Canal du Midi

Training the drew

After a month in Narbonne, we are finally on the boat cruising the Canal du Midi. And as it happens, our boat is actually called the “Narbonne”. This post will tell you a bit about the boat and what we are doing. 

After a number of very enjoyable trips on Narrowboats in the UK, we decided to try “Something different” and after extensive research we came up with cruising the canals in the south of France. Our last trip to the UK was planned with friends who had to cancel, but we went with our usual Narrowboat partners instead, but still wanted to go with these friends so the trip to France was planned, but again circumstances got in the way and they were again unable to go. Fortunately our son and his partner said they would be willing to try canal boating with us, so we went ahead until COVID got in the way. Finally two years later, we are on the canal. 

Morning on the Canal

Our boat is called the Pinochet Evolution and is the most modern boat in the fleet at Locaboat boat rentals. It is a modern efficient little boat, using electricity for most function with a diesel motor charging the batteries. It has bow and stern thrusters like a big cruise ship and can be steered form inside or topside with traditional controls or a modern joystick. 

Visiting Homps

Now I did use the term “Little” to describe our craft, and it is perhaps a bit small for four people. It has two rooms, one in the front and one in the back. In the middle is a toilet room (A typical French thing) and shower room with sink between the two other rooms. The dining area and the lounge both convert to sleeping quarters. This means it is a chore to get beds ready every night, and was one real advantage to the long 70 ft Narrowboats which had dedicated bedrooms. Everything works well and as described, but for four people it is a bit cramped; good thing we are booting the boys out on day four. 

Mochi

You might recall my post back in June 2018 about the dogs in Kejick where our daughter Alisha works as the school Principal. This post is about another Kejick dog. Alisha is definitely a ‘dog person’, she loves dogs and they love her. As well, she has turned into a bit of a ‘dog whisperer’, showing amazing ability to effectively train dogs. On one trip to visit her in Ottawa we found her dogsitting a little old dog called ‘Peanut’. After two weeks away, Peanut’s owners returned to collect their beloved pet, but were greeted by silence when they entered the apartment. “Oh my god, what happened to Peanut?” They exclaimed thinking he had expired because he always barked like mad when anyone came in the door. Alisha called him and explained that she did not allow that behaviour and had fixed it. I guess you can teach old dogs new tricks. 

Puppy Mochi & Bob

 Alisha found it hard to live among all the Kejick dogs without finding one she was so attracted to that she had to adopt him. This finally happened two years ago as the COVID pandemic hit. She met a little puppy and fell in love with him. He joined the household and has become part of the family. Bob the cat who was already #1 in the pet department was not pleased at first, but eventually whipped this new addition into shape and decided to accept him (He knew he had little choice I suspect). 

 His name is Mochi, and he looks like a lean German Shepherd, but like many of the dogs from the Reserve, he is probably part wolf. However, there is nothing wild about him, he has turned into a kind, gentle, well behaved fellow, and I finally got to meet him on this visit to Ontario. Of course I watched him grow up via Pandemic Sunday Dinner video chats every week, but it was nice to finally get to meet this newest member of the family. I had become friends with Bob the cat during our two visits to Kejick and I think Mochi has approved me as family as well. 

Mochi looking His Best!

 Alisha has done an amazing job training this canine friend. He is so well behaved, and comes instantly when called and follows commands perfectly. Although he will briefly bark at strangers, once he meets you he is calm, friendly and affectionate . He even accepted the indignity and embarrassment of having to wear booties when visiting Ryan and Ben to protect their new hardwood floors. Alisha and Derek bought a boat soon after Mochi arrived and she insisted he learn to be comfortable on the boat, so it has become an activity he really enjoys. He was with us on the Trip through the Trent-Severn locks and was perfectly behaved except for one time he found he was in the boat and Alisha was on the shore watching us through the lock; he worried and fussed about not being with her and Derek said “Yea, he does that for her, but doesn’t much care if I’m not right there.”. He is very definitely “her” dog. 

