Andy set to work building a frame for the wheelhouse and within the hour had cut, sealed and covered it with a tarpaulin. And all done just in time. The rain started just as we prepared to leave the mooring. We lifted the cover on, set off, and the wheelhouse stayed dry. Fantastic!
Arrived in Berry-au-Bac and the junction of two canals, which our guidebook informs us is the hub of working barge life and host to numerous chandlers and fuel stops. We moored ahead of the lock and walked up to the basin expecting to see all of this. Sadly it has all gone. Commercial barges on these waterways are in decline. The moorings only fill up in the winter when the barges return and mark time until the next job comes along.
We walked to the lock at the start of the “Canal de la Aisne a la Marne” and watched a working boat as it locked through. It was a Belgian barge and I asked the owner some questions about the waterway. During our conversation he realised that we owned Lobelia. He had just passed it and had recognised it immediately. He had known it and its owners when it was a working vessel and had assisted in fitting the engine over 20 years ago. He even remembered which engine and was surprised to hear that it was still in use. Sadly, that observation might just back up Andy’s fears over the engine’s health. It is doing very well, but it does smoke quite a bit.
Very impressed by the thought of a waterproof, easy lift and fall, temporary wheelhouse. The engine sounds as if it needs a decoke - bit like the XK at present. Hope it is nothing more serious. Solid beasts those twenty year old power plants.
ReplyDeleteLove Mimi & gaga