Wednesday 30th August - Chamouilley to Chevillon

We left our lovely Chamouilley at 10 a.m., again not knowing for sure where we would end up.  Crew rather likes these ' mystery tours'!  Approaching our first lock very close to the mooring we noticed another boat creep up behind us - hmm......company for the first time!  Crew was seriously hoping that the locks weren't too violent as now, we would be right up front.  No problem as the first lock filled from underneath and all was well, if a bit tight.  Our lock companions were two Swiss men on a twin-engined steel boat,who clearly knew what they were doing so there were no problems, apart from keeping ourselves from the front of the lock and them keeping themselves from the back.  He had the same problem as us with weed in his filter but being twin engined he could keep going on one engine whilst clearing the other side - we had to stop once to clear ours. We successfully locked through five times with them and moored in Chevillon, waving them 'goodbye'.  We managed to tie our aft line onto a metal spike but had to use our mooring pins for the forward and central lines.  The water was very high, meaning that all fenders had to be lowered.
We got settled and had some lunch, during which the VNF turned up to cut the grass.  A very polite young man came to inform us that this was happening.  Crew walked up to the bridge to investigate the restaurant on the other side of the canal - it didn't look all that interesting......if, indeed it was open at all.  Decided on making steak tartare for dinner.
Skip went to help a lone Dutchman in - we already had another boat moored behind us.  A little later he came over to us and asked us to,join him for a drink but we reversed the invitation and he came aboard for a beer.  Although Dutch Joe, had lived in London for many years and was divorced.  He said that he was giving up the cruising to find other things to do.  He stayed until almost 9 p.m. - of course, it was now too late to make dinner so we made do with cheese.  We watched a DVD and bed.

11 km 5 locks 2 1/2 hours

Tuesday 29th August - Chamouilley

We decided to stay another night to make sure that Crew was match fit, with thoughts about a nice dinner at the hotel!  Throughout the day the temperature soared to well over 30c and with hardly any wind - much too hot to do anything strenuous!!
Skip went to get bread (in the mini-market......the boulangerie was closed for holidays) and we had lunch on deck.
We went over to the hotel at 8 p.m. and took a table on the terrace.  We decided on the slightly higher priced menu at €34 - still four courses!  Something went wrong with our order for our starter.  There were two dishes involving foie gras, one with scallops and prawns and the other a warm foie gras and salad.  We thought we had ordered the warm entree but instead received the 'surf and turf' option - not sure whether it was a 'customer error' or a 'waiter error'........the former I suspect!  Crew has threatened to order for herself in future!!  The outside terrace was full and the two waiting staff very busy but still extremely efficient........another good meal.
As it was still warm we just had a digestif on deck and bed.......no DVD tonight!

Monday 28th August - Chamouilley

A lovely lie in this morning - could get used to it!!  It was a beautiful day with a promise of some serious heat to come so Skip cleaned the outside of the boat as soon as possible before it got too hot. Around ten o'clock the Belgian 'chicken boat' arrived.  To our surprise the crew was two women.....and still two chickens!    They released the chickens for a scratch about which I suppose was a good thing but Crew still can't forgive them for abandoning them overnight!
Crew had weighed herself in the morning and was not best pleased......self inflicted, I know! So a new regime was in order.
The plan was to see if the restaurant was open for lunch so we walked into the village to find that it was!  We asked for  a table 'exterieur' and found ourselves seated on a little terrace at the back of the hotel.  What a find!  Impeccable service and a delicious 4 course menu for €27 with a pichet of good wine around €8.  Skip was also very happy with the Leffe blonde draught beer!  We staggered back to the boat, thoroughly replete!!  A siesta was definitely on the cards after such a lovely lunch!!  The diet will have to start tomorrow, unless........!!
A lazy afternoon and evening with the joy of a beautiful sunset, followed by the last three episodes of  the second series of Line of Duty (another programme we didn't manage to watch at home).  Crew had now developed a painful shoulder blade (going downhill fast!) so we haven't decided whether or not to leave tomorrow.....will think about that in the morning!

Sunday 27 th August - St. Dizier to Chamouilley

We weren't quite sure where we were making for but the Scottish lady on Calypso said they were thinking of stopping at Chamouilley......so that was an idea!  We left just after 9.30 as we had agreed that time with a VNF man yesterday.  Our first obstacle was a lifting bridge which had a red light so we used the zapper but to no avail.  On checking our paperwork we discovered that it was a manual bridge.......then why the light??  Skip called and a VNF man finally got us through.  Travelling towards our second lock we heard the ominous rumble of thunder and a couple of flashes of lightening.  Having checked our various weather forecasts, the chance of rain was minimal.......unfortunately storms seem to fall where they want to!!  By the time we got into the lock it was chucking it down - have discovered that my showerproof jacket was just that - only showerproof!!  We both got soaked!!  Not being exactly sure where the mooring was, we thought we had another lock but by some kind of miracle, a lovely mooring pontoon appeared before the lock, with bollards and.........electricity!  We moored in double quick time and dived below to dry out.  After about 20 minutes the rain stopped and the sun came out - talk about bad timing!!
After lunch Skip went into the village and came back with good news - there was a butcher, a mini-market, a restaurant and in the village on the other side of the canal a boulangerie.  No pharmacie or coiffure!!!  Of course, being Sunday, everything was closed but we held on to the hope that they would all be open tomorrow.
We spent a lazy evening on deck with an easy supper before retiring below for our nightly fix of Poldark!  We watched the last two episodes (we thought) and were considering bed when Skip discovered that there was still one last episode - we had to watch it, so late to bed.