All Dressed up!

 Every time I saw this dog via video I knew I wanted to meet him and now that I have, I am even more impressed with him. Of course I think it helps that he seems to really like me as well.

Mochi Guiding the Boat

Mochi & Friends at home In Kejick

Adding More Locks

You probably recall my previous posts about boat locks, so if this is of no interest to you, you may skip this post. Living in Dartmouth, close to the Shubenacadie canal system, I was familiar with locks and how they worked. I have been through the Panama Canal locks twice and enjoyed this experience greatly. I then started taking Narrowboat vacations in the UK, and learned by experience how the locks worked, as we actually worked many locks on our three trips there. A river cruise from The Netherlands to Hungary allowed me to experience a lot different and larger locks through Europe, and a cruise on the Nile added to the number of locks I have visited or passed through. Although I still have not actually counted the number, I expect it is close to 100. On this trip, I was able to add to that number by touring some of the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario. 

Waiting for the Lock to Open

My daughter and her husband live on a large lake in Northern Ontario and they bought a boat to enjoy the lake there and all it has to offer. Since we had not seen them in two years they decided to make this visit to Ontario extra special so they trailered their boat from Lac Seul to Peterborough where his family lives, and where you can easily access the Trent-Severn waterway. Our son-in-law, Derek offered to act as captain and tour guide so we loaded all six of us onto the boat along with the dog, and set out to spend the day exploring a section of the waterway. 

Although similar in design to the locks we experienced in England, these are bigger to accommodate larger boats, but are still operated by hand. Here I did not have to get out and actually operate the locks myself, strong young people were on hand to open and close the locks for us. I thought what a great summer job this must be; out in the fresh air meeting people every day, and the lock operators seemed to conform this with a seemingly genuine interest in the job. You were greeted with a smile and given a friendly wave as you left their assigned section of the waterway. Everyone was friendly and willing too chat and discuss their jobs with us as we passed through. 

Running the River

As we approached the first lock, we sounded a horn and the two lock attendants came out to greet us. They then allowed the lock to empty of water and we motored in. The doors closed and water gates were opened on the opposing doors, allowing the lock to refill, floating us up to the next level. This first lock was more complicated, as once we were through, one of the operators had to jump on a bicycle and pedal to the swing bridge a short distance along the canal which she then had to stop traffic and open to allow us through. As we were travelling on a slow Monday, with very little water traffic, the lock attendants phoned the next location and informed them we were coming so after having to wait at one lock, most of the others were ready for us and we did not have to wait for the lock to empty or fill. 

The Peterborough Lift Lock

There are 44 locks on this waterway, and we explored locks 21, 22, 23, and 24 before time made us turn back to get home before everything shut down for the day. Of these, lock 22 is probably the most interesting as it is a Lift lock, where you are lifted 60 feet from one level to another via hydraulics. There are two metal tubs of water that boats enter and as one is lifted the other descends. We experienced the Anderton boat lift in the UK that was 50 feet high but this one in Peterborough is higher by 10 feet. 

All in all, a great experience and a chance to spend time with family once again. And I got to add four more boat locks to my vacation adventures. 

The Swing Bridge 

Lock 21

Turn The Thing Around

You are not going to turn around here

Our boat this trip is 70 feet long and 7 feet wide. The canals we cruise through are around 30 feet wide, although often much narrower due to bridges, moored boats, weeds and shallow areas, so do the math . . . . . you cannot turn around. You cannot start down one canal and decide “Oh, I don’t really like this scenery, I think I’ll turn around and go back.” On our first trip, we came upon two girls in a boat completely wedged across the canal; they thought they could just turn around, and required some assistance to get sorted out and back on course.

