June 25 - Thursday: Had to sleep-in a bit to recuperate some, but it worked against us as the heat wave had settled in with a vengeance with temps in upper 90s. We made it to Girancourt, 8 kilometers and one écluse (lock). There was power and water – which meant we could use the air conditioner. Power was from a kiosk by the quai. Karen and Bill had used it and left the card for it on the boat. Thank you!!! We used up the remaining balance then had to figure out how to add more money. A nice lady from a camper in the car park and a VNF lady who stopped by helped us figure it out. We had to have Karen, who created the account, add money through the app. The VNF lady had come by to confirm we knew we had to be through écluse #24 by the evening of the 28th. That section was closing. This update took some pressure off now that we don’t have to be all the way to Corre by the 29th. Relief with this heat!!! Karen and Bill’s notes on this route have been very helpful and very appreciated!! Including info on the grocery store only a short walk. Unfortunately no electrolyte beverages to be had – would have been a huge help… Heat and jet lag were taking a toll. Dinner was enjoyed in the shade at a picnic table, much cooler than on the boat since our air conditioner is pretty minimal. The boat was hot and sleeping was a challenge but the fans helped a lot. We couldn’t run fans and the air conditioner at the same time because it popped the shore power circuit breaker
June 26 – Friday: Departed Girancourt at 8:45am right into écluse (lock) #2 going toward the Soâne. A boat went through before us so we had to wait for all the locks to come up, a much slower go. We’re headed down now, much easier, especially in this heat.
Tied to a quai just after écluse #18. Short day 17 écluses and about 9 kilometers. Another boat, Le Julian, was already in. He came and grabbed our line. Lovely, quiet place, no power or water. Moved small table and chairs to the grass and enjoyed the shade and breeze.
At last, cool enough to sleep