8 km 2 locks 1 lifting bridge 2 hours

Saturday 26th August - St. Dizier

A lovely lie in as we've decided to stay for a couple of nights.  Skip then set about cleaning the lock grime from Aphrodites' hull and fenders whilst Crew took the Dyson round.  Skip needed to get a document printed off to sign and send to England so walked to the Tourist Office which was a good walk.  He was successful and came back with forms to sign, then to post them to Blighty at the Post Office.  On his Tourist Office trip he had a good meander around the town, taking pictures.  It seemed that St. Dizier was a much nicer town than at first thought with some very attractive buildings and quite a few bars and restaurants, even though many of them are still closed for August!  On closer inspection Skip found that the Miko tower was not an ice cream museum after all (shame!) but a shopping complex with no shops - just a cinema!
We passed the afternoon in the usual way then went into town for dinner just before 8 p.m.  We got to the main square and found just two restaurants and a bar open so,plumped for the Italian one, L'Indus which looked to be the most popular.  Indeed it was pretty full and the tables very close together - people were still coming in after 9 p.m.  We chose the set menu - foie gras to start, followed by scallops and a cafe gourmand to finish.  Altogether very good.
Digestifs and another Poldark before bed.

Friday 25th August - Orconte to St. Dizier

We pulled out our mooring pins around 10 a.m. and set off on our short cruise to St. Dizier.  Crew could hear the chickens clucking so guess they were OK but no sign of the boats' owner neither last night nor this morning - it looked like a liveaboard boat, flying a Belgian ensign.  Crew still very uncomfortable about the chickens!
We got into a comfortable routine locking up - we now had a 'zapper' so everything automatic.  The Canal was very straight with the occasional village to look at.  On reaching the outskirts of St. Dizier, it was indeed very industrial.  As our charts we're not very up to date we made for the appointed mooring place but the depth gauge plummeted as we approached so we aborted that idea - there were no other boats there in any case and it looked very weedy.  Skip pointed out a couple of bollards beside a big industrial building which Crew dismissed immediately as a 'no go'- would rather tie up with spikes on a bank somewhere!
We pressed on, having to go through two more locks to reach a long quay with plenty of bollards and power  bournes.  On one side was a nautical centre (which we discovered was in fact, a swimming pool complex) and on the other the Miko ice cream factory.
After lunch and rest, Skip went into town for 'a bit of shopping' and a look at the restaurant we had planned for dinner, which was actually visible from the boat.  We strolled over just before 8 p.m. and enjoyed just a single course - Skip had an enormous steak tartare and Crew two large pieces of very flavoursome steak......both served with real frites!!  Fantastic!  As we were both very full (Crew had to ask for a doggy bag for one piece of her steak) we refused a dessert and since we still had wine left, took it with us too.  A very good quality meal.  The only problem was that there was not an outside terrace - a shame on such a balmy evening!
We finished the wine and enjoyed a couple of digestifs on the back deck, then a DVD and bed.  We are watching Poldark and enjoying it very much even though we never watched the very first series.

16 1/2 km 8 locks 3 1/2 hours

Thursday 24th - August - Vitry-Le-Francois to Orconte

We left our tight mooring, with the aid of our neighbours who kindly moved back to allow us a bit more space, just before 10a.m.  We are now on the Canal de la Marne a la Saone - the Canal between Champagne and Burgundy - a Canal really built for commercial barges.  The first lock was a dirty beast and 3.3 metres deep......the wrong day to choose to wear a white t-shirt!!  Also these locks are more violent as the water cascades into the lock as opposed to filling from underneath, making for a rocky ride!  However, they did improve as we went along.  We arrived in Orconte at 12.30 p.m. And secured ourselves on mooring pins.  Skip then went further along to find a small quay with bollards and electricity - we decided not to move as electricity was not necessary and we were comfortable under the trees.  Crew then walked along to look, passing the boat in front of us to hear strange noises as she passed.  On further inspection, she discovered two live chickens in a cage on the back deck - no sign of an owner!  Unsettling!!
 After the usual lunch and siesta, Skip went into the village.  Our books said there was a boulangerie, butcher, restaurants and bar.......only the boulangerie survives!!  However, Skip did manage to take a picture of a Champagne bar - sadly, turned into a house, no longer operational!
So again, no restaurant - galley duties for Crew!  A lady came to collect money, we thought just from the two boats ahead of us on the proper mooring near the power bourne but no.........she came and demanded €8 from us too!  Crew was incandescent.....no power and not even a bollard!!!  It would be understandable if it was in a town with lots of facilities but here, in the middle of nowhere - words fail me!!
A supper of Spaghetti bolognaise ( although with tagliatelle as is proper!) on the back deck as it is still quite warm for a change, followed by a DVD and bed.