Fortunately, the designer of the canal systems took this problem into the planning, and

Sure not here either

periodically they placed “Winding Holes” which are wider basins where you can turn around. In our Canal Guide books, these winding holes are marked as a circle with a number in them indicating how long a boat can be if you want to turn around. The biggest winding hole I have seen was marked “70”, meaning a 70 foot boat can turn here.

Fortunately, you plan your trip carefully so you do not have to turn around very often, because it is a complicated procedure. We had to do it 3 or 4 times. Often you have to go down a branch to a town, and you have to turn at the end, but we had one corner that was so sharp you could not get around, especially in a long boat, so you have to go the wrong way for a bit until you can turn around

A bit wider, but still no room to turn

and come straight through the junction.

The other difficulty is that a 70 foot narrowboat steering with a tiller does not turn easily and has almost no control in reverse, so turning one around is a bit complicated. Fortunately we have had an experienced mariner on board (Bill), who is good at it, and we have generally handed the tiller to him when a complete change of direction was required, but this trip I was determined to learn as many things as possible, and this was one thing I wanted to do, so asked Bill for a lesson.

This is a winding hole

Here is the procedure . . . You enter the winding hole at a crawl, and turn the boat into the widest part of the basin, allowing it to swing as far as possible. Before you run aground, you throw it into reverse, but don’t bother trying to steer, just go straight back, giving yourself some room in the middle. Swing the tiller hard to pull the stern away from the way you need to go, and power forward. This swings the stern away, but makes the bow go in the direction you need to turn. Sometimes you can do it in one maneuver, but with a 70 foot boat you do not have a lot of room to work in a 70 foot winding hole.

Here I might be able to turn around

With Bill standing beside me, I managed it pretty slick . . . I hope I can get it the next time.

A Sea Day

The "Crew"

Today we decided to rent a boat and tour the area around Sebastian FL from the inter-coastal waterway. After some internet research a couple of rental spots were found and some phone calls narrowed it down to one called ‘Held’s Indian River Island Adventures’. We called and reserved an 18 ft Pontoon boat with a 50 hp 4 stroke engine.

At the Wheel

Deck Fluff

Our ‘adventure’ however did not start well. We pulled into the address to see lots of boats, all complete wrecks, in very bad states of repair. A hand painted ‘OFFICE’ sign directed us to a door sorely in need of alignment and a coat of paint, and it took three tries knocking on the door to bring a weary yawning man to the door. He ushered us into the messiest office I have ever seen. A bag of cat food leaned against the wall by the door, a child’s drawing sat on a make-shift table, boat parts occupied most corners, and a bare mattress with a blanket was on the floor behind the desk. After signing an 8 page ‘waiver’ and turning over credit cards, we were directed down the road to the dock while he “Went to get gas”. Was it gas for the boat, or could he finally afford gas for his truck now that some tourists were renting his boat?

Beer Stop

Down the road, we did indeed find a dock with a pontoon boat with “HELD’S RENTALS” on the side. Not new, not shiny, seats a bit worn, but it looked mostly sea-worthy. Gary one of our friends and the ‘Captain’ for the day (also always an optimist), suggested “This is perfect; we don’t have to worry about how we treat this boat, no one will notice a few more scrapes and bangs.” No Bill, the ropes were not coiled – in fact they were so short we had to tie three together to tie the boat up at one of the islands . . . .

Now, the boat actually worked like a top, ran perfectly, was nicely set up, comfortable, and perfect for our day on the waterway. The owner was a great help, giving us a brief operating course and lots of helpful advice about attractions in the area. 

Drinks on the Island

Relaxing On Board

Dolphin Entertainment

We spent a wonderful day on the water. We visited a couple of islands and explored them, stopped at a local “Bar & Grill” where we could motor right up to the wharf to tie up, and get a nice cold beer. We visited a Manatee preserve (Didn’t see any however), and were entertained by a pod of dolphins who circled our boat playfully for fifteen minutes, jumping out of the water right beside the boat.

