Overnight rain, then overcast until just after ten. Set off at 9.35 a.m. on the 7.5 kms pound to Montgiscard, waving to the keeper at Vic as we left. Shortly after we left we passed two downhill Dutch boats, a large cruiser and a small Dutch Barge. It was 10.55 a.m. when we arrived below Montgiscard. The lock was full and another Dutch cruiser came down then we went up. The lock had a straight walled extension at the tail end with vertical bars in the walls on both sides which made it easy for us to use our centre rope while ascending 3.82m. We passed an English cruiser tied to the trees at KP27, whose skipper was painting his cabin. Mike told him not to step back to admire his work! A Locaboat was in the empty chamber of Ayguesvives lock, another deep one and former staircase two-rise. Again we rose easily with our centre rope on the bar in the wall. The German couple on the Loca called us past. It was midday and they were stopping for lunch. We carried on up to Sanglier two-rise, the first of the unaltered Midi locks.
We were through in no time; ropes at fore and aft in the oval chamber. The keeper told us the next would be closed for lunch 12.30 – 1.30 p.m. We motored on and paused for lunch with our centre rope slung around a tree as there was no wooden staging below Negra. At 1.30 p.m. I took a walk up to the lock with two long ropes to drop down to Mike as it was another deep lock, 4m. The chamber was full with top gates open and a large Dutch cruiser (another one!) about to come down. I had a look at the old boatman’s chapel which had always been locked when we came through. Today it was open and the interior was neatly but simply furnished with a few wooden pews and an altar. Mike said the water from the emptying lock had made the canal below swirl all over the place making the boat go crabwise into the lock, so he had to be very careful to make sure the mast went through under the centre of the arched brick bridge. Told the keeper we were stopping on the pound. We left the top at 2.10 p.m. We tied up at 2.30 p.m. in blistering heat next to an old quay wall by a back road bridge with cyclists whizzing past on the towpath/cycle piste. We both had a doze for half an hour then I gave Mike a hand to unload the moped off the roof and he went to transfer the car to Le Segala on the summit. Our post should be at Labastide d’Anjou about the same time as we reach the summit.
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