FROM THE QUARTERDECK — A Report from The President , Bill Jaques

And more reminiscences on the joy of barge holidays in times BC

Once again, this “From the Quarterdeck” contribution starts with a spiel about COVID and the effects the restrictions are having on the Club’s activities. Happily, the traffic light system has enabled the clubhouse to reopen, with the now familiar requirements for masks and vaccination certificates, and the racing programme to commence — albeit with Race 4. Sea Talks also resumed with Allan Wetherall’s “5 knot” talk, and a small intrepid group celebrated Christmas Carols al fresco.

Race 4: Peter Blake Memorial Race to Waiheke was well-supported with 19 boats competing in two divisions and 15 starting in the following day’s race (Race 5) home — clear evidence that the sailors were anxious to shuffle off the dust of lockdowns and refits and blow some wind into their sails.  

The Christmas break was followed by the traditional Anniversary Weekend events starting with the night race to Mahurangi in conjunction with the Classic Yacht Association. There were the usual two DYC divisions, three separate divisions for Classic Yachts, and one for Mullet Boats

On Sunday, the Round the Islands race around Motuketekete Island with a prizegiving and BBQ on the beach after rounded off the weekend.

This year we had 11 Starters in the DYC divisions and a good turnout from the Classics. A couple of DYC boats joined the Anniversary Committee’s Mahurangi cruising race back home on the Monday.

Once upon a time, my own boat won the Mahurangi Night race but, in my last contribution, I excused my lack of current sailing stories and burbled on about my seafaring adventures on the inland waterways of Europe. It turned out I wrote mainly about locks. But there is more to say! Locks are a daily reality of inland cruising and a preoccupation of most inland boaties. Unless you are on one of the major rivers you will pass through several locks on most days. The pounds between locks are level so there is usually no current.  Locks are intended to change the canal level according to the surrounding terrain so the steeper the terrain the more frequent (or deeper) the locks. Many canals date back a way. (The canal du Midi in the south of France opened in 1682 and is essentially unmodified today.) Locks had to be manageable manually (and there were probably engineering limitations) so deep locks were not an option. Rise or fall was limited to about 3 metres. So the frequency of locks varied according to the steepness of the terrain

I described a day when we traversed 24 locks on the Canal du Bourgogne in Burgundy in France. The locks were very frequent and about half a kilometre apart. If the terrain is steeper a series of locks maybe combined into a “staircase” where one lock opens directly into the next. An example is a four lock staircase on the Midi near Castelnaudary seen here from the bottom of the staircase. 

It shows the practice of emptying all four by simply opening all the gates creating a cascade from top to bottom. Fortunately, I had been warned of this practice and assured that the torrent lost most of its strength before it reached our little boat cowering at the entrance.

Also on the Midi is the staircase of Fonserannes, near Béziers. It is an interesting example of canal engineering. Now of 6 locks but originally of 7. The original canal actually traversed the river Orb, which was potentially problematic, and the first lock opened directly on to the river. In about 1858 a pont d’eau — an aqueduct — was built to cross the river and entered the staircase at lock 2. 

Negotiating a series of locks was time-consuming, so in 1961 it was proposed to replace the staircase with a pente d’eau — a water slope. This was to consist of a big tank attached to a tracked tractor. A boat would enter the tank, the gate would close behind it and the tractor would haul it up the slope thus avoiding the 6 locks. It was complete in 1986. I never saw it in operation.  By the time we got there in 1996 it had failed and the tractor was lying derelict beside the locks. Rumour had it the tractor had run amok with a boat on board!

Here we are going up with the gates open and our lock filling. Note that our boat, on left, is neatly secured alongside while the hire boat is flopping around behind us.

You will see that the locks here on the Midi are actually oval. This used the strength of the horizontal arch to support the lock walls. It meant that the lock could accommodate boats side by side at its widest part.

Also in the South of France, near Montech, on the Canal de la Garonne, there is a different water slope or inclined plane. A channel with sloping floor has a wedge shaped puddle of water at the downstream end. A boat enters this wedge and the doors close behind it. The wedge of water is then driven up the slope by a sort of a bulldozer blade driven by two large locomotives on either side of the channel I understand it failed about 2001. It all saved 5 locks.

So French!

It was reserved for commercial vessels when we went past. I made the mistake of asking for an exception at 7 in the morning and got a firm non!  Our (lady) partner was more persuasive on their return voyage! However I have my favourite photo of our boat on the original canal below.

I have already strayed on to other aspects of canal engineering. They are fascinating and in front of you every day on the canals. There is plenty still to waffle about.  The big locks on the rivers, ship lifts, tunnels not to mention bridges. Next time.

BJ