TOPIC: Canal de Saint-Quentin weed

Planning South to North later in summer to get through before the first mid October chomage.

We finished the St Q yesterday. It was weedy but still lovely. VNF are doing their best to clear it and we're helpful with clogged locks.
It's worth travelling folks, and if we don't, it won't be there
Rob

We're moored at St Quentin and the weed is pretty challenging. We had to fight our way into the layby above the lock in order to moor. It's a particular pain above and below locks.

All credit to VNF, though, as they are working hard with grab cranes to remove weed from locks. But I fear they are only just succeeding.

We finally joined the St Q today and headed for our planned mooring at Les Rues des Vignes. In an example of pure karma, the mooring was completely filled with VNF's weed dredger - they're using a digger on a trente-huit. After failing to get through the next lock, we came alongside the trente-huit ask asked if we could moor there. Chap was heading off for the weekend and agreed readily. So, we're sorted.

Fairly weedy up the first 15km from Cambrai but nothing to stop us. Had to reverse a couple of times to clear the prop. Looks like it's getting worse though especially as we'll be getting ahead of VNF's clearing.

It's still beautiful though. We all really must keep coming.

Rob

Some good news today with the issue of avis FR/2022/02577. VNF will be removing weed for the next couple of months. Good on them.

(Avis FR/2022/02577 attached)

I've just noticed I referred to trout in my previous post - maybe because I'd just dined on same? - I did of course mean carp.

Pete

Rob Dean wrote: Perhaps if VNF have to provide escorts they might put more effort into clearing it. We need to keep using it or we'll all be condemned to the Canal du Nord!
Rob

Rob, while I fully agree the "Use it or lose it" refrain, you may be being a bit harsh on VNF. As is clear from other information available on the forum and elsewhere, this is an intractable problem that won't yet go away despite VNF's best efforts. Dredging, cutting, bubble barriers, water cleansing, trouting, biocontrol, itinérants, you name it, they're trying it. Unfortunately there's no one size fits all solution to what is a worldwide dilemma. It's going to need more international cooperative research and funding way beyond the resources of just one country's waterway authority.

Pete Clark

Oh the poor old St Q!
We're planning to fight our way through there next month. Perhaps if VNF have to provide escorts they might put more effort into clearing it. We need to keep using it or we'll all be condemned to the Canal du Nord!
Rob

It appears that the state of the Canal de Saint-Quentin has deteriorated quite significantly since we came through in 2020. I'm pasting in an extract from the email of friends who have just passed down it (and vowed not to go back that way!).

The Canal de San Quentin has so much weed that a lockkeeper came through all the locks with us between Lock 18 and 25. The lock gates have so much weed around them that they do not close properly.

We intended to go into the Marina at San Quentin to stock up on provisions. We could not get to any of the moorings because the weed was so thick. It was very bad everywhere in that harbor. The plants are rooted and so tall that they reach the surface of the water and spread out on it.

After we gave up and moved on, the same lockkeeper who had been with us up to San Quentin joined us at the next lock, which was not working. He said the marina at Seracourt-Le-Grand was in the same state. That is when he came with us all the way through Lock 25, the end of his territory.

We spent the night on the little island at St. Simon. There was still a lot of weed in the canal, but in the center it has not reached the surface yet. We covered the 9 kilometres to Jussy the next morning. When we arrived at Lock 26, a lockkeeper was already working that lock. He came with us through four more locks, leaving us after #29. The other two locks at Tergnier operated correctly and the canal was clear.

I hope any members in the area will find this useful.