Third
day:
from Vias to Fonsérannes
Pepijn and I wake up early. We cycle to Vias to do the shopping but the supermarket isn't open yet. We walk around in the village and buy some bread.
After breakfast we navigate further in the direction of Béziers. After one kilometer we pass by 'Les ouvrages du Libron' we surveyed yesterday already from the towpath.
We navigate through an open landscape at about two kilometers from the coast with at the northern side a hilly land with vineyards and at the southern side a beautiful marsh. Again we see colonies of flamingo’s. After about 10 kilometers we arrive in Portiragnes. We are passing a number of small arched bridges. Because the boat is relatively high and wide on the back and my helmsman's skill isn't very good, the boat bumps against one of the bridges with the railing.
| After the lock of Portiragnes we navigate again between the plane-trees. At the left and right side of us, it gets more busy with roads, railways and factories. We are navigating under a factory-railway lift-bridge |  |
At lunchtime we moor at the lock of Béziers. There are yet still two locks between us and the staircase of locks of Fonsérannes. At port-side is a side-branch to the river Orb. Before the aqueduct was built over the river Orb the shippers had to navigate on and cross the river Orb.
 |
I survey the next two locks
with Maarten. We have not seen such high locks before. They are 4
respectively 6 meters height. We can not moor on bollards here but on gliding-bars.
There are three of them in each lock. Between the locks is a port with
some special boats.
|
| I go on with
Maarten and pass over the magnificent aqueduct with arches over the river Orb.
The level of the canal water is about ten meters higher than the level
of the river. I also am watching the lock of Notre-Dame, a double lock on the other bank of the river. Before the aqueduct was built, the boats went up again from the river on their way to the Fonsérannes staircase. As I walk there between the neglected buildings with closed panels I can feel the history of this place of hard working, cursing, sweating, and drinking. |
 |
As we walk back to our boat the lockkeeper's lunchtime is obviously finished and two boats are locked down. I hurry to the boat to be locked up instantly but when the warps are lose the lock-light is red again. A blow on the horn doesn't help because this lock is serviced from the position of the other lock. I walk back to the lock and make great gestures in the direction of the other lock, about 500 meters further. I do the same again in front of the video cameras which are here but nothing helps. As I intend to go to the lockkeeper I see a barge coming which is now used for tourists. The lights suddenly turn green. Only after the barge is locked up and some other boats are locked down again, we can navigate into the lock. Because an other boat is joining us we have to go to the front side of the lock. The gliding bars are far away from each other. As the warp of Marga is stuck under the gliding bar, I have to pay out my warp as we go up.
Before the next lock a boat from the port slips before us into the lock. I am already happy that I can stay in the back of the lock now where the gliding bars are more close to each other but the lockkeeper directs also a third boat into the lock. We can only moor at one gliding bar now. De lockkeeper lets a cord down to pick up our warp. Nervously Marga doesn't make a good knot and our warp is falling in the water. I fasten my warp to the gliding bar and because I keep the propeller to running ahead during the locking, the boat rises calmly six meters.
We navigate now over the aqueduct of the Orb and are arriving at ten to four at the staircase of Fonsérannes. We are just in time to see the last boat of this afternoon locking down. From four to half past six they are only locking up. At four o'clock the light is green. It starts raining as we unfasten the warps. During the entire staircase up it is raining heavily. We are getting soaking wet. Marga at the front-deck, Pepijn on the quay and me on the quarter-deck.
We are locked up with three boats at the same time. A boat with a sharp nose is behind us. It 's scary because they are bungling a bit. I moor as close to the front gates as possible. Again I let the propeller run ahead during the locking. When a flood of water from higher chambers is rolling over the sills, the boat remains relatively stable and calm. We lock the staircase without any mistakes and moor directly when we are above. That's enough for today. We have achieved our purposes. We are in the longest section of the canal and can travel the entire day tomorrow. Tomorrow the locks are closed because it 's the first of may, a national holiday.
It's raining all evening. All the windows turned dim. We hung the clothes and we turned the heater on for the first time.