Monday 8th April 2019 Tronville-en-Barrois to Trévenay 17.6kms 17 locks

Bricked up lock house 18 Longeaux

Set off at 9.50am – not raining yet. Made it through lock 26 Nançois-le-Petit before the man in a VNF van went past, waving and he went on down to 27 Chessard (which we’d just come up) A little British yacht went past heading downhill, that was a surprise. Lock 23 Vileroncourt lights went to red/green as we left 24 then red then double red went off, back to red/green, double red, red/green and started to empty. It finished emptying, lights went double red, lights off, lights went double red, lights off gate light started flashing, then the gates started opening at last! (all the locks at this end of the canal are controlled by the VNF at Bar-le-Duc). Weed filled the filter on the engine cooling system so Mike had to stop in the offline basin at Ligny to empty it all out. Loads of reed stems in the pipe but he managed to clear it all out using a hook. Set off again at 12.15pm setting the next lock 22 Ligny by zapping as we reversed out back on to the canal. Surprised that the water level above lock 19 Givrauval was down by about 18” – wonder where all that water has gone? Loads of water pouring over the bottom end gates of lock 18 Longeaux – that should keep the next pound full?? The top end gates of 18 didn’t close behind us as we left. Round the bend under the railway and lock 17 Menaucort was empty with bottom gates open and green light on – all by magic,

Aqueduct and lock 17 Menaucourt

didn’t have to zap? A VNF man in a van worked 17 from the cabin and went on to do 16 Nantois too. The locks 1 – 17 used to be chained. Our man in a van suggested we didn’t stop at Naix-aux-Forge and went on up another four locks as they were having trouble with water levels. The water in the pound above lock 15 Naix was down by about 18” so we went on and moored above lock 11 Trévenay next to a sloping quay wall – sank tyres to protect the boat (they go under the bottom to prevent the edges of the bottom plate from rubbing on the sloping stones) It was 4.55pm.