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27 June At Castets, the first lock, the lock keeper told us how to operate the locks.
As you approach the lock you see a post on each side of the canal. There are two lights on the starboard post. If both lights are green you enter the lock, otherwise slow down. On approaching the posts you find a cable across the canal with a hanging rod which operates the switch. The lights should now be red and green. When the lock is open and both lights are green you may enter and tie up. A lever on the cabin cycles the lock. The rear gate closes, the water level changes then the front gates open.
29 June we set off in the morning at 07:30 and stopped at any convenient village near the canal before lunch or in the early afternoon for provisions. We stopped during the lunch hour only if we were held up by a lock and continued till 20:00. This is better than trying to reach a specific town by evening. As it was we continued till halted by a closed lock then set up the BB for the evening meal. Some of the locks were enormous doubles and oval to boot. It took some organisation to get through without hassle. On the stretch before Toulouse the railway ran alongside the canal and Ruth got a toot from each train that passed. We took the branch of the canal towards Narbonne at Port Robine and there we went under the houses. There was a 5m lock here the deepest since Toulouse, We reached the last lock of the canal too late to pass and walked 2 km to Port la Nouvelle for our evening meal at a lowly hotel. It was excellent. We put up the mast here using a crane and I went to the customs saying we were going to Corsica. All they said was ‘bon voyage’
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