12.5 km 6 locks 2 1/2 hours

Wednesday 23 rd August - Chausee-sur-Marne to Vitry-Le-Francois

Our spikes held well and we left just before 9.30 a.m.  The locks all went well with no problems until our fourth one which was deeper than all the rest at 3.56 m deep.  This lock was made for commercial barges and therefore the bollards were too far apart for the likes of us and without the facility of a sliding pole we had to attach to the bollards halfway up in the slime of the lock walls, the idea being that we move our lines up as we ascended.  As these locks seem to fill from underneath somehow instead of gushing out at us at great speed it made for a much calmer ride!
We made very good time and arrived in Vitry just before midday.  However the berth was extremely tight and it took us over half an hour to get fully secured.  Some lunch and a siesta, then Skip went into town searching for the ever elusive restaurant for the evening (and of course, a bit of shopping!).
The restaurant we had fancied which was closed on our previous visit turned out to be only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.........today is Wednesday!!  How is that for luck?  Other than that a kebab house or two, a pizzeria and a mediocre brasserie were available - we decided on the brasserie.
We turned up just after 8 o'clock and had a not too bad main course of assorted fish, followed by a very good cafe gourmand (a small strong coffee with a mini selection of their desserts).  The whole effect was somewhat spoiled though by the staff stacking up the tables and chairs.......at 9.30 p.m!  As  Crew is a slow eater, this was not appreciated!
We walked back to Aphrodite and enjoyed digestifs on the back deck.

13 km 5 locks 2 1/2 hours

Tuesday 22nd August - Chalons-en-Champagne to La Chaussee-sur- Marne

We decided on a short run to Chausee, where we had stopped with Martin and Clare and enjoyed a superb dinner.  Unfortunately when Skip mailed the restaurant we were informed that they were closed until tomorrow but we decided to go anyway.  We left a very empty marina at 10.15 a.m.  As we approached the mooring, two boats were departing - a lunch stop I guess.  The mooring bollards were too far apart so we had to use spikes.  When we were here with Martin and Clare our spike was pulled out of the ground by the undertow of a commerce, so Skip put two spikes in.......belt and braces!  It had been an easy trip in beautiful sunshine - summer at last!
We had a lazy lunch on deck, then usual siesta.  We didn't bother to go into the village as there wasn't much to see and no shops for Skip!!
At about 6.45 the little orange yacht with the two Brits aboard went by, rather fast.  As the next lock was a good 20/25 minutes away and the locks close at 7 p.m., we were not quite sure where they would stop for the night!
Crew cooked a chicken dinner, then we stayed up top for quite a while until it started to get a bit chilly.  One DVD and bed.

17.5 km 3 locks 3 hours

Monday 21 st August - Chalons-en-Champagne

Skip cleaned the outside of the boat whilst Crew was still having a lovely lie in, although she managed to do a bit of cleaning and curtain washing before lunch.  When Skip went into town for groceries he stopped at the Tourist Office to ask if there was an electrical shop in town to replace our Sky box......he was shown a shop which was quite a distance from where we were - nevertheless, he decided to walk there after lunch.  He likes something to do. When he had gone two fishermen turned up, one with a nice dog.  There was suddenly a lot of shouting which turned out to be one of them screaming down his phone at someone - this lasted for about fifteen minutes, making it difficult to concentrate on anything!  After his tirade they decided to set up right outside our aft cabin and put music on.......so much for a siesta!!!  I always thought that French people were ultra aware of anti-social behaviour - not in the case of fishermen it seems!  Crew turned the radio up!  Our nice French neighbours had taken their dog for a walk before this happened and, on their return, must have told them to disappear as they legged it rapidly!!  Great.....radio down again!  Too late for a siesta now!

We went out for dinner just before 8 o'clock and walked to the main square only to discover that the only restaurant that was open was the one we had had lunch in yesterday, La Bourse.  With no competition, the food was only average.  DVD and bed.

Sunday 20th August - Conde to Chalons-en-Champagne

We left our mooring at 9.15 much to Crews' surprise - thought 10 a.m. was our departure time!  The plan was to get to Chalons in time for lunch which was attainable since we only had a short run.  For a nice change, the weather was kind with plenty of sun.......Skip even had to don a cap as the sun was in his face the whole way!  We arrived just before midday and, while Crew listened to the end of the Archers omnibus, Skip settled us in.  We walked into town, looking for lunch and got to the main square to find about fifty per cent of the restaurants open......Sunday lunchtime!!  We settled on one
which turned out to be very acceptable, although the waiting staff were somewhat harassed as it was pretty busy and two of them asked us which dessert we would like before we had received our main course!!
Back to Aphrodite for a siesta as neither of us had had a particularly good night.  We thought we would try our DVD of Wolf Hall as we had missed it on TV at home........a mixed reception - Skip enjoyed it far more than Crew!

