Off Again

Off at 0800 after three days in Lyon. The Rhone was easy after the Saone in flood but my plan for a 112km run with a fast flowing river started to look as though it wasn‘t going to work out. It was ok in the narrow parts, where we averaged over 7kts and just touched 10kts at times, but where it widened we struggled to make 6kts. The problem came with the 5 massive locks we had to get through in the day. Two were done in 20mins. We were about to moor up outside one showing a red light, but when it went to red/green, we decided to float around ready to enter. A commercial barge turned up 20mins later and we’d been an hour by the time we left the other side. Just approaching another, the barge overtook us and entered the lock, but we weren’t allowed in as he was carrying gas or petrol so had to wait a full lock cycle which cost us an hour again. The doors got stuck in the last lock, and it moved so slowly I think the guy was cranking it by hand - another 45mins. I had my first conversation in French on the vhf with one lockkeeper which is surprising as I can still hardly speak a word, but the guy said merci beaucoup at the end so I must have told him what he wanted to hear, even though we were ten minutes finding the new batteries to put in it from when he first called us on his loudspeakers! Luckily there was a strong northerly wind and more narrow bits then wide and we made it to Valence just before 2000 - small boats aren’t allowed to navigate after sunset.
Most of the other boats in Lyon had left the day before in the rain, but I’m pleased we waited for the sun as the Rhone valley was really nice with the first vineyards we’ve seen and proper mountains in the distance.
On the way to Lyon from Macon, we’d wondered why we only came through one lock, when the guy from the restaurant boat had said there should be three. But we found out yesterday that the locks were shut due to the high water level, and we’d gone over the barrage that’s usually the waterfall. I remember both, the first being not too bad apart from a feeling that we were going the wrong way and being terrified going over the second sideways and out of control.