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| Below Vise lock (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
6.6° C overnight. Overcast, dull
and chilly. We set off at 9.15 a.m. winded and followed Rosy to Visé lock. The
waterways workboat had left the moorings earlier so the lock was full, we
waited while the keeper emptied it and then we went up. When the lock was full
Mike gave Bill the quittances so he could have a look at the ancient lock cabin
and all the huge levers, etc for operating the lock. Mike took the rubbish and
then helped the two waterways men to get four old tyres out of the lock before
we headed out on to the choppy waters of the Albert canal. Bill told us that
someone he converses with by E-mail was adamant that we shouldn’t navigate the
Albert canal except when it’s quiet on a Sunday!
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| Cutting on theAlbert canal abv Lanaye locks. (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
What drivel, obviously someone
who knows nothing of narrowboats or the Albert canal. It was 10.15 a.m. A
bunkership went past, motoring hard towards Lanaye, and an empty 80m called
Jennifer II overtook us as we swung right, also heading for Lanaye. We passed a
couple of other commercials heading for Liège as we went along the short length
of canal before the deep lock back on to the Meuse. The boat which left Visé
before us was sitting in the middle of the canal, holding station for a few
minutes, then turning round and going back to the middle - training day?
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| Abv Lanaye locks (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
Mike
called the keeper at Lanaye on VHF to ask if we should head for the small lock.
Yes, OK. It was full and ready for us when we got there. I took the papers to
the young man in the lockside cabin, he stamped them and took his copies before
handing them back to me for souvenirs. We descended 14m. A deluge of water
cascading off the guillotine gate caused Mike to put the brolly up as we left
the chamber. One empty was heading for the big lock to go uphill. Very few
boats were moored along the lock cut, an empty pan called Champagne and seven
tugs (one was a houseboat and one was for sale) were moored by the former
customs buildings, plus a couple of old yachts and a few retired commercials.
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| Below Lanaye (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
Mike changed the Belgian courtesy flags for the Dutch one as we left the end of
the lock cut and joined the river, now we were in the Netherlands the name of
the river had changed to the Maas. We passed one pan of sand being pushed by a
tug as we went into Maastricht. Plenty of space on the wall to moor between a
couple of cruisers. We went through the arched bridge, winded and moored up at
11.40 a.m. Had some lunch then Mike and Bill went into town to get some bread
and a new ‘phone chip from the Car Phone House. Mike got a NL Vodaphone and
Bill went for a T-Mobile. Ours cost 14,99€ with 5,00€ in credit and a 10€
refund voucher.
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| Maastricht museum. (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
He left Bill in an Internet café and went to the ANWB shop, on
the other side of the river, to get a new handbook 16,50€ (£11.55) (Deel 2,
which gives details and costs of all the moorings, locks and bridges, etc) plus
a new version of Map A, 16,95€ (£11.87) Friesland, which now includes all the
Turf Routes. Bill had asked him to get all the maps he needed, but Mike said it
would come to over 80€ so he waited until Bill returned and went over to the
ANWB shop with him and he bought the first four maps - saying he would buy the
rest later.
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| Maastricht. (pictures taken in Sep 2005) |
Mike went back to the ‘phone shop to make sure we could claim the
10€ credit as we haven’t got a Dutch address - the chap said they credit the
money direct to the ‘phone so he put his address on both our cards and posted
them. We set off again at 4.30 p.m. heading back upriver to the lake below
Lanaye lock near Eijsden. When we tied up at the southern end of the lake there
were lots of people out walking. A large notice forbade dogs to wander on the
land during the night because of the herds of cattle and horses which graze
there. We spotted only a couple of small black woolly cows. The temperature was
dropping again so Mike lit the coal fire.
Pictures taken on return journey in Sep 2005
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