The Day of Locks

At last the weather is cooling off a bit. Today was still warm, even hot at times, but there was a very welcome breeze blowing to keep us a bit cooler.
Today was a climbing day. How do you climb on water you may ask? The answer is the canal lock system whereby you use locks to increase the water level in increments and then cruise along the new higher level to the next lock at which you increase the water level again.
So today we passed through 12 climbing locks which were a mixture of single, double, triple, and one quad lock.
The quad lock was our last before we reached our destination of Castelnaudary and this one was the most spectacular with giant waterfalls gushing out in front of the boat as each stage of the 4-tier lock was reached. Then it was a short cruise across the small lake to our mooring spot near the city centre.
A lot of locks today and each one had it own challenges and beauty. There was a lock keeper, or éclusier, for each lock; some were super friendly, some were super grumpy including one that insisted on seeing all the ships papers and cruising permits. This took our friend Pete some time to download from his computer and in the meantime all the other boats were held up by the inconsiderate éclusie.
Each of us has roles to do on board as we pass through these locks. Our Captain Pete is the expert helmsman and stern rope handler; Peter is the bow rope handler and general dogsbody; Lou is the lock operator running up to the lock control panel and pushing the buttons at the lock to activate the process; and Carolina had the all-important role of supplying us all with a steady stream of drinks, water, and cooling towels, and being camera operator. These locks are hot work and it is quite physical, and is not made any easier by the hot weather.
By the time we reached our destination for the day we were all in need of a cool shower, a change of clothes, and a relaxing G&T.
In the evening we had a few rosés and tapas at a wine bar overlooking the river, followed by dinner in a restaurant barge on the river. On the walk home our boat, the Leander, looked very nice in the glow of the evening stars, lights, and an almost full moon.
Tomorrow is going to be a rest day with no cruising. Pete has some work to do on his boat. Peter will help and also has some admin computer work to do. Carolina and Lou will peruse the shops and do some yoga. It will be quiet day but with an unusual evening activity because tomorrow night there is a Drag Queen show taking place on the banks of the canal just down from where we are moored which should be a good laugh and a fun night out!Read more