Agde (Canal Lock): 43°18’54.1″N 3°29’57.1″E

Frontignan Canalside: 43°26’40.3″N 3°45’35.0″E

First of all, let me apologize for being so slow to post each day’s activities. There is so much going on & so many things to see & do that it’s the equivalent of trying to get a drink from a fire hose! By the time we are done with dinner each evening we are happily exhausted & are ready to collapse into bed. I usually start to write my blog when I go to bed but only last about 10 minutes before I start to drift off to sleep!

Today was a big day because we crossed the Etang du Thau!  This body of water is at the end – or the beginning of the Canal du Midi – depending upon which way you are going. It was the end of the canal for us!

The Etang du Thau is a large open, but relatively shallow body of water that is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a narrow strip of land – essentially making the Etang a lake or pond. There are navigation markers showing the route that boaters must follow to be certain that they will not run aground.

SCREENSHOT ABOVE TAKEN FROM GOOGLE MAPS TO SHOW RELATIVE LOCATION

It only took us about 30 minutes to travel to the entrance to the Etang from the place where we were moored the night before but unfortunately we did not have any idea of where we might moor for the night as we got closer to it. Oh well, maybe next time? (wink, wink).

PHOTO ABOVE – CITY OF MARCEILLAN

The weather was perfect for the crossing which took us about 3 hours. There was a gentle breeze to keep us cool & blue skies overhead.

We had an excellent view of the Etang’s “coastline” off our port side. Lots of well established communities along the water that I would have loved to explore but sadly we did not have enough time to stop. Maybe next time (wink, wink).

PHOTO ABOVE – THE ETANG COASTLINE WITH THE CITY OF MEZE IN THE DISTANCE

About half way through our crossing we noticed a helicopter circling over the water & then a French Coast Guard boat came from shore at high speed. At first we thought that there might be a search & rescue effort going on but it turned out to be a training exercise between the helicopter & the boat. Very entertaining watching the rescue team being lowered from the helicopter to the boat below.  It’s reassuring to know that there are skilled professionals ready to help when needed.

PHOTO ABOVE – HELICOPTER & COAST GUARD BOAT TRAINING EXERCISE

At the far end of the Etang we entered another short canal system that took us to the city of Frontignan. We had to wait until 4:00pm for the lift bridge to operate & let boats on both sides pass through. After passing under the bridge we found a good spot on the canal wall to tie up for the night. Barb had done some research online & found a nice restaurant close by that was on the Mediterranean Sea shoreline so we made reservations for dinner to celebrate our safe passage.

PHOTO ABOVE – VIEW FROM LE POISSON ROUGE RESTAURANT TIKI BAR PATIO OVERLOOKING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

We had a wonderful meal but by the time we were finished we were unable to find a taxi to take us back to the boat. The restaurant manager felt bad for us so he arranged for the restaurant bartender to drive us “home” in his car. French hospitality at its best!

Cheers!

Villeneuve les Beziers: 43°19’02.6″N 3°16’52.3″E

Agde (Canal Lock): 43°18’54.1″N 3°29’57.1″E

A significant structure on this section of the Canal du Midi is the Ouvrages du Libron.

 

 

PHOTO ABOVE – ENTRANCE TO OUVERAGES DU LIBRON

Built in 1855, it is designed to allow the Libron River to traverse the Canal du Midi. At the point of intersection, the Libron is more or less at the same level as the Canal du Midi so a traditional aqueduct was not an option – especially after heavy rains when the volume of water in the River Libron would increase significantly & cause flooding problems in the canal.

Our next stop along the canal after we left Villeneuve des Beziers was a round lock on the outskirts of Agde. When the canals were very active boaters could exit the lock & head straight for the Mediterranean Sea, only a few kilometers away. We only had one choice & that was to stay on the Canal du Midi because charter boats are not allowed access to the sea.

The photo above of the round lock is a panoramic shot I took with my iPhone.  It doesn’t do the lock “justice”. The lock master here had pretty good English & when he saw the Canadian flag on our bow he called out “vive le Canada”. I responded with “vive la France”. I asked the lockmaster where I should tie up because we were the only boat in the lock. He replied that it’s a political decision for you – feel free to go left or right!

I decided to tie up on the left side because I am left handed.

Shortly after we exited the lock we entered the River Herault & followed it upstream for a few kilometers before reentering the final strech of the Canal du Midi.

 

PHOTO ABOVE – RIVER HERAULT

it was strange being on this river after spending so many days in the narrow Canal du Midi. The water quality was much better & there was plenty of room to maneuver.

We arrived at the final lock on the Canal du Midi at Agde around 3 o’clock in the afternoon and were not sure how far it was before we reached the Etang de Thau so we decided to simply go through the lock and then tied up for the night at that spot.

There wasn’t much around us at the lock other than a canal-side campground for area residents so Bruce and I decided to go for a walk to try and find a grocery store to pick up a few small things, plus some cold drinks and maybe a bottle of wine or two. We had an epic walk through a very busy industrial/commercial area only to find that the store we were interested in only sold fruit, vegetables & raw meat – no wine or carbonated drinks. Oh well, we had a good walk & there’s always another store somewhere along the canal.

Tomorrow we cross the Etang du Thau!

Cheers!