We were woken by rain on the cabin roof, but this did not last long and was soon replaced by sunshine. Around 0830h, the covered dock turnover took place with Marie Lou entering for bottom painting and some repair work. Once that was done, it was time for our drydock to be filled, so that we could make our exit. This all happened smoothly, and by 1020h we were making our departure from the basin to the canal, on the first leg of our trip down the Midi.

We were followed by Serge in Hydra who had also completed their stay at the drydock. We proceeded south in tandem with Serge, until he stopped next to his bigger “home” barge and we bid goodbye to him at Ramonville.

We stopped at the first lock at Castanet just before noon, confident of getting through the lock before the VNF lunch break starting at 1230h. However, despite coming through here last year, we had forgotten how the locks worked, given that there was no “twister” on the approach to the lock. So we stopped at the waiting pontoon, and Rita prepared to go up to the lock to see what was happening. But just as she was about to leave, the lights at the lock turned red. So she went up to the lock and used the communication button to speak to the eclusier, and found that VNF lunch hours had been changed to start at 1200h this year, so the information in the Guide Fluvial was now wrong.

While she was there she took a photo of the instrument panel at the lock, for future reference. So, she will have to get off at each manually operated lock at the waiting pontoon, push the Montant button to start the cycle to prepare the lock for us for going uphill (after the summit she will push the Avalant button for going downhill), then stay at the lock while I enter, grab the rear rope that I toss to her and give it back to me to secure, then grab the front rope I toss up and hold onto it after wrapping it around the bollard a couple of times, while pressing the green button to begin the depart cycle. When the barge rises to her level she then steps back on board at the front while holding the front rope. Simples!

So we were going nowhere fast, after being a day later than we expected, but enjoyed an enforced lunch break and were ready to start again at 1300h, with the intention of covering as much ground as we could today.

As we cruised along, we noticed four geese strolling along the edge of the canal, all bearing a striking resemblance to Dexter 2 - maybe we now know where Dexter's family went to.

Having just come out of drydock this morning with a clean bottom, I could feel how easily the barge was gliding through the water, without all the weed that had grown on the hull. However, all good things must come to an end and so my perfect paint job lasted less than a day, as we rounded a bend and Rita brought my attention to two large dogs standing on the canalside. However, I looked too long, and when I returned my attention to the canal, I saw that we were drifting a bit wide toward a stone viaduct wall on the outside of the bend. Too late to correct it, all I could do was cut the speed to lessen the force of the inevitable impact. Once again, distraction is the cause of most errors! Oh well, at least I now don’t have to worry about putting a scratch on the new paintwork!

After a long afternoon, we aimed to get to Gardouch before lock closure time at 1900h, and moor in the port on the other side of the lock, ready for an early start tomorrow. We got to the waiting pontoon at 1850h, but another boat, La Mouette, was already moored there. So I intended to stop next to them to let Rita off and cross their deck to the shore. But as we approached we heard, and then saw, a large barking dog, so I thought better of that option and went to moor in an awkward position in front of them. However, as I manoeuvred into place, the lock closed for the day. To say I was annoyed would be a major understatement. Long-term mooring on waiting pontoons is illegal while locks are operating (0900h - 1900h), while overnight mooring is tolerated so long as you moor after 1900h and get away before 0900h the next morning. I was even more annoyed as we were hammering the pegs into place on the shore, when the owner of La Mouette came out and said “sorry” in the most unconvincing manner. So we stayed the night onboard, given the thick prickly vegetation on the bank next to our mooring. If ever we see La Mouette moored on a waiting pontoon again, we’ll let them know that they are a repeat offender.