Tuesday 9th September 2014 Pommeroeul to La Louviére. 38.1kms 2 locks 1 lift

After a month at Pommeroeul we finally restart the journey back to France.

The pier at Pommeroeul -Snail, a Dutch boat and DB Albertine  

9.8°C Warm and sunny. Clear blue skies to start, then wispy hazy streaks of clouds, turning into a Simpson’s sky later. Breezy. An empty commercial went past on the main canal, heading the same way as us. We said our au voirs to Anne and Oll, they said they’d be back in the UK November so we’d meet up somewhere. Said bye to Andy and Clare as we were all taking photos. It was 10.10 am as we turned on to the Kanaal Nimy-Blaton-Peronnes heading uphill towards Mons, noting that the quay on the corner where several large

Wandering Snail at Pommeroeul

commercials had moored for several days at a time during the past month had a large “No Mooring” sign and an arrow pointing along the quay “for 110m” ie the length of the quay. A large bird of prey picked a fish out of the canal and flew off with it, my guess would be that it was a fish-scavenging black kite. The pink flowers of marsh-mallow were blooming all along the canal banks. A loaded Czech boat was moored in the darse at Villerot, Magrit from Decin, (80m x 9.0m) at the chemical works of Yara. A nearly empty tanker called Vira

Loaded boat Satanas overtaking

(77m x 8.20m 1082T) from Rotterdam was finishing unloading. I missed a good photo of a house by the road bridge in Baudor that had a long line of at least a dozen big, tall banana palms along the towpath. Remarkable plants that grow new trees each year from the previous year’s roots. Sandpipers flew yodelling across the canal, they are a definite feature of this canal, there were several pairs of them at the basin at Pommeroeul. A loaded Dutch péniche called Rimar from

Empty Samarinda overtaking Satanas 

Moorhoek was moored at the end of the long quays at Ghlin. A container crane was using chains to load some steel coils into a lorry. There were no moored boats, just a a long series of quays full of concrete pipes, containers, steel coils and coal besides whatever was stored in the warehouses. We could see a loaded boat in the distance behind that was fast catching us up. Bright yellow button flowers of strong-smelling tansy were growing along the canal banks in between big banks of Japanese knotweed. The loaded boat went past us just before the flood lock at Ghlin, Satanas from Visé (51m x 6.6m 668T) and

Satanas by the old boat lift at Thieu

we got caught on his stern wash and had to do a hard reverse to get off it. A DB had just left the moorings at Mons, followed by a cruiser. Mike spotted a narrowboat on the moorings called Mabel Rose. He put the revs up to try and keep up with the three boats in front of us. When we arrived below Obourg lock the commercial was going in and the cruiser and DB were hovering just outside the lock. The DB, called Pendragon, took the right hand wall and we followed the cruiser (Fair Lady, German flagged with Roermond on its stern, R.Maas

The old boat lift and new lock at Thieu

in NL) on the left wall. He stopped short and the keeper tried to get him to move forward, but he either was ignoring him or didn’t speak French as he didn’t move. There was just enough room for us to get in and I slung a centre line around a bollard. Mike moved the rope up the six bollards from the roof while I made some lunch. The commercial set off followed by the DB but the cruiser was slow to move and hadn’t taken his ropes off when we moved over and followed Pendragon out of the lock with the German skipper shouting the odds at Mike as he went past him. Needless to say he soon overtook us.

Below the new Strepy-Thieu boat lift

We followed the queue to Havre with the cruiser right up behind the commercial. A Dutch tanker called Voja (81.3m x 9.60m) had just left the chamber, but something else was going up in the lock so we had to wait, hovering in the middle of the canal with the other three boats. There was a covered conveyor belt running along the left hand bank and it was covered in graffiti, we wondered what it was carrying that needed a cover. The lock emptied and Satanas got green lights and so we followed the others into the lock chamber – this one, Havre, is bigger than the last lock at 124m long and has floaters, while Obourg was only 96m long. Satanas went up to the top end, the cruiser went forward and attached to a floater opposite the commercial and the keeper called everyone forward as another boat was coming in, an empty péniche called Samarinda. We had troubles getting to the left hand floaters so the skipper of Satanas invited us to hang on to his side bollards. We had a long natter (in French) as the lock

