Canal du Midi - holiday report - page 3  tuesday
Holiday report Canal du Midi, from Carnon Plage (Montpellier) to Homps (single voyage): 140 km, 17 locks, 25 operational engine hours, 4 persons on board + mascotdog Ella (team Holidayboat.net-Vakantieboot.nl)

The following morning we sailed to the famous 7 locks of Fonsérannes.

A good timetable planning for passing the locks is important and as we were early we had to wait for three hours until we finally could go upwards.
Next to the locks complex there is a locomotive-like structure that once was meant to pull up and let down the boats but by some strange reason this solution has never worked.
At a length of 304 metres you reach a 21,44 metres fall and we had to crawl up by degrees, upstream.
We could notice this very well when we passed the locks with three boats at a time.
On the shore a kind of manager was giving directions and Ferry and Ryanne kept the boat under control by keeping the ropes firmly in their hands. 

As we were up front it seemed as if we were sitting in a fast speedboat as the water came down with waterfall speed when the upstream door of the lock was opened. A unique and strenuous event!
After this we passed another couple of locks, alternated by the peaceful green landscape of the Canal du Midi, bordered by plane-trees.
We also passed through the Tunnel of Malpas, hewed out of sandstone.

After a couple of hours we stopped for the night in Capestang.

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