Mid October and I find myself ‘batching’ in Castelnaudary on the Canal du Midi for a couple of weeks. Readers of the previous episode will know that the reason was that Maureen, first mate, wife and chef on Van Nelle, went off to help out an American friend, Kate Hill, on her Dutch Tjalk ‘Julia Hoyt’. Kate, from California, has lived in France for fifteen years and used to run charters but now conducts Gascon cooking classes at her canal side home 'Camont' near Agen. Her regular crew was unable to work this late charter and so Maureen jumped ship and joined her and Vetou (the French female chef) for the ten day cruise, and then an extra couple of days to help get Julia Hoyt on her way home.

Castelnaudary is the world centre of Cassoulet, a dinner dish of local broad beans, sausage, preserved duck meat, ham and spices, cooked in an earthenware casserole dish twice, for up to six hours. The dishes and complete Cassoulet can be had around here for low prices in almost every shop. Kate insists however that the best Cassoulet restaurant is outside town - the ‘Cassoulet Imperiale’ at La Bastide  and on Saturday she called to ask if I would like to join her party at that restaurant to try their speciality. I agreed of course.

The 8 seater van arrived at 7.30 complete with four American charterers and the crew, who now had to squeeze into the cramped back row of seats meant for two. We un-tangled ourselves after a ten minute drive to La Bastide and entered a large, barn like room, comfortably furnished with rustic sideboards, tables and chairs and displaying on the walls and horizontal surfaces, wines, local produce and artifacts. Our table was surrounded by hearty groups of locals out to enjoy their Saturday night engagement and birthday parties but the girls serving the tables were quick and solicitous and soon we had ordered platters of local produce ‘charcuterie’ and several large Cassoulet to follow. A range of local wines were brought and uncorked and we began a meal of discovery.

The charcuterie - meats, pickled vegetables, onions and olives - were fresh and piquant and well set off by the local white and red wines - Minervois, Gaillac and Rose. The first course was quickly dispatched and the Cassoulet arrived. Large earthen bowls in which the fare had been cooked were red hot and placed delicately on cork protective mats on the already well scarred tables. The ladles went to work and soon we all had steaming mounds of delicate morsels cascading on our plates.

Cassoulet is comfort food for winter nights. Rich and thick it contains a range of flavours from the meats and beans and a smooth texture, especially from the beans and the preserved duck meats (comfit). We moved through the main course (plat principale) at a leisurely pace and, after several helpings were washed down by another couple of bottles of the local vins, were left contemplating rich dessert menus. The French down here love their desserts and local apples in pastry, glaces, rich tarts and cakes, all of which are heaped with fresh fruit flavours.

We waddled out into the night and drove the crew and guests back to their boat. I took the van back to Van Nelle and then returned the next day after lunch to provide the guests with their transport to the airport.

Talking of airports - I had noticed a small aero club sign in Castelnaudary and went to investigate. A flying school / club with a Cessna. I made tentative arrangements to take a flight with one of their instructors, a 747 Captain. The idea was that I would fly the plane and he would handle any radio communications in French - necessary in this land of interlocking controlled airspaces. I pulled the plane out of the hanger, running through a mental checklist and soon realised I would need an English version of the French checklists available in the aircraft, so set off for Van Nelle to find my copy - and my log book, licence and medical certificate. Unfortunately it all came to naught since while I was rummaging through the computer trying to find the checklists the phone rang to advise me that Kate still had a mechanical problem with Julia Hoyt and so I decided to head off to her to try to assist. Oh well, there will be other occasions.

Several days later I arranged to pick Maureen up from Kate’s boat and we set of in Van Nelle the next morning (after arranging with the local police for our car to be parked right outside the police station). We still had not arranged our final winter mooring despite my having driven to several likely ports along the canal so we had some investigating to do. Additionally, we still had a guest booked for an instruction course and had to check the height of the bridges in the area we would use for his week aboard.

Our target was Castelsarrasin, a place I had looked at and liked. The town is quite large (say the size of Mandurah) with a lively social scene and several boats in for the winter, including one with a New Zealand couple aboard. Unfortunately, since the VNF had planned to drain sections of the canal for repairs and maintenance, Castel S was not available for us until January when the water was restored. We departed Castel N for our first overnight at Gardouch under canvas since we could not guarantee the height of the bridges ahead and did not want to stop half way into a lock or under a bridge on a corner. Predictably it rained all day but our new canopy, devised by using grey plastic pipe bent into plastic T junctions and covered with plastic tarpaulin, worked well, providing good rain protection while still allowing the helms person to see forrard and aft. The air draft was a bit cool however but was somewhat dampened at night by the addition of plastic in the voids in front and behind the wheelhouse.