View from Strepy lift of the boats waiting below the lift

filled. The skipper and his wife liked our boat, they said they wanted to sell their boat and retire, but they said that the Belgians wanted more for a cruiser than they were selling their 51m boat for! They asked how much to buy a narrowboat, so we told them roughly the price of new ones and second hand. They seemed impressed and said they might buy one! They agreed with what Helen had said about the wheat harvest being bad this year so there wasn’t much work about (although they said the Dutch undercut the Belgians by 1,50€

Strepy lift - Bounty (commercial in front end of caisson)
German cruiser, Pendragon and Temujin 

a tonne, how they didn’t know as they have to pay the same out for diesel, etc) They had a cargo of industrial soil that had been cleaned to remove heavy metals, etc (he rolled the cover back to show us) which he was taking to Liège as the Arabs were buying it up. We laughed and said is that true, no joking, - yes it’s true; so we asked what they were buying it for, he didn’t know but there were lots of boats were carrying this cargo of treated soil. Whatever next!? We followed the cruiser out of the lock at 2.55 pm. The others soon overtook us, all heading for Strépy. A loaded Belgian boat called Njord (447T) went past heading downhill, followed by a loaded French

Moored above the old boat lifts at La Louviere

péniche called Jewel and 670T Espoir (55m x 7.25m). The empty péniche we’d locked with wound up the power to overtake Satanas as we were going past the long quay at Villers-sur-Haine. It was 3 pm. Shortly after we went past the long quay below the new lock and the bottom old lift no 4 at Thieu which was full of fishermen and their parked cars. Into the deep cutting that the new canal follows to the big new lift. There was a queue below the lift. The cruiser had moored on the left below the right hand caisson and the queue of commercials started with Bounty an 85m empty, then Oceanic a big Dutch tanker, then Samarinda the empty péniche from Marchiennes and Satanas had tagged on the end. When Conbar from Sherringham (British newbuild DB last seen in Mons a month ago) came out of the caisson we followed Bounty and the cruiser in and took the right hand wall, DB Pendragon came alongside us and we chatted with the crew as we rose 73m in ten minutes. We were last out – the others shot off into the distance and we resumed normal pace as we no longer needed to keep up with the commercial. After a few kilometres we turned right on to the historic canal - which is still closed to through traffic and provides us with a nice quiet mooring above the top lift no 1 Houdeng-Goegnies. It was 5.30 pm when we tied up.

Saturday 9th August 2014 Ville-sur-Haine to Pommeroeul. 27.7kms 2 locks

In Obourg lock

15.9°C Very windy in the night, which woke Mike (the last blows of hurricane Bertha from America?). Grey clouds but sunny spells and still a stiff breeze blowing. Set off at 9.15 am following a loaded boat down to Havré lock. The lock was full and Espoir (Hope) from Thuin (B) was watering up, so that ruined our chances of getting any water in the lock. A cruiser called Zigzag was moored very precariously above the lock next to dolphins designed for big boats with horizontal supports that were almost higher than the cruisers cabin, the skipper said he would be going down later. We went in behind the commercial and waited. I did the chores and made a cuppa while we waited. They finished filling up and we descended 10m attached to a floater. An empty arrived at the top and a Dutch empty, called Chasseur (hunter) from Maasbracht, arrived to go up, followed by a cruiser.  A short distance to the next lock, past long quays full of more rubbish for recycling and a moored loaded boat called Memphis. There was an

Derelict old mill at Villecot

enormous cement works called Holcim above Obourg lock. The commercial had motored on at a pace we couldn’t keep up with, but he had to slow down to enter the lock and the keeper kept the gates open for us. A Dutch cruiser had just come up. This was a much shorter lock (96m) than the previous one (124m) so we had to go alongside the commercial rather than behind it and he kept his bow thruster going and his prop turning as we dropped down another 5m, changing the ropes down 6 bollards recessed into the concrete wall of the lock chamber. The couple on the commercial were preoccupied with what looked like some damage to their fore-end cabin, which was covered with a sheet of plastic held down with a long hard plastic fender.

