Seascapes Travel Log
Michael Grew
Mon 28 Jun 2010 08:49
26/06/2010 47:01:54N 03:01:99E

09:30hrs slipped the moorings at Cours les Barres and headed for what we thought was to be a major problem, the huge double lock at les Guetin. It raises boats 9.23 metres! We had prepared with extra long ropes and to our pleasant surprise it was really easy. The lock keeper was helpful and he kept the inrush of water down to a minimum which meant we were not bounced all over the lock. As we rose majestically above the surrounding countryside we could see that the dutch in “Bella Vista” and the English couple in “Zuiderdiep” had caught us up and were waiting for the lock to re-cycle. We left the lock and travelled across the Loire in an aquaduct. It is a very strange experience to travel in a boat across a huge river and you are doing it about a fifty feet up in the air. At 12:30hrs we stopped for lunch at the cruiser hire place at Plagny. Then we carried on, turning down the side canal that leads to the Port du Plaissance at Nevers. As we went through the lock at the entrance to the small canal we met up with a huge flat barge converted to be propelled by paddles driven by tourists sitting in buckets seats pedalling furiously. There must have been over thirty people of all ages taking part and having great fun. We tied up on the pontoon in marina at 17:00hrs, having covered 25 kilometres and passed through 5 locks. We then cycled two kilometres to a supermarket and bought provisions and a 12 volt fridge that was on offer. Brilliant perhaps we can now have cold beers, a luxury we have not enjoyed on board since our old fridge gave up the ghost. Later the two cruisers “Bella Vista” and Zuiderdiep arrived and tied up nearby. Today has been a real scorcher.