Although the boat was slightly less than perfect, the day was. Everyone had a great time, got way to much sun, and came home happy and tired from a wonderful day at sea.

Houseboatin'

Houseboatin'

Now I have written a couple of blog entries about piloting the houseboat for Regis and the girls, and I hope you have enjoyed them, but it really was an interesting vacation, and for anyone interested, I will tell you something about it, in case you might want to give it a try.

Lots of Room for Everyone

The houseboat itself is large, comfortable, and easy to maneuver. I have never really driven a bpat before and I really did not have any problem. You can pilot it from inside if the weather is less than perfect, but if it is sunny and warm, there is a second bridge up on the 'hottub' deck. Although the boat is like a big RV on the water, it is outfitted with a real household refrigerator, stove and microwave. The kitchen is large and easy to work in with lots of cupboards. The bathroom is a real bathroom with an RV style toilet, but a full size shower and sink complete with vanity. There is a couch and a large dining table that both convert to LARGE beds, and as you read, the girls really did have room to line dance in the living room. There were two bedrooms and a sleeping loft, so with the beds in the living area this boat slept 10 with no problem, and sitting nine at the table worked well. We saw another boat that slept 14 that had four bedrooms and two bathrooms (Only one shower however). There was a hottob on the top deck, as well as lots of room to sit around and talk or heaven forbid, square dance. There is a large flatscreen TV and excellent sound system in the living room, and a car type stereo up stairs so your collection of music on the Ipod or Phone is easy to play. There is a slide from the top deck into the water that would have been used if the water was warmer – it looked like fun. And there is a full size barbecue on the front deck.

Come on board . . .

The boat worked well. It has a 3.0 litre inboard engine that started easily with little fuss, and pushed us along at houseboat speed. This means that nothing shifted, you could put your coffee or glass of wine on the counter and even turns did not move it. It is a dual hull pontoon boat so is amazingly stable. Even one morning steaming up river at full speed with a strong wind and whitecaps, we lost water out of the hot tob but not out of the wine glasses inside. The slow speed and stability means that even those susceptible to motion sickness forget they are on the water. The boat uses a battery and generator system and is completely automatic. Regular electric appliances work just fine, and you do not have to worry about using lights or power. When needed the generator comes on and recharges the batteries. They pull water from the river and treat it internally for cooking and showers, and it is then put back into the river so you have no holding tank filling up even with a crowd, and the septic held enough so that even with nine people for almost a week we had no problem.

Underway up the River

The Saint John River, above the Mactaquac dam is your highway, and you can go as far up river as Woodstock. There are some activities to do along the river such as Kings Landing and Trees to Go, but the main activity is the houseboat itself. The scenery up and down the river is beautiful, especially in October with the leaves changing colour when I went, but I suspect any season would have it's own unique benefits. The relaxing speed of the boat and the comfortable setting with good friends make the voyage the best part of the experience.

It is not an inexpensive vacation if you were going on your own, but probably compatible to renting an RV, but put together a group of family or good friends to share the cost and you can have a really reasonable adventure.

Writing the Blog

As I write this, I am sitting on the back deck of the boat in October. I am sitting in a lawn chair typing on my Macbook with a cold beer beside me. I pulled into a little cove at about 4:00 pm , tied up to two sturdy trees and it is now almost 7:00 pm, the sun is going down and I'm watching the river flow gently past. Life is good.

The Captain Does not SQUARE DANCE!

Out On The River

When I volunteered for this trip, I promised to stay out of the way and not interfere with the “Girls” fun week on the houseboat. I went so that none of them had to worry about being 'responsible' for driving the boat. Besides, I really wanted to drive the houseboat.

What is rockin the boat?

I quickly discovered that just driving was not that easy. The 'bridge', such as it is, is right in the main cabin next to the dining room, so you don't get a nice quiet 'bridge' to pilot the boat. Now there are advantages to this. Your coffee comes quickly in the morning, and when the boat starts rocking badly in perfectly calm water, you do not have to go look for the problem, you can see that it is just the line dancing going on in the living room - when all eight of them sashay one way the boat does tend to participate in the dance.