16 km 3 locks 2 1/2 hours

Saturday 19th August - Sillery to Conde

A slight drama before bed last night.  Crew was closing the window in the cabin and somehow her bracelet got stuck in the window frame!!  It was a good fifteen minutes before Skip freed her with the aid of the Leatherman - thoughts of spending the night trying to sleep standing up and attached to the window went through my mind......the bracelet had to be broken however!!
The plan was to leave at 9 a.m. but unfortunately, a commerce beat us to it.  So we gave him 15 minutes or so to clear.......not enough time I'm afraid as he was very slow and we caught him up at our first lock resulting in a lengthy wait.  Not good news at all as it will elongate our day by some hours - we had three locks to ascend, the Mont-de-Billy tunnel to navigate and then 8 descending locks - our only slim hope was that he could stop on the way but it was a slim hope!  During the 5 km run between our third lock and the tunnel we managed to catch him up, reducing our speed considerably! The only good thing is that the yellow orb in the sky was shining down on us at last and although the wind was a little chilly the day was warming up nicely.
Another commerce came by in the opposite direction causing our man in front to move to,the right of the Canal and once they had passed each other the commerce in front stayed to the right and slowed down even more, allowing us to overtake.  Hence we got to the tunnel much quicker than expected.  Two boats emerged from the opposite direction and then we got the green light.  It takes around 20 minutes to pass through the tunnel and gets rather chilly!
After the tunnel the chain of eight lock went smoothly and we moored stern to in Conde again but this time on a low pontoon, really meant for smaller boats.
As we know that are no available victuals Skip had visited the boulangerie in Sillery for our lunch bread.  We had hoped finally to be able to dine on deck but unfortunately it was too chilly - I suppose at least it was not raining!  Our Sky box had decided not to co-operate, so DVDs instead of TV after dinner.

24 km 11 locks 5 hours

Friday 18th August - Sillery

It seems to have rained for most of the night and was still at it on awaking so, having looked at the forecast, we decided not to leave today as we had a minimum of 11 locks and a tunnel ahead of us - very unpleasant in the rain!  We felt a bit bad because we had told a Dutch couple that they could move to our berth around 9 o'clock this morning.......they were sitting on an uncomfortable mooring by a hotel boat.  Skip went to tell them of our decision just after 8 a.m. - they understood completely. Whilst Crew tackled the ironing, Skip went to the boulangerie to get bread and quiches for lunch and discovered the other 'restaurant' ( more of a bar/ cafe) which was open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon till 8p.m.so we could eat there but the rain didn't look as if it would stop any time soon so we decided against it.
Lunch, a bit of daytime TV, dinner and bed - nothing else to report!

Thursday 17th August - Sillery

Crew was woken by the noisy French family on the next boat before 9 a.m. - this should be against the law!  Skip had a hyperactive morning.....cleaning the boat, mending the radio/CD player, four runs to Intermarche for diesel, then a walk to the restaurant to try and book a table for dinner, calling in to the supermarket on the way back!  Crew is exhausted and Skip was rather damp as he got caught out in a shower!   The bad news about the restaurant is that it has been closed since 14th August and does not re-open until 5th September - how the catering industry has changed since I was involved in it!!  So the galley for Crew again tonight!
After lunch Skip decided that Crew needed to stretch her legs so we went together to the supermarket for a change (Crew was getting anxious about the lack of vegetables in the fridge!).  So it was that Crew cooked chicken wrapped in bacon, ratatouille and spinach and potato cake for dinner......have always wondered why the French have lovely veg. in their markets and indeed, sometimes in their gardens but never seem to serve them in the restaurants - if they do they are not usually very good!
TV and bed.

Wednesday 16 th August - Conde-sur-Marne to Sillery

The morning did not start too well as there was a lot of boat traffic so timing our departure was tricky.      Just as we decided to leave two boats arrived, going our way.......thus it was that we didn't depart until  almost 10 o'clock!  As we are now on the Canal de l'Aisne a la Marne the system is different although our first lock had a pole to twist.  Unfortunately after twisting a couple of times we still had a red light.  An English chap on his boat told us that it was normal......we found it disconcerting to say the least as there was no indication that the lock was preparing for us.  The second lock was worse as there was now no pole to twist so we assumed there was a sensor somewhere although we couldn't spot one.  Again a solitary red light greeted us so after waiting a while we moored on the bank and Skip went to call the VNF.  Eventually the lady eclusier who was at the last lock arrived and emptied the lock for us.  The system seemed to kick in after our first two of this chain of eight locks but as they were built for commercial barges the bollards in the locks were rather far apart.  Also as each lock was almost 3 metres deep it meant quite a stretch to get our lines secured (not very good for Crews' still aching neck!).  A couple of kilometres after the eighth lock came the tunnel of Mont-de-Billy, 2.3 kilometres in length.  As tunnels go it was pretty good - fairly wide and straight as a die.  A couple of kilometres out of the tunnel we were surprised and delighted to find that we were now going down......obviously not paying attention to the chart!!  Three locks later and we arrived in Sillery and managed to get the last available mooring.
No fresh bread of course (remember the boulangerie closed for the month!!) so cheese and biscuits for lunch.  After his brief siesta, Skip went to the supermarket again......am really getting worried about this obsession!!  Our Trip Advisor info tells us that there are three restaurants in the area but repeated phone calls to what looks like the best one, got no result so Skip walked into the village.  As he couldn't find any other hostelry of any sort, he just caught the boulangerie before it closed and came back with bread and quiche.......makes a change from pizza I suppose!!  Crew is really looking forward to a nice lunch or dinner out sometime but France seems to be closed at the moment!!
Weather wise, it has been a perfect day for cruising - sun and cloud and no wind.  We 'dined' on the aft deck with a temperature of around 24c.......lovely!