Moored on the pier at Pommeroeul,
looking towards the disused lock

Unusually, they motored out of the lock first (Normally the commercials want us out of the way for more manoeuvring room in the chamber). Loaded tanker Calcit 10 was moored below on a short quay. We went across the Grand Large lake to the Mons boat marina to get some water. We moored among the Dutch cruisers we’d seen the day before and Snail came alongside us. While the tanks filled up I took a walk to the Capitanerie (they’d now got a posh lift!) on the second floor and paid 2€ each for the water (water is included in the price if you stay overnight). Two British boats were moored there among the cruisers and yachts (no one on board either), replica DB Pendragon and a large chunky steel boat called Conbar from Sherringham (where

Moored at Pommeroeul, looking towards the main canal
along the length of the pier

Anne’s daughter Amy lives in Norfolk) En route again at 12.30 pm, back across the lake with one sailboat and a jetski making waves. Not long after we went through the flood lock at Ghlin and the canal changed its name to the Nimy-Blaton-Peronnes canal. Two tugs were moored at the south darse (dock) at Ghlin, Spes IV and Romina with an empty pan. Signs said beware dredging in progress, but they were obviously having the weekend off. In the north darse Espoir (the boat we’d locked with) was moored ready for unloading Monday and was craning his car off. I made some lunch. Lots of long quays bordered the canal covered with piles of sand, soil, rocks and rubble, beyond which were steel coils and piles of containers then stacked concrete pipes. A cruiser was catching up (it was Zigzag again) and an empty called Ludovica from Evergem (it used to be called Anita, which was embossed across the stern) went past heading for Mons, motoring hard and making a lot of wash. The concrete quay walls surrounding the entrance to the darse at Baudour were very high and opposite them a fancy new power plant had been built belonging to Electrobel (GDF & Suez). The cruiser Zigzag was moored next to the berths for an oil berth by a fuel station. He said he was trying to get some petrol, but the access to the bank was blocked by a gate. We wished him luck and Mike said he’d do better mooring by the next bridge and walking back with a can. The water had changed colour from a dirty muddy brown filled with bits of rubbish to a bright chalky green as we passed the old windmill opposite the darse at Villecot. Three Dutch cruisers went past, all doing the same speed and all but the last one were making a lot of wash. We arrived at Pommeroeul at 3.10 pm and moored by the disused lock on the waiting area – a long pier. No other boats were there except an old cruiser and two old sailing dinghies moored on the other side of the wall. Set the TV up then Mike got the moped off using a short plank (the quay was almost cabin height, but there was a big gap due to the timber fendering along the wall) and went to collect the car from Ville-sur-Haine. Be interesting to see how long we have to wait before the boat can be hauled out for painting. Hard work here we come again – got to keep the boat looking good!

Friday 8th August 2014 La Louvière to Ville-sur-Haine. 11.2kms 1 boatlift.

Guillotine flood gate on new bypass canal around the 4 old lifts.

13.2°C Sunny start, after overnight heavy rain, grey clouds, then the rain started again. We set off at 10.15 am following the Snail back to the junction with the new canal that bypasses the four old lifts. 6 kms to the big new lift at Strèpy-Thieu. Under the new guillotine flood gate. The new canal is wide, deep and edged with sloping concrete and planted with trees which make it look like we’re travelling through parkland. We could see a pushtow in the distance – he’ll been down the lift well before we get there. I baked some part-cooked bread buns in the oven ready for lunch as we’d almost finished our first Belgian loaf. Over the aqueduct that

Behind a big Dutch cruiser in Strepy-Thieu

carries the canal across several roads, the view was too misty for photos as it had started to rain. Several large cruisers caught up and overtook, a German one from Wuppertal, two Dutch cruisers and a smaller Danish one was catching up. After a short wait above the tank two cruisers came up in the right hand caisson and then we all piled in after the three big cruisers and the smaller Danish one came in behind us. Plenty of room left over. (We’ve been in it in the

The Snail in Strepy-Thieu lift

past when we’ve had several commercials and a tripper and enough cruisers to fill the tank!) The keeper was taking boat names as we entered the caisson and no doubt he checked us all on his computer to make sure we were all logged in on the system before we set off down. OK and the motors powered up, sounding like a jet engine getting ready for take-off. In maybe ten minutes we’d descended 73m - the trip through the four old lifts used to take most of one day, if there were no breakdowns. It was pouring down when we set off again. The cruisers disappeared into the distance as we passed the new lock (now automatic) that takes boats up to the only

Going down!