Gardouch was left behind as we moved on to Montech. This is a pretty little port with good facilities and the benefit of water all year round. We made inquiries and tentatively booked for the ‘chomage’, the period of maintenance that was scheduled from 6 November to 19 December during which you cannot move. On from Montech, the next port was Castelsarrasin where discussions with the port captain proved successful regarding January, February and March. Moreover, we had not found any bridges too low so far and so also had a workable first half of the instruction week for our next guest.  From this point on we travelled with the roof on.

We moved on to Moissac and found that it was to be drained, so passed on still further to Valence d’Agen where we found a happy band of wintering souls already ensconced. We arranged drinks aboard Van Nelle and became acquainted with the locals and the next couple of month's social programs. Time to turn around and head back to Montech to arrange the final details of our winter months and to finalise our guest’s program.

Our comings and goings had some of the eclusiers (lock keepers) bemused. Why would the crazy Australians be bouncing back and forth along the canal. We explained patiently to the first eclusier, expecting he would pass on the intelligence to those waiting before and after his lock, only to find that we had to explain again at the next - and the next and again at the next lock. We told them all that not only were we returning on this trip but that they would see us a couple more times before the chomage since we had a student to train for a week - un etudiant pilote -. They still looked surprised a week later when we arrived and several days later returned again.

During our first trip through the area we were several times frustrated with the slow operation of the locks, especially since there were very few other boats moving during this period. On one day I exploded when we arrived at a lock, waited half an hour until almost time for the lunch break (which we wanted to take just before the next lock since it had a historic mill attached) then to be told we had to wait for a restaurant boat to come through before we could be allowed into the unfilled lock. The restaurant boat had other ideas however and did not appear for another two hours. I told the eclusier what I thought of the delay and he, predictably, reacted badly. I just knew we were in for bad service after that but I was wrong. Not only did the service improve, but the eclusier in question became very friendly, chatting in his VERY strong southern accent (demang - rather than demain, beswang rather than besoin) at each lock he escorted us through for the next three appearances.

Lock keepers are far more shy and retiring in the south. It was not until we had seen one jolly chap several times that he tentatively asked if we would like some tomatoes and apples. We jumped at the offer and bought some of each - they were brilliant. The tomatoes were acid free, huge, sweet and very red, the apples very yellow, crunchy and perfect for both eating and making pastry encrusted pies for desserts. We tried to get more from him on the next trip but his bushes had given up all their fruit for the year and he could only offer a pumpkin - which made lots of excellent soup - and caused an exchange of recipes between his wife and Maureen - to her consternation as she cooks by taste and had to invent the recipe for the Madame.

This period of several weeks was the first extended period we had with the luxury of shore power at every port and for very reasonable rates. Typically we pay 3.50 Euros per night here compared to 10 - 15 further north. The winter mooring has been promised for 90 Euros for the three months plus a surcharge of just 12 for the electricity and water. I’m yet to believe it however since at Montech I am sure the officer quoted me 92 for the two months only to present me a contract of 92 per month. Even so, 3 euros per day isn’t bad. The only drawback is that the power outlets are quite restricted in amperage, 6-8 typically, so that you have to use some equipment serially - that is - use the toaster with the heater off, use the battery charger with the toaster and the heater off etc.

With winter on our minds I also looked for and found a satellite bargain. Normally 200-250 euros is the price of a digital satellite receiver and another 40 - 60 for the dish.  I found a special deal of 100 euros for both on a free-to-air system at a local brico (hardware store) and bought it. A very expensive taxi ride in Toulouse eventually was rewarded with the finding and purchasing of a satellite finder - necessary for folks on the move, as finding the right satellite is critical to lining up your dish and receiving a signal you can use. There are hundreds of programs beamed out by satellite in Europe and many are free-to-air. The channels that are not, require you to pay monthly charges, something we are happy to avoid. We get a range of news, sports, TV and movie channels, quite sufficient for us to record a store of movies for boring nights and to watch the news when we feel like it.

Sunday 27 October was the date we expected Nick Cowley, our final guest for the year.

Nick, a Brit now working for a bank in Amsterdam, found us on the internet through our website ( www.mcdaniell.com.au ) and took us up on the opportunity to learn all about barging while enjoying a cruise, great food and excellent wines. He had arranged for a week of tuition on our share cost arrangement and had trained down from Amsterdam to Toulouse. I drove into Toulouse on the Sunday morning to pick him up and we headed back to Van Nelle at Montech for lunch and our first day cruising - with a slight detour at Montauban where I missed the turn off to our village..

Nick was soon on Van Nelle's wheel in the long straight stretches between Montech and Dienpentale where we executed a 180 degree turn and headed back. We had arranged a program of daily cruises of about 15 kilometres that included up to 11 locks on each day, first outward to Valence and then returning to Montech. The first day was in the opposite direction but had the benefit of only one lock on each direction, one ascending and on the return, descending.

