The Locks

The Locks:

Today I did not ride. We are on a bike barge trip and I opted for the barge.

The barge is 38.5 meters long, it has 140 cm of hull below the water line, the canals are generally 180 cm deep. Going into locks there is about 22.5 cm allowance on each side. Driving a barge of this length with such narrow passages is a demanding task and requires tremendous expertise. I was fortunate enough to spend time in the wheelhouse and experience the force required to turn the wheel. There is no rudder on this boat, rather the rear engine turns 360 degrees so propulsion direction provides directional forces. There is a simple little metal pointer which rotates and gives the same bearing. There are left and right bow thrusters to provide bow direction and control.

In the olden days barge masters were renown for having lots of children , 14 was not an unusual number and they were put to work young, donning harnesses to pull barges through the water from the shore. More wealthy captains could afford donkeys for this work.

 Our route today took us from Briare to Rogny. Although the distance is not that far we traversed a total of 12 locks, rising 90 feet and descending the same distance. This barge is the maximum size that can fit these locks yet Martin was able to pull in each time with minimal contact with the sides.

The canal system is a marvel, built 400 years ago by hand with 12,000. Workers! Just in our area there is an estimated 450 km of canals.On two occasions on this trips we have gone on “overpasses”, the longest one 670 meters approximately 40 meters over a lower river!! Quite a sensation to look down on a river while floating in a barge. Yesterdays overpass was built in 1820, over a 4 year period in a metallic design reminiscent of the Eiffel tower. It is said that Eiffel bid for the contract but was overpriced perhaps resting on the laurels of his World’s Fair masterpiece. The barge will cruise approximately 100 km. this week.

I ask myself, given the decays of overpasses built in the 50’s in North America what do we construct today that will have similar longevity. This year the weather has been dry, this has necessitated the pumping of water from the Loire at Briare up to the resevoir lakes . These lakes are critical to ensure that there is adequate water in the locks and of course pumping such large volumes of water is expensive.

At each lock there is a lock house where historically lived the lock keeper. In the summer when the canals are much busier there is an attendant at each lock , this time of the year one man drives between 3 or 4 locks as traffic is much less. Interestingly, today we moved without significant waits and only encountered one barge going in the opposite direction. In fact Martin and his partner Marjorie rent such a house, we drove by it and he told me of the extensive negotiations to rent it as he is not a lock keeper. It had fallen into disrepair and he told me how much work he had to put into it to make it livable. It is a perfect location for him as it is quite central to his cruising rout which is generally between Nevers and Rogny.