24 km 11 locks 1 tunnel 5 hours

Tuesday 15 th August - Conde-sur- Marne

Skip went into the village around midday just to check whether or not the bar/ cafe was open - unsurprisingly, it wasn't as it is a Bank Holiday today.  So we took our last two steaks out of the freezer for the evening meal.
It was again another grey overcast day (about time summer arrived!) and around 6 o'clock rumbles of thunder could be heard, followed by lightening and torrential rain.  This continued for most of the evening so dined below and watched TV.

Monday 14th August - Mareuil-sur-Ay to Conde-sur-Marne

As it was only a short run to Conde we didn't leave Mareuil till 11 a.m.  Just two locks and a turning bridge saw us mooring in the quiet little port of Conde-sur-Marne at 12.30 (Crew could get used to these easy days!).  For the first time in a while we moored front in - we were going for a stern to opposite where we landed as on a hot sunny day (yes folks.....hot!!) we needed to be able to put up our sun blinds for some shade on the aft deck but a nice Canadian man was waiting to help us so we moored next to him.  Imagine our surprise when we discovered his boat was called Aphrodite too!
Around 5.30 we wandered into the village to find the boulangerie closed for the entire month of August and the bar/ cafe closed!  Usual story!! I really don't know how these businesses survive - it's a good job we are self- sufficient!!
We had a makeshift supper, TV and bed.

11 km 2 locks 1 1/2 hours

Sunday 13th August - Marieul-sur-Ay

Oh, joy of joys......sun at last!  Crew was finally able to put Fridays' washing out to dry properly....this August  weather has been very bad.  We had much better in May and June!
The usual cleaning jobs in the morning, stopping to chat to our Australian neighbours, followed by lunch on deck.  The port is very pleasant and it being Sunday, the towns' population were out in the long awaited sunshine, sitting and chatting in the park like area alongside the boats. Skip and Crew then went for a walk around town which, facility wise, is pretty poor - one restaurant, a pharmacy, two coiffeurs and a boulangerie.  What it does have, of course, is plenty of champagne houses - sadly no tastings though!
Dinner on board, TV and bed.

Saturday 12th August - Epernay to Mareuil- sur-Ay

Not far to go today as we have plenty of time now (famous last words!) so we didn't leave Epernay until after 11 a.m.  With only two locks to operate we were a little upset to find the second lock not working......we got in the lock OK but the mechanism wouldn't work to close the gates.  So Skip climbed the ladder (going up now of course!) and crossed the lock to call the VNF.  The intercom wasn't working either, so back on board to call by mobile.  He came within minutes, which was good for the three boats waiting the other side.  We are now retracing our steps for a little while until we take a turn to cruise to Reims - this is a last minute change of plan since we have spare time.  Having noticed a nice little halte nautique in Mareuil-sur-Ay with power, that was our preferred spot for the night.  We arrived around 1p.m. and took up a whole bay to ourselves, helped in by a Brit and an Australian.
We had our usual lunch on board then after a rest, Skip went to have a look around with the idea that we would dine out.  Unfortunately, the one and only restaurant in town wasn't open on a Saturday evening nor at all on a Sunday - this is a new one on me!!!  So Crew rustled up a not too shabby spaghetti bolognaise for supper.  As the mooring was quite open and not overlooked by trees, unlike Epernay, we managed to get TV so watched for a while before bed.

11 km 2 locks 1 3/4 hours

Friday 11th August - Epernay

As Crew had not had a good night (the dastardly neck problem had reared its' ugly head again!) Skip, Clare and Martin went into town for some breakfast and a last wander round.  Then to the station to catch their 11.50 train to Vitry-Le-Francois, where their car was parked.  We had enjoyed a great three days, lots of catching up and laughs!  Hope to see you two on board again soon.......excellent crew!!
We had decided  to stay one more night in Epernay to rearrange the accommodation and get the washing machine on - apart from that, a lazy day on board.

