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Old 07-01-2018, 07:24 AM   #10
Irish Rambler
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City: NARBONNE
Vessel Name: 'Snow Mouse.'
Vessel Model: BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,733
The canal du Robine which we're travelling on at the moment has automated locks, the old lock keepers houses are either vacant or have been bought for a low price by the old lock keepers.
Even with automation humans tend to screw it up from time to time !
Children love to get off the boat to go and push the buttons to operate the lock gates, unfortunately with no guidance.
When they push a button if there's no instant clap of thunder, flashing lights or bells ringing, they push another button which confuses the system, then it stops working.
The roving lock keeper then has to be called to reset the system.
9 times out of 10 people don't read the instructions for lock operation, so adults aren't without fault too.

Why do I rant and complain about it ?

I had to spend 1 and a half hours baking in direct sunlight at 35 degrees centigrade waiting for the lock keeper to finish his lunch break (the locks close from mid-day to 1 o'clock for lunch break, even though they're automatic) before coming to reset the system after a 9/10 year old boy screwed it up.

You may also notice that the stone built locks on the canal du Midi have a concrete extension.
When the canals throughout France were built everyone had a different agenda, no two were exactly the same so goods had to be transhipped from one size of barge to another, typical SNAFU.
In 1877 a minister of public works was appointed called Charles Freycinet who realised how much time/money was being wasted transhipping goods and he gave a million Francs to have all the canals and locks standardised to what is still known today as the Freycinet dimensions.
This also upped the standard payload to 350 tonnes, truly a giant of a transporter in the 1800's.
By 1856 the canal was carrying 111 million tonnes of cargo and over 1 million people.

Charles Freycinet also gave the new fangled railways 3 million of a grant which sounded the death knell for the canals.
Ironically French trains 'drive on the left' because they were designed by an English engineer called Thomas Brassey.

This post refers to the parts of our summer cruise.
If you wish the full description of the whole length of the canal I've written a book called 'How To Cruise Between Two Seas' some 5 years ago which is available from Amazon as an eBook or paperback.
Thank you for your support.
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