Ecluse de Mosnac
///consultancy.unplayable.investigate
45°37’36.5484″N, 0°1’21.3204″W

We had a comfortable night just in front of the lock across the river from the village of Mosnac-Saint-Simeux.

We are starting to really notice how early the sun sets and how late it rises the next day.

Photo above – our overnight mooring spot.

Photo above – the weir beside the lock.

Photo above – Catherine & David tend the lock gates.

There are 15 locks on this section of the Charente River. Only one is operated by   the French river authority. The rest all have to be operated by the boaters.

When there are 4 or more people on board the usual routine is for 2 people to stay onshore to operate the locks and 2 stay onboard the boat to maneuver the boat in & out of the lock & & to handle the boat lines while in the lock.

Photo above – Valerie checks our status while managing the forward line.

Travelling on the Charente presents endless opportunities for photos. The riverbanks are heavily treed on both sides in between the villages.

Photo above – passing by Mosnac-Saint-Simeux.

Photo above – the church in Mosnac -Saint-Simeux high on the hill above the Charente. 

Photo above – Valerie & Catherine take a well deserved break on the aft deck while we are travelling in-between the locks.

We arrived at the town of Chateauneuf-sur-Charente around 11:30. This community has a farmer’s market so we thought we would stop for a while & go shopping for some more provisions.

Unfortunately the farmers market was closed but there were a few vendors open in a little mall so we picked up some fruit & vegetables at one, cooked chicken at the meat vendor & cheese at another. They all had a great selection & it was fun trying to explain to them what we wanted to buy.

Photo above – the fruit & vegetable stand owners were very patient with our limited French & they got a kick out of us using Google Translate for more detailed information. Notice the artichoke as big as your head!

Photo above – there were so many different types of cheese that we had a hard time deciding what to buy.

After we finished shopping at the market we stopped at a nearby boulangerie for some pre-made baguette sandwiches & to peruse the baked goods. It was really hard to leave that store!

We made a final stop at a Carrefour market for some less exotic, but still important supplies – including pasta, potato chips, paper towel & bottled water.

Photo above – Valerie perusing the household supply section. A less glamorous but still very important task.

After we got back to the boat we enjoyed our baguettes & then cast off for our next destination.

Saint Simon Mooring Wall
///chewy.lifestyle.defeat
45°38’55.2372″N, 0°4’36.5988″W

Photo above – the village of Saint Simon rises above our mooring wall along the riverbank.

The weather was warming up nicely when we stopped for the day. Another charter boat was approaching the mooring wall so David & I offered to take their lines.

This was a group of 4 seniors from Mainz, Germany. They didn’t speak much English but with lots of pointing & other gestures we managed to communicate the essentials with each other.

After their boat was securely tied up they told us that they were out of water in their tank but their hose was not long enough to reach the municipal water connection on the mooring wall.

I offered to loan them our hose so the 2 could be combined. That worked nicely. They were so happy to have our help that they gave us 2 bottles of their favourite German wine. I told them that was not necessary but very much appreciated.

When I got back to our boat I remembered that we had a small bottle of Crown Royal that I had purchased at the Duty Free in Toronto airport. I gave this (unopened) bottle to our new friends & they were very happy.

Meanwhile, back at the boat, Valerie was helping me expand readership of the blog. She was sharing links to the blog with her family & friends. With any luck I may have almost 25 subscribers by the end of the day!  Way to go Valerie!

We thought we would explore the village before dinner. David & I went in search of a small store to buy some beer but the only vendor in the village was a small pub. We went inside & started to ask the bartender in bad French if we could get a couple of drafts. He responded  “how about we do this in English”? I commented that he had a British accent that & he said that he moved to France from Oxford, England about 30 years ago.

Photo above – Valerie enjoying the hospitality of La P’tite Gabarre.

Photo above – a few more patrons of the pub.

By the time we got back to the boat we were ready for dinner. David volunteered to put the essentials together.

With all hands on deck we were ready to eat in no time flat!

And speaking of decks, after dinner Valerie & David decide to take on the ultimate challenge – to teach Catherine & I how to play euchre.

Valerie & David showed great patience with our inexperience. We had a lot of fun & hopefully by the time we have to return the boat to Sireuil Catherine & I might even understand what we should be doing.

Cheers!