Thursday 10th August - Chalons-en-Champage to Epernay

We left the port at nine o'clock but Aphrodites' new crew had completed two locks before Crew showed her face!  Could get used to having supplementary crew!!!  We were all looking forward to our lunch date in Tours-sur-Marne in a lovely restaurant where, five years ago, we enjoyed a superb lunch with an outstanding foie gras starter.  Just four locks to go!!  We tied off just before midday and Martin and Clare went for a walk round the little town.  Skip went along to the restaurant which was situated beside the canal and came back with a sad face......it looked as if it was closed.  We had taken note that the restaurant was supposed to be closed on a Thursday but since Skip said he had mailed a reservation and we thought it was confirmed, we didn't worry too much.  Crew reminded him that when we were here before they didn't open until at least midday so we waited but when Martin knocked on the door about 12.30 a lady answered and told us that the restaurant was closed down!  Disappointing to say the least!!  Another lady arrived in a car who turned out to be the owner of the restaurant and explained that she had become tired of running the restaurant and had to close it.....shame!
Martin and Clare had spotted a boulangerie a short walk from our mooring, also a market van with lovely cheeses for sale so we bought some prize winning bread and cheese for our lunch.  Luckily the sun came out and we enjoyed our lunch on deck.
Around 1.30 p.m. we left our mooring and completed our three locks to Epernay.  We arrived, squeezing ourselves in quite comfortably after the Brit boat behind us moved along a bit and, after getting settled decided to walk into town to investigate.  Last time we were here (5 years ago) we were welcomed by the Capitaine, given tickets for a free champagne tour and invited to take a glass of bubbly at the club house at 6 p.m......nice!!  Unfortunately the Capitainerie was closed when we arrived.  After purchasing train tickets for Martin and Clares' return home tomorrow we wandered around for a while then our thirst got the better of us and we decided to try some of the local produce on the terrace of a buzzing bar.  Skip and our new crew decided to go to the tourist office and try and obtain tickets for a tour at one of the champagne houses - Crew stayed behind finishing her bubbles and with the wherewithal to buy another round on their return.  After a few minutes however, Clare came rushing back saying that there was a free tasting in the tourist office.......didn't need asking twice!!
As it was a bit of a trek from the port, we decided to stay in town for some dinner......we had seen a menu with Moules Mariniere listed!  So we made for Le Chapon Fin and enjoyed another good meal. Towards the end of dinner, thunder was heard and the heavens opened.......not expected but on the whole the weather had been slightly better than forecast for Clare and Martins' stay with us.  We chickened out of the walk back and took a taxi.  As we hadn't covered the back deck, not expecting to stay in town, everything was soaking wet so we retired below for digestifs and some games.  Bed just before midnight.

38 km 7 locks 6 hours

Wednesday 9th August - La Chaussee-sur-Marne to Chalons-en-Champagne

Around 10 o'clock a commercial barge went past and the undertow took our front spike out so Martin leapt ashore to secure the line.  We took the chance to leave the mooring even though we would have to wait for the commerce to lock through.  We were just waiting before the lock for him to exit when another commerce hove into view so we went to the bank and let him pass......they always take precedence over pleasure cruisers.  This meant, of course, that our cruise took far longer than it should have.......the commerce was painfully slow in and out of the locks, so we had long waits before each lock.
We arrived in Chalons around 2 p.m., got settled and had some lunch before taking a stroll into town. We came to the conclusion that Chalons is a getting better sort of town - a lot of closed down shops but repairs and improvements in evidence in the centre.  There is a 13th century cathedral, also the striking Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church and a plethora of lovely old houses.  We stopped at a bar for a refreshing glass of bubbles......it had to be done, considering where we are!!  As we were researching restaurants for dinner we happened upon a lovely courtyard garden which was attached to a restaurant and, having looked at the menu decided that it was a very good possibility.
The restaurant, Les Caudalies, was a beautiful building and very good food......we seem to have struck lucky whilst Martin and Clare are with us.  The only fly in the ointment was that the evenings were not balmy enough to dine outside which would have been lovely in that courtyard.  We returned to Aphrodite for digestifs, then bed.

17 km 3 locks 4 hours

Tuesday 8th August - Vitry- Le-Francois to La Chaussee-sur-Marne

We decided to leave Vitry a day earlier than planned as there was a weather window during this afternoon.  Martin and Clare arrived around 12.30 so after a welcome drink we had some lunch and set off.  Yesterday Skip had booked a table for us for dinner in La Chaussee so we left Vitry about two o'clock and after 5 locks, arrived on the mooring two and a half hours later.
We got ourselves sorted and decided that it was Pimms o'clock!  More catching up and then time to get ready to go to dinner.  The restaurant took some finding in this large but quiet village and I think we went the long way round but the meal was superb and not too expensive (although, as usual, the wine bill upped the final account somewhat!).  We had just started of on our return journey when all the street lights went out......I said it was a quiet village!  Luckily we had a fairly full moon and once we got used to the dark we managed to take the correct route back to the boat.  As Martin and Clare had had an early start we all went straight to bed......lovely day!

