Pont a Bar
After Sillery we pass Reims where we visited the Champagne houses last year and start the climb up the Canal Des Ardennes. We go up 27 locks a total of 79 metres in 8 kilometres and 4.5 hours, all in the rain.
We are keen to get to Pont a Bar to make sure we have time to see the boat lifted out. It is three years since it was antifouled and Kevin is interested to see how it is.
We arrived at the Boat yard, Societe Nouvelle Maubacq, which is alongside the canal about 50 metres from lock 6, in plenty of time. Dominique and Bruno are very helpful and most of the organising is done in French with the help of a big dictionary and good will. Bruno tells us he will know a lot more English by the time we return next year. The boat chandlery has a good stock and very reasonably priced.
They have a large crane to take out boats and plenty of hardstanding as well as room in the water.
The village of Pont a Bar has a few houses, a bar, a lock house
a hire boat port and the Boatyard and is about 14 k from Charlville Mezieres by road or 10 k from Sedan.
While we were waiting we cycled to a few villages around the area. It is not like our country, around Pont a Bar we rode to 5 villages not more than 4 k in any direction, all up and down hills.
Cycling around here is always pleasant with the lovely street flowers. Check out the cart, nearly as good as ours.
Just a kilometre down to the next lock before the River Meuse we found some delicious oval shaped Plums weighing the tree branches down as well as some Mirabelle plums, both were delicious. We picked a few and filled the camera bag, if we were here for longer they would make great jam or stewed plums.
We kept busy in the days before the boat was lifted out as everything needs to be cleaned on the boat as well as our clothes as it will be eight months before we return again.
We had a good time with Bill who was in port on his barge having some work done while Julie stayed in England. He makes a great cup of tea and we whiled away a lot of hours in his comfortable lounge chairs. Such Luxury!!!!
Bryan and Ruth were over from England, spending some time on their boat after a trip to Germany in their car. They very kindly took us to the train station in Sedan when we left.
With all of us speaking English we had a very relaxing time, Kevin caused some mirth as usual trying out his French, especially his Aussie pronunciation of je suis. Bryan's cartoon arrived just after we got home.
On Monday it was time to have the boat lifted out so it was a bit unnerving as we have never been in port when Courlis has been out of the water before. Everything was professionally done and went well. Kevin drove expertly into the cradle and after a little juggling to get the correct place for lifting, Courlis rose out of the water. It is three years since the bottom was antifouled and it was remarkably good. After high pressure hosing we decided to anti foul the boat when we return next year.
Quite different having a boat in the canal here to one left in the salt water or river at home.
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