve our spare set of keys from them and, knowing that we were on our way early the following morning, he delivered them to us personally! I cannot recommend these guys highly enough.

Bright and early this morning we set off for Bergues; at 08h00 we were waved through the lifting bridge at Knokkebrug, and cruised through the gentle countryside to Fintele where our lockkeeper from previous visits was there assisting with the now semi-automated locking process.

Then, after an escort through the next two bridges, we changed escorts and were processed through the bridges and lock through Veurne

Lonely barge.

and onto the long and somewhat uninspiring Dunkerque-Nieuwpoort canal, past ‘cigaretteville’ Adinkerke,

Queue to visit the Adinkerke funfair - view over our bow...

...and over the stern.

and into France where we were stopped just before the lifting bridge (and French checkpoint) at Ghyvelde by two gentlemen on a barge requesting a tow to Dunkerque as their engine had broken down. I trust that they were not unduly affronted when we refused their request – they were 25 meters long and weighed probably in the region of 70 tons, a bit much for our little 40 year old engines.

Too big to tow I'm afraid

Anyway, back to the bridge: Despite calling on the designated radio channel and phoning every number we could see yet not succeeding in raising a soul to give bridge service for this and the next bridge at Zuydcoote, Lynn eventually knocked on the door of a house and a little old lady pointed out yet another number to call. Eventually and in staccato French we were informed that the operator would ‘arrivee’ – which he did two hours later and in the process explained that the usual operator was ‘missing’ and that he had to come from Dunkerque. Anyway, after hurriedly taking down our details we were on our way to the automated lock at Dunkerque, our last ‘obstacle’ on the 58 kilometer voyage to Bergues.

We sidled up to the lock sensors and with relief watched the light change from red to red and green indicating that the opening sequence was in progress. Then, with about a meter to go, the left door jams and the light changes to red again. And there we sit – welcome to the French waterway system! To give credit, a call to the emergency number elicited a response from Dunkerque and within twenty five minutes two operators arrived and guided us through the, now manual, locking process. An hour later we made fast to the pontoon at Bergues, sharing it with another cruiser owned by a French couple from Lille – good to see some French people in boats. Their boat’s name is Rust and while we realise that in Dutch this has serene connotations (“Rest”), in English it does not sit well especially on a piece of floating metal which is very prone to oxidisation…

After ten hours on the waterways we can relax and enjoy the balmy evening – tomorrow we will do a big shop at the nearby Le Clerq and reacquaint ourselves with the lovely town of Bergues.

Three locks, 11 bridges, 10 hours, 58 kilometers.