14 km 5 locks 2 1/2 hours

Sunday 6th and Monday 7th August - Vitry-Le-Francois

Not too much to report for these two days as we spent them giving Aphrodite a thorough clean and making our guest cabin ready for Martin and Clares' visit.
On Sunday our Kiwi neighbours Ian, Cynthia and          asked us over for a drink but without specifying a time so as we had assumed they meant before dinner time for an apero we went over to them just after 6 p.m.  As there was nobody on board we were making our way back when Ian called out to us that they were in the little garden behind the Capitainerie so we joined them with our chairs and drinks.  We spent an hour or so chatting and discovering that they also knew our Kiwi friends Frank and Carol and Peter and Gwen and that they were also based at Blanquarts for the winter......
Small world!
When we rose on Monday morning there was a washing machine sitting on a trolley outside their boat - they need to replace their old one and had found just the right model in the large Intermarche near the port so between them they managed to wheel it to the boat where it was awaiting installation.  So it was that their original 2 hour stay turned into 3 days!
Our plan was to dine somewhere in town and repeat the process with Martin and Clare on Tuesday evening but Skip went into town to see how far it was to walk to the station for M and Cs return trip and another recce of restaurants.  Guess what..........everything closed!!!  So, pizza again!

Saturday 5th August - Pargny-sur-Saulx to Vitry-Le-Francois

We woke to grey skies and some rain, so toyed with the idea of staying another night but having looked at the weather forecast, we thought that it would be a getting better sort of day.  So we unhitched ourselves from our nice neighbours and set off at 10.20 a.m.  At last we are in single figures, locks wise......only 7 today!  Also we have bigger gaps between - almost 5 km between two of them!  Crew whiles away the time in the locks by assessing the ex lock keepers' houses, mentally improving them......it's either that or take my book up with me!!  Not every lock has a house though, which of course, is a disappointment for Crew!  No problems today with the locks, so we arrived in Vitry-Le-Francois around 1.30 p.m.  We were surprised at how small the port was and indeed how difficult the access was.  There were some finger pontoons in the basin but we saw a Kiwi boat we had been following moored on the end of a quay before the basin.  We were met by the very friendly lady Capitaine who helped us squeeze in between the Kiwis and another cruiser.
We had our usual lunch and siesta, the. skip went to the supermarket - a 10 minute stroll from the port.  Am getting a bit worried about Skips' supermarket habit......think it might be an addiction!!  We went into town for dinner but the restaurant we had earmarked was closed until the middle of August!  So we found ourselves at the Grilladine and had quite an expensive meal with over cooked vegetables and fake chips!  We consoled ourselves with a good bottle of red - although that was expensive too!  Considering the excellent meal we had in Pargny-sur-Saulx, Vitry-Le-Francois needs to pull its' socks up!!  A fairly balmy evening so we enjoyed digestifs on deck.

21 km 7 locks 3 1/4 hours

Friday 4 th August - Revigny-sur-Ornain to Pargny-sur-Saulx

An extra hour in bed this morning - just as well as Crew woke at 8 a.m. and promptly went back to sleep until almost nine o'clock!  So we left around 10 a.m. on a windy day with alternate sun and cloud.  when we came across our sixth lock we were surprised to be upon the lock without using our zapper to operate it......it seems that there is a sensor arrangement now!  There is very little traffic on the Canal - we have only had two cruisers travelling in the opposite direction all day and as there are no hire boat ports, no 'noddy boats' around.......always a bonus!  We did pass one commercial barge who was stationary with some sort of engine problem I think but that's the only commerce we have seen this cruise.
All went well until our final lock just before Pargny!  We entered as normal and waited for quite some time for the water level to start descending......it obviously wasn't going to do it so Skip called up the VNF on the intercom.  Fifteen minutes later, he called again and a young man arrived after ten minutes or so and got us underway.  Unfortunately there was then no space for us to moor on the quay so a nice Swiss couple invited us to raft alongside them.  The weather has been very mixed for this leg of our cruise (we had much better weather in May and June) but the afternoon was sunny and warm so we enjoyed our lunch on deck.  After a rest, Skip did his usual recce and came back saying that the little town was nothing special but did have two boulangeries.  The only restaurant was adjacent to the port, so Skip booked us a table for the evening.
We had an excellent meal, with second to none service.......the owner clearly in love with his job!
TV and bed.

15 km 12 locks 4 1/2 hours

Thursday 3rd August - Bar-Le-Duc to Revigny-du-Ornain

We set off around 9 a.m. again, not fully sure where we would moor for the night but needing to get a few locks out of the way.  The locks themselves are not a problem, especially as we are descending but they come thick and fast, every half kilometre or so which makes it very repetitive and tedious.  Also the water level is extremely high on entering and we have to make sure the fenders are as low as possible in order to avoid bashing the hull!  On the early part of todays' cruise the weed in the Canal increased so much so, that Skip had to empty the filter in our seventh lock.  We were hoping to find some sort of quay in Revigny-sur-Ornain and sure enough, after 13 locks we came across a mooring for three good sized boats......no facilities but much preferable to just mooring on the bank as the sides of the canal are shallow with concrete walls - unforgiving!
We had a bite of lunch then attempted a siesta but three teenagers arrived intent on fishing.  They were incredibly noisy and positioned themselves between us and our Dutch neighbours.....right outside our cabin where Crew was trying (and failing) to get some shuteye!  Eventually our neighbour could stand it no longer and appeared, giving them a long tirade (in English!) to no avail!  Crew failed to sleep or even read so decided on deafening music to try and get rid of them but unfortunately, I think they enjoyed it!!  Around 5.30 p.m. they finally gave up and cleared off with quite a big haul of fish!  Peace at last!
We had an early apero and finished off the Chilli con Carne that Crew had previously cooked, so easy dinner.  We did manage to eat on deck but we went below soon after our meal to watch a DVD - no TV here strangely (or radio for that matter) but we are in the sticks.

