On the Basse Saonne River to Lyon
John stayed aboard for two and half weeks travelling up the Meuse River, onto the Marne au Rhin and then via Toul to the Moselle. As we moved along the various waterways the conditions were changeable. The Meuse was a locked River not unlike a small version of the Murray, except the locks, about 5km apart were all automatic. A few hundred metres from the lock a sign "here hier ici" would indicate that HERE we should press our yellow remote garage door control and activate the lock. A series of red and green lights told us it was okay to enter and secure ropes. Then lift a lever/long rod to close the gates and lock us up or down. Once the new level was established the gates would open and a sensor tracked our departure. After Paigny (the VNF took away our yellow remote) the Marne au Rhin was video and human control. A long tunnel and 13 locks in quick succession led us to the Moselle and big locks (ecluses) with human control. Easy! Then onto the Vosges Ca...