Montbeliard to Dannemarie - 29 locks in a single day - 47:38.15N 07:06.92E

Hollinsclough - Is the World Round?
Tue 25 Aug 2020 19:41

Mailasail red box working perfectly from Montbeliard to Dannemarie -  29 locks in a single day                                

 

 

Secret Peugeot Factory port side!

Hand winching to go over the top for the ladder down. Handed back the lock remote.

VNF escort - Our own lock master and she has a cool scooter motorbike.

 

A lie in for a nine am exit from the mini marina of Montbeliard, the round turret castle chateau waved goodbye as we passed the lock guarding the marina water, a height bar sat over the lock entry but we cleared with four inches, loads of space by our new standards of the 3.3 m bridge the day before. To our port left side lay the mother factory of Peugeot, where it all began. The map showed a long bank run of factory, but every inch was built up with deep rich green trees and on occasion we glimpsed a green perimeter wall. The Peugeot factory could have been a secret installation as we passed by, only aware from the map and the town history.

 

The lock numbers count down from the start at St Jean de losne, French superstition, there was no number 13. At lock ten we made an S bend to cross the river in a short step back into the man-made canal and lock eight we met VNF river man Daniel, it was time to hand back our remote control. We had used the remote to open the locks by pushing the buttons on approach. >From here Daniel took over and the locks would be manned. There is no one person at the lock. Daniel used his van to drive ahead of us and operate the lock gates. Bliss, each arrival the lock was waiting, the gates open, the way clear. Emmanuelle from the VNF took over at lock ten. Beyond we could see a swing bridge, ‘will that be automatic?’ ‘No, I will arrive in time!’ And sure, enough bells rang, the road gates closed, and Emmanuelle was there to wave us through, super cool, Emmanuelle was the very first person on our trip to recognise the three lions of Normandy on our flag of the Chanel Islands. We felt at home on the river in the hands of the VNF team.

 

Mountains began to rise in the far distance, the range of Vosgue to our left, the range of Jura to our right, each range feeding water into what made the canal alive as an artery between the Rhone and the Rhine. At this centre point we finally reached the top of our journey. 185km from St Jean 345m above our starting level, lock 43 and can you believe it, Emmanuelle had to hand winch the sluice gates for us. A long stretch of the top was scary low on water, a feed reservoir to the port side looked like a field of cabbages, the water unmoved was thick with green and growth, wow if that overrun the canal, we would not get one hundred meters.

 

Over the top! From the top the lock numbers re-start as one. The PK kilometre markers start again at zero. And with even more excitement there was a VNF office, they assigned us a lock keeper to go down the run to Dannemarie. The run is historic with nine locks in a ladder and then four more locks within a single kilometre. Our lock keeper lady had a scooter motorbike and drove back and forwards to open and close the locks in front and behind us on the ladder, this would be a record run of locks for the day. So looked after, she checked if we wished to stop on the free VNF pontoon or enter the mini marina. We chose the minis marina at Dannemari as it had electricity. Let’s get the fridge on and the air conditioners hooked up for a cool evening, it had been cloudy but still hitting thirty in our long day of record lock numbers. Going down the locks bring the problem of vision, as you approach the concrete it disappears, the walls are impossible to see over the bow so it’s a very steady slow entry, feel the fenders touch and easy in.

 

So looked after by the VNF, our lock master lady rang ahead to secure our choice to be in the marina. We cleared the last lock in the ladder, turned under a giant yellow bridge and Capitanerie lady was waiting to receive our ropes on the pontoon. Bow facing her she pointed in to a six-meter pontoon, we swung about to reverse. Scared the Capitanerie with twenty meters of boat, ‘Nooo’ ‘Come on to the hammerhead, that’s twelve meters so loads of room. Had to hang over some to leave a step off the stern platform. Dammemarie was a small hot house of travellers, both sail, barge and motor, mostly parked up, French, German, Dutch, Swiss and even a Norwegian boat heading Holland. ‘Do take a walk into town, fifteen minutes to see the ancient and twisted wooden houses, far more exciting there was a large Super U supermarket for the next fresh baguette and some salad to go with dinner.

 

That’s a record 29 locks in one day, 31km

 

Dannemarie 47:38.15N  07:06.92E

 

A boat docked at a dock

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