TNC On Tour 2010 Page 3

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2010

3 - Hermies to Cappy. Canal du Nord, Canal du la Somme.

Sunday 30th May 2010

08:00 departure. We arrived at the waiting queue for Ruyaulcourt Tunnel after about 20mins. A friendly Peniche captain told us to do a bit of queue jumping, so as we did not have to waft about behind his boats, being a laden pair. For the uninitiated, the Nord locks are just over double length Freycinet gauge (38.5m x 5.05m) 91.60m and a pair consists of a good motor barge, pushing a duff old motor barge, with removed wheelhouse. Once the green light came on at 09:00, it was a quick off and just a question of keeping a respectful distance from the boat in front. Neil had rigged the two magnetic head lamps up, pointing sideways, but these proved a waste of time, once your eyes became accustomed to the fluorescent lamp, tunnel lighting. Navigation lamps were the order of the day, to note your presence. Soon we were in the kilometre length double width passing section. Our train of about 5 barges had a red light, so something coming the other way. The accepted method was to creep along the towpath, once in the wide section. Once the other couple of boats coming the other way we got a green and were off! It was then a mad dash to keep up with the unladen boats in front. Out at 10:00, not bad timing for a 4350m long tunnel. Stuck above Lock 11 for Sunday lunch at 12:45..so we had lunch! Off again at 13:45. 14:10 saw us peel off the Canal du Nord, just before Peronne, into the badly silted entrance to the Somme Canal. The downstream silt bank has recently been protected by red marker posts. It was VERY overgrown and shallow, all the way to the VNF controlled Sormont Lock No7. This was our first automatic radar controlled lock. Final Fling actuated the filling/gate opening sequence detector OK, It was then motor in and push UP the blue actuating rod, to close the gates and, in this case, empty the lock. There is normally such a delay, it is best to actuate the lock, then sort out the bow rope. We found this was not necessary going down gentle locks, such as the Somme and Scarpe Superior, but essential powering into a bow rope, when going up. At Lock No7 we foned the Somme Navigation Department and a welcome lady was waiting, when we arrived at the now keepered operated Feuillères lift bridge. We were given a basic hand out, with questionnaire attached, but no other bumpf, as received when we were last on the Somme. We finally stopped just short of the Cappy Locaboat base at 18:05. That night it was a walk into the village and a beer and a pizza at the L'Auberge à Suzanne (the L'Escale de Cappy bistro was shut Sunday evenings)

Ruyaulcourt Tunnel sign. Canal du Nord.