Cambrai to Seracourt

Wednesday 31^st July

Cambrai to Crevecoeur-sur-L’Escaut

Engine running time 3 ½ hours 14km and 8 locks

We left Cambrai this morning after topping up with Diesel and water.  Cambrai was just ok for us, the VNF started work on the lock nearby so we enjoyed a lot of drilling/jack hammer activity!  We went for a walk around the town yesterday, had lunch out, dodged the heavy rain showers, bought another length of water hose……you can never have enough hose!!!!

The Canal St Quentin is lovely,  very rural, lots of herons, and we saw a kingfisher just sitting still on a pontoon near to a lock we were just entering, really beautiful.

All the locks went well except no.2 lock, it let us in but then wouldn’t do anything.  I had to climb out the lock and press a button for the intercom to speak to the lock keeper, and about 20mins later the lock keeper arrived and got it working again.  We don’t think we did anything wrong.  It was a grey start to the day but this afternoon really warmed up.  We’ve been for a lovely stroll around a nearby village, Les Rues-des-Vignes and had a cool beer and then walked back to the boat.  We are enjoying a lovely evening sitting in the sun, glass of wine, reading books etc.  Very relaxing.

We'd moored up and went for a walk and it was a bit disconcerting to watch from afar 
how Rangali fared with this laden commercial going past.  All was ok.

Our lovely mooring at PK 13.5 near Crevecoeur-sur-L'Escaut

Thursday 1^st August

We left our mooring PK 13.5 and went to the Lock no. 9 Crevcoeur, there was a lock keeper on duty there that did the locks for us he also wanted to have proof of our home address so that the VNF could send the invoice for the tunnel further up the canal.  We hadn’t really planned to do the tunnel today but the lock keeper persuaded Kev that we could make the 5pm tow so that was that!  We got to the Riqueval Tunnel just after 2pm and waited nervously for 5pm.  Two large commercial peniche were there and then there were two smaller cruising style boats so all in all there was a line of 5 boats.  The large peniche go first and an electric tug tows us through, we are all connected by 25-30m ropes that we had to supply.  It takes 2 hours to go through, it seemed like a long two hours!

So we are out of the tunnel by 7pm, but then you can’t stop until you have gone through another tunnel which you do under your own power.   The large commercial peniche, as he came out of the tunnel, without any warning just unhooked our ropes, so I was busy at the bow of the boat trying to pull in 2 x 25m thick heavy, wet ropes, Kev had to quickly cast off the guys behind us so that he could switch on our engine without getting their ropes caught up in our prop.  We finally moored up at 9.30pm at PK 44.5 near Lesdins, very tired and hungry.  We ended up drinking two bottles of wine, we felt we needed it.

There were herons everywhere on our way to Riqueval Tunnel

You can see the two large peniche in front of us and then the electric tug at the front

Entering the tunnel

The two smaller boats being towed behind us

In the Tunnel, no engine running just being pulled along by the barges in front
who are being towed by the electric tug

Yet another new view from the galley window at PK 44.5 Lesdin

Friday 2^nd August.

A very different day.  As we have been climbing up to a summit up until yesterday all the locks have been empty and we have been going up, the tunnel yesterday was at the summit so we are now going down hill.  Much easier in the locks, the bollards are really easy to reach and the descent in the lock is very gentle.  We travelled through 5 locks today, and 17km to a spot that was recommended by Nik and Tony on Archangel another Piper barge.  We are now moored at Seracourt-le-Grand south of St Quentin.  This mooring is beautiful, you weren’t wrong Nik and Tony!  We are going to stay here 2 nights.  Beautiful weather, very hot, possible thunderstorms forecast tonight.

A peaceful mooring off the main canal at Seracourt-le-Grand