We got an early start from St Pourquier, because we knew that we’d have to get through the Montech 5 locks before we really started going anywhere, and we had a special task lined up for later today. An hour later we had cleared the locks (and left the customary bottle of beer for the friendly eclusier who helped us through).

The journey through the forested area south of Montech was very pleasant, as we headed for our destination stop near Lamothe/Dieupentale. However, when we got there, the quai was full of boats and a large lunchtime party was happening at the nearby restaurant, so this was not suitable for our purpose. So we moved on a bit further and pulled over to the bank. We had no sooner got the boat moored to our stakes, when a fisherman pulled up in his car 20 metres behind us and proceeded to set up his gear. Rita went to ask him how long he intended to stay (was he just a lunchtime fisherman?), but he said he would be staying for the afternoon and would be joined by his mates around 1600h. So again, we moved on a bit further down the canal and moored opposite the electrical substation building, hoping that finally we could get started on today’s job - cleaning the deck in preparation for painting.

With no further interruptions, we broke out the Kärtcher pressure washer and the scrubbing brushes, and got started on the deck. It was slow and labourious (but not as bad as doing it all by hand as we had in the past), and four hours later we were finished. The difference was amazing, but it also revealed just how much paint had been removed and how much the whole deck now needed to be repainted. But that’s a job for another day.

Satisfied, we sat down on the bank on the chairs we had removed from the rear deck and had a well earned beer. But soon we were asked for help by three teenage boys who were cycling along the towpath, one of whom had taken a tumble and suffered some nasty abrasions to his shoulder and knee when he unexpectedly met the bitumen surface of the towpath (not wearing a shirt!). Rita broke out the first aid kit and soon had him patched up and ready to continue cycling, after offering profuse thanks to us for our help. Who says the younger generation is not polite?

At the end of the day I was buggered, but Rita surprisingly still had some energy left and took off on a bike ride back up the canal to check out the restaurant we had passed earlier in the day, and to generally explore the neighbourhood. As the night wore on, a fullish moon appeared down the south end of the canal and it fully showed how clean the deck now was. It almost looked like it wouldn’t need painting, but we knew that in the light of day, the truth would be revealed!