16.5 km 13 locks 4 hours

Wednesday 2nd July - Ligny-en-Barrois to Bar-Le-Duc

A much more promising start to the day, going by the light coming through the cabin window!  We left the port at 9 a.m. and got through our first 8 locks without a problem, although another cruiser came along just as we were locking through.  At the ninth, we had to wait for a boat coming up, then a malfunction at the tenth so Skip had to jump off the boat and call the VNF.  Luckily they were able to right the lock remotely.
We arrived in Bar-Le-Duc around 2 p.m. a little disappointed at the quality of the mooring.  The bollard that Crew secured the front line to was coming out of the ground.....not exactly very secure!  We were also adjacent to the railway station with a noisy road opposite and camper vans were parked very close by.
We had some lunch and a rest then Skip went into town for a recce.  He returned reporting that it was a lively town with good shops and restaurants.  Despite that fact, Crew was not feeling too bright so we dined on board, watched TV and bed.

14 km 16 locks 2 lifting bridges 5 hours

Tuesday 1st August - Ligny-en-Barrois

Grim faces this morning as we looked out.......the storm must have been going for most of the night as everything was still sopping wet.  So after consulting the weather forecast and rain radar, we decided we would have to stay another night.  Not ideal because it meant harder days for us.  We need to be in Vitry-Le-Francois by next Sunday ideally as we are meeting Martin and Clare, Skips' nephew and his wife on Tuesday.
Yesterday when our Dutch neighbour left we had to take our lines back resulting in us slewing around  so with the aid of our French neighbour Skip moved us to the quayside......much better!
The plan was to lunch in the restaurant but we were thwarted again by the weather - at least we were agreed that we were glad that we hadn't moved on......chucking it down again!  Looking at the forecast it looked to be drying up later so we decided on dinner out instead.  so a lazy day, doing puzzles and watching TV whilst listening to the rain!
We went out just before 8 and made for the town square - the first time Crew had been off the boat!  Ligny is a rather non- descript town but has most of the necessary services.  We approached the restaurant that Skip had in mind for dinner just as the waitress was stacking up the chairs and closing!  So we asked where we could find another restaurant and she pointed to a Greek restaurant just across the square and said there was also another just around the corner, which was the one we went for.  It was Called a pizzeria but had a fairly comprehensive menu.  As it was quite a balmy evening and there was quite an attractive terrace we asked if we could eat outside.  The waiter asked the boss for some reason, who said 'no'!   We couldn't really see why not but we are in France!!  We had a pretty good meal, washed down with a good bottle of Vacqueyras.  Digestifs, TV and bed.

Monday 31st July - Ligny-en-Barrois

A so called rest day today as we are both feeling tired from the exertions of the last few days.  The boat is filthy as neither of us had the energy to clean much so Skip set to cleaning the outside and Crew the inside......that's a rest day!  At least Crew gets a lie in!  Skip went shopping for bread, etc. And came back saying that the restaurant that should have been open today, now wasn't!!!  Typical!
So after lunch Crew prepared a Chilli con Carne for our dinner.
We dined on the back deck as the weather had been fairly good up to now but according to our forecast, a storm was brewing and about midnight the heavens opened with angry thunder to keep us awake!  Hope it improves for tomorrows' departure!

Sunday 30th July - St.Joire to Ligny-en-Barrois

Not a good start to the day!  We managed with some difficulty to get off our 'mooring' but as we got our into the middle of the Canal it was clear that the filter was blocked again as we had no cooling water coming out.  So Skip stopped the engine to empty both the filter and the hose leading to it.  This meant that we were drifting into the opposite concrete bank, so Crew had to lower fenders and employ the boat hook!  Skip was now resigned to emptying the filter at each lock, adding tedium and time loss to our day!!  After four locks though the weed seemed to be lessening thank goodness, making life much easier. After 10 locks we had to employ the 'zapper' we'd been given at the start of  this navigation, slowing us down somewhat.  All the locks hitherto had been ready and waiting for us but now we had to activate the system with the zapper and wait for the lock to fill.  We arrived in Ligny-en-Barrois around 2.30 p.m. and moored awkwardly, stern to in the small port.  A kind Dutch man next to us helped us by attaching two of our lines to his boat.
The usual late lunch and rest ensued.  Skip went to investigate the town, restaurant wise.  There is a lack of French restaurants in this town but if you fancy pizza or kebabs, no problem!!  So instead of going out for dinner, Skip brought back a pizza as Crew was definitely too tired to cook.  He said that the one halfway decent looking restaurant would be open tomorrow......so that's a plan!

15.5 km 15 locks 5 1/2 hours