11th – 13th August, 2018. From Pommerœil to Péronnes yacht club, then on to Tournai.

It is an unusual finger mooring at Pommerœil. We joined Chris here on Laura Marie and had a good evening together.

Continuing on down another huge lock with our Danish friends. This was Péronnes lock 1, and was a 12.5 metre drop.

Péronnes yacht club is based in the large lake between the two locks.

Fortunately the hammerhead, at the end of the jetty, was clear for us. We do not often moor at yacht clubs, but we only have a few inches of water left in our tank, so needs must!

On leaving, we waited above Péronnes lock 2, while a commercial emerged. There was another commercial coming along behind us, so we were surprised to be called in first. The lockkeeper closed the gates behind us, so Andy told him there was plenty of room beside us for the big barge. After some consideration, he opened the gates again, and Lawrens came in very slowly, and easily fitted in.

We left the lock first, then moved over for Lawrens when we could. We have found the commercials considerate, so long as we remember our place, and keep out of their way.

After a shopping stop in the little harbour at Antoing, we moved on to Tournai. We are squeezed in, in front of La Paradoxe, with Bernard and Patricia on board. We met last year at Sarguemines, and also on the Champagne-Burgundy canal. At this mooring it is essential to be very well secured, as the commercial traffic is quite heavy here, near to the one way system ahead of us.

The cathedral here, is very much under repair, so this is a scale model to show its proportions.

It is very tall inside, but the far half is completely hidden by scaffolding, both inside and out. It will look splendid when it is finished. Excavations were visible, alongside the nave, showing the 9th century foundations of the cathedral.

The rose window was probably the best one that we have seen, up there behind the organ.

We visited the Musée des Beaux Arts. I liked this picture of an old barge horse by Pierre Paulus, who is a new artist for me.

This is the Grand Place, and the centre of town. Our friends, Bernard and Patricia, from Le Paradoxe, are cycling through the fountains.