(currently) working lift, no 4 Thieu. Two more cruisers went past heading for the lift. There is a long waiting quay below the new lock and not a single boat was moored there. A loaded push-towed pair, called Bibifoc and Flipper went past followed by a British cruiser called Paddington V whose skipper shouted “It’s English rain!” Mike said no, it’s American! (we’ve got the remains of hurricane Bertha coming across the Atlantic) We motored on a short distance and tied up at another long, deserted quay at Ville-sur-Haine, close to where there used to be a lock of the

Moored at Ville-sur-Haine in the pouring rain.

same name on the old canal before the lifts. We got soaked tying up and setting up the TV (no Wi-Fi). Made sandwiches for lunch then gave Mike a hand to get all his stuff together and unwrap the moped. The quay was high enough that he didn’t need a plank. He got kitted out in wellies and waterproof trousers, taking a pair of pumps with him to drive back in. Around 1.30 pm he went back to get the car. It was still pouring when he returned and we got wet again putting the bike back on the roof and covering it. Wet clothes and shoes everywhere, dripping on the front deck and in the shower. Oh the joys of boating in the rain!

Thursday 7th August 2014 Abv Gosselies lock – abv La Louvière. 25.1kms 1 lock

The magnificent Wallonie Spangler!

13.2°C Sunny start, grey clouds then sunny and hot with white clouds. Breezy. A tug and pan went past heading uphill just before we were ready to go. Oll had told Mike he’d seen a brightly coloured bird, so Mike went to take a photo – Oll nicknamed the parakeet the Wallonie Spangler – it was very brightly coloured. Set off at 9.15 am. The tug and pan were still waiting below Viesville lock when we arrived. Three cruisers came down, then the tug went up; as the pan was 67m long and the tug about 20m there was no room for us in the 87m long chamber.

Leaving Vieseville lock

Another three cruisers came down, then it was our turn and, as it was just us two narrowboats, we had the pick of the floaters and straddled the centre gates to have the luxury of a floater fore and aft each. Up 7m in no time and at 10.30 am we set off on the summit level of the Brussels-Charleroi canal. Nothing waiting to go down the locks. The industrial grot was left behind, but only for a while. Several loaded boats and another tug and pan went past heading for Charleroi. I made a cuppa and we ate two speculaas biscuits with our tea as a

Fishermen beware!

celebration that I’d just got our new Belgian PAYG Internet connection to work – it is so nice to be able to access the Internet at any time! A 70m tanker called Zesteinhoven was moored by an oil storage depot near Seneffe and we were back into the land of factories. The Snail was in front and turned into the canal du Centrum first, as an empty called Present came out of the canal and turned towards Brussels at the wide junction where there was another large oil storage depot. A cruiser was not far behind it and he turned the other way towards Charleroi. The start of

The summit level of the Brussels-Charleroi canal

the Centrum canal was pleasant with an avenue of trees on the left and fields beyond them, while on the right was an old railway branch line, trees and more fields. Families were out fishing and picnicking along the canal. A DB called Argo from Kampen went past and a cycling team all in matching lycra zoomed down the towpath. Under the motorway and turned left into the old Centrum canal leading to the four ship lifts, the ascenseurs - which are now a UNESCO world heritage site. Straight ahead was the new superfast lift at Strèpy-Thieu that

Moored abv lift no.1 Houdeng-Geognies

replaced them. We moored above the first lift (no. 1 Houdeng-Goegnies) at La Louvière at 1.55pm. Anne phoned the Belgian waterways to find out if the lifts were all open now. Nope. Thieu, the bottom one is, but the other three won’t re-open until next year. By the time we’d got maps and Lucy (GPS) sorted out, etc, it was 3.40pm before Mike set out to thread his way around Charleroi to get back to the car at Auvelais. I’d printed him the maps he needed from our Belgian Atlas and he’d got Lucy in his pocket with headphones on. The route looked very complicated. When he got back he said Lucy (GPS) did a perfect job until she got to the N90 which has been upgraded so he couldn’t go on it with the moped. He had to find his own way round as you can’t exclude a road in Lucy’s memory.