2020 July: There’s Light At The End Of Our Tunnel!

After several months planning and wondering if we’d ever get to Virus our boat, the harbor finally opened for boaters on June 6, 2020! Packed to the brim we set out!

Upon arrival in Ophoven, Belgium I was asked to do a cooking lesson with Danique Voss, our boat repairman’s daughter. It was such fun plus I got to cook in a very state of the art kitchen!

Her mother was a great help and a wonderful cook as well. We made one of our favorites Baja Shrimp on Zucchini Noodles, with homemade Caesar Salad and I brought along Cardamon Panna Cotta. A total success except for one problem, we didn’t have enough!

After doing some maintenance on our boat and preparing Virus for the long journey we headed out on the 15th of June 2020. We were taking a chance and hoping all the canals to Strasbourg, our final destination, were filled with water and locks were functioning. It’s common for boaters to get stranded in some small town due to low water and the closing of the locks. But we took a chance.

We were making a dash for the French border, literally. Driving 5 to 6 hours a day at 12k per hour and only staying one night at each port. We made it through Maastricht, Netherland; into Belgium to Huy; Namur; Dinant; And finally crossed the border to France to Givet; Revin; Charleville-Mėzières; Saden; Mouzon; Stenay; and Verdun! But still, our chances were slim getting through the canals to Toul, France. This connection to south France is a volatile location and often can problems and closures. The blue dots on this map below shows you all the locks we had to go “UP” to get to Toul, France.

It was in Verdun that we stayed 2 nights and took some time to rest and revisit the city. It was also the day that Lutz received a message from the French Navigation Canals (VNF) that the canals to Toul, the most critical city on our route to connect to the Mosel, were being worked on and would not open until the 29th of June plus a possibility of closure due to water shortage in the locks leading to Toul. Lutz announced to me that we would most likely have to turn around and go back!!! 

After driving over 250km, going through 50 something locks, all with the top down and our umbrella up to avoid low bridges, I was not about to turn around that quickly! My idea was to keep going and cross that bridge when we came to it.

So we headed out of Verdun and crossed our fingers each day. We happened to hook up with 2 other boaters heading our direction while in Givet, France, and had stayed together through many locks. Our new mates snapped a picture of us cooling off in the river.

It’s not uncommon for boaters to connect on this canal. The canal that we were on also leads to Paris and is usually hopping with boating traffic at this time and yet, thus far, we‘d only seen four other boats in 2 weeks, either passing by us or heading the same direction.

Onward and upward we went. Pressing on not knowing what news awaited us. One stretch of the way we traveled through some of the most beautiful parts of France filled with fresh water, fish, trees, and actual hills. Just peaceful and amazed at the beauty of this earth.

Due to our time constraints, we spent long days driving and stopping to sleep moored up in some small forgotten city that once was a hot spot when the canal was commercially used. But now sat silently, abandoned, and forgotten in time. 

Pressing on we entered several tunnels. Of course, as captain, the Admiral insisted I drive! I’d rather drive than deal with the ropes anyway. This one tunnel had no lights and for the first time I really understood the meaning, “don’t worry, there’s always light at the end of a tunnel”.

It was so dark and keeping in the middle was a chore. In the stillness of this tunnel cruising along at 2km per hour listening to the hum of the motor the echo of the small waves lapping against the sides of the tunnel from our boat it was disturbed abruptly but a large explosion! Yes, I hit the side of the tunnel and our large buoy popped! It had to be me driving, of course. There goes the solitude and I searched for the light at the end of the tunnel with steady diligence.

Popped buoy

We made it through St-Mihiel and hooked up right next to an Aldi. Shopped for provisions and left the next day to Commercy, our last view of fresh clean water. The next morning we began the most arduous part of the journey, through the volatile canals we were warned about leading up to Toul. The canals from this time forward were so filled with thick weeds causing much trouble with the motor and the filter. Driving ever so slowly due to the massive undergrowth. Before and after each lock we had to power back and forward to loosen the weeds gathered but the motor. 

Poor Virus was working overtime chocking on the weeds and lack of water through the filter caused much alarm. We stopped a few times to clean the filter and so glad Vim, the gentleman who maintains our boat  gave Lutz a long copper wire and said “Safe travels, you’ll need this.” Boy did we! It became our measuring stick for the tunnels and a fishing hook to remove the weeds from the filter.

It was 4 pm July 4th and we proceeded so slowly through the weeds trying to make it before the locks closed at 6 pm.  The last 6 locks before the city of Toul we happened upon 2 other boaters, the smaller canal boat was pulling the sailboat along the canal. We pulled up alongside them and asked if they needed help. Apparently the sailboat had collected so many weeds along its keel it had to be towed by the other smaller boat. Lutz to the rescue! We hooked them up behind us and one moment Lutz was literally pulling them in the center of the boat since attaching them to the left or right caused our steering to go whacky. We drug them through 2 locks when they realized we would never make the last 4 locks into Toul they sent us off with 8 beers and a wave. We left them moored at the entrance of the 4th lock and had 45 minutes to make the final 4 locks into the “safe zone”, Toul. 

After traveling 9 hours in one day and going through seventeen locks we arrived in Toul, France on July 4th! We had just made it a few minutes before 6 pm. We celebrated our accomplishments and rested. This morning we slept in and are waiting for the arrival of the last 2 boats we towed. Today, we received an announcement from VNF that the canals we just went through will be closed in 8 days! Now our true vacation begins. We will take our time to travel the Mosel and stay longer in the ports we are heading to, Nancy; Metz; Trier; Saarbrucken, Germany, and hopefully on to Strasbourg, France. We are just breathing in the beautiful scenery and living one day at a time now.

It’s been an education listening to so many travelers and residence share their thoughts about the protest and changes happening across the world. Next month I will add some of my thoughts and theirs to my newsletter. Until then, stay safe and wear your mask!

Safety to you all

Melinda,

The Cook’n Coach!