Nederlandse versieSixth day: from Narbonne to Roubia

Also in Narbonne it rains at night. At six o'clock there even was a thunderstorm. Everything is wet, outside the boat because of the rain, inside because of the condensation. But again, it gets dry in the morning. We go to the market but we don't stay very long. We navigate back passing the same spots as yesterday. At the locks of Gua and Raonel me and Pepijn help the lockkeeper. This time we can pass the lock of Raonel on time (ten past twelve). We moor in front of the lock of Gailhousty for lunch. While we are crossing the river Aude I see a kingfisher (Marin-Pecheur) sitting on the cable tightened across the river.   

Meanwhile Pepijn and Maarten have got some extra notes for their sailors certificate. Pepijn for helping the lockkeepers opening the gates and sluices, for tending an automatic lock, steering though the high-water lock Moussoulens and crossing the river Aude.

 

Maarten got his notes for avoiding low hanging branches, tending the gas handle, navigating in the sunshine and steering under a narrow bridge.

We take all the time we need in Gailhousty. The lock is indicated on the map as a double lock but for us it's just a single one. The second chamber is only used to moor a ship in the dry-dock. A barge is being repaired there. People are busy scouring and welding  It also is a water over-fall. I can see that right on the backside of the building.

We have lunch on deck in the sunshine. We are moored under the lee of a dike and we take off our  the long trousers and  sweaters. It 's lovely whether.

At the Canal de Jonction Pepijn is cycling ahead to prepare the automatic locks. The gates open invitingly every time we are arriving. We have some problems again with a gliding bar in a lock. We are moored with two warps at one gliding bar and again the warps are stuck troublesome under the gliding bar. As we have left the lock I realize how to manage it the next time. We have to shift one of the warps to the center of the boat and moor from there with a short noose to the gliding bar. We have to try that next year.

We pass the Canal de Jonction within two hours and arrive in the Canal du Midi again at four o'clock. The children are cycling on the border meanwhile to get rid of their surplus of energy. In Le Somail they get on board again as we moor for a short while between the Dutch tjalks  and English narrow-boats.

We travel on and pass the aqueduct of Répudre we visited last year as well. There are the same conditions as last year. In the evening sun the colors and quietness are overwhelming. I suggest to stay here during the night but Marga prefers to moor nearby a village. We moor practically in view of the bakery tomorrow morning. Therefore we moor just in front of a characteristic arched bridge at Roubia. We are only three kilometers and one lock away from our ultimate destination Argens where we have to deliver our boat tomorrow morning before nine o'clock.