Training on the effects of suction caused by the prop, use of power to steer, setting up for entrance to locks and passage under bridges was interspersed with information passed on regarding daily maintenance, rope handling and useful knots, manoeuvering in confined spaces, wild mooring techniques, passing techniques and other arcane but necessary knowledge. Nick picked up the hang of steering this big boat quickly but, predictably, had some problems in lining the boat up to enter the locks in the descent phase.

When travelling in the direction of the flow of water (downstream), the boat descends through the locks. Departing from Montech towards Bordeaux is in the direction of the current (obviously minimal in a canal) and the levels descend at each ecluse. This makes sighting the angles of the lock walls difficult and as this is the principal guide to entering the locks it can be tricky if you can’t see clearly. To add to the degree of difficulty, in this canal there is a lot of excess water which bypasses each lock by means of a sluice above and below. The effect of the sluices, located very near and to one side of the lock entrance, is to slew the boat just as you approach the entrance since it is sucking quantities of water away from the entrance at the top and spewing it into the canal at the bottom.

Having the boat, which you as helmsman have spent nervous minutes lining up perfectly on the centre line of the lock, suddenly veer away by the bow and then by the stern, is a nerve racking experience. The immediate reaction is to turn the wheel hard to oppose the movement of the bow that threatens collision with the outer lock wall, but as you do, this swings the stern away from the centre line and fast towards the wall you are trying to avoid. This movement is quickly added to by the pull of the sluice bypass water to the stern now that the bow is through the affected patch. The boat is now threatening to broadside into the sharp corner offered by the external lock wall and, even at the recommended entry speed of 3.5kmh, this can cause very loud noises, extensive denting or scraping to the boat and the loss of considerable amounts of stone or concrete facings on the lock.  Not to mention embarrasement.

What to do ? As Nick discovered, first aim the boat into the lock from the opposite side of the centre line to the pull of escaping water (which requires that you know what side the sluice is on - and it changes from lock to lock). Certainly oppose the swing of the bow but then use power and opposite lock to force the stern away from the sluices pull and the lock wall. Boats like Van Nelle steer only by the force of water over the rudder pushing the stern in the opposite direction to the intended direction of the bow. One has to know and use this knowledge and power to control the boat and, be effectively several moves in front of the boat's movements, anticipating it's action and reaction. Trying to manoeuvre an 88' (27m) single screw boat without power is useless, these barges have flat bottoms and no keels, only power to guide them.

Nick progressed very well, finding ascending an easier task than descending, except in not being able to easily see the lock walls on exit. Narrow bridges and low bridges were the other major challenges, especially the ones placed on corners of the canal. It was fortunate for the first few days that there was no other traffic heading towards us on the other side of the canal's corners.

We enjoyed a varied program of cruising, exploring historic towns, finding and eating in new restaurants, and on the boat, feasting and wining sumptuously. By the end of the week I was ready for a three day fast and three AFDs - alcohol free days - the first we had for a couple of months.

During this cruise we cemented friendships with Rolly and Val the Kiwis in Castel S, Barry and Judy, Niko and Iana in Valence and several of the genial lock keepers and their families on the way. We returned to Montech on the Saturday having had to spend a full day in Castel S, as November 1 is one of the five days of the year that the locks are closed. This and the end of daylight saving were two events that we almost missed recognising. Fortunately we were made aware and planned excursions to cover the day in Castel S.

On Nick’s last day - Sunday 3 November, we drove into Toulouse for lunch at the food markets and Maureen and I  took a look at the Capitole (open to the public for the day) and Toulouse's Basilica before heading back to the reality of the next five months in this area with definite limits on our travels. We quickly headed for a couple of travel shops to check out brochures on Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia and Portugal - all contenders for some of our winter time.

The GPS tells me we have done just over 4,000 kilometres since we started in August 2001. Given that there are about 15,000 kilometres of canals and navigable rivers in Europe, and that we have retraced our steps on some of them, we still have something like 12,000km to do. At this rate we therefore have about another 6 years of exploration ahead of us.

In preparation for winter, today I arranged for 500 litres of ‘red’ diesel (about 40 cents per litre versus 84 cents for white but only for non engine use) and we have put aboard an electric heater (since electricity is included in our mooring fees) and several sacks of ‘charbon du bois’, charcoal for the pot belly stove. Charcoal does not cause a creosote like liquid to dribble from the chimney onto the deck which we get from burning wood, and is relatively inexpensive and quite clean to handle. We will experiment with various methods of insulation and heating to get the best combination although we expect to be somewhat warmer here in the south than we were in St Jean - surrounded by 7cm of ice.  The noon temperature today was 10 degrees and it is just the beginning of November.