St Gilles lock ..... nearly

While anchored off Sète we took the opportunity to walk to the big hyper market to look for more John compatible food, we found some but not the biscuits he was craving. On our return to the boat we decided to give the hull a clean while we had use of the dinghy and then another quick dip. We then hauled the dinghy on board and headed back across the Etang and through the canal towards Frontignan we were in time for the 16:00 bridge lifting. On our way through we met a boat from A-M and could wave and ask how they were, that’s a novel experience for us. We decided not to spend the night in Frontignan but to go to one of the free stops along the canal. On our way we passed a barge loaded with dredged mud being pushed along and zigzagging as it did, luckily it was a wide bit of canal. Once we reached our spot we were all alone it was lovely, I cleaned, deflated and repacked the dinghy. This time we have left it on the forward deck just behind the anchor winch rather than in the shower!
Yesterday we moved further along the canal, this time passing a boat pulling 300m of dredging pipe, I think we have seen most sights now. We stopped for lunch near the Maguelone Abbey, still closed as it is a refuge for the ill so isn’t opening its doors until July at the earliest. Again we met some of the winter livaboards from A-M they helped us moor up, we were able to walk to the beach and I had a dip my last until we reach the northern shores. We arrived back in A-M in time for a chat with Chris our new friend, did some shopping, showered and collected the bikes. We left there late today and did a fuel run while tied up near the supermarket (their fuel is a lot cheaper than marinas, but it involves multiple trips with big jerry cans in a shopping trolley). Then we headed towards the lock at St Gilles, we are now tied up near there for the night with only sheep for company. On today’s trip we saw a king fisher as well as the usual Herons, Egrets, bee eaters, starlings, swallows cormorants and sparrows.Read more