Summit at 194m, still short of Toulouse
43:26.0N 1:39.4E Sunday 28 June Less of a rush, then held up by lock emergency. Pass canal summit(194m above sea level). Tie up on deserted quay 32k
Wander round Sunday food stalls to get rosti chicken. Get thr 2 singles, a treble, a double then all stop as broken lock ahead. Transpires Spanish on bumperboats coming down thro unmanned lock hit button to let water out, but didn`t release mooring lines so Brit hit emergency button to stop process. (Coming the other way this would be their first “down” lock!) Long wait for eclusier to arrive and sort it all out. Pass Col de Riquet, canal summit where water from all feeder resevoirs fed in, and start the down locks – a much simpler process and calmer ride. Held up for an hour at one double lock, as priority given to huge restaurant boat – even tho we could have got thro in time. Don`t get to intended destination. Tie up on bumperboat base quay in middle of nowhere 1915, just short of next lock (remember they stop operating at 1900). |