Tying up the boat

I also discovered that the captain's duties do go beyond just steering the boat (Silly me . . . ). I discovered that my 'deck hands' were actually more of the 'deck fluff' variety and it was me that had to jump ashore when we chose a spot to stop for the night and tie the boat to a couple of sturdy trees. They were willing to throw the ropes to me but balked at jumping ashore to do the actual tying. When the table wouldn't come apart at bedtime to convert to a bed, I had to do it, and of course when the hot tub sploshed out in the wind, I was on deck to fill it again and get the temperature up to the suggested 110° required by Karen.

Square Dancing on the Lido

I did draw the line in the sand (We were actually pulled up on a lovely sandy beach in Nackawic) when I was asked to take part in Sharon's impromptu Square Dance lessons that started up on the 'Lido' deck because they couldn't convince the attractive EMO guys to come back and fill in for Elayne's bruised rib they were asked to attend to.

The captain DOES NOT SQUARE DANCE!

Boating With The Girls

Boating with the Girls

Ok, now retirement is all about finally having the time to try new things, challenge yourself, take chances and test your limits. Well, my latest adventure was probably my most adventurous. Regis, always looking for interesting things to do, found an advertisement in a 'tourist' magazine for a houseboat rental on the Saint John River. Now some of her ideas don't go very far, but this one proved popular and in no time she had nine girlfriends willing to go with her.

The Captain at work

I don't know what I was thinking, but I suggested that I would go along to drive the boat so they could all 'party' without having to worry about a “Designated Driver”. If it has an engine and a throttle I want to try to drive it, and since I liked the narrow boat in England I thought this would be fun. I should have realized when no one tried to talk me out of it that I might be in trouble. After all I had been in the house during their “serious” book clubs (I didn't know that much wine was involved with reviewing novels), and I had heard about some of their “get-a-ways” in Cape Breton. This wasn't one group, it was a combination of three groups, a book club, a Monday coffee group and some family & friends thrown in for good (or bad) measure.

Line Dancing on the Boat

Now I have never piloted a boat. In England I was designated “Engineer”, and Master Mariner Brother-in-law handled the difficult piloting duties, but he did let all interested parties a chance to man the tiller, and I only hit one other boat during my turns, and Regis was assured by the company that it wasn't difficult to pilot the boat, so I figured I could handle it. It was in the wide part of the river above the dam, and it was off season so I could learn to drive the boat without endangering other mariners too much. I even went so far as to take my 'Pleasure craft boating licence'. The interesting thing was that I worried about getting the licence and didn't really think about actually piloting the boat, but once I actually passed the test and had a piece of paper in my hand that said I could actually legally drive the boat, I started to think about all they things I didn't know. Which side is starboard again, where do you get fuel, how big was the holding tank going to have to be with nine girls wanting a shower every morning, where were we supposed to tie up every night . . . . . .

Sharing the fun

No problem, the “Boat Rental Folk” gave me a 10 minute course and when he asked if I knew about piloting a boat , and I said I had only helped with a narrow boat in England, but had driven RVs and trucks, he said “No Problem, you'll be fine!”

Walking the Plank

Actually it is pretty easy, and the boat is well suited to the river. It is an aluminium pontoon boat and I was told to just run it gently ashore, tie it to two trees and all would be good. It is no speed boat and you don't need worry about fuel, oil or even water. Back out, point it where you want to go and keep it steady until you get to the next night's mooring.

Filling the Hot Tub

And the “girls” genuinely appreciated my sacrifice and I was waited on and thanked by everyone for driving them. As I write this, we are safely tied up in a little cove along the river. The boat is nosed into the shore just like I was told to do it, and as I write this, the boat is rocking to line dancing. Now it is only the